Kate met up where Madame L'Armay had said. Sure enough, there she was, standing there with three other girls. 

Madame L'Armay turned to Kate and then to the girls. "This is Embriella De La Fontaine, Esmèe Archambault, and Coralie DesChannel." She pointed to each girl before motioning to Kate. "Mademoiselles, this is Katherine. She is going to work with you. She has already settled into your room." She explained, pacing back forth in front of the girls.

Her eyes looked at the girls and smiled. "I have to attend to some things, so I want you girls to find a job for Katherine. Do not make her do everything like you did last time. We need this one." She said before turning around and walking off. 

Kate was left standing here with three girls staring at her. "Bonjour," She had her lips pursed and her hands behind her back as she rocked on her heels. "I am indeed Katherine, I am happy to be able to work with you." She said, trying to put on a smile. 

Embriella sized up the girl with her brown eyes, pushing some golden hair behind her ear that had fallen out of her hair before she circled her, inspecting her. 

She crossed her arms, pivoted, and stood in front of her. "Katherine, was it? I can tell you are not from the city, the country am I right?" She asked, noting how she walked up to them.

Kate nodded her head, feeling more intimidated than before. "Yes, I am from Gascony, that is. I came here looking for another job. However, that fell through, so here I am." She replied, pushing some hair behind her ear.

Embriella rolled her eyes, uncrossing her arms and placing them on her hips. "I didn't ask for a life story. I don't care why you are here. All I need to know is, are you a dedicated worker who can handle anything that is thrown at you?" She sharply criticized her, growing impatient with every second that passed by.

"I can do my best to try. If you asked my mother, she would beg to differ, but I am dedicated. When I do something I commit, even if I may end up slightly slacking, I will end up getting it done." Kate exclaimed, trying not to sound haughty but humble.

Embriella scoffed at what Kate had said, rolling her eyes. "Humph, I asked a simple question which required a simple answer . . . well then, I have a test for you. Are you up to it?" She explained with a smirk, facing Kate, who was biting her lip nervously, not making eye contact with the light-haired girl. 

Coralie, the strawberry blonde girl, looked at the other two girls. Her blue eyes seemed to not mirror her words. "I-I suggest s-she uh, dust every book in the royal library with . . . oh! This make-up brush." She weakly said, reluctantly handing Kate a make-up brush she had pulled from her apron. 

Embriella was impressed. The timid romantic had a grand idea for this new girl. "Here is a sponge." She paused, looking at Kate's face that said it all. "Clean all the windows in the library as well with this." She handed her the small round yellow sponge. 

Kate took it and looked at the yellow sponge. It was so thin. The makeup brush was just as thin and looked like or had been through a lot. 'How am I ever going to clean the whole library with these? What more do they want from me? It would take days for me to finish with those objects!' She thought, shaking her head.

Esmèe, the black-haired, green-eyed girl, pulled out a toothbrush and handed it to her. "While you are at it, also clean the marble floors of the library with this toothbrush." She said, picking up a bucket of soapy water and handing it to her. 

Kate shoved the sponge and brushed into the pocket on her apron and took the bucket of water, also spilling it all over the floor. "Whoa, this is heavier than a bucket of milk." She mumbled to herself. "Could you um, show me where the library is?" 

Coralie knew the other girls weren't going to show her, so it was she who would. "I can show you, just follow me." She glanced at the girls before walking towards the library, motioning for Kate to follow her while keeping her head down.

Kate followed behind her, remaining silent and just taking it all in. 'Wow, I heard that this was the biggest library in all the country, even bigger than my wildest dreams!' She thought with side eyes, marveling at the many books.

When she turned around, Coralie was gone, nowhere in sight. 'Hmm, where did she go?' She asked, shrugging her shoulders and turning her attention back in front of her.

She took a deep breath and walked over to the first bookshelf in the room. It towered high above her, filled to the top of books and scrolls. 

She climbed up a ladder and pulled a book out, looking at the cover. She placed the book back into the shelf and dusted off the spines of the books, as well as the top of the books.

'Hmm,' She thought. 'I need to find something that will make a statement to prove I have the skills to be a musketeer. Monsieur Falkland had said that there was a threat in so many words without saying it. Warner had suggested that being within the castle as a maid could help me figure out how to prove myself.'

'That tells me that everyone knows there is a threat but is keeping it quiet. Of course, the castle staff would know more on the subject since we are the eyes and ears, we know things others don't. We work closely with the royals, so it is only logical that this is a way I can prove I am worthy!' She thought, perking up.

She then lost the smile and sighed. 'I can't let my brothers know because everyone will know who I am. I will not be able to get away from my dream. I will write to my mother and tell her, perhaps I can tell my brothers to ignore me and treat me like any other castle staff so no one thinks anything is up. I am not ready to be ridiculed by everyone here and forced to quit.'

The sun shone through the big windows, stainless lining the edges, making rainbow colors dance about on the carpet through the sunbeams. 

She looked towards the window and saw the dust molecules floating around the air. 

Dust. 

Although it was simply dead skin cells and other disgusting things, for some reason, she thought it was beautiful. It was like tiny ballerinas dancing in the air, which did end up making her sneeze. 

Coralie snuck into the room a few hours later, making sure she was ever so quiet not to let Kate know she was there. She was sure Kate didn't notice, which she was too busy dusting to pay attention, so she cleared her throat.

Kate turned her head towards Coralie before rolling her eyes. "What do you want? Can't you see I'm busy with such an impossible task?" She asked, stepping down the ladder and moving it over a bit before climbing back up it. 

"I'm not a stern person." Coralie spoke, her voice weak. "I honestly didn't want to make you clean the whole library. Truly, I didn't believe me. It wasn't like I had a choice. Esmèe and Embriella have always thought up impossible tasks to see if the new maid is up to the challenge." .

Kate rolled her eyes and huffed in annoyance as she climbed down the ladder. "What is it with everyone wanting me to prove myself? They just can't take my word for it, can they? Of course not. Is there something about me that just screams it?" She asked, crossing her arms over her chest.

Coralie tilted her head to the side and slightly frowned. "What do you mean?" She asked curiously, raising her eyebrows and then sitting down on the chairs. "This has happened to you before?" She asked curiously, tapping her fingers together.

"It's nothing." Kate replied passively. "I would prefer not to talk about it." She said, turning around and walking back up the ladder. 'She'd probably just laugh at me like everyone else does.'

Coralie looked disappointed but simply nodded. "Oh, all right. I have been wondering, why haven't you told us your surname? Are you a fugitive?" She the questions rolling off her tongue as she tilted her head.

Kate looked down at her and laughed, which was amusing to her. "No, I'm not a fugitive. I just enjoy separating myself from my family. My surname sets the bar high, which makes people set a higher goal, which I have always hated." She replied, dusting off some more books.

"That is understandable. I am sure you have questions, so I am willing to answer them since Embriella and Esmèe hadn't given you a chance to ask. I am sure Madame L'Armay answered a few." Coralie smiled softly, tucking a stray lock of hair behind her ear.

Kate sighed softly, pulling out a book and cleaning under it before putting it back. "I tell you what, I will ask them if you wouldn't mind giving me a hand? It will take days for me to complete this by myself." She ran the brush over the spine of the books.

Coralie quickly nodded her head, answering without a bit of hesitation. "Deal." She softly smiled, pulling a feather duster from her apron and working on the bottom shelves. 

Kate stepped down the ladder and moved it over just a bit before climbing back up. "Do we get days off? If so, can we see our parents, or do they come to visit us?" She asked, turning back to Coralie for a brief moment.

Coralie shrugged her shoulders, tilting her head to one side and then the other. "I suppose it depends on how much work is to be done. Sometimes, it's once a week or a few weeks in between." She replied and then quickly added. "Sometimes my mother brings something she made for us to eat."

Kate pursed her lips as she thought about what Coralie had just said. "So, I'll only get to see them once a week? I suppose that is better than not seeing them at all. I probably won't see my mother that often unless she comes into town, she is way far into the countryside, it would take up to a day just to travel there." 

"That is true." Coralie agreed, reaching up and dusting off some spines of a few books. "At least we get to see our families. The musketeers hardly ever get to see their families unless they live in the city or work at the castle."

Kate gazed out the window, which was between the bookshelf she and Coralie were dusting. 

She noticed four musketeers were walking into the castle, and one of them was none other than Gallo, Kate's slightly elder brother. 'Oh no, I can't let them see me here. Please don't look up. Don't look up.' She thought as her eyes never left the two men.

"Katherine," Coralie looked down at the musketeers, then up at Kate. "Don't you think the brown-haired one on the far left side is just the cutest? He is so dreamy and so nice. I can never pull my eyes away from those chocolatey brown eyes." She dreamily mused, pondering all the times he was a gem to her.

Kate's jaw went slack when Coralie was speaking. 'That was Gallo! She was speaking about Gallo! Oh my, she fancies my brother!' She thought, feeling dizzy from learning this new fact. "You think he's dreamy?" She asked, not believing her ears. 

Coralie nodded, grinning ear from ear. "How could anyone not think he is dreamy? His smile. His walk. He was no doubt a gentleman who humbly stole every girl's heart. Yes, he is dreamy. He always talked about his younger sister, he seems so fond of her. He told everyone she was going to be the first female musketeer, which is hardly believable seeing as the time we live in." She sighed sadly, looking down at the floor.

Kate was feeling uneasy. "So, um, has he ever mentioned a name or anything? I am sure she is very honored yet embarrassed that he speaks of such private matters." She gave a fake smile hiding the embarrassment she was feeling.

Coralie furrowed her eyebrows as she tried to think back as far as she could. "Not that I can recall? I don't blame him, though. If anyone found out who she was, I am sure she wouldn't last long here. Some of the other palace staff and musketeers are brutal to anything other than the old fashion ideas." 

Kate looked down at the girl who was helping her. "Why are you being nice to me?" She asked abruptly, stepping up the ladder and dusting some books off.

Coralie looked up at Kate and gave a small smile. "Unlike some, I tend to see people in the best way and trust them even when everyone else is skeptical. I'm not saying you are bad or anything, just new and inexperienced. I am really hoping you last, and if I can help you out without the other girls knowing, then so be it." 

Kate's eyes went wide, head rushed to her cheeks, and she looked away shyly. "Thank you, that is nice of you to say." She sheepishly said, focusing solely on the books before her.

Kate and Coralie stepped back and sighed. It was dark by the time all the books had been dusted many, many hours later. 

Coralie brought over a few buckets of water, some soap, and another sponge, which was bigger than the one she had been given. "Here, use this instead of the small sponge. You will be there forever. Also, we can use your bucket to clean the brushes and keep the one I bought for clean water." 

Kate took the bigger brush and knelt down, Coralie following her. "Thank you," She thanked, dipping the sponge in the water and starting to clean the window.

Coralie and Kate heard voices across the library. At first, it was hard to make out. It was simply mumbling. 

Both girls exchanged looks and followed the voices, ducking behind a bookshelf and peaking between the books to see who it was. 

To their surprise, it was the Queen and King, who seemed to be speaking in hushed tones.

Anne Affton deeply frowned, pushing a lock of brown hair from her chest to her back, her brown eyes focused on her husband. "For the love of everything, Charles, you can't be serious, can you? Louis is merely a child still, that is too much to burden him with." She quietly yelled, frustrated with her husband.

Louis Charles Affton VI rolled his jade green eyes, running a hand through his blonde hair after having taken off his crown before putting it back on. "Anne, we already have one child who is a disgrace to our family, I am not about to have another." He chided, his voice growing higher.

"Adelaide is not a disgrace. She is merely ahead of our time. Besides, Louis only wants to pursue his dream. Yes, he may be next in line, but Constantin is not going anywhere. He wants to rule, Louis doesn't, he never has, I understand that, and I don't want to push him into doing something he doesn't want to do." Anne gently reasoned with him.

Charles threw his hands up in the air and gave an exasperated groan. "Louis is no longer eighteen. He's twenty-one! He is no longer a child. He has his head still stuck in the clouds. He doesn't need to be encouraged for his childish behavior. He is a grown man now. It is time he learns some responsibility." He explained, jabbing his finger at her.

Anne placed her hands on her hips. "He is very responsible. He is handling the foreign affairs quite well, compared to how you handled it. He hasn't upset the foreign king by insulting him. He is a grown man. He can still have his dreams. You discourage his dreams now. What about his future dreams for Yvesseau? Constantin already said he will appoint Louis as his interior minister, who says something." 

Charles knew this was a losing battle, and he was not going to win with her no matter what he did. "You may have a point. Just because he chose Louis as his interior minister doesn't mean he can keep his head in the clouds." He reminded his wife, hoping that one day she understood what he meant.

Anne impatiently tapped her foot on the floor. "Dreams are meant to be followed, not shoved to the back of the closet and hidden with the skeletons. He has some great dreams for Yvesseau, and yes, he may want to go gallivanting off into unexplored worlds. That is up to him and Constantin, not you or I." She said, giving him a soft look and letting her arms fall to her side.

Charles sighed heavily and shook his head, disappointment painted on his face. "I have a few things to attend to that I may be late for. We will continue after dinner." He pivoted on his heels and walked away, not saying another word. his oldest son's birthday party.

Anne sighed heavily, crossing her arms as she turned towards Coralie and Kate as they darted back to the window and quickly went back to cleaning so the queen wouldn't know they had been eavesdropping on the conversation. 

She walked away from the door and down the middle aisle and stopped, looking over at the two girls. "Oh dear, I didn't notice there was someone here. I do hope whatever you hear you forget, it is a private matter which is why we speak here." 

Coralie did not turn around. She saw the queen's reflection in the window. "Indeed, your majesty, we won't utter a single word, right Katherine?" She said, bowing her head a little. 

Kate simply nodded as she continued to clean the windows. "As you wish, your majesty, all is forgotten." Her voice was a bit nervous since this was her first time in the presence of royalty.

Anne looked at Kate and eyed the girl up and down. "You must be one of the new additions. Word has spread throughout the palace that Madame L'Armay is hiring new additions for my son's coronation in a few months." She smiled gently, pushing a lock of hair from her face.

Kate simply nodded, glancing over at her for a brief moment. "Yes, your majesty, I am. I just started here today. My previous job fell through, and I ended up here." She nervously replied, trying to fight the hotness that was creeping up on her face.

"Well, if you are as dedicated as you seem, we are honored to have you work for us -" Anne was cut off by the ringing of the church bells. "Ah, I must excuse myself, I have things to attend to, carry on." She said, turning around and walking off.

After she was gone, Kate collapsed onto the floor, taking a few deep breaths. "I can not believe it. We spoke to the Queen. We spoke to the Queen of Yvesseau. The actual Queen of Yvesseau - did that honestly happen?" She breathlessly asked, looking up at Coralie with a flush face.

Coralie stepped down from the ladder and sat down beside her. "Yes, it did. I take it. It is your first time meeting royalty. Over time, you learn they are like everyone else. Work becomes mundane, and you barely see them at all since they are busy with their priorities, and you are merely a maid." She said, crossing her legs.

Kate nodded, looking up at her, taking a few deep breaths. "You are right, I'm being silly. We should probably get back to the windows before Embriella and Esmèe find out you're helping me." She said, standing up and brushing herself off while Coralie followed in suit.

She didn't know what would lie ahead, but she did know that no matter what was thrown at her, she could handle it.

• ⊰ • ⊱ • ⊰ • ⊱ • ⊰ • ⊱ • ⊰ • ⊱ • ⊰ • ⊱ • ⊰ • ⊱ •

A/N:
I'm actually really happy with how things are turning out so far. I do have a lot more planned, which are new ideas rather than some of my old. I have been focused on this as well as my other books, which are also drafts like this one. Since you are reading this now, it means this book is complete, and these are pre written when I was writing them.

Chapter Talk:
Kate made a friend, how sweet. Coralie wasn't changed much from what I originally had her. Her name is new, and I thought it fit better than the previous one. I also changed the meeting place of the Queen and King speaking to the library since I thought it would be better than the vast hallways. I did change how Kate began her work, instead of cleaning any rooms I just chose for her to clean the whole library instead.

Thanks for reading!