Roxanne looked back from the carriage; through the window she could see her ex-fiancé.
His name was Abraham, and he was the son of the previous minister of defense.
He was no longer her fiancé for a simple reason: Roxanne was being sent to the vampire empire to serve the princess as a maid.
She could clearly see her stepmom and step-siblings behind Abraham.
With tears in his eyes, the young boy cried and mouthed her empty promises.
Abraham was only a year older than Roxanne; at sixteen he was quite tall and muscular.
But Roxanne could not focus on him and his love for her; she could only look with hollow eyes as her family also showed her frowns and sad faces, but their sadness never reached their eyes.
Roxanne slowly closed the curtains and sat down.
As she felt the carriage get on the dirt road, she could not help but break down crying.
In one month she had lost her father, her family, her home, and the one person she was certain loved her just as much as her father loved her.
Her father died on the front lines in a last stand to defend the empire.
Her family always hated her and managed to get a reason to send her away forever.
And then there was Abraham.
She liked Abraham, sure, but she did not love him, but she still felt sad for him.
All in all, this past month of December had been hell for her.
As Roxanne silently cried into her hands, she heard the coachman speaking to her.
"Your Royal Highness, if I may be so bold as to speak to you as one person to another, might you find yourself inclined to hear the words of an old coachman?"
Roxanne sniffled a little. "Don't be so formal with me, Alex; you are basically family, as you drove me and my father everywhere for years."
The coachman sighed.
"I do wish you luck, your royal highness. I know that you are a caring person, so it saddens me to drive you one last time to the place that will likely be your new forever home. I wish you well from the bottom of my heart, and I am sure many others from the estate and empire wish you the same luck."
"Thank you, Alex, but please, do keep quiet; I do not wish for my last conversation with you to be a sad one."
"I understand, Your Royal Highness." Alex promptly shut himself up and kept on driving the carriage.
Roxanne spent the next few hours fixing herself up and smoothing her dress out.
She was wearing a simple black dress that went down to just above her knees.
Her dress had long sleeves covering her arms and a turtleneck that covered the same completely.
On her feet were simple sandals.
She then used a small pocket mirror in her hand to look at herself.
Her rich amber eyes were staring back at her, a bit red and puffy.
perfectly made eyebrows with a sharp accent to them that were downcast and not as sharp as they used to be.
Her narrow red lips pressed firmly against one another, with her bottom lip quivering slightly.
and a dainty button nose still a bit red from all her earlier crying.
Her heart-shaped head was the figure of perfection if not for the obvious signs she was crying until recently.
After two continuous days of travel, the carriage finally stopped.
Alex quickly went and opened the door for the carriage, allowing Roxanne to step outside.
As soon as Roxanne stepped outside the carriage, Alex gave her a bow before mounting back on his seat and driving away.
Roxanne looked up at the massive manor in front of her, and suddenly she felt small and as if an invisible pressure had been put on her shoulders.
Roxanne took her one and only luggage bag and began walking towards the gates of the manor.
As she approached the massive steel gate, a figure approached and opened the gate for her to enter.
The figure appeared to be a young woman, no more than 30 years old, and before Roxanne could say anything, she began speaking.
"I am Valathras, the head maid. I am a vampire, just like most of the other servants. You will be allocated to work under Lady Vivrin as her personal maid; should you endanger the lady in any way, you will be tortured for as long as your natural body allows it to survive. I will show you your quarters and the manor; tomorrow you will meet the lady. Now follow me and keep up; ask questions after I show everything."
Valathras didn't even wait for Roxanne to catch her breath as she began walking away; Roxanne trembled a little before running after the head maid.
"This is your room as a human servant. Should you one day be graced by her ladyship herself and become a familiar or even get on her ladyship's good side and become a vampire, you shall get a new and better room. Until then, you only get this small room."
The room was small, with only a single and narrow bed, a small wardrobe, a desk, and a chair.
After putting her bag on top of the bed, Roxanne went back to running after Valathras.
"This is the patio."
"This here is the dining room."
"This is the servants dining room."
"These are the bathrooms."
"These are the servant bathrooms."
Roxanne was already used to large estates, so she quickly memorized the layout of the entire place.
Finally, Roxanne was back at her new servant quarters, and Valathras was there waiting for Roxanne to ask anything.
"Can you give me a list of the lady's routine? or at the very least a list with her likes and dislikes?" Roxanne asked in an almost begging tone, as she didn't want to anger the lady on her first day acting as her maid.
Valathras looked at Roxanne up and down for a few seconds.
"The ladyship usually wakes up late in the morning, but she always wakes up before nine; should she sleep in, you are required to wake her up. After waking up, she usually has a bath and then breakfast in the dining room together with the emperor, empress, and the crown prince."
"After that she has her classes ranging from etiquette to magical studies; you are to accompany the lady and carry all equipment for her classes."
"After her classes, which can last from a few hours up to eight, she has the rest of the day free to do as she wishes; that is, until the clock reaches 10 in the afternoon, when the ladyship is required to go and dine with her family."
"After that the lady usually spends the rest of her day in her room; you are to obey any and all orders given to you by the lady as her personal maid."
"Even if the emperor himself asks you for anything, you have the right to refuse an order as long as you are doing something for the lady at the moment."
"Now, do you have any other questions?" Valathras asked with a calm look on her face.
"Yes, will I have to clean and cook for the ladyship as well, or will I only work as a personal maid? If so, I require classes on how to better work under the lady."
Valathras once again just looked at Roxanne for a bit before responding.
"You are now what one might consider under probation; if you excel at your duties, you might one day be required to clean and cook for the lady, but that is for her to decide."
"Any final questions?" Valathras asked once more.
"Just one," Roxanne asked with a lump stuck in her throat. She swallowed hard before continuing.
"Will I have to become a familiar?"
"That is up to her ladyship's discretion." Valathras answered just as dryly as one might comment on the weather.
Roxanne sighed deeply before nodding and bowing down to Valathras. "I understand. Thank you for showing me the manor and teaching me more about her ladyship and my duties."
Valathras nodded once before leaving Roxanne alone.
She looked around and sighed once more. She took her bag that was sitting on top of her bed and took everything out before organizing her things.
She had already had dinner with the other servants earlier today while Valathras was showing the manor to Roxanne, so she was already full and ready to go to sleep.
Unfortunately, she could not sleep as the anxiety gnawed at her mind and thoughts.
But Roxanne eventually did fall asleep, as she feared being late to meet her new lady because she slept in more than what might happen tomorrow morning.
And with that thought, Roxanne finally fell asleep, thinking herself ready for the new challenges that might come.