Her Maid, Fast-Paced
In the back woods of what is known as England, there's a castle with beautiful vines growing around it, its gardens still flourishing, fountains still flowing and shimmering in the sunlight.
This is the Cumadine Castle, owned by Dmitri Cumadine, daughter of the late Michael and Demy Cumadine.
Of course, she's not there by her lonesome in that enormous castle.
There's Min, the gardener with overbearing (and annoying) strength. And there's Ian, the clumsy excuse for a waiter And Adriel, the tomboyish, pyromaniac chef. And last but certainly not least, there's Cella, Dmitri's beloved servant (even though Dmitri doesn't show much love to her).
But there is something special between the bond of Dmitri and Cella
On a quiet Saturday morning, the sun is barely above the tall evergreens surrounding the castle. Min, Ian, and Adriel are up early doing their jobs. Cella strutted her way upstairs towards Dmitri's large room with a large pot of herbal tea and small tea cups. Her room was always open just a crack for Cella's convenience. She nudged the door nudged the door open with her foot and peeked inside. Dmitri was sitting up against her the head of the bed, her arms crossed as if in very deep thought.
Cella continued in.
"Good morning, Miss Dmitri." Cella said, setting the tea set on the polished oak nightstand beside Dmitri's bed.
"What's so good about it?" Dmitri responded, bitterly.
"Well, it's Saturday for one, which means less work." Cella poured the hot tea into the tea cup and gave it to Dmitri.
"Did you forget the visit from Mr. Monte today? And now we have to prepare on short notice, and you know what happens when we rush. Pure disaster." Dmitri grabbed the cup.
Then there was a loud bang coming from downstairs.
"Miss Cella! Adriel has done it, yes she did! Miss Cella! She's got the kitchen in flames! Her and her flamethrower!" Ian yelled, stumbling up the stairs and down the hall.
"And so the tragedy…" Dmitri said under her breath.
Cella sighed and walked into the hallway, and followed Ian into the kitchen.
Adriel was in there trying to shut the flamethrower off.
Cella rushed in and grabbed the flamethrower and shut it off completely, leaving nothing but black ash from its fiery path.
Adriel put her hands in her apron pockets and laughed nervously.
"Sorry 'bout that, Cella." She said.
"How in the world did you find a flamethrower and what did you use it for?" Cella ignored Adriel's apology.
"I just found it in…uh…a desert, or something. And I just used it to cook the turkey for tonight." She pointed and the charcoal-looking turkey on the counter. "Cooking it in the oven took too long, so I used my own method."
"And your 'method' always burns the kitchen down!" Cella said.
"Uh, Miss Cella, could you spare a moment?" Min nervously said.
"What? Cella was getting exasperated.
"Do we have any…seeds?"
"Why-" Then a stroke of realization streaked by her. "How many do you need?"
"A-all of them." Min said sheepishly.
Cella pinched the bridge of her nose.
"Adriel, Min, go help Ian set up the dining hall for tonight. I'll find a way to fix this disaster."
They nodded and rushed down the corridor.
Dmitri walked down the stairs, tying her eyepatch around her head. She headed into the kitchen to find it was spotless, free of any ash. Cella was hovering over the stove, cutting various vegetables into the pot.
"Looks like you saved the castle once again from certain destruction." Dmitri said, not too surprised.
"Well I wouldn't want you to be homeless, now would I?" Cella said, putting the new turkey into the oven.
"Where are the little troublemakers anyway?"
"Outside admiring the back garden, as they usually do when Min destroys it completely and I fix it." She vigorously mixed the dessert batter.
"There's no need to brag about your work, Cella" Dmitri walked down the corridor and into the back gardens.
Ian and Min stared in awe with smiles across their faces. Adriel just leaned against the wall with her tooth pick hanging against her mouth.
The new garden was flooded with various kinds of flowers, like azaleas and bluebells.
"How does she fix it so quickly and beautifully?" Min said still in awe.
"I don't see why you two are so surprised by this. You've seen this plenty of times because of your inability to do your jobs." Dmitri said, her arms crossed.
"I know, Miss Dmitri, but it's just-"
"Miss Dmitri, Mr. Monte has arrived." Cella said, standing behind Dmitri.
"He's here early." Dmitri mumbled under her breath as she walked inside, Cella and the others behind her.
The doorbell rang and it echoed all over the castle. Cella sped up toward the enormous blue doors.
She opened the door to show a tall, muscular man, showing plenty of finesse.
"Well, hello Cella. You look even more beautiful every time I come and visit." He said cheerfully.
"The feeling's mutual, sir. Please, come in." Cella ushered him in.
He opened his arms and hugged Dmitri.
"Oh, Dmitri! You've grown since we last seen each other."
She managed to put on a fake smile.
"Mr. Monte, please follow me to the Dining Hall for a special dinner created for the occasion." Cella directed.
The Dining Hall was the second floor balcony on the western side of the castle. It had a spectacular view of the back garden and of the inching sunset.
"You set up the place so beautifully." He complemented once again.
Then Min and Adriel came to the balcony to deliver the dinner.
There were crepes, various fishes, pies and other foods, and, of course, the roasted turkey seasoned to perfection.
"This- this is amazing!" Mr. Monte was in pure awe.
Cella pulled back a chair and sat down, saying "thank you" in return. Dmitri did the same.
Mr. Monte looked around the table. He wasn't sure what to begin with so he began with the golden crepes.
And he savored every piece when bit into.
"So, Mr. Monte, what exactly did you come here for?" Dmitri asked.
He wiped his mouth and dug into hit suit pocket and pulled out a ring case.
"I received a letter with this inside. It belonged to your father and he wanted me to give it you." He pulled open the case to show a purple diamond ring with the initials engraved- M&DC.
Mother's wedding ring… Dmitri thought.
She cautiously placed the ring on her finger and it fit perfectly.
She couldn't help but stare at the perfectly preserved ring.
Dmitri looked up and nodded and gave a small smile in thanks.
"Miss Cella, may I have some red wine to go along with my dinner?" He asked.
"I'll go get it, Miss Cella! Don't you worry!" Ian said, running off before she could reject his offer.
Ian came back with the bottle of wine, in seeming good balance. But, of course, not for long.
Ian tripped, sending the open bottle flying. Cella sighed angrily and leaped forward, grabbing Mr. Monte's glass. She quickly collected the flying liquid in the glass and caught the wine bottle. She set the glass down next to him.
He clapped in amazement.
"Well done, Miss Cella! Well done!" he said.
Cella gave a smile and went back inside.
Mr. Monte got up when he finished his last bite.
"Well, I best be going now. Thank you for the delicious dinner that was been cooked."
"And thank you for the gift." Dmitri said.
"Seems as if you actually enjoyed today, Miss Dmitri." Cella helped her pull on her night gown.
"Can't say it was the best, but it wasn't the worst either." Dmitri pulled the white ribbons from her pony tails, unleashing her long dark hair.
She placed the ring she received back into its case, leaving it open and climbed into bed.
"Good night, Miss Dmitri." Cella whispered as Dmitri drifted to sleep.
As she exited the room, she left the door open a crack, for her convenience.
And so ends another restless day. Cella thought. Time to prepare for tomorrow.