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AɴᴀMᴀʀɪᴇ Bᴀʀʙᴀʀᴀ Kʀãsᴀ's Rᴏᴏᴍ
A large, yet simple room. A medium sized four poster bed by her window.
Light pink and purple walls with dark pink bookshelves lining the wall
opposite of her bed. Her dresser sits by the door with her closet
beside the dresser. And on the other wall sits her desk that is closer to
her bookshelves than her bed. She has quite a bit of floor space since she
isn't in it much.

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Maid:
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Ana walked in and laid down in her floor with the new book she discovered. It looked like it would be good just from the cover. It was a frog and a princess kissing. She opened it up and started to read. After a few pages in she was hooked. A sudden wave of thirst over come her and she wished for a maid or someone to walk in soon so she wouldn't have to leave her precious reading.

Luckily for her, a maid happened to be just outside the room in the hallway, scrubbing the floor. Her elbows were beginning to hurt, but that was life. This floor had to be so clean she could see her reflection in it. Otherwise, of course, it wasn't good enough. She had a large bucket of soapy water at her side, and a rag in her hand as she scrubbed at the floor. She couldn't wait for this work to be done. Scrubbing the floors was something that needed to be done, but it was also something no one enjoyed. It required little thinking, but it left her arms aching for a week after. And she had to have this hallway finished by dinner, otherwise she was in for a punishment. She tried not to think about her aching arms as she continued to scrub down the floor.

Sighing, Ana stood and opened the door. She was a little startled by seeing the maid scrubbing the floor. Everyone's least favorite job. But it had to be done.

"Umm, m-miss if you don't mind could you take couple minutes to go get me a glass of lemonade?" She asked quietly not knowing how the maid would respond.

She opened the door all the way and walked back over to where her book was laying. She picked it up and moved a little closer to the door.

Ida looked up quickly, her hair held back by an elegant bun covered with a white headband, a regular maid's uniform. Recognizing Princess AnaMarie, she got to her feet quickly, and curtsied. "Would Your Highness like her drink immediately?" She asked, wondering if she could quickly finish the floors before leaving. If one of the head maids stopped by, seeing an unfinished floor and unattended supplies she would end up in trouble. And she had intended to try and visit Andrew, after work. It was no matter, of course. Whatever she wanted was inconsequential compared to the Princess's wishes, and if she wanted a lemonade right tis second, it was a maid's task to fetch it for her, no matter what she was doing.

"If you would like to finish the floor first that would be alright." She answered and then quickly added, "But the sooner you can get it to me the better."

She smiled at the maid, who she now recognized as Ida. There weren't very many of the maids that she bothered to remember the names of, for she hardly ever spoke to any of them. But this one, Ida, was one of the lucky few. She sat back down and began to search for the place she was at. Once she had, she glanced back up at Ida. She had the most beautiful black that Ana had ever seen. Apart from her older sister's that is.

She bowed her head quickly, keeping her eyes on the floor. It was inappropriate, of course, for a maid to look her superiors in the eye. As she was ceaselessly reminded. "I'll fetch the lemonade immediately, your highness. Would you prefer regular lemonade, raspberry, or strawberry flavouring? And would you like ice?" She asked. Many of the princesses favoured the citrus drink, so she was well-versed in the questions she needed to ask. The floor would have to wait, if the princess wished for her lemonade now.

Ana noticed that she bowed her head very quickly before speaking. "A regular lemonade would be quite alright." She answered and then after a moment's hesitation she looked at the spot where the maid was. And spoke the next part fairly quick. "Don't worry about the rules of not looking at me in the eyes. I really don't like it when people aren't looking at you when either party speaks. It makes for hard hearing sometimes. Don't you agree?"

Somehow bored with this new book she closed it and stood. She walked over to her shelves and choose one of her favorites to read.

She curtsied low, her head still down, and left the room quickly to fetch a lemonade, not answering the second half of the Princess's query. She kept her head low as she walked down the hall. She asked one of the kitchen maids for a lemonade, and waited while it was made and given to her on a small tray. She returned to the Princess's room with the glass, on a small silver tray.

Noticing that she hadn't answered her question Ana was a bit perplexed. She sat the book down on her desk thinking. She looked up and saw that Ida had returned and took the glass of lemonade. "Thank you." After taking a sip of her drink she asked, "Is there any particular reason as to why you didn't answer my question? And please look at me the next time you speak to me. I find it quite rude when people follow the rules so well." She took another as she waited for some kind of response.

Ida simply nodded in reply to the thank you. "You'll forgive me your highness, but it's improper for someone of low class like me to look her betters in the eyes. And forgive me again, your highness, but I didn't mean to not answer your question, I simply believed it to be rhetorical."

She gave a small snile, amused at the answers to her questions. "You find it improper to look better in the eye. And yet I find it annoying when I'm not looked in the eye when speaking or being spoken to. This is quite a predicament we have here." After quick thinking she had an idea. "Why don't we compromise? You at least look up and not at the floor the next time we speak. And I try to to be a bit more like I usually am and hardly speak at all. Does that sound alright to you?" And then remembering the other thing she said Ana added, "I would rather know your opinion on whether people we should look each other in the eyes when they speak. Just because I'm a princess doesn't mean that I'll have you fired of executed or something if you say something I don't want to hear."

"Your Highness, what I think doesn't matter, nor will it ever," she replied as she began making the bed, out of habit. She fluffed the pillows carefully, and flattened out the blankets as she pondered. "Perhaps we could do that, your highness. I shall try to remember to not look at the floor when we next speak." AnaMarie may think she was doing her a kindness, as did all the royals, but really it did her a disservice. Princess Camellia detested being called Your Highness, meanwhile Princess Scarlett required it without question. All the nobles required her to keep her eyes on the floor, meanwhile Princess AnaMarie required she look up. Too many rules, and too many ways to lose her job or be executed for doing the wrong thing.

Ana quickly dismissed the fact that this maid was thinking quite hard. The smile wavered a bit as the response registered in her mind. "Usually you would be correct in matter of what you think. But with me," She paused giving a soft sigh, "Unlike all my siblings and my father and especially my mother, I care about what lower class people have to think." She looked at her book sitting on her desk and the maid. Wanting to clear things with this one she cleared the thoughts of reading. "So if you don't mind telling me. What is on you mind that has you thinking so much?" Knowing what a few possible answers could end up being she adeed, "And please don't tell me that it's nothing. I hear that too many times to be told that again, when clearly there is something on your mind."

"Right now, your Highness, I'm thinking about making your bed. I haven't the time for pretty flowered thoughts. And if I had them, I would rather not share them with you, Your Highness." She curtsied once more. "Is there anything else you'll have me do before I return to the floor, Your Highness?" Lies, all lies. But when she was on duty, the submissive servant must become who she is, who she was, and who she will always be.

Feeling truly hurt at this one she sat her glass down and picked up her book.

"No that is all. You may get back to scrubbing the floor now. Just remember to please close the door on your way out."

She had an awful feeling that something was bothering this maid. Though there was no use to keep pressing today. She would eventually run into Ida again. And when she does she'll press on again. Only maybe not as much or as hard. She laid back down in the middle of her floor and started reading this one for what had to be at least the hundredth time, if not more.

"Of course, Your Highness." She curtsied again as she exited the room, closing the door tightly behind her. She retrieved her bucket of soapy water and her rag, and resumed scrubbing the floor. Only a few more rows of tiles were left until the floor was perfectly clean... Then she could go meet Andrew, if the hour wasn't too late. Perhaps their relationship wasn't as good as it had been when they were younger, but she wasn't going to miss an opportunity. This was the only day of the week they both had evenings off, and she wasn't going to waste it.