(I was bored okay?)
"Do your jobs, don't stare." Angelina said, gaze staring through the maids in the dinning hall, feeling cold stabs to whoever met her eyes.
First warning.
They had been talking to each other and getting late on the breakfast preparations for her new lord and family, the newly transferred head maid was not thrilled with such a lousy crew.
The three others would have rebutted but the gaze itself shut them up like anyone that dared to look at her, freezing their blood, as if they were face to face with a Dimitrescu but this was just the new head maid not a vampire... Then again, this maid had worked under and was Mother Miranda's favorite so their fear was righteous, they mean nothing compared to their superior in so many ways.
"R-right of course." One said, the other two hurrying to get on with the preparations.
"Stop, go help them, leave this to me you fools." She waved the maid off who happily scurried away from her gaze.
She dropped her gaze when she heard all three work around the kitchen, grabbing the platter off the table and setting the napkins, cutlery and glasses neatly aligned on the table cloth. (If I learnt anything from my apprenticeship it is how to set a table precisely to the millimeter with using my arms as measurement tools.)
She was quickly done, tucking the platter under her arm as she went to the kitchen.
It displeased her that the maids were talking while working, they should concentrate. Her new lady's work force could use renewing, a whole revamp, she could shoulder that responsibility if needed.
"Stop talking you are wasting time."
Second warning.
She glared at them, the shadow of orange passing in her vision before grabbing the piece of meat none dared to grab and basically throwing it on the cutting board in front of the nearest girl.
"You are here to serve not be disgusted by what you do." She pulled off her bloody glove and then the other so it was symmetrical, putting them in her pockets.
"T-that's--" "That's what? I don't care if it is squid, a horses left testicle or human bits. You are not here to question your ladies but to serve them, so get to cutting." She said but shook her arm, grabbing the knife that slid out of her sleeve and doing it herself.
Only wondering for a second if fresh meat was really a breakfast dish but did not go further then that, what if this is human as she claimed it might be? It's not like she hasn't seen worst, at least this one if fresh and not writhing at her feet after the Cadou did horrifying things to it, begging for mercy before she was to put it out of its misery by a heel stomp... Yeah this is nothing compared to what she witnessed already.
She basically pushed the maids out of the kitchen to set up the candles and dust as she finished everything herself, from the simple food humans could also eat, like the different bite sized chocolates, all the way to the bloody wine and meat dishes.
The other maids basically were in awe at how at home this new one instantly made herself in this gory castle and just how fast she was working, doing the work of three in half the time, watching how the table was covered in many different dish ready for their monstrous lord and family to eat.
Angelina, pleased with herself glanced at the time, only minutes before the ladies should arrive.
"Alright the three of you, when the smallest dishes are finished you switch them out for those in the kitchen, I want to see no empty dishes on this table. You will be responsible for the bread, you drinks and you cleaning off any dirt that might come of this, have I been clear?"
"Yes!"
"It is Silvercrest, have I been clear." She repeated, eyes narrow.
It was like they were staring in the eyes of another predator in the castle, death looming, petrifying.
"Y-yes miss. Silvercrest."
"Good, now, in place."
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Alcina was used to the maidens so when the dinning room looked pristine with everything per the rule book's orders it was a momentary surprise, even those that survived the longest didn't show as much diligence and they survived because she still needed staff.
She looked around the room, catching the side eyes of the new maiden.
"Well she works fast I'll give her that."
"Mother look! So much!" Daniela said, not having ever seen the set up of the room done correctly by maids, which is saying something.
"Please do take a seat lady Daniela." The head maid pulled out the chair for her and when the daughter excitedly sat she did the same for the other two who demanded it of her.
Throughout the breakfast Alcina kept an eye on the maiden. Noticing just how much fear the others had towards her, making her wonder what transpired before they arrived but it was not lady-like to pry... At least not with others around she told herself.
She held up her glass as one of the maids hurried to fill it after the new one did a flicking motion with her hand in a 'go, now' way.
There were gasps when, in her hurry, the maid had tripped and some of the red liquid had gone on the sleeve of her lady's white dress.
"I-I'm so sorry lady Dimitrescu!! P-please forgive me!!"
Alcina said nothing, glaring at the spot on her dress but her other hand held up to stop the daughters from moving.
She felt almost a cold aura and looked over.
The new maid had gone from standing with her arms clasped behind her back to being lifted up, her left hand holding her right elbow while the right hand was up by her mouth.
Alcina saw her fingers press into her arm as she bite the knuckle on her pointer finger, a soft glare on her face but even with such softness it made her feel like being outside in winter felt like, deadly.
"Maiden, take out the nuisance." Alcina wanted to test her, see how far she was willing to go since no one really knew what Miranda did in her home and what any given maiden was forced to do, she wanted to gauge the maiden.
"As you wish." With the flick of her right arm downwards something shiny appeared in her palm, covered by her fingers and held there by her thumb.
"W-wait please mercy!" The maid backed up from the table and towards the wall as the new one approached.
The daughters and herself were looking on in anticipation.
"Third warning, maybe this will teach the others to do things as told by the lady."
"Merc-argh!"
Before the maid could even get that pathetic word out again, Angelina had taken care of the problem.
An arm looped around her neck from behind in a headlock, the blade in her other hand stabbed in between her own arm and her victims chin, into the carotid artery and the same hand now pressed on her mouth to silence any screams.
"Ooooh I love this one mother!" Cassandra called out with a maniacal giggle as the maid went limp in her arms and she slowly laid her down on the ground, taking a cloth napkin out of her pocket, shoving it in the wound as she pulled the blade out, it turned quickly red but it didn't make a mess, the blade was so sharp and smooth no drops of blood stuck to it on the way out.
She slid the knife up her sleeve like she did after cutting the meat, sliding it into its place in the holder on her forearm, standing up and looking at her new lady as if nothing happened.
"Yes." Lady Dimitrescu said. "I think I like her too."
She did a small bow, showing she was honored by the compliment before stepping over the body and going to stand back where she previously was, along the way effortlessly filling the lady's glass without losing a drop of liquid and neatly setting the pitcher in the middle of the table.
Angelina long learnt with her lady that mercy was not given, only chances, and this maid had played all her chances away.
(look at this :D)