In front of me, the sparring plan I had arranged between Lady Octavi and Adel changed instantly. It went from a training exercise to something deeply personal. Even Adel had called Lady Octavi by her name, dropping all honorifics. Their faces were twisted with anger.
Adel opened the spar. She dashed forward at blinding speed. Seeing Adel hurtling toward her, Lady Octavi took a quick step back to maintain distance. But Adel was already there. She planted her right foot and swung her dagger horizontally, aiming straight for Lady Octavi's neck.
Clang!
In response, Lady Octavi blocked the lethal swing with her sword, gripping the hilt tightly with both hands.
Seeing both of Lady Octavi's hands occupied, Adel's skirt suddenly lifted up. I saw the flash of dagger sheaths strapped to her thigh as her left foot flew upward, aiming a kick directly at Lady Octavi's head.
Lady Octavi sensed the attack. She released her grip on the sword with her left hand, holding it only with her right to maintain the block, and used her free left hand to repel the incoming kick.
Realizing her position was compromised, Lady Octavi suddenly yielded the clash on purpose. She allowed Adel's dagger to push past her guard toward her neck—but she moved just in time, so the blade sliced only through the wind.
Lady Octavi saw an opening. While Adel was off-balance from the kick, Lady Octavi dropped her body low and swung her sword horizontally at Adel's planted right leg.
Sensing the threat, Adel reacted instantly. She jumped backward, executing a perfect back flip, and landed completely composed.
I was dazed by the speed of it all. Beside me, Alecia watched with wide, amazed eyes. The sound of steel clashing roared through the garden. I saw their faces becoming more intense, their focus sharpening.
After a few moments, I noticed Alicia and Aelia standing beside me. I turned around and saw that more servants had gathered to watch the spar, drawn by the loud roaring of the clashes. Even the twins had arrived with their maids and Felix.
However, the maids' faces were not happy. In fact, every maid present showed expressions of displeasure or anger toward the spar.
As I looked at everyone, their expressions suddenly shifted from anger to shock. Something was happening.
I turned back to the spar and gasped.
Their weapons had changed color. The shining silver steel had turned pitch black. And it wasn't just the weapons—their hands gripping the hilts were slowly turning black as well, the darkness spreading up to their elbows. Once their hands were completely black, a glowing light appeared on their skin, forming strange, pulsating runes.
They readied themselves to exchange another blow. They dashed toward each other.
THUD!
At that exact moment, a white dagger fell from the sky and embedded itself in the ground right between them.
They stopped immediately, dropping their weapons in shock. I saw them trembling, staring at the white dagger with pure fright. It wasn't just them; every servant around us looked terrified.
I looked up at the house to find where the dagger had come from, but there was no trace of anyone.
I looked back at Adel. She was just standing there, frozen, not moving an inch, staring at the ground.
I stood up and walked toward her.
On my way to Adel, Livia and Martia—the twins' maids—passed me and immediately grabbed both of Adel's arms.
Seeing that, I ran.
"What are you two doing with Adel?" I demanded.
"We just want to borrow Adel for a moment, My Lady," Livia said, not looking at me.
"To where? And what for?"
"We can't inform My Lady about that."
"BUT SHE IS STILL MY MAID! You need to tell me where and what you want to do with Adel!"
"Still, we can't inform you."
"NOO!"
I grabbed Adel's waist with both hands, trying to pull her back.
But they kept dragging her away, with me clinging to her waist.
Suddenly, Ophelia and Aurelio rushed forward. They blocked the path and grabbed Livia and Martia's legs.
"Let go of Sister Aurelia's maid!!" Aurelio shouted.
"Yes! Let her go!" Ophelia commanded.
"We can't do that… can you two release our legs?" Martia pleaded.
After some arguing between the twins and their maids, Adel finally spoke. Her tone was completely flat.
"I can walk on my own. You can release me… and I know what I am doing."
"Okay then." They released their grip on Adel's arms.
I immediately grabbed Adel's hand. "Now, let's go back to my room and Lady Oc—"
I turned to look for Lady Octavi and froze. Lady Laura was already there.
She looked at me sternly. "I will borrow my daughter for a moment, My Lady."
Before I could protest, they left the garden.
Meanwhile, Livia and Martia whispered something to Adel. Adel just nodded at them.
A few seconds later, Adel turned to me, her voice back to normal. "So, My Lady, let's go back to My Lady's room."
On my way to the house with Adel, I saw Livia and Martia walking toward Alecia, Alicia, and Aelia. It seemed they were talking about something serious. The children's eyes were fixed on me.
While walking toward my room, I felt Adel was not her usual self. She gripped her hands tightly and seemed frightened or nervous about something.
We arrived in my room and went out to the balcony. I was surprised to see only one chair there. Before, there had been two chairs for Lady Octavi and me. Now, there was only one. Had someone been in my room?
I took a seat. Adel tried to pour tea into my cup, but nothing came out. Not a single drop.
"My Lady, may I excuse myself for a moment to refill the tea?" she asked.
"You may."
Adel left the room with the teapot.
I waited for a while, but she didn't return.
Suddenly, the door opened. However, it was not Adel. It was Alecia, Alicia, and Aelia, carrying the tea set. They walked toward me with uneasy faces.
Alicia began pouring tea into my cup.
"Where is Adel?" I asked.
The three seemed reluctant to answer. Finally, Aelia spoke up.
"Ms. Adel… she.. is.. in her.. quarters.. for a reason."
"What is the reason? Is she sick?"
"She is fine, My Lady… she.. is just.. in there.. for a reason…"
"So what is the reason for her being there? Can you ju—I see. I want to talk with Mother."
I immediately stood up from my seat, but Alecia moved to block me, gently pushing my body back into the chair.
"What are you doing, Alecia?" I insisted, trying to get up.
"Forgive me, My Lady… but you need to wait here until dinner," Alecia said, holding my hands down to prevent me from rising.
"Who is the one ordering you to do this?"
"It is from Madam. So please, wait here."
I turned my face to Alicia. "Is it true what she said?" I asked, knowing Alicia was closer to Mother than the others.
Alicia just nodded silently.
"FINE THEN!" I yanked my hands away from Alecia and slumped back into the seat.
… .. .
After drinking several cups of tea, a knock sounded at the door.
Aelia went to answer it while the others stood behind me like guards. A moment later, Aelia returned with a message: it was time for dinner.
Finally, they let me stand up. We left the room, the three girls trailing behind me.
Arriving in the dining room, I saw everyone already in their seats, even the twins. The three girls pulled out my chair just like Adel usually did, and I sat down.
As soon as I was seated, Father clapped his hands—unlike his usual habit of waiting. While the servants served the food, I looked at Mother.
"Mother, perhaps do you know where Adel is?"
She didn't make eye contact. She just ignored me.
I turned my attention to Father. "Father?"
Father glanced at Mother, then looked away, ignoring me too.
When I didn't get any response, I kept silent. I sensed something on my hands. I looked down—the twins were holding my hands under the table.
The food was served.
For two days and two nights, the three girls were my personal servants. Mother still didn't tell me anything about Adel.
The three did everything Adel used to do. They handled my morning routine, combed my hair, and tended to my skin.
It wasn't just Adel who was absent. Lady Octavi—my tutor and lady-in-waiting—was gone too. There was no tutoring for the past two days.
However, the relationship between Mother and Father became noticeably better because of the twins' efforts.
At dinner on the third night, Mother and Father began to talk to each other. The heavy silence of the past few meals was slowly dissipating.
In the middle of eating, Mother spoke.
"Aurelia, about your personal maid, Adel… She will be absent for some weeks."
Clatter.
I dropped my fork and knife.
"What about Lady Octavi?" I asked quickly.
"That matter is your father's responsibility," Mother said, turning her gaze to him. "You need to ask your father."
I looked at Father. "Will she be absent for some weeks too?"
"I need confirmation from Lady Laura for that," Father replied. "For now, I don't know how long she will be absent."
"So what is the reason for them to be absent? Is it because of the spar three days ago?" I asked Mother.
Mother continued cutting her meat. "That spar… Was it you who ordered them to spar?"
"Yes… It was me who ordered them."
"For what reason did you order them to spar?" she asked, moving her fork to her mouth.
"It was for Alecia. I saw Alecia training with her sword from my balcony."
"Then?"
"I went to the garden and asked Lady Octavi to be her sparring partner. While they were sparring, I remembered Adel had said that she was familiar with the sword, so I asked her to replace Lady Octavi."
"Then?"
"But it seemed Lady Octavi didn't like how Adel sparred with Alecia. And Alecia was exhausted from sparring with both of them. At that time, I got the idea that they should spar with each other."
"Were you the one who ordered them to spar with real weapons?"
"Yes, it was me… Is there any problem with that?"
Out of the blue, Father spoke up. "It seems Aurelia is clueless about what happened."
"What does Father mean?"
Father looked at Mother. "Dear, I think it is a great time for the three of them to know it."
Mother put down her cutlery and took a deep breath. "Sigh. Alright then."
She looked at us and started to explain. "Your maids are not usual maids. They have made a pact to me, your mother. Maybe you know your maids as innocent or obedient personal servants, but your maids come under the Maid's Guard, and this Guard is under my charge."
"What is this Maid's Guard?"
"The Maid's Guard was created by me to protect all of you from the shadows, because your maids go along with you anywhere and anytime. These maids come from different backgrounds. For example, Marta—Ophelia's maid—and Livia—Aurelio's maid—come from men-at-arms backgrounds, even though they are women. Because there was no waging of war anymore, they put down their swords to serve us. But Adel, Aurelia's maid, came from a restricted background. She was a member of the Order of Assassins."
Clatter!
I dropped my fork and knife again. "WHAT! So Adel was an assassin?"
"Indeed. She is a former assassin that your father brought to me after his triumph."
"Triumph? It means Father caught her?"
"Indeed. Your father caught her when she was fourteen years old, I think."
"Do all the servants here come from that background?"
"Only the servants under me come from that background. The servants in this house are divided under two authorities: me and Lady Laura."
"I see… but there is something else on my mind."
"What is it?" Mother asked, resuming her meal.
"When the two sparred, their hands and swords became black, and there were sort of words or symbols on their hands. What was that?"
"Ah, that's…" Mother turned to look at me. "That's—"
Clatter.
Suddenly, she dropped her cutlery.
I saw shock wash over her face, followed by Father. She pointed her fork at me.
"YOUR MOUTH, AURELIA!!"
My mouth? I put my hand to my lips and checked.
I was surprised to see blood on my fingers.
As soon as I saw it, a surge of coughing erupted in my throat.
"Cough! Cough!"
My vision blurred.
Suddenly, Mother and Father were gone, replaced by people I didn't know. I looked around—the table, the chairs, the decor… everything had changed.
The table was circular and smaller than usual. The chairs were simpler. I looked at my plate; there was some sort of white substance on it, and no knife—just a spoon and a fork. The food itself was different, things I had never seen before.
Behind the dining area, there was a small kitchen, but there was no firewood or furnace. There were weird metal boxes—stoves? I turned to my side. Aurelio and Ophelia were gone.
I saw the strangers in front of me. They were talking to me, but their language… I didn't know it.
I looked up. There was no chandelier, just a small glass ball emitting light brighter than any candle I had ever seen. The ceiling was lower. I realized the table was made of glass when I touched it.
The people stood up and came toward me. The woman touched my face, saying something with concern. I pushed her away. She looked unpleasant at my reaction.
They started dragging me out of the chair. I resisted.
"Let go of me!!!!" I screamed.
But they just spat gibberish back at me.
The man picked me up and carried me out of the room. As he carried me, I was shocked by the house. It was weird—no ornaments, no paintings. There were strange objects everywhere, even a black rectangle emitting sound. The banister of the stairs was made of glass.
He brought me to the second floor. The hall was barren, devoid of vases or decorations. We entered a room.
It was completely different. There were dolls I had never seen. The desk, the bed, the wardrobe, the carpet—everything was alien. He put me down on the bed. It was softer and comfier than my own. He pulled a heavy blanket over me; it was warmer than usual. Then, they left the room.
Immediately, I got up.
I walked around. There was a doll that looked like a bear on the table, next to a slim white box. I bumped the desk, knocking the bear to the floor. I picked it up; it was incredibly fluffy. Clutching the bear to my chest, I checked the room. No balcony.
I opened the wardrobe. No dresses—just weird clothes made of strange fabrics.
I walked back to the desk and opened the drawer. No powder jars for my morning routine. Just tiny, weird things.
I looked at the slim white box on the table. There was a symbol on it. I pushed one of the buttons below the symbol.
Suddenly, another box on the desk lit up. A painting of the ocean appeared on it—but it was moving! And the slim box lit up with colorful symbols.
The door opened.
I spun around. A weird woman in a white robe walked toward me. She grabbed both of my shoulders. Her face was right in front of mine. She said something, but again, I only heard gibberish.
Out of the blue, my vision blurred once more.
The woman changed into Sofia.
Mother and Father appeared behind her.
I looked around. I was back in my room.
I looked at my hands. I thought I was holding the bear doll, but my hands were empty.
However, they were covered in blood.
I turned my face to Sofia.
"What happened?" I whispered.
Sofia looked at me with grave eyes.
"That is the question that I want to ask My Lady."