Seeing Daniela actually walk along the hallway instead of flying in her usual swarm of flies surely was a little odd at first, but you're glad that you at least can keep up with her.
,,Okay but why did you laugh at me earlier?", you ask the redhaired girl and she shrugs.
,,I just found it funny how you were staring at my mother. What was the reason for that though?".
'Do not say because she is pretty now' you think and clear your throat.
,,Sometimes her height just... Kind of surprises me all over again, you know?".
,,Sure that's the only thing?", Daniela squints her eyes ,,You almost looked... Intimidated".
,,I just respect the power she has", you say and she is satisfied with that being the answer.
She drops the topic and now you both remain silent, slowly approaching the door of the room where the meeting is taking place.
,,What kind of meeting is this even?", you whisper and Daniela puts a strand of hair behind her ear.
,,Mom, the other three lords and Mother Miranda sometimes come together to talk. But i have no idea what they discuss".
,,Wait, your mother and Mother Miranda are...".
,,Well, she is her mom. So technically Mother Miranda is Grandma Miranda to me", Daniela sighs ,,But I honestly prefer avoiding that woman. She is... Rather unpredictable".
,,That's crazy", you say and she just shrugs.
,,To me it obviously isn't. Anyway, do you want the first peek?".
,,If you're already offering it to me", you mumble and bend down a little to look through the keyhole while Daniela holds her ear as close to the door as possible to hear something.
You furrow your eyebrows when you spot three unfamiliar faces at the table, beside Lady Dimitrescu and Donna with her doll and you whisper: ,,Is that other woman Miranda? Who are the other two?".
.,,Yes, it is", Daniela replies almost inaudibly ,,The man with the hat is Heisenberg, he is my moms brother. And the other dude is Moreau. He is... Sort of my uncle as well. If you ever get a closer look at him, don't be surprised. He is...", she tries to find the words and you patiently wait while watching Lady Dimitrescu pour herself a glass of wine ,,Not fully a human. None of us truly are but he is... Different".
,,Okay", you whisper and now the woman who you quickly recognized as Mother Miranda gets up from her chair.
,,Oh, it's happening".
,,My children, I'm glad we could all get together today", you hear the woman say and you furrow your eyebrows. You don't quite understand how all of them could be her children, she sounds rather young.
,,I'm honored to invite you to my castle, Mother Miranda", Lady Dimitrescu starts ,,I-".
,,Could we cut the formalities please? I have work to do", Heisenberg interrupts her and you see her glare at him but before she can respond, Mother Miranda raises a hand.
,,Can I watch now?", Daniela asks you quietly and you nod, making room so she can peek through the keyhole ,,Thanks".
Now you're standing next to her and listening carefully, tempted to know what they talked about. Daniela makes it sound as if these meetings happen
often so they seem to be very important.
You just hope nobody notices you both are at the door.
,,... And finally, after all this time, I found a new vessel and I am sure that this time I will be successful", Mother Miranda says, you only hear the last part and you grow a little confused. A vessel? For what?
,,She is almost too perfect", the woman continues ,,And I will need your help for it".
,,She always needs our help for and with anything", Daniela mumbles above you but you decide not ask what she means by that. Right now isn't really the time for talking.
,,Her name is Rosmary Winters and I will take her for me", Miranda continues ,,I already have everything planned out and I need you to store four flasks for me until a ceremony, which will bring me and my beloved Eveline back together".
,,That's it? Babysitting a flask? What does that have to do with the ceremony?", that's Heisenberg and you are almost glad he asked that question. Not like you understand any of the stuff they are saying.
,,I will store the child in four flasks to prevent her from being exposed to any other harm".
'What the fuck' you think and Daniela seems to think the same. You and her exchange a short glance and then go back to listening.
,,Her father, Ethan Winters is his name, will come and search for her. It's easier to protect four flasks than a living child, and the procedure only works that way", Miranda says ,,So that is how you will help me. Keep the flasks safe until I have everything sorted out and ready".
,,Everything for you, Mother", you hear another voice, a very dark and kind of hard understandable voice. You assume that that's the other man Daniela told you about, Moreau.
,,I know you all will do good", Miranda says and her words give you a weird feeling. She almost sounds as if there is a different meaning to her words, that she has another plan that she isn't talking about. As if she already expects something to go wrong.
,,I will give each of you a call before I will come around to bring you the flasks. And you better find a good spot for it", a chair gets pushed back and you assume she got up ,,I will not accept any kind of failure".
,,I won't disappoint you, Mother Miranda", Lady Dimitrescu says and you hear Miranda chuckle. ,,I'm sure you won't".
'Why does she sound so sarca-', you think but Danielas sudden grip on your wrist stops you from ending that thought and the girl pulls you with her. When the door opens behind you, just when you run around the corner to be out of sight you understand why she did that.
Steps seem to follow you and your heart races as you let Daniela pull you through a small door on your right.
You don't even dare to say a single word when you stand there in the dark, back pressed against the wood and you exhale slowly while the person walks right past you.
,,I hope that wasn't my mother", Daniela whispers beside you and you hum in agreement.
You stay in the dark for a little longer, before you both decide it is safe to leave the room and Daniela insists on bringing you back to your room so you walk along the hallway next to each other.
It is already late so the maids who don't live in the castle all left and therefore it is a lot quieter than during the day.
Nights in the castle always felt so much calmer compared to the orphanage, if ypu ignore the nightmares and you really like that.
,,So...", Daniela stops in front of your room and looks at you with a slight grin ,,Thank you for doing that with me. It.. It is nice to have someone who will do stupid stuff with me."
She leans over to you and whispers, even though nobody is around you: ,,And if you ever want to do something stupid, I'm down for that too".
,,I'll surely come back to that someday", you say and the red-haired girl laughs.
,,Okay. But for now, good night", Daniela grins ,,Sleep well".
,,Yeah, you too".
After a long, almost nightmare-free sleep, Vaela wakes you up and already gives you the tasks for the day since she'd spend the day in the gigantic garden and wouldn't be available.
She leaves the room with the words 'If you have any questions, Mikaela and Yvone will be there' and with that you're alone again. Stretching your back you slip from your bed and yawn, before you pull some of the curtains open and walk over to your bathroom.
Ten minutes later you arrive in the washing room and neither Yvone or Mikaela are there yet so you start taking the sheets and towels off the clothesline already. Normally you'd be expected in the dining room at 9am for breakfast though you have slight nauseap, probably from drinking last night and you aren't really in the mood to eat anything for now.
Instead you focus on working and when the girls come into the room, almost half of the towels are already folded in your baskets.
,,Now I feel bad for doing less than you", Mikaela says with a little pout and you laugh.
,,Don't worry, I'll leave the rest for you", you say and look at the three filled baskets ,,I will bring these away and then come back to get the others".
,,Sounds good", Yvone nods and turns back to the cloth she laid down on the table in front of her.
You slip out of the room, the basket beneath your arm and it takes you a surprisingly long time to go into all the maids rooms that are in the castle and change the towels.
The clock in the washing room shows 11 when you come back and you place the empty basket down, taking a deep breath before picking up the next one.
,,Are you aiming for employer of the month?", Mikaela asks and you furrow your eyebrows.
,,Is that a thing?".
,,It's not", Yvone shakes her head ,,But they might as well make it one, I mean look at you".
,,I just want to have it all done, you know?", you say and even you don't believe your words.
Maybe your eagerness could be explained with your hope of getting to say hello to Lady Dimitrescu, whose room you have to visit now.
You leave the room yet again and your feet bring you to the part of the castle where the walls are decorated with punctual gold, the lady's chambers, but before you can actually go into the private corridor, a voice calls you.
,,Y/N, are you coincidently going to Lady Dimitrescus room?".
You turn around to see a small woman approaching you and after a second you recognize her as Helen who has been working her for a little longer already.
,,I am, yes", you say and she smiles with an expression of relief.
,,Great! Could you please tell her that lunch is served in fifteen minutes already? We started cooking a little too early".
,,Of course", you nod.
,,Thank you!!", Helen gives you a little wave before she rushes off again.
Everyone seems to be as hurried as you today.
Despite your excitement you also find yourself to become a little nervous when you finally set a foot into the lady's private chambers and you take a deep breath before you open the door to her bathroom.
You can already hear her talking in the other room and now you start feeling more than just nervous. The woman is shouting at someone and from what you understand she is talking on the phone.
Putting the basket down you open the drawer where the lady keeps her gigantic towels and you put them in, one after another.
Will she get mad with you when you walk into her room?
You still have to tell her about the lunch.
So once the basket is empty and the drawer full you inhale deeply one more and take a step into the room Lady Dimitrescu is in, in the same moment as she slams down the telephone and you shrink at the loud sound.
The woman's shoulders fall and raise slowly as she takes a few deep breaths and you wonder if she knows you are in there with her, and also how you could get her to notice you.
,,Sometimes I feel like I am only surrounded by complete idiots", the woman then hisses and slams her first on the surface of the dressing table, the loud sound causing you to feel almost panicked and she turns around, her eyes lying on you almost like a hunter watching its prey ,,Now, what can I do for you?".
So she did notice you coming in.
You gulp and it takes you a moment to speak up.
,,Lunch is served in a minute already, miss", you say quietly, the 'miss' slipping between your lips accidentally as a result of her sudden strong authorian aura, and your nervousness, and you freeze as she furrows her eyebrows with a critical look.
,,Dear, haven't I told you not to call me that?", she exclaims and you nod quickly, lowering your eyes to the floor.
,,Yes, sorry", you mumble.
You can hear her pushing the chair back and your heart shrinks as her steps approach you.
,,Can you promise me that that won't happen again?", she asks with a certain tone in her voice that sends a shiver over your spine and you nod.
But she seemingly isn't happy with that being the answer and she brings a hand to your jaw, tilting your head upwards and she looks down to you with a crooked eyebrow. ,,Talk to me".
,,It won't happen again", you whisper and the corners of her mouth curl into a light smile, her thumb sliding over your cheek gently.
,,Good girl".
'If she keeps on talking to me like this I will pass out' you think and ignore the fluttering of your heart.
You clear your throat and clench your hand around the basket. ,,But, really. They started preparing lunch a little too early and it should be done in...", you dart your eyes to the clock on the wall ,,...Five minutes".
,,Okay, thank you for telling me", she says and releases your face from her grip ,,Anything else?".
You hesitate and then nod slightly.
,,Is... Is everything okay with you?", you ask quietly and you really don't like the look she gives you.
,,Beside my mother treating me exactly like the coward of a man that my brother is and my daughter sneaking around the castle, listening to my private conversations with her friend, I am totally fine", she says in a rather sarcastic tone and your heart stops ,,Did Daniela really think that I wouldn't see the shadow of your feet beneath the door? Please. I thought I showed them better tricks on how to spy on someone".
You stare up to her in confusion. Was she mad now or not?
Lady Dimitrescu chuckles and you watch her with a frown as she leans down to you just a little, placing a hand on your shoulder.
,,You didn't really think I will get angry at my daughter's curiosity", she says softly ,,She would find out sooner or later anyways".
,,We'll be more careful next time", you say quietly, more as a joke and she smiles.
,,I'm just happy you both are having fun. Just do me a favor and... Don't really think about what you heard there", Lady Dimitrescu gives you a little pat on the head and it is absolutely impossible for you not to start smiling at the gesture ,,I'd rather avoid you being involved in all that".
You simply nod and she raises her eyebrows again, to what you respond with a light eye roll and a: ,,I won't think about it".
,,Good", the woman smiles and then she lays her head to the side ,,Would you mind joining me for lunch? I'd like to have you around again".
,,Not at all", you say quickly ,,I'll only have to bring the basket back first".
,,We can do that on our way downstairs", Lady Dimitrescu says and you nod.
On your way out of the door a question pops into your head, after the whole 'miss' situation earlier and you ask yourself if that means that you are on first name basis with her. You never really have to call her by her name when you talk, but still.
So when she asks you what you're thinking about, after noticing that you start fiddling with the cords of your dress again, you bring that question up.
She stares at you for a second and then chuckles. ,,Well, how would you like it to be?".
,,I'm okay with anything you feel comfortable with", you say and she shakes her head with a grin, knowing that if she won't give you an answer you will be stuck going back and forth.
,,You may call me Alcina in private", she then says and the corners of your mouth curl upwards pretty quick.
,,That means a lot to me", you say quietly but in full honesty and she lays a hand on your back for a moment, giving you the absolute happiest of feelings when she says: ,,Well, special people deserve special privileges, don't they?"
You arrive at the dining room a minute later and none of the daughters are there yet so you assume that either nobody told them lunch is early or they would still show up.
Sitting down on the same chair as you did when you ate with Alcina and her daughters the last time you attentively stare at the door, waiting for Daniela.
The second a bunch of flies swarm into the room not only the tall woman starts to smile and the three girls appear next to the desk.
,,Hello, Mother. Oh, hi Y/N", Bela sends you a soft grin and takes a seat next to Alcina, while Daniela enthusiastically drops down on the chair on your left and Cassandra doesn't even give you a look, not like you expected her to.
The door to the kitchen opens and two maids come in, carrying five plates that they put down in front of each person and then they leave again.
So you start devour your food, the daughters talk a little with Alcina and you mostly just listen.
But somewhen you notice that someone in the room seems to have a problem with you being there and she couldn't make it more obvious.
Whenever you happen to look at Cassandra, she appears to be a mixture of sceptical, mad and for some reason annoyed.
It got to the point where you start feeling nervous and keep your eyes down on your plate the whole time.
,,Cassandra, why do you still give Y/N those weird looks?", Bela then asks with a critical gaze, she seems to have noticed your slight discomfort ,,Do you have a problem?".
,,She works here, shouldn't she be eating with the other maids?", Cassandra huffs and takes a bite of her bloody piece of meat. You don't even want to know what that is.
,,Just because she is Danielas library-partner or whatever?".
,,I didn't even invite her", the red-haired girl next to you says with furrowed eyebrows and glances over to you ,,Don't take that personal, please. I don't know if...".
,,I asked her to join us", Alcina says and gives Cassandra a scolding look ,,And now, stop fighting".
,,Of course, mother", Daniela mumbles and looks down onto her plate, while Cassandra only turns away with a huff.
Bela on the other hand doesn't seem to mind that you are there at all, what you are very grateful for and she picks up an entertaining conversation with her mother, which a minute later everyone at the table, even you, participates in.