105: So Many Honeysuckles?

So Many Honeysuckles?

Before Oriana realized it, they arrived at the Palace of Thistle.0

Past the large archway was a vast garden, where Roman and Oriana alighted from the carriage. Roman led the way once more, his strides slow while his hands were behind his back, as if he was not a butler but a landowner evaluating the land under his name. 

Only then did she realize again the truth of Mia's words.

'Even though they too are servants, noblemen are proud people. Arrogance is deeply embedded in their bones.'

She followed Roman past the front garden where she saw three water fountains at a single glance, along with a man-made waterfall and a pond, and while there were gardeners trimming weeds in the front yard, there were also servants cleaning the exquisite statues in the garden. Behind them was a spectacular three-storey mansion that looked to be a work of art in itself. 

The breathtaking structure spanned twice as wide as the main mansion of the House of Ahren, and the extravagant embellishments was something Oriana had never witnessed before. The facade alone dripped with golden hues and exuded glamor. She could not even begin to imagine what it was like inside.

'The Palace of Thistle, one of the residences of the Cromwell Royal Family. I wonder who lives here. The oak is the symbol of the King, the rose the Queen. Thistle…it should be one of the royal children, right? Shall I ask the butler? Ugh, no, Mia said I should never ask questions. Never speak first. If I need to know it, Mister Roman will let me know.'

Upon entering the palace proper, as soon as she stepped past the front door, her eyes widened.

'A residence? Is this still a residence? This can't be a person's home, right…?'

Spacious.

That was the first word that entered Oriana's mind.

There was so much space, that despite the furniture and decorations, there would be no problem about crowding even if hundreds of people were to come in at the same time. 

The large windows allow natural light to flood, and with its high ceilings, tall pillars and the wide space of the foyer, it looked more like a combination of a garden and a temple. The array of expensive objects inside was dizzying—no, wait, was that a water fountain inside the building? Even the walls by themselves did not seem like they were made of ordinary stone. The foyer boasted the finest furniture, intricate tapestries and paintings hanging on the walls, as well as beautiful artworks like vases and bronze sculptures could be seen on the hallways. 

Oriana once again began to doubt whether coming to the royal palace was a correct decision.

Seeing the wealth showcased by the Palace of Thistle, she could guess that its owner appeared to be an excessive and flamboyant person. Just imagining the cost of taking care of indoor flowering plants in winter…

However, Roman did not give her a chance to linger in the foyer. The butler led her elsewhere.

'Hmm? This sweet smell…So many honeysuckle flowers?'

Along the way, she watched her new colleagues removing the slightly wilted honeysuckle flowers from the vases and replacing them with fresh ones. 

'Is my new master fond of honeysuckles? Hmm, good choice. Not only do they smell nice, they are also good for making cooling cures as well as a remedy for homesickness, indigestion and inflammation...'

Of course, as a herbalist, Oriana's appreciation of plants leaned more on their usage, rather than their beauty or fragrance.

Roman glanced at the young servant quietly observing her new work environment. "What do you think of the palace?"

"A poor commoner's vocabulary is not enough to explain its beauty, Mister Roman."

"This is the ground floor of the Palace of Thistle. Though today we entered through the main entrance, remember that only the master and important guests can walk through it, unless we accompany them. Servants on their own must use the servant entrances. We have three, one on either ends of the main hallway and another on the rear of the building"

She nodded and he continued, "As you have seen from outside, there are two more floors above this one. The ground floor has two drawing rooms for receiving guests and two smaller reception rooms for the guest's attendants. If you go forward, you will see the ballroom and the banquet hall, meant for hosting indoor parties. On that side is the kitchen and the pantry, there is the main dining room and the secondary dining room, and if we head to that hallway, it leads you to the servant quarters…  Let me show you around." 

There was a grand staircase leading to the upper floor from the foyer. From its size, even a small troop of knights could climb it without bumping against each other. They passed the staircase, and even without Roman telling her their destination, the delicious aroma of food already made its way towards Oriana's nose.

"This is the kitchen. That is our head chef, Dan Lowborough." 

Oriana bowed at the chubby middle-aged man checking a list of ingredients for procurement.

Roman introduced her to him, "Dan, this is the new personal attendant of His Highness, Orian."

Oriana was slightly stunned by this slip of tongue. 'His Highness? So this residence belongs to either the First or Second Prince?'

"Such a young boy," the chef commented and offered her a smile. "Oh, from which family is he from? To be allowed to personally serve His Highness…"

"Orian is a commoner, though he's recommended by Sir Rafal's family."

"Is that so? Good to have you here, Orian."

She offered him a smile, "Thank you, Mister Dan."

"Others, you will get to know while working," Roman cut short the introduction and continued to help her become more familiar with the rooms on the ground floor. 

Oriana signed inwardly. 'It's good that Mister Roman is guiding me around, but we've barely covered one floor. There are two more to go. Imagining how I have to run back and forth to run errands,  it is almost as bad as running through the forest.'

After some time, Roman finally led her way up the grand staircase towards the first floor. He gestured for her towards the first room on the right, nearest the staircase. 

"That is my chamber. You can seek me there if you need anything."

'Oh, he doesn't stay in the servant quarters? Right. For him to serve as a butler of a prince, he must be a high noble. Chadwicke…the House of Chadwicke? I remember hearing that family name mentioned during training, but can't exactly remember their peerage.'

Roman continued to explain, "These are the first and second art galleries, and this is the weapon armory… that is the library…Meanwhile, this entire wing has twenty-two guest rooms and eighteen empty rooms whose usage is yet to be decided. The farther from the staircase, the smaller the size is."

It took a long time to go through the first floor before she heard Roman finally say, "Let me take you to the second floor."

'Showing me this entire palace in a single go? Mister Butler, have mercy on my brain. Do you think I am able to remember everything this quickly? I don't think I've ever sat down aside from the carriage ride. Mister Butler, are you not human? Are you implying that royal servants ought to be at this level? Aren't you hungry? It should be time to eat now. Why don't we stop and have a meal? I barely forced a slice of bread this morning due to nervousness. At this rate, I might faint soon…'

Oriana dragged herself to the second floor. Walking along the hallways, they stopped in front of the largest and most grand-looking door in the floor, the ornate door carving telltale signs of this being the master bedroom. 

"This chamber belongs to His Highness."

Even before she could ask anything, Roman walked ahead once more. "Remember, this entire floor belongs to His Highness and his most important belongings are placed in these rooms. Our master is quite sensitive about his possessions, and ordered for them to be kept near him at all times."

He stopped in front of another door. "This is His Highness's study…"

Roman continued to fire away one new piece of information after another, and Oriana could barely keep up with the onslaught of details she needed to remember.

The private library, the music room, a meeting room, first wardrobe room, second wardrobe room, another three galleries for private collections, then tens of empty rooms… 

They finally stopped in front of the corner room.

"This is your chamber, Orian. You will be lodging here on the second floor. As you are His Highness' new personal attendant, you will be staying near our master's bedchamber for convenience."

"Here?" she asked, a little shocked.

In response, Roman raised a brow, as if surprised that the new servant dared raise a question against his arrangement. 

Oriana remembered that back with the Ahrens, she even stayed in the side chamber of that lord. At least here in the palace, she was given a separate chamber.

She was tempted to ask where the other attendants were. Surely, for a royal prince, no matter how short they are on manpower, he shouldn't have only one outsider as an attendant, right? However, she quickly swallowed her question, remembering Mia's warnings. "I understood, Mister Roman. Thank you for showing me around."

"Settle your things in your chamber and report to me after you rest."

'Finally this man realized I'm tired.'

Roman continued, "His Highness is not here yet. Once he returns, you will begin work."

"Understood."

Roman left, leaving Oriana puzzled on the spot. 

'Huh? He just left like that? Did he forget to inspect my things? He won't ask for my measurements? Wait, does that mean I have survived today's ordeal already?'

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