Chapter 8: There are rules
The next day morning Sylvia woke up bright and early. She was already feeling better and was not as nervous as she was the previous day.
She didn't have any change of clothes, so she only adjusted her appearance, before heading out.
She first went to the kitchens to report to the head maid.
Sylvia had originally expected a lot of maidservants and other workers bustling about in the kitchens and in the castle but surprisingly, she didn't find anyone around.
It was only Jane running around doing this and that.
"Good morning, dear. You are awake early!" Jane greeted her with a bright smile despite being very busy.
"Umm… Sorry, Mrs. Jane." Sylvia apologized nevertheless.
"Ha Ha. Don't worry. Don't worry." Jane nodded and continued stirring a pot.
"I am almost finished preparing breakfast for the prince. How about you have some food as well?" Jane suggested.
"But Mrs. Jane, how can we eat before his highness eats?" Sylvia asked in confusion.
"Ha Ha. His Highness doesn't care about things like that. We are allowed to eat whenever we want."
"There is usually not much work in the castle as well. Have you met Jenny on your way?"
"She in fact already finished her meal. So you don't have to worry."
"Umm. I see." Sylvia absentmindedly nodded.
"Is it just three of us working in this castle, Mrs. Jane?"
Sylvia couldn't believe that a King's son would live so frugally, without a surplus of maidservants and workers.
"Yes. Yes. You will slowly become familiar with the things in this castle."
"Apart from Jenny, there are a couple more maids in the castle, but in general we have very few people here."
"His highness prefers it that way. On that note, be sure not to enter his majesty's private quarters."
"Unless he explicitly gives permission, none of us are allowed to enter that part of the castle."
Sylvia carefully listened to all of Jane's instructions and made a mental note of everything.
She had always been gifted in remembering things and these few rules were next to nothing compared to their Kingdom's voluminous historical records.
After finishing her conversation with Jane, Sylvia quickly wolfed down a couple of bread slices, washing them down with a glass of milk.
She then basically had nothing else to do.
Jane, Jenny, and Beth, the other three maids who were very proficient in chore magic took care of everything else.
And since they used magic, it didn't take long for them to complete the daily routine.
There was not really any space for Sylvia to help out.
Ever since she got caught in the first place, the only thing that Sylvia thought about was how to escape her inevitable fate.
But unfortunately, her new master was a Prince, and that too a mage!
How could she even think about escaping now? It would simply be a fool's errand.
Mages were the actual upper echelons of their society and they were even more valued than members of the noble families.
They were powerful entities who determined the strength and defense of a Kingdom.
In truth, the chairman of the Kingdom's Mage Council possessed a lot more power than the King himself.
So Sylvia no longer thought about plotting and planning her escape.
Her fate was sealed the minute a mage laid his eyes on her.
Even if she escapes, all the man had to do was cast a simple trace spell. This was common knowledge.
Several criminals of the Kingdom were caught in this fashion.
Even though she no longer had any chance to escape, Sylvia didn't feel that unsettled or anxious anymore.
After a good night's sleep and from the long conversation she had with Jane, she could already tell that her situation wasn't too bad.
However, she still had a small sense of unease at the back of her mind.
For a while, Sylvia wandered around here and there in the castle, but then she suddenly remembered the incident from yesterday and decided that it was best for her to not roam around so much, lest she runs into a certain someone.
Back home, she had the habit of reading often, so she decided to pay a visit to the library in the castle and spend some time there.
Sylvia looked around in awe as she slowly walked towards the library.
In the light of day, the castle really did look marvelous, especially the exquisite designs on the stained glass skylight.
Light passing through those glass panes was brilliantly reflected, and it was a sight for the sore eyes.
Sylvia gulped nervously, feeling a bit overwhelmed by the extravagant luxury around her.
She soon reached the library, where she thought the presence of books might comfort her, but unfortunately, she was once again wrong to assume so.
The enormous chamber doors of the library were open and the library itself was breathtakingly huge. It might even occupy one-fourth of the entire castle!
Sylvia stood at the entrance, her mouth wide agape.
When she paid close attention to the chamber, she noticed that the library stretched all the way from the ground floor to the top floor of the tower.
In other words, one entire tower of the castle had been fashioned into a reading library.
Gifts
-- Gift
received Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone