I was cleaning the castle while humming a song I liked, when a persistent thought began to form in my mind.

I had noticed something: the queen seemed to care for me deeply, always showering me with luxurious gifts, expensive clothes, and little treats — always the best of everything, just for me.

Hmm, it was a bit strange. On top of that, the queen also liked to ask me to do ridiculously simple things, like opening a jar or grabbing something that was well within her reach. It almost seemed as if she did it just to have me nearby. But I shook my head, dismissing these thoughts as mere “impression,” and returned to sweeping the corridor.

While daydreaming, another servant tapped me on the shoulder and said that the queen was calling me to help with something. I stopped sweeping and walked slowly to the queen’s chambers, wondering what it could be... normally, the queen didn’t ask anyone for help.

I knocked softly on the door, and upon hearing “come in” opened it to find the queen sitting in an armchair, brushing her hair, with a small set of fancy lipsticks on the nightstand.

“Hello, my dear...” she said, pointing to the little set of lipsticks on the table. “Well, I asked for you to be called to help me test something special I bought for myself. But I don’t have anyone to test them on... so I thought of you.”

She stood up, stepped closer to me, and gently took my hand.

“Could I use your cheek for this? I promise it will be quick: there are only five lipsticks. Once we’re done, you can go back to your tasks as usual.”