Official Duty (1)

Thanks to the winter season and the longer nights, my sleeping hours had also increased. As the dim twilight descended upon the land, faint stars sparsely dotted the night sky, eventually coalescing into the Milky Way. When clusters of stars, seemingly about to pour down from above, arced across the sky, the dawn’s faint light would rise like mist from the east, and the morning star would twinkle mockingly.

For soldiers and knights who spent their nights awake, winter was an incredibly tedious and painful time. However, for most palace staff, the word “winter” was a pleasant sound to hear. Even those of lower rank working in the palace were never left to starve, and the quality of food was quite good. Moreover, they rested at night, so winter offered many leisurely hours during the day.

However, because the days were shorter, reducing the time available for work, they toiled intensely while the sun was up. Consequently, the labor during the day was more strenuous than in summer. Especially, doing laundry was a torment, so the lowest-ranking maids in the palace were responsible for winter washing.

If they hadn’t been afforded the luxury of soaking their hands in warm water and applying oil after washing to prevent frostbite, there wouldn’t have been a single low-ranking maid in the palace who survived the winter with all ten fingers intact. They were the only palace maids who couldn’t fully enjoy winter. Yet, winter was a season that brought more joy than suffering to the palace staff.

At night, before bedtime, the palace staff would light the stove, pile up firewood, and huddle around it. As the flames roared in the stove’s firebox, they would skewer sausages on long iron rods and plunge them into the fire to roast.

When the crackling sound subsided a little, they would pull them out. The sausages would turn brown, dripping oil, and emit a savory, sweet aroma. The palace staff would take bites of the sausages, savoring the hot meat juice in their mouths. Once they were moderately full, they would bring up ghost stories they had heard from somewhere.

As the weather turned colder, the palace staff no longer rested in the courtyard, and even those of high rank didn’t frequent the gardens. Flowers and grass had turned yellow and died, and the trees revealed their bare branches. When the wind whistled past, the branches bent, making a whirring sound.

However, the wriggling anticipation of the sprouting season didn’t disappear. The gardener recalled the images of the following spring and summer with experienced eyes. In accordance with the pictures that came to mind, they pruned overgrown branches, spread fertilizer, and managed the bulbs to be planted in spring. The work of clipping branches and thinning out saplings that had grown in unexpected places never ceased, whether in summer or winter.

As the winter solstice drew near, the palace also began to prepare little by little. Unlike the seven-day Public Health Festival, the winter solstice in the palace was merely a day to eat slightly special food and play, bringing a small change to everyday life. It was difficult to hold grand events in the middle of winter, so the term japjeol (minor holiday) was fitting. However, due to its symbolism as the starting point of gradually lengthening days, it was a considerably important day, even if not a full-fledged holiday.

Serina particularly loved the sandwiches eaten in the palace during the winter solstice, made with hot-natured medicinal herbs pickled in honey and served with cheese. It was a palace custom meant to ward off the winter chill. While other medicinal herbs and cheeses were easy to obtain, honey was rare, so it was given priority to the palace and wealthy noble families. Not as much as sugar, but honey was a considerably precious item obtained by harvesting the labor of bees.

The Rose Palace staff couldn’t help but be enthusiastic about honey. The maids of the Rose Palace were also from fallen noble families, so they were no different from the lower maids in this regard. Serina had only tasted honey properly since entering the palace. The first time she ate it, she was so surprised by the deep, rich sweetness that she licked every drop of honey off her fingers, only to be punished for acting without dignity as a palace staff.

Serina shuddered, realizing that the weather had become noticeably colder. The flickering torchlight struggled to push back the darkness that clung to the Rose Palace corridors. Her steps towards the Main Chamber to wake the Princess were light, but her faint footsteps trailed off and disappeared. Serina briefly smoothed her hair with her hand and straightened her clothes.

The faint light of dawn was dimly rising in the eastern sky, but it was still too early for the sun to rise, so her white breath spread out like a hazy mist. The Milky Way, which had been cutting across the purplish firmament, was dissolving into the faint light that was breaking at the edge of the night.

As she quietly opened the door to the Rose Palace Main Chamber, a dense air filled with warmth rushed out. Bathed in the faint glow of the first dawn, the palace’s Princess was sitting in a chair in front of the fireplace, leisurely basking in the crackling flames.

The shadows cast on the floor followed the flickering fire like waves. Crimson light fell like scales upon the Princess’s eyes. The sound of wood burning crackled, permeating the air like a pungent fragrance. Inside the Main Chamber, where the hazy twilight and the faint dawn darkness mingled, Mirabilis’s expression as she enjoyed the warmth was very serene.

“Is that Serina?”

“Yes, it is. Did you have a peaceful night, Princess-nim?”

As Mirabilis turned her head to look, the two exchanged simple greetings. Even though they saw each other every day, Mirabilis seemed very pleased and wore a gentle smile. The Princess of the Rose Palace, who had always been cold and sensitive, had become slightly more expressive and her complexion had softened, especially when Serina was by her side.

“Last night, the eerie moonlight filled the window. Even with the candles extinguished, the Main Chamber was bathed in a hazy light. It was so quiet and peaceful that I didn’t want to fall asleep. I wanted to call you and have a drink, but I felt bad about waking you. Did you have a peaceful night too?”

Her voice, as she answered softly, was very amiable and gentle.

Because it was winter and the nights were long, she had already woken up before the maid came to wake her. So, the Princess had ventilated the Main Chamber and lit the fireplace herself. Thanks to that, there wasn’t much for Serina to do when she quietly entered. The Princess smiled brightly and gestured for her to come closer. As Serina approached, Mirabilis turned the chair towards the maid. Affectionate joy spread like waves over the Princess’s red lips.

“Uoko Soro Lem Pauraam.”

The moment the maid uttered the Keyword with her tongue, Mirabilis’s eyes briefly lost focus and then regained it. She stood up, approached Serina, hugged her tightly, and pressed her cheek against hers.

“I like it when Older Sister-nim calls me every morning.”

Serina also hugged Mirabilis, stroked her back, and then caressed her hair. She liked the feeling of the soft hair touching her hand, so she touched it a little, and the Princess tilted her head to make it easier to stroke, as if asking for more.

“Should we do the morning greeting?”

“Yes, Older Sister-nim.”

As Serina sat in the chair, Mirabilis put on the dog collar she had received earlier and carefully knelt down. The Princess bowed her head before the maid. It was a very careful and respectful movement, with only the sound of her clothes rustling. Her long, soft hair flowed down and scattered, faintly shimmering in the reddish dawn light. It was a sight that always evoked a strange sense of mystery.

“Did you have a peaceful night? Master-nim.”

“Yes, I slept well.”

In this way, the “real” Mirabilis was gradually becoming accustomed to the dual position of being Serina’s beloved younger sister and also her possession. No matter how much she was Older Sister-nim, Mirabilis was quite uncomfortable with bowing before her, but as Serina constantly coaxed her and made her perform the action, her resistance gradually faded.

Now, she didn’t have much resistance to bowing anymore. In a way, she even seemed to feel joy in the fact that it was a “secret relationship shared only by Older Sister-nim and me.”

Still, there was a line that Serina still couldn’t cross. A shallow master-servant relationship that could collapse if difficult commands were forced upon her. To make her do something unreasonable, it was better to emphasize the “sister” relationship rather than the master-servant one and persuade her. As the younger sister raised her head, the Older Sister-nim asked a question.

“Whose is your body?”

“…It belongs to Serina-nim.”

There was a little hesitation in Mirabilis’s answer, but Serina didn’t bother to press the issue.

“Whose is your soul?”

“…It belongs to Serina-nim.”

Even though she said it like that, it was very clear that she hadn’t truly accepted the content of those words yet. When she said those words, her answer was a little late, and her expression was stiff. So, after hearing the answer, Serina would always kiss Mirabilis on the forehead and praise her for doing well. Otherwise, she seemed quite sulky.

She was willing to say it “in words” because her truly beloved Older Sister-nim was asking her to, but she didn’t really want to serve her as the master of her body and soul. That was the limit of what Mirabilis could do, and Serina couldn’t force her any further. Serina was Mirabilis’s “true Older Sister-nim,” but she wasn’t her “true Master-nim.” However, she hoped that by repeating these actions and deepening her obedience, she would eventually accept it.

Serina reached out and placed her hand on Mirabilis’s chest, but Mirabilis didn’t resist at all. Rather, she felt good and even pushed her chest forward to make it easier to touch.

“I will allow pleasure.”

At that moment, sexual pleasure swept through Mirabilis’s entire body like a wave. When sexual pleasure suddenly struck at an unintended and unprepared moment, the black pupils of her eyes dilated, her lips became redder, and she sweated. Her body trembled, and only after the pleasure had passed did the trembling finally stop.

The fact that she could only experience climax with Serina’s permission meant that, conversely, even if she wasn’t prepared, if Serina “allowed” it, Mirabilis “had to” experience climax. It didn’t make sense logically, but Mirabilis’s subconscious thought so.

“Older Sister-nim, if you do this from the morning, it will be difficult for me. We have to greet the foreign envoys today too…”

Mirabilis pouted and answered sullenly. She didn’t really dislike it. Rather, she was happy and pleased. But she just didn’t want to admit that fact willingly in front of Older Sister-nim. Serina had just been joking on a sudden impulse without much thought, so she apologized lightly.

“Sorry, sorry, you just looked too cute.”

“Is that so?”

Mirabilis couldn’t help but smile brightly without any reservations when she heard Serina’s words. Pleased to be praised, she leaned her upper body on the lap of her Older Sister-nim, who was sitting in the chair. Serina placed her hand on the Princess’s head and slowly stroked it. Feeling the warmth of the flames burning in the fireplace and Serina’s touch caressing her, Mirabilis was immersed in a deep sense of happiness.