The servants' quarters were still,Eva slowly stirred from her restless sleep. The stone walls around her held the oppressive silence of the manor, broken only by the occasional sigh of Mira, already awake. Her face was buried in the coarse pillow, but she was moving, clearly too restless to sleep much longer.
Eva's heart still pounded from the events of the previous night— the Duke's chilling silence, the whispers of being "marked." The weight of it all kept her from truly sleeping, even though exhaustion clung to her every muscle. She tried to brush it away, but her mind kept circling back to that moment when she stood before the Duke.
When she glanced to the side, Mira's tired eyes met hers, though a grin quickly tugged at the corners of her lips.
"You're alive," Mira teased, voice hushed so as not to wake the others. "I guess that's something."
Eva let out a small chuckle, the sound not quite reaching her eyes. "Barely."
Mira sat up and stretched, her limbs long and graceful. "Get up. We've got work soon. Time to serve the bloodsuckers their breakfast."
Eva shook her head, trying to get her bearings. It wasn't morning, not really. The moonlight had barely slipped through the cracks in the stone, casting long shadows across the room. Servants worked at night in this cursed manor, a schedule bound to the needs of vampires who slept through the daylight hours. It was the way of things now. Eva had long ago stopped trying to adjust to normal.
Mira, ever the lighthearted spirit, tried again. "Well, if you're not dead yet, I guess I'll see you for dinner. Maybe I can sneak you a bit of wine."
Eva gave a tired nod, and Mira stood, heading toward the small wooden chest she kept her things in.
Lira, ever the sentinel, stirred next, though she didn't speak. Her keen eyes watched Eva as she rose and shuffled to the basin to wash her face. The silence in the room was heavy—Lira rarely spoke, especially when she sensed danger or trouble. Eva was more grateful for her presence than she let on.
"I guess we should get ready," Lira finally muttered, her voice low, not wanting to disturb the stillness too much.
With that, they dressed quickly. Eva slipped into a simple gray servant's gown, smoothing the wrinkles as she tried to shake off the unease still gnawing at her insides. A glance at Mira and Lira showed the same sharpness, the same unreadable expressions. They knew that tonight would be a strange one.
As the hours passed, the servants gathered in the small, dimly lit hall just outside the kitchens. The board had been posted, in neat rows, were the duties for the night.
Eva hesitated, her fingers lingering on the wooden surface, and her breath caught in her throat as she scanned the list. She tried to ignore the low murmurs from the other servants, their eyes flicking over her with pity, curiosity, and fear. Her heart twisted in her chest.
Lira, standing at her side, gave no hint of any emotion. She simply stood, arms crossed, a shadow among shadows. But the others, mostly the human maids, cast her sidelong glances as if she were already a ghost.
"What's it say, then?" Mira asked, her voice full of nervous energy. She'd already been assigned to the feast preparations, as always. But Eva...
Eva's eyes lingered for a moment too long. She had been assigned to clean the lower levels of the manor, the mundane tasks that all servants did. At least, that was the task as written. Nothing special—nothing to raise suspicion.
Mira read over her shoulder. "Kitchen. Cellars. Nothing unusual."
Eva nodded, trying to brush off the growing unease curling in her stomach. The duties weren't surprising, not for the likes of her, though she couldn't shake the nagging feeling that something was about to change. She felt it deep within her bones.
But the tension wasn't over.
Later that night, as Eva went about her chores, she couldn't shake the feeling that she was being watched. Her movements felt too slow, too deliberate, as though someone was waiting for her to make a mistake.
The other servants worked around her, some with quiet efficiency, others moving with the distracted haze of those who had become accustomed to the darkness. The nobles, they knew, were still in their chambers, sleeping—waiting for the night to fully unfold.
Eva moved through the kitchen, checking on the simmering pots, the platters being prepared for the next round of feasts. Mira floated between the tables, moving with the fluidity of someone who had done this a thousand times before. She caught Eva's eye and gave her a brief, reassuring smile.
"You're doing fine," Mira said, her voice a soft whisper in the clatter of dishes.
Eva smiled back, though it didn't quite reach her eyes. She didn't feel fine—not by a long shot. There was something off about tonight, something she couldn't put into words.
As she worked, she overheard snippets of conversation from the other servants. Whispers, laughter tinged with uncertainty, tales from the dark corners of the manor. But Eva's attention kept straying back to the board, which was still hanging in the hall, the duties shifting in her mind like shadows she couldn't quite catch.
Finally, the moment came when the board was updated again. The new duties for tomorrow night had been posted.Mira moved toward it first, her eyes scanning the list. Then she froze, her body going rigid for just a moment too long.Eva's heart skipped a beat. She didn't need to look at the board to know that something had changed. Mira turned slowly, meeting Eva's gaze, her expression unreadable.
"The East Wing," Mira said quietly, as if saying it out loud would somehow make it more real.
Eva felt a chill race up her spine.
The Duke's chambers. Tomorrow night, she was to clean the East Wing. And her heart, for the first time that evening, began to race uncontrollably.She stood frozen, trying to swallow the fear creeping up her throat.
"Tomorrow," Mira repeated, quieter now. "The East Wing. It's all yours."