By the third day, the palace no longer felt new.
It felt familiar in a way that was slightly uncomfortable.
Jasmina was still learning its patterns—the silent footsteps in the corridors, the way guards avoided eye contact, and how every hallway seemed longer than it should be.
That morning, she and Lyra had been assigned to collect sealed records from another wing of the palace.
They were not alone.
A girl they had never met before walked a short distance ahead of them, clearly assigned to guide the route.
She had an easy way of moving—like she wasn’t weighed down by the palace rules everyone else seemed to carry.
“You two are very serious for people just walking,” the girl said suddenly, glancing over her shoulder.
Jasmina blinked slightly.
“We are working.”
The girl smiled faintly.
“That explains it.”
Lyra immediately narrowed her eyes.
“Who are you?”
The girl didn’t seem offended.
“Ava.”
Just that.
No title.
No explanation.
Jasmina studied her carefully.
“You’re assigned here?”
Ava shrugged.
“Assigned, placed, stationed… depends on who’s describing it.”
“That’s not an answer,” Lyra said.
“It is,” Ava replied.
“Just not a detailed one.”
They walked a few steps in silence.
Jasmina noticed Ava didn’t behave like the other servants or attendants they had seen.
She wasn’t overly formal, but she also wasn’t careless.
“You seem comfortable here,” Jasmina said carefully.
Ava gave a small, half-smile.
“Comfort is one way to put it.”
Lyra didn’t trust her immediately.
That was obvious in the way she watched every movement.
But Ava didn’t seem bothered.
Instead, she stopped in front of a long corridor lined with tall doors.
“This is where you’re going,” she said.
Jasmina looked ahead.
“You’re not coming with us?”
Ava shook her head.
“Not my section. I’ll get yelled at if I stay longer than necessary.”
“By who?” Lyra asked sharply.
Ava paused just a little too long.
“People who like rules,” she said simply.
That answer didn’t explain anything.
But it wasn’t a lie either.
Before Jasmina could ask more, footsteps echoed from the side corridor.
Someone was approaching.
Ava immediately stepped slightly back, like she didn’t want to be noticed too closely.
And then Jasmina turned the corner—
She collided lightly with someone.
A file in her hand shifted.
The man steadied it before it fell.
“Careful,” he said calmly.
His voice was low and controlled.
Jasmina stepped back quickly.
“Sorry.”
He looked at her briefly.
“I’m aware,” Jasmina replied.
A faint pause.
He glanced at the corridor behind her, then back to her face.
“Then don’t linger here.”
There was no warmth in his tone.
No hostility either.
Just distance.
Authority without explanation.
Jasmina frowned slightly.
“You could say that more politely.”
That made him pause for a fraction of a second.
Not anger.
Just observation.
Then he said, “It would still mean the same thing.”
And walked past her.
A guard nearby immediately straightened as the man passed, bowing his head deeply.
Jasmina noticed it—but didn’t fully register what it meant.
Ava, standing behind, watched quietly.
When the man disappeared down the corridor, Ava exhaled softly.
“That was… bold of you,” she said.
“Which part?” Jasmina asked.
“Talking to him like that.”
Jasmina shrugged.
“He started it.”
Lyra frowned slightly.
“He had authority.”
Ava tilted her head.
“Yes. Most people don’t question it.”
Jasmina looked down the corridor again, slightly unsettled by the interaction—but pushed it aside.
They still had work to finish.