Nights at the mansion were always the same.Quiet. Cold. Too perfectly arranged.Even the act of breathing or sleeping here followed rules.But in my room…There was still a breath of freedom left.A tiny corner that belonged only to me.I sat at the edge of my bed.My fingertips still remembered the fabric of the bowtie.That thing...It wasn't just cloth anymore—it felt like a tormenting shackle.My eyes landed on a crack in the wall.It had been there for years.Even when I was a child.Whenever I made a mistake, my father would push me toward that wall and say,
"Look. Disobedience leaves cracks in our bloodline."
Since then, I always stared at it.And every time, I thought of my uncle.I used to remember his face clearly as a child. Now it was fading.Why did he leave?Where did he go?While thinking about all this, I fell asleep at the edge of the bed.That night, I dreamed of him.We were walking in a forest.I still couldn't see his face clearly.So I asked:
"Why does everyone hate you?"He smiled beneath the brim of his hat.
"Because I chose my own path," he said."I wear my own vow around my neck, not someone else's chain. That's what scares them."Then he stepped closer and whispered:
"You're different, son.Your time to break free is near."
"How?" I asked.
But he disappeared into the depths of the forest.Maybe... that was a sign.A knock at the door woke me.The dream still clung to me like mist.My father entered.He, too, had never taken off his invisible chains.I pretended to sleep.He sat by my bedside, sighed deeply, and began to speak.
"Ah, son… If only you were more like your grandfather or me.But no… You took after that wretched uncle.I live in fear that one day, like him, you'll betray us and the nobles.I know I'm hard on you…But try to be more like us.Let the legacy of our bloodline continue."
He paused, then his voice softened.
"If my father were alive, he'd say,'Leave him to me. I'll turn him into a man.'I just… I fear losing you, son.No matter what, I must tame your wild side."
He was right.I wasn't one of them.The fire inside me wasn't passed down from him or grandfather.It burned on its own—and one day, it would ignite something.
Not that "all of us" were left anymore.There were only two now: me and my father.No one knew where my uncle had gone.Years ago, one rebellious night… he vanished.Maybe he gave up and went back to serving.Or maybe… he succeeded.And now lives free.After my father left the room, I changed clothes and went outside for some air.As always, I walked to the wall that separated the servants' quarters from the mansion.It was both my prison and my escape.I looked up at the sky.Maybe I was imagining a rescue.Or planning an impossible escape.But the truth was… I hadn't taken a single step forward in years.
"If you expect the stars to speak to you, you have to give them something first."
The wall seemed to vanish in that moment.And the one who shattered it was from the mansion.She stood on a balcony, watching me in silence.Her eyes were fixed on mine as she leaned on the railing.I looked back at her.Golden hair cascading to her shoulders.Skin pale and flawless like the moon.Maybe her heels made her seem taller than me by a few centimeters.
"I don't expect anything from the moon or stars," I said."I just wish I could be as still and constant as them."
"Don't believe the night is still.The moon and stars shift constantly.Maybe someone like you will be the first to move them."
"I'm not someone who moves stars.I'm just a shadow stuck within these walls."
"Then why do you keep looking at the stars?Why would a shadow be so drawn to light?"
"Because even burning in the light…is better than fading in the dark."
"Who taught you to accept a life of shadows?Did you choose it… or were you convinced?"
"The day I was born, the chains were already in front of me.My father said, 'This is our fate. Our duty.'So I lived like it was a duty."
"Sometimes the thickest chain is the invisible one.And the sound of it breaking… comes in the quietest moment."
"And you? Why are you here?Shouldn't you be closer to the stars?"
"I have chains too.But mine aren't as easy to see."
"Forgive my bluntness.I'm Alpay. A worker here at the estate."
"You're awfully bold for a worker.I've never seen one wandering around the gardens like this."That stung.Like I was being treated as a stray dog.
"Yes, I'm one of the lucky slaves with a longer leash," I replied coldly.
"That's not what I meant...I've just never spoken to a servant outside of work before. That's all."I jumped down from the wall.
"If there's something you nobles need from me, just say it.If not, this slave will take his leave."
I turned to head toward my secret escape route.But her voice stopped me.
"Be here tomorrow.Because I will."It was the longest conversation I'd ever had with a noble.Usually, they spoke and we replied:
"Yes, ma'am. As you wish."But in the end…They were all the same.I slipped away, through my usual path, unnoticed.By the time I reached the boat, Caner had already prepared our fish sandwiches.Caner…The one friend who'd stood by me since childhood.Through everything.He was the one who protected me from bullies at school.The one who always believed in me—even without words.
"Where've you been, man? Thought you weren't coming," he said.
"Come on. Try being a servant for a day and see how it is."
"So just ditch it already.I keep telling you, there's a place for you here. I'll get you a job."
"Nah, not today, master chef.Just don't burn the fish while you're talking!"
He was the only one who knew about my desire to escape.We didn't talk much about it.But he knew.And he believed.After prepping the fish, we sat on the boat.Then… something changed.Caner's expression turned serious.His eyes weren't on the waves—he was staring at something deeper.He paused.Then reached into his pocket and pulled out a wrinkled envelope.He didn't say a word.Just placed it in front of me.It was sealed.
No name. No address.But the paper…