The kitchen was always busiest in the early hours of the morning. Steam rose from iron pots, the smell of roasted herbs and sizzling meat permeated the air, and the soft chatter of servant girls filled the stone-walled chamber. It was here, amidst the clatter of cookware and whispered conversations, that rumors thrived.
"Did you see her last week?" one of the older servant girls whispered, her hands deftly kneading dough. "I was bringing fresh linen up to her chambers, and the door cracked open just a bit. I only caught a glimpse...but gods, even after all these years, she's still as beautiful as they say."
A younger girl, barely sixteen, leaned in with wide eyes. "Who are you talking about?"
"Lady Yu An, of course," the older woman replied, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
The younger girl's eyes grew even wider. "Is she really as pretty as they say? I heard she was the most beautiful woman in the country."
