I stood in the middle of a meadow, staring out at a beautiful sunrise. My hand quickly shifted positions from my side to my forehead to protect my squinting eyes from being damaged. It truly was a gorgeous sight to witness. The warmth from the sun's rays hugged every inch of my body. I dare not move from this place. A small smile slowly appeared on my face. Now this is what I call... paradise... I never want to leave... I feel... at peace here.

"Soph!" a voice echoed from afar. "Sophia! Hello!"

The sun swiftly transformed into a candle. My eyes adjusted to the strange light source in front of me as I realized it was all a dream. It was too good to be true. I lifted my hands to rub my eyes as my sibling moved the candle from in front of my face.

"Yes Ria?" I asked.

"Hi," she gleefully smiled at me.

I saw a couple shadows around me move; my other siblings, aside from the twin babies, had gotten up alongside her. "Were you all observing me as I slept?"

"Maybe~" laughed Cindy.

I was the oldest of 7 children; in order there is me, Benjamin, Cindy, Jonathan, Ria, Henry and Ren. Benjamin is 13, Cindy is 11, Jonathan is 8, Ria is 5 while the twins are both 2. I help support my family alongside my parents; my father is a carpenter while my mother is a seamstressr. I've been working since I was 10 years old, started out as a janitor at the bakery when it first opened and climbed through the ranks to become one of its bakers. But I was laid off recently due to a new baker from France immigrating to town. I work so that my siblings don't have to work as much and can focus on sparing their childhood.

They all wake me up every morning to ensure that I get to work on time, as I had asked them. I immediately sat up as Ria and Jonathan opened the windows that led to our room. I shared a room with them, if you're wondering. It was the attic of our home that father renovated into a lengthy room. The babies' cribs were placed closest to the doors while mine were closest to the windows. Our beds were arranged by age order. The sun was just rising, just like in my dream.

"Dream of anything nice, Soph?" asked Benjamin.

"Just of a sunrise, like this," I replied.

"No boys?" asked Cindy. Jonathan started making kissy faces and noises.

"No boys," my smile got even bigger.

"You have to get up!" Ria grabbed a hold of my hand and attempted to drag me out of bed. But of course, her five year old body was powerless to my seventeen year old one.

"I'm up! I'm up!" I laughed.

Cindy blew out the candles they held and placed them on the appropriate tables in our room. She took a hold of a brush and brushed her long dark hair. She was lady like in every way possible; in a few years I can imagine tons of boys asking for her hand in marriage. "Why do you work so much?"

"So you don't have to," I reached out for the brush she was using. Untying my hair from its tight braid, loose curls appeared in a swift motion. I brushed through them swiftly to ensure no tangles were there and handed her back the brush.

"Why?" asked Jonathan.

"I don't want you guys to stop going to school just because we need money. So I'll work so you guys can have a better future," I rummaged through a drawer and pulled out my uniform. "We've been through this before guys."

"We know," Benjamin responded. "We just hate seeing you so exhausted after a long day."

"No pain no gain, right?"

All of them nodded in agreement. I slipped into our bathroom to get changed. It was atrocious what I had to wear to work. A black dress that stopped a couple inches from my knees with a white apron. It looked like I was a doll, not a worker. I slipped on socks that stopped at my ankles and slip on black shoes. My reflection showed someone I barely even recognized now. What felt like yesterday, I was wearing a different apron with a smile on my face because I was excited to bake for the day. But now, I loathe wearing something like this. Honestly, who wears something as provocative as this for work—at the palace of all places!

I hugged all of my siblings, adding a kiss on the forehead, before heading out the door. They got taught by my parents before they needed to go off to work. All of the girls know how to sew while the boys know how to build just about anything. I was lucky enough to be taught by them both, so I am extremely handy around the house.

"Be careful!" yelled my mother.

"I always am!"

It was going to be another long walk to the palace. One step at a time...  I'd repeat in my head. Shops were just opening at this time, so I'd get a loaf of bread or some hot tea for the road once in a while. I knew pretty much everyone in town, which was helpful since I know if anything went wrong at work or with our family, we'd have the support of the others. It was refreshing to have such a close bond to those who you aren't even fully related to.

It makes one appreciate life a whole lot more.

I reached the palace gates in what felt like no time, which was in all an hour. The guards looked at me from the other side of the gates. They wore silver armor, which held the symbol of the Woo family, with bright red clothing under. Both were armed with swords at their side. One had dark blonde hair with jade green eyes while the other had brown hair with blue eyes.

"Name?"

"For Heaven's sake Anthony!" I tapped my foot on the stone pathway. "You know who I am!"

"Regardless Soph! It's protocol!" Anthony replied. His sky colored eyes seemed to be lighter today, it's probably the way the sun hit them at this angle.

"Let me in!"

 "Name?" asked Isaiah with a sly grin.

"I am not doing this every day boys!"

"Just tell us your name! That is not that hard!"

"Opening the gates for me isn't that hard either but here you are stalling like children at the doctors!"

"Come on..." Anthony's grin enlarged just like Isaiah's.

"No."

"Soph, you are making this much more difficult than it should be," Isaiah sighed. His jewel colored eyes were enough to get lost in for a while. They were so vibrant and lively, just like his personality.  

I was going to be late. But I refused to accept defeat. In my head, I began weighing the pros and cons of the situation. Eventually, I sighed and said, "Sophia. I am a maid."

"Thank you!" both exclaimed in unison. They had won... the battle but surely not the war.

"Open the gates!" yelled Anthony at the gate operators.

As soon as the gates were far apart for me to squeeze through, I did. My hands quickly patted down my uniform before I followed the stone pathway to the palace doors. I even punched both boys on the arm and hit them lightly across the back of the head. Both exclaimed in surprise but I laughed it off. That's what you get boys.

Everything that surrounded me was alive, beautiful, green, and luscious. There were wonderful fruit trees in the royal garden. It seemed as though the fields lasted forever, that's how big the palace grounds were. The palace itself was absolutely breathtaking. It was a glorious white color, that was washed down every other day and painted yearly so it was to remain white. It had hundreds of windows to let in light to every room possible. It was the easiest place to get lost in, so it's best to remember where the different wings and directions are in the building. Rose bushes surrounded the exterior of the first floor, to counteract the soft pale color of the house itself. I approached the grand doors of the overwhelming house with caution. Time to start working... put on a brave face. This is the best paying job in the entire kingdom. Think of father, mother, and the kids.

I peaked my head into the palace before I managed to  force myself into the grand palace. Inside, stain glass windows let in colorful light. The floor was as shiny as could be. In front of me was the grand stairs which led to the bedrooms. To the right led to the kitchen and dining area, along with the ballroom—this is also called the right wing of the palace. The left wing held the library, study, alongside the sunroom and music room. Behind the palace were the royal garden, a pool, and the staff quarters; the space behind the palace was enormous. Mostly the maids and butlers lived in the quarters, but the needed ones for events usually stay overnight if a special event was set in the morning.

Mrs. Moon's voice echoed from the kitchen. "What do you mean he got sick?! You can't just tell me our top baker got sick on the day of the banquet! That is not acceptable in any way!"

I crept into the kitchen to see her holding a knife raging about the head baker. The chefs, waiters, and others stood in position. All of their eyes remained on the shiny, sharp knife; they knew at any moment Mrs. Moon could throw it at one of them, then it's lights out for good. The fear and terror of what could happen was written on everyone's faces. I tried not laughing.

"Errr.. Good morning Mrs. Moon," I bowed at everyone in the room.

"Oh dear!" she placed the knife on the table, a thousand sighs of relief echoed in the huge room. "You were a chef beforehand, correct? Can you assist in the baking of goods please? I'll limit your duties for the next week and raise your pay for the day if you do so."

She seemed incredibly desperate. I would be too if I were here. The annual banquet was one of the highlights of the year. Elites from all countries and kingdoms visit Kingdom Seoul for a gathering, to introduce potential suitors to each other, and to basically try to brag about how much better they are than one another. The truth was, no one could match up to the class, stature, and  power of the Woos, rulers of Kingdom Seoul. Everyone wanted a piece of their family fortune and power, but they weren't so eager to let just anyone have a taste.

I looked at her with wide eyes. "Are you serious?"

"Okay, I'll limit your duties for the next month! Oh dear please do this for me!"

"Uhhh..." I needed to contemplate this. I haven't touched cutlery in a month, my cooking is probably off, and I could possibly poison someone at the party. Weighing in the pros and cons once again, they tipped the scales both ways.

"Please please please please please."

"Okay, I'll do it," I was extremely excited. I get to show off my skills, and secretly tell my old employers that it was their mistake to let me go. Payback is a big meanie in this case.

"Bless you child!" Mrs. Moon wrapped her small arms around me. Her white hair tickled my nose. She was extremely short and about 60 years old. She's been working for the royal family since she could remember. Her family has remained in charge of the staff for generations. She absolutely loves what she does though, you could just tell.

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This is my first writing on here ;w; omg so scary lol. I am still getting the hang of this site. 

This was more of a boring chapter right? Well, it's the intro in a way. lol. Wait til the banquet starts! You guys are in for a treat! (;

Comments are highly appreciated; thanks guys~ will update again soon!