Reborn As A Maid

The corridor leading to the preparation room was almost deserted.

The tournament crowd was celebrating somewhere outside the palace walls but their voices sounded far and muffled through the thick stone walls.

Jennie was standing near the window looking outside.

The roofs of Seraiya were shining brightly under the afternoon sunlight. She should be concentrating on the final match, on Kai Viper, on Mira Kingston, on her upcoming battle.

But only one name kept ringing in her head in a relentless whisper.

Leonis.

Rudy was standing a couple of steps behind her looking very solemn.

She didn’t have her usual smile.

Jennie noticed that and turned to look at her. "You’re keeping a secret again."

Rudy raised her eyebrows. "Such accusations are pretty serious."

"You know what I mean."

"I usually have a couple of secrets stored away somewhere."

"Rudy."

The thief sighed and resignedly gave up. "Okay."

Jennie watched her, waiting for an answer.

Rudy walked toward the window and leant against the wall, her tone changing.

"There’s something you need to understand."

It wasn’t the playful tone anymore—serious and sincere.

Jennie became serious too and listened attentively. "What?"

"You can’t just recover all your memories at once."

"Why?" She frowned in confusion.

"Your memories aren’t normal." Rudy was still looking straight into her eyes. "Leonis who lived for many years.If you try to recover everything a few days—then you died. Then you will be born again. You will grow up as somebody else. Your mind developed in a completely different way."

She lightly tapped Jennie’s forehead.

"You can’t just open a door and expect everything behind it to come out."

Jennie pushed her hand away. "Then what?"

Her tone became grim and harsh. "You could confuse yourself with your current self."

"What do you mean?"

Rudy waited for a moment. "Meaning that you won’t know which emotion belongs to Jennie and which to Leonis."

This sentence troubled her much more than any battle ever had. Jennie looked away, lost in her thoughts. She thought about the peculiar feelings that appeared since she found the Divine Swords—the natural connection to Excalibur, the memories that suddenly flooded her mind, the strangeness of the feelings toward the people she’d never met before.

Rudy continued speaking. "There’s one more problem."

"What is it?" Jennie asked sharply.

Rudy was silent for a while, looking at the window ahead. "People who were connected to Leonis might still exist."

Jennie looked at her, frightened. "What did you say?"

Rudy immediately turned away, still looking at the window. "Nothing."

"But you said something about people connected to Leonis being alive."

"It’s just possible."

"It’s the same!"

Rudy sighed. "You really can’t stop asking stupid questions."

"Rudy."

"Yes, yes."

Jennie’s face was becoming increasingly frustrated. "Who?"

Rudy kept silent.

"Who is still alive?"

"It’s possible."

"Somebody who knew Leonis?"

"It’s possible."

Somebody from his past?

Rudy kept silent. Her silence told much more than words.

Jennie felt her heart pounding and became desperate. "Is it somebody important?"

Rudy glanced at her quickly—that tiny movement was enough.

Jennie saw it and became sharp again. "Who?"

Rudy smiled softly but there was no humor in it. "You’re asking too many questions."

"Because you give me half-answers!"

Rudy’s voice became softer and quieter. "Half-answers are safer."

"Safer for whom?"

Rudy remained silent, looking at the ground.

Jennie moved closer. "Is it someone in Seraiya?"

"No."

Jennie became suspicious. "You’re lying."

"It’s possible."

"Rudy!"

Rudy laughed but it sounded very strange—dry and hollow.

But Jennie couldn’t laugh—she was too serious, too desperate to hear the truth.

"Tell me."

Rudy’s smile slowly faded and she became serious. She stared at her for several seconds with searching eyes.

Then she said quietly and in a low whisper. "Maybe one of them is closer than you think."

Jennie froze, stopped breathing. "What?"

Rudy straightened up and leant away from the wall. "That’s all I’m telling you."

Jennie stared at her, confused. "Closer than I think?"

"Yep."

"Do you mean somebody in this city?"

"It’s possible."

"Somebody in the palace?"

Rudy smiled, her eyes glittering. "It’s possible."

"Somebody I already know?"

Rudy smiled wider, her voice becoming playful. "It’s possible."

Jennie narrowed her eyes. "You are doing it on purpose."

"Of course."

"Rudy!"

Rudy laughed, sounding happy.

Jennie looked as if she wanted to throw her practice sword at her, angry. "Stop messing around!"

Suddenly Rudy moved closer to her, moving gracefully.

Jennie prepared herself for her next cryptic answer.

But Rudy gently tapped her nose, her voice soft. "You’re cute when you’re angry."

"What?" Jennie’s face turned red in surprise.

Rudy leaned closer, whispering into her ear. "Really cute."

Jennie’s face immediately turned red. "Rudy!"

Rudy laughed, her laughter becoming light and teasing. "There she is."

Jennie stepped back, confused. "What are you doing?!"

"Nothing."

"You were talking about something serious just a minute ago!"

"I’ve got bored."

"YOU—"

Suddenly Rudy grabbed her hand, her fingers intertwining with her.

Jennie looked down at their intertwined hands, shocked.

Rudy lifted her hand dramatically, her voice filled with the theatrical flair. "Congratulations on reaching the final, beautiful Raven."

Then she kissed the back of her hand.

Jennie’s whole face turned red. "R-Rudy!"

Rudy smiled innocently, her eyes glittering. "Good luck tomorrow."

"You can’t just—"

Her voice sounded from behind their backs, harsh and cold. "She can."

Both girls froze.

Rudy slowly turned her head, her face full of her practiced innocent expression.

Roxy was standing at the end of the corridor with her arms crossed. She looked terrifyingly calm—the kind of calm that always preceded the storm.

Rudy smiled brightly. "Oh, hello."

She stared at Jennie’s hand, then at Rudy’s face, then at Jennie’s red face. "I leave you two alone for five minutes."

Jennie immediately pulled her hand away. "Roxy, it’s not what you think!"

"I didn’t say anything."

"Then you were thinking it!"

Rudy laughed, sounding happy and unrepentant.

Roxy’s eyes narrowed and her voice became flat. "Rudy."

"Yes?"

"Stop flirting with Jennie."

Rudy put her hand against her chest, her expression one of mock innocence. "I’m only congratulating my opponent."

"You kissed her hand."

"It’s tradition."

"Whose tradition?"

Rudy paused and smiled wider. "...Mine."

Roxy’s eyebrow twitched and her patience started to wear thin.

"Please?" Jennie implored.

Rudy paused and looked at her, then smiled gently. "Alright."

She moved closer to Jennie, then whispered, "I will wait to give you my good luck kiss."

"No!" Jennie exclaimed.

"I don’t think that is such a bad idea." Roxy moved forward to stand before her.

Rudy laughed and started walking away, her pace carefree. "Catch you at the final, Raven!"

"Jennie, stop calling me like that!"

"I wouldn’t if you did not insist to have that name."

"What should I call you then?"

Jennie opened her mouth and...

"Think about it," Rudy said with a playful smile before she walked away.

Jennie looked at her back and watched until she disappeared in the corridor.

"I don’t like her," Roxy said coldly.

"You are jealous."

"I am not!"

"Of course, you are."

Roxy’s cheeks went pale red. "I am not!"

Suddenly Jennie smiled and all the tension inside her seemed to evaporate.

Roxy saw it and softened. "How do you feel?"

Jennie smiled softly. "Maybe a bit better."

Roxy looked in the direction where Rudy disappeared. "Did she tell you something else?"

Jennie was silent for a long time. Don’t try to recover everything at once. People connected to Leonis may still exist. Maybe, one of them is closer than you can think.

She looked towards the palace.

People connected to Leonis. Closer than you can think. Who?

Jennie couldn’t put together all the information she got. She didn’t understand anything.

"No," Jennie finally answered calmly. "Noting more."

Roxy studied her face. Her eyes were full of unspoken questions.

Jennie smiled gently. "Really. Nothing more."

It was obvious that Roxy understood she was lying, but she did not ask more. "Ok."

They continued walking.

Jennie glanced backwards.

The corridor was empty.

Rudy was near them, but she was already hiding behind a stone pillar. She smiled and looked after her two friends. She waited for them to disappear from her sight and her smile disappeared.

Her eyes turned cold, her expression sad.

She leant to the wall and closed her eyes, her voice a whisper. "That was too close."

She tightened her fists so strongly that her nails dug into the skin of her palms.

She did not want to tell anything to Jennie. She did not plan to remind her about the people who were connected to Leonis. She certainly did not want to warn Jennie about somebody who might be near her right now. But Jennie’s questions broke down her guard.

Rudy looked towards the palace.

"Leonis..."

The name had suddenly gained new weight.

Years ago she knew a man with this name—the Sword King, the hero, who fought the enemies that ordinary people could not understand. The man, who fought for other people up to his last breath.

And now this man stood in the palace corridor not being Leonis, but Jennie.

Rudy closed her eyes gently. "You’re really back."

A faint smile tugged at her lips, but it was not a playful one. Almost tender.

"Although you are a lot cuter."

She chuckled softly.

Then her expression changed. She frowned and her smile disappeared.

Jennie did not know, but there was something else she did not tell her about. The reincarnation of Leonis was not the only unbelievable phenomenon to happen. There was someone else connected to Leonis, whom she searched. And that somebody could be much closer to Jennie than she thought.

Rudy looked at the palace with an expression of worry.

"I hope you won’t remember quickly."

She moved from the wall. "Not yet."

Then she walked away. Her steps disappeared in the corridor.

But she stopped before turning the corner.

She looked back one more time. "Leonis..."

She made a pause full of unspoken words.

"Your little sister is waiting for you."

Rudy smiled sadly. This smile contained a thousand-year-old memory.

And then she disappeared.

But Jennie stayed absolutely ignorant about the past that belonged only to her returning to life.

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