Chapter 36: Au Revoir
The sky was dyed orange, and the clouds were scattered like frilled ribbon strips. Along the Evermore river, maids were marching like ants. Queen Afeefa, along with her Knights, was at the front. Four horses with luggage on their backs followed them. Rosalia was behind the horses, along with her maids and Naomi. The rest camps followed.
Naomi walked alongside Arnacia, but her face was turned towards the Evermore river. When Arnacia didn't comment on coming back home, she knew something was off. Even her various probes didn't get an answer and her mood was sour again.
Tonight, many people were uneasy.
In the Garden of Scullery. The mentor maids were going to have dinner with Queen Afeefa and her Knights. They were busy with preparations. The best chefs were chosen to prepare the best dishes. Clementine let the charge alongside Emma and Iris.
Eleanor and Cecelia were to sleep in the same tent tonight. And so were a few other maids because the Queen and her Knights occupied rooms inside the Sleeping Quarters. It was embarrassing for them to sleep together when everyone was aware.
Victoria was dipped inside the hot tube in the bathing house. She couldn't hear Georgia calling out her name.
Ester went to the riverbank alone and skipped stones. Little did she know Naomi was sitting nearby and starting at the Evermore river. Queen Afeefa's fourth Knight had to leave her post and was hiding in the forest to keep an eye on them.
Inside a tent, Arnacia was lying quietly. She seemed to be in a deep thought and at times her grip around Isabelle's hand would tighten.
Inside a room in the Sleeping Quarters, Queen Afeefa was sitting on a bed, only the Golden Knight Oak was present inside. Both had solemn expressions. Outside the room, Rose stood straight like a guard whereas Lulu was sitting. Both of them were pondering about different things.
Inside a weapon shop. A muscular man was shaking in fear. Aciano Alucard just threw a broken sword at him.
Someplace inside Lanceworth Castle. Ruth was standing in front of a mirror. Her face was calm, but her hands that held a letter were trembling.
In an unknown place, far away. Yale was steering a carriage through barren lands. The winds howled in a peculiar pattern. It was as if the melody marked a departure. Leaves rattled while dust danced, stones tapped as the wheels turned, the carriage strummed through the dry road. As the sun slowly rose, Lanceworth could be seen a great distance behind.
***
Arnacia opened her eyes just as the first sun ray touched the periphery. An uneasy feeling had broken her sleep a few hours ago. All this while she had been wondering about the future.
Queen Afeefa canceled the tournament and promised to give every maid a letter of recommendation. It was such a blessing. But this meant that everyone's life as a trainee maid was over.
Just after a few months, everyone would be working for rich families inside Lanceworth Castle. Whereas Isabelle and Arnacia would be directly working for Queen Afeefa.
When Arnacia just transmigrated, she wanted to get inside Lanceworth Castle as soon as possible. She thought life as a trainee maid was just a hurdle. But now complicated feelings won't let go of her heart. She thought of all the times spent with her fellow maids.
The time, by no means, was much or enough. But sometimes it's not about the time you spent with someone. It's about the value those moments hold in your heart.
Arnacia recollected her thoughts.
'Isabelle is precious. She is important for magic to be a usable element in this world. But the light novel clearly hinted that losing Arnacia and getting close to King Nicolas was the reason for her demise.
'But I have changed the story. I, Arnacia, didn't die. On top of it, because of my actions, Queen Afeefa is now protecting Isabelle.
'I can join Queen Afeefa and be a part of this, but there is a huge problem. I have no value. The Alucards want me dead. Lanceworth Castle is their playground, so I cannot approach it. I will even have to give up on being a maid.'
Arnacia couldn't accept this. But she was also unwilling to take a risk. Assassination was the last way she wanted to die. She made up her mind and turned towards Isabelle. The maiden was sleeping, but sadness was evident on the pale face.
"I am not strong enough to be by your side." Arnacia turned and twisted in the cozy place. Her upper body was above Isabelle. She looked at the maiden's lips and a smile appeared on her face.
'I mean, I am used to it now. It's not that I like it,' Arnacia mused. She pressed Isabelle's cheeks and dove inside the warm lips.
Usually she counted till 5, but this time she waited until Isabelle opened her eyes. The maiden's face immediately turned red. As Arnacia only lifted her face a little, she was still too close.
"Even if I walk a different path now, it doesn't mean I love you any less." Arnacia whispered, but it was perfectly audible inside the small tent.
Clap! Clap! Clap! The sudden noise made Arnacia and Isabelle jump in a different direction.
"That was beautiful," Lulu said, a drop of tear could be seen flowing down her eye. She was watching through two circular holes in the tent.
"You…" Arnacia couldn't speak another word. Even her face had turned red from embarrassment. She immediately unzipped the tent and walked out. "I want to meet with Queen Afeefa."
"Oh, the Queen also wants to meet with you two" Lulu didn't turn towards Arnacia. Her glasses were stuck in the holes she cut earlier.
***
The Queen expressed her concerns about Arnacia's safety. She proposed to ploy a fake death and promised to provide a new life, a better life, but Arnacia strongly disagreed.
"I have other responsibilities," Arnacia said. "And think about it. I will be fine as long as I keep my distance from Lanceworth Castle."
The Queen only looked at Isabelle once before agreeing.
"I also want to tell you a few secrets about Isabelle." Arnacia didn't look at Isabelle, instead narrated with great concern. "The magic is holding her back in many ways. She can only wake up when I kiss her. Since my saliva can wake her up, then my blood definitely can. Please take great care of Isabelle. She is very shy and on top of it the magic is affecting her memories."
Arnacia stepped out of the Sleeping Quarters. She was satisfied by her own performance and didn't stay in order to avoid any questions. Since the part of Isabelle failing to wake up was true, the Queen would be inclined to believe the part about losing memories.
She took a deep breath and looked at her right arm. She just donated a jar full of blood and was healed by Isabelle. It was mesmerizing to see.
"Magic," she murmured and regretted it the next instant. Rosalia was standing beside her. "Good morning, Miss Rosalia." She tried to smile but turned awkward.
"Visit me if you need anything in the future," Rosalia unexpectedly offered a small pouch. "You have been a good girl. Be strong," she said and walked away.
Arnacia looked back at the departing figure. Her relationship with Rosalia was still unclear. Probably, this pouch had the answer. She looked around before opening it. There were gold coins inside! Was this some sort of bribe? But then she remembered something and smiled wryly.
The moment she transmigrated as Arnacia - she held a lamp covered with a black cloth.
'I was probably stealing money. Then suddenly I stopped, which made her worry about me.' Arnacia sighed as she looked at the pouch. All this time, she had a wrong impression of Rosalia.
You cannot judge a person's heart by their looks.
***
Ruth Glenn was standing inside a big hall. Behind her was an exceptionally large window. Almost all of Lanceworth was visible through the giant opening. She had just explained the details of the letter to Lady Madeline.
"Damn that, Afeefa." Lady Madeline slammed her hand on the armrest of the huge fur throne. "She just discovered magic, and we already suffered a loss. Make arrangements to get Snowmoon from her now!"
"Lady Madeline, I am afraid that is impossible."
"What about the Knight under Afeefa who submitted to us?"
"We have no means to communicate with her."
"What about Snowmoon's partner?!" Lady Madeline's voice was increasingly angry.
"We have already circulated her sketch among the guards. She will die the moment she enters Lanceworth." Ruth respectfully said. "And I may be so bold to say." She slowly walked towards the throne. "Please don't worry about Queen Afeefa." The closer Ruth walked, the smaller she seemed. "She is already behind in the race for magic."
Ruth stood in front of the Lady sitting on a throne, but despite that, her head barely reached the height of Madeline's waist.
***
The time for all to end was now. Usually, it was only black and white clothes but now colorful and lively flowers bloomed in the Garden of Scullery. The maids chirped as always, but the tune was melancholy.
Arnacia wore wide legged trousers and a sleeveless shirt. Her emotions were like turbulent waters. The atmosphere made her think that tears would flow down her eyes. She stood alongside her pretty friends.
Eleanor wore an orange and yellow dress. She was crying the loudest. One by one, she took turns to hug her friends.
Cecelia covered her face just as Eleanor left her. She felt increasingly sad, but the tipping point was the lingering smell on her damped shirt.
Emma and Ester were dressed in black and white long frocks. They only had red eyes. But it looked like Emma was trying her hardest to hold back her tears.
Isabelle was dressed in a white and blue long frock. She cried with a smile on her face. But the smile vanished when Arnacia stepped forward to hug her.
"Stay strong," Arnacia said. "This is a once in a lifetime chance. Control the magic inside yourself and be the sailor of your own fate. And I don't even have to say this, but I will say it anyway. We will meet again. I know this for a fact." Few tears appeared in Arnacia's eyes. Then she let go of Isabelle and took a deep breath. It was time to do some real Arnacia things.
"Goodbye UNTIL WE MEET AGAIN STAY WELL."
Isabelle left with the Queen and the Knights. Many maids followed them to the outskirts of Lanceworth Castle.
Arnacia set them off with a wave. She had a lot of things to do. Now that her family in this life was apparently broke, it was time to help them. She set off to find Naomi. The green-haired girl was sulking by the Evermore river. But soon a familiar face appeared in her vision.
"What are you doing? Let's go back home!" Arnacia smiled.
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
FLYO
FLYO Thank you, to all my character and dear readers. Couldn’t have finished this volume without you.
~
Here’s a little bonus. Characters goals in one line. ‘S’ - marked as spoilers. 'X' - marked as deceased. 'Y' - marked as frictional.
~
Arnacia - To visit the real Arnacia’s home
Rosalia - To carry out her goals
Isabelle - To devour the magic inside herself
Eleanore - To reunite with her friend
Theon - To dial connections and get out
Rose - To be a more capable Knight
Afeefa - To brace out of the situation, protect Isabelle and know more about Magic
Yale - To capitalize and breakthrough
Nicolas - S
Shopkeeper - To earn more money
Cecelia - To prepare herself for Lanceworth Castle
Emma - To support Ester
Ester - To support Emma
Victoria - To be a maid of one of the top families
Naomi - To rope in Arnacia and possibly a runaway marriage
Iris - To be an Ace of all trades
Clementine - To be the best chef in the Kingdom
Aciano - To find the Lost Artifact
Ruth - To help Lady Madeline
Madeline - To raise individual strength
Georgia - To live a comfortable life
Shilo - To get a more stable footing so that Naomi can inherit everything easily
Maya - X
Doctor - S
Assistant - X
Christopher - Y
Camille - Y
Dalton - Y
Shelby - Y
Breezy - Y
Lulu - S
Oak - S
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone