17 Moving On

Arnacia quietly went to her side of the bed. She turned off the lamp before lifting the blanket.

Isabelle was watching Arnacia's every move. Her heart skipped a beat when she saw Arnacia smile again before the lamp turned off.

Two maids were laying under the same blanket now. Their beds were narrow, thus the distance between the two bodies was only half a meter.

"Isabelle, my love," Arnacia slowly said. She smiled when she felt Isabelle's heartbeat. Was it faintly audible because they were so close? Or was it the result of sharing the same bed?

"Isabelle, my love," Arnacia called out again. "Is the apron enough to cover you-" The blanket was suddenly pulled. Arnacia was out in the open, whereas Isabelle was fully wrapped.

Arnacia smiled for a while. She turned her body towards Isabelle and called out.

"Isabelle, I was only joking. Let me inside."

But the maiden only grabbed the blanket tighter in response. Arnacia did not pursue the matter further. She turned again and looked outside the window. She practiced moving the fingers of her left hand and eventually fell asleep.

***

A knock on the door sounded. It was louder the second time. Arnacia opened her eyes, but the view outside the window was dark. She turned around and realized a proper amount of blanket was thrown over her. A face entered her vision. It was close, but unclear. Something was also touching her dress.

Isabelle was sleeping with curled legs. But there wasn't much time to observe as another knock sounded on the door.

Arnacia got up. The action partially removed the blanket from Isabelle's upper body.

"Isabelle, wake up." Arnacia looked at the sleeping maiden and sighed. The waist apron was tied around Isabelle's chest.

Wasting no moment, Arnacia grabbed Isabelle's checks. She was gentler than yesterday. A small gap opened up in the maiden's mouth. She guessed that the waking up process had something to do with the transfer of saliva. The only question that lingered in her heart was - why. She moved her lips onto Isabelle's and let the taste exchange naturally.

The lips locked for a few seconds. Arnacia sighed after breaking the kiss. She quickly covered Isabelle's body with the blanket and went to the door.

'What is happening so early in the morning?' She pressed her ear on the door and heard footsteps getting closer.

'Do we have to go so early?' She quickly opened the door and stood straight.

Rosalia glared at Arancia, then looked inside the room. Isabelle was sitting on the bed and her hands were holding up the blanket to cover her body. The maiden held the white with one hand to cover her chest. But the blanket left her naked arms and shoulders exposed.

The witch stepped inside the room. Her stern eyes inspected the room. A briefcase was kept near the table, then looked at the bed. She picked up the nightdress and handed it to Isabelle.

"Arnacia, as a punishment, you don't get to bathe today. Pack your belongings," Rosalia said, then she looked at the maiden. "Isabelle, come to the bathhouse."

'Is this the real witch?' Arnacia's eyes froze. She recalled the little information about Rosalia in volume two. Every time the writer had portrayed her as an evil character. It wouldn't be surprising if the witch murdered Isabelle, but the reality seemed to be different.

"You need to win this time," Rosalia said.

After the witch left, Arnacia pulled the door back. Isabelle carefully dressed herself to get the chance. With no words, the maiden also left.

This time, Arnacia did not bother to pull the door back. She sat on the bed and tried to recall anything that would help her.

'Why did she ask me to win? Why is she so supportive? This doesn't make any sense…'

Arnacia moved her fingers one by one. The thought of packing didn't cross her mind yesterday. Getting full control of her new body was the new priority. And apparently, teasing Isabelle was also important. She stretched lazily on the bed for some time. Then she got up to open the cupboard.

'Why do we have to pack when we only have two pairs of clothes?' Arnacia opened the drawers. Surprisingly, it had colorful clothes, but most of them were on the darker side.

'Did the writer think of it all? Or are the missing parts automatically filled?' A pair of shoes were placed in the lowest compartment.

'These seem to be my clothes. Do we go home after the tournament? But where is my home…' Arnacia sighed deeply. The future was uncertain, but at least the possibilities were vast. Her heart churned with anticipation, but she forcefully calmed her mind.

She rummaged through the cupboard and even unfolded all the clothes. But she found no memento of her home. Her heart churned again.

'It's alright, I will ask someone.' She calmed herself and spent the rest of the time doing light exercises.

Isabelle came into the room after bathing. Her body was packed in the maid's dress.

"Arnacia, go fast. Some maids are still changing," Isabelle said.

"Thank you."

'I will fix her dress after I change.' Arnacia smiled at Isabelle and rushed towards the bathhouse.

The maids were putting on their headbands. Arnacia quickly undressed herself and put on the complex dress. She finished with the dress while the slow maids were putting on their shoes. Isabelle was standing by her side.

'Almost maid it.' Arnacia joked in her head and leisurely put on her shoes. Then fixed Isabelle's dress.

Rosalia entered the room and inspected the maids. Her eyes stopped on Arnacia for a moment.

"Collect your bags. We will head to the Garden of Scullery now."

The maids headed into the sleeping quarters in a straight line. Arnacia and Isabelle entered their room and picked up their small suitcases. Soon, everyone was out and lined up in front of Rosalia.

"This will be the last tournament for all of you. Your previous camps matter little. All of you will pass as a maid from the Garden of Chambers. Don't leave any regrets behind," Rosalia said.

All the maids had solemn expressions. Even Arnaica and Isabelle felt pressured because of the voice. A chill went down everyone's body on hearing the last line.

'This is my second chance at life. I won't leave any regrets behind!'