Dream and reality

''It is a pleasure to have you here, lady Elisabeth," Anastasia ignored her piercing gaze and continued her performance with a warm smile.

"I am delighted," Elisabeth replied. She realised that even if she was playing the guest, she must put on a proper outlook.

"Miss Elisabeth, your smile cannot appear false even if the host was your worst enemy. It would be best if you always learned to act properly," Miss Maria frowned. She was disappointed that Elisabeth, praised for being the best, would act so petty.

"I Apologise." Although Elisabeth was smitten with anger and hatred, she still apologized. She could not afford to irritate Lady Maria.

Miss Maria knew that Elisabeth did not like the attention she gave to Anastasia, but she was paid to teach both and would never neglect her just because she was slow or because the favored daughter was petty.

"Tomorrow, a friend of mine is hosting a small party; you two would come with me," Miss Maria said before she walked over and took her seat. Elisabeth felt like the world had ended when she heard this. She never thought a day would come when she would go to a party with her sister.

.....

When they ended their class for the day, it was already past lunchtime; Anastasia knew that the kitchen would not be so kind to keep food for her. In fact, she was worried that any leftovers might have been tampered with. 

"Forget it; I will go back to my courtyard and drink some water, " Anastasia thought. Since she was already so hungry, she was worried that eating anything wrong would make her fall sick. It was better to bear with the hunger until it was dinner time. 

"Welcome back, my lady, " Rosa was waiting for her inside her courtyard.

"What are you doing here?" Anastasia asked. She was sincerely worried for Rosa.

"Don't worry, the Duchess went out with that witch," Rosa said. She knew what Anastasia was worried about.

"Still... ' Anastasia was still worried; after all, many people wanted to benefit from others' misfortune.

"Fine, I will leave shortly. Your lunch is inside," Rosa said.

"You went to the kitchen to get my lunch? " Anastasia was shocked. Those women in the kitchen were loyal to the Duchess; if they gave her food, it meant something was wrong with it.

"Yes, " Rosa nodded her head with a smug look. She knew that her lady could not eat breakfast, so she went to get her lunch.

"And they allowed you? " Anastasia raised her brows in suspension.

"Those old women in the kitchen wanted to play some tricks, but I managed to get the food. Don't worry, you can eat in peace, " Rosa said confidently; she seemed pleased.

"What did you do? "Anastasia asked. She was feeling worried again. Rosa could be hot-blooded at times. She was worried that she created a problem instead of solving it.

"Those old women brought a food tray, but I asked them to eat at least a tenth. I also threatened to hit the gong around the city if something was wrong with the food, " Rosa summarized the situation in the kitchen with a smug smile.

Although her antic worked, Anastasia knew that Leah would find more reason to punish her in the future. "You don't have to go back to your duty post anymore; just stay in the courtyard, " She instructed as she walked into her room. It seems that her attempt to push Rosa away over the years was useless. Since she dared to threaten the kitchen, she was only inviting trouble. Although she knew that she still could not protect Rosa, Anastasia was moved by her courage.

Anastasia knew that even if she did not fight for anything, the Duchess would still find reason to suppress her. After Rosa stuck her neck out to get her lunch, Anastasia felt that it would be too much to send her out to continue to fend for herself.

"My lady, are you serious? " Rosa asked. She could not hide the excitement in her voice.

Anastasia was shocked by her excitement. She knew Rosa cared for her a lot; after all, she had cared for her since she was six. She did not understand why she would be so happy to return to her side.

"You know that Leah will make your life a living hell if you return, right? " Anastasia asked. She felt that Rosa was acting too ignorant.

"So? My lady, I want to serve you, " Rosa answered. Although she sounded brave, Anastasia could tell that she was scared.

"Why?" Anastasia could not help but ask the question that had been on her mind for a while. In the past few years, no matter how she tried to distance herself from Rosa, the girl still found a way to get closer. She got herself punished for helping her when all she had to do was avoid her.

"My lady? " Rosa was confused by the question.

"Why are you willing to serve me, even when I have nothing? " Anastasia asked. Four maids were assigned to Mother's courtyard while she was alive. Two maids left the duke's household, and the third one now served under one of the Duchess's sons, but Rosa would not leave, no matter the hardship.

It was at her order that she[Rosa"} left her {Anastasia} side before, but she chose to join the lowest rank of maids.

At that time, Elisabeth, who had two personal maids, offered her"{Rosa) an opportunity to serve her, but Rosa refused, Stating that a maid could only have one mistress. So, Leah sent Rosa to the horse stable. These maids were not just going to take care of the horses; they also had to deal with the waste of the duke's household.

The dirtiest job in Anastasia's option.

"I owe you my life, " Rosa gave a simple answer. Her gaze was firm, and she allowed Anastasia to look at her face. There was no insincerity.

Anastasia felt like a lighting went through her body, causing her to shake involuntarily. She was surprised by her answer, but what shook her was that the scene before her overlapped the long dream she had.

In the dream, she had also asked Rosa the same questions. However, at that time, in the dream, she was already an old Empress without any power.

Rosa had said the same word at that time in the dream; she could accept this answer; after all, when her life was a bit better, she had been generous to Rosa, but this early, she never imagined that Rosa was already so loyal to her.

"Wait, that was just a dream, " Anastasia said, shaking her head. She did not want to make decisions based on some fragment of a dream.

"Moreover, who would not jump at the opportunity to stop cleaning the toilet?"Rosa joked, but then she noticed that something was wrong with Anastasia.

"My lady, my lady, are you alright?" Rosa asked. She was worried to see her lady shaking all of a sudden. She already suspected that Anastasia was not feeling well, so when she saw her shaking, her heart hung in her throat.

She hurried forward and supported her.

"Let go to the dining room; after you eat something, you will feel better, " Rosa said. 'if only Madam was still alive, at least we would get a physician to check on you, ' Rosa sighed under her breath.

Anastasia took a deep breath and could only calm herself after she got to the dining table. "Dreams and reality are different," she convinced herself, considering the timeline difference.

"My lady, eat something," Rosa served the food in front of her.

Anastasia looked at the food; there were two small pieces of meat, which was already a luxury she had not seen in months. Although Rosa had threatened the women in the kitchen, it did not do much to improve the food. Although there was meat on the plate, she could tell that her food was from the maid's pot.

She enjoyed this delicacy when the kitchen women were friendly and did not give her something meant for dogs.

''sit, we would eat together, " Anastasia said. She knew in her heart that after throwing such a stunt in the kitchen, she would not be served lunch.

"No, My lady, I will only eat when you are done, " Rosa shook her head. She knew her place as a maid. Although Anastasia treated her as a friend, Rosa was worried about becoming too comfortable. Afraid she might embarrass her lady one day if they could attend an important party.

"Alright, " Anastasia did not insist she knew the girl was stubborn. Her stomach grumbled, so she washed her hands and picked up the spoon to eat. But first, she shared the food on the table in two halves.

Although she pushed the thought of the dream to the back of her mind, she could not help but worry about the possibility.

Anastasia ate slowly, but Rosa felt relief when she saw her eat. To her, as long as a person could still eat, the sickness was not something serious.

After eating, Anastasia went into her room to rest under Rosa's nagging.