Fortunately, it seemed my choice was right as she spoke to me.
"Let me introduce myself. I am Isabella, in charge of the female servants in this mansion. You will see me the second most often while working here."
"Who is the first person I will see the most?"
"That would be the master you will be serving from now on."
The old man had mentioned this earlier. I didn't know what I was hired for when I came here. My father, blinded by money, didn't even think about it, and I, who had no choice but to follow, didn't bother to be curious. No matter what it was, even if it was a terrible job, I had to follow.
"What should I call you, ma'am?"
"Just call me Isabella."
"Yes, Isabella."
I memorized her name in my mind. Then, realizing I had forgotten something, I continued.
"I'm late in introducing myself. My name is Paula."
"Paula, what can you do?"
"I can do simple housework like cleaning and laundry. I can do some basic accounting and write a bit, as I need to know it for accounting."
"I see."
Isabella remained calm as she spoke. Her reaction made me anxious. What if she thought I was useless? What if she told me to go back home? I was afraid of being kicked out.
Isabella's steps were quite fast as she walked ahead. I hurried to keep up, afraid of losing her.
We turned a corner and arrived at a door. Just as the door opened, a young woman rushed out and stopped when she saw Isabella, bowing deeply. The brown-haired woman who followed her also stopped abruptly, looking surprised, and bowed her head.
"Isabella, ma'am."
"I told you not to run."
"I'm sorry, really sorry."
"Be more careful next time."
Their cautious gazes shifted from Isabella to me, standing behind her. Just as I was about to meet their eyes, Isabella took a step to the side, blocking my view, and ordered them to return to their posts.
I watched them hurry away with quick steps. Meanwhile, Isabella opened the door and called out.
"Renika."
"Yes, Isabella, ma'am."
A tall woman with a mature aura approached. Isabella pushed me forward.
"Do you have any clothes that would fit this girl?"
Renika's eyes scanned me. After a moment of thought, she nodded.
"She's small. They might not fit perfectly, but there should be something close enough."
"Good. It doesn't need to be perfect."
"Who will she be in charge of?"
"She will be in charge of the master from now on."
Renika's eyes widened in surprise. She scanned me again, and I swallowed hard several times, feeling more nervous.
After a moment, Renika calmed down and said she understood, then went back inside. Soon, she returned with a black dress, which she held up to my body. She brought a few more black dresses of different sizes, then handed me one. She also gave me a white apron and undergarments.
"Your hair…"
Renika frowned at my long fringe covering my face. I pursed my lips, the only part of my face not hidden. Isabella looked at me for a moment, said it was fine, and continued walking. I stumbled after her.
Isabella walked down the corridor again. I looked around constantly. As we walked, I saw people working in open rooms, corners, and side areas. People coming from the opposite direction bowed deeply when they saw Isabella.
A bit of noise echoed around us, then gradually faded, leaving silence. Tap, tap, tap. The steady, calm sound of footsteps broke the silence. I gripped the handle of my bag tightly and glanced at Isabella.
"Paula, how much did you hear before coming here?"
"I only heard that I would be hired."
"So you didn't get a detailed explanation."
"No, I didn't."
I nodded in agreement. Isabella's pace was still faster than a normal walking speed.
"This is the mansion of the prestigious Bellunita family. From now on, Paula, you will be in charge of all the duties for the master of this mansion, Vincent Bellunita."
"Will I… be doing everything alone?"
"Yes."
I was speechless for a moment. As we walked through the corridor, I saw a considerable number of servants. The carriage driver who brought me here, the gardeners maintaining the well-kept garden, the stable hands, and the women and men in the same uniforms. I knew there must be even more servants I hadn't seen.
But I was to serve the master alone? The master must be a very important person, right?
I hesitated about whether to ask. Finally, I opened my mouth.
"Is there really no one else to help me?"
"No. If you need anything, you can tell me directly."
"Can I really do it alone? It's the master, after all."
I ended up voicing my concerns. Isabella's steps stopped abruptly. I bumped into her back and also stopped.
Isabella turned to look at me, her face expressionless.
"Paula, listen carefully. From now on, you will be the only one serving the master, and there will be no additional help. If you don't like it, I suggest you leave the mansion now. Even if you lack confidence, the same applies. If you complain later, you will not be spared punishment."
Isabella warned me calmly. If I couldn't do it, I should leave now. Her heavy warning made me clench my trembling lips.
I realized I must never complain again.
I bowed deeply.
"I'm sorry. I will be more careful from now on."
Fortunately, Isabella didn't say anything more and turned around. I straightened up and followed her closely.
"If you are careful in all your actions, there should be no problems."
"Yes."
With that, the conversation ended.
A moment later, we saw a door. It was smaller than the one we used to enter the mansion. Is there another door at the back? Following Isabella, we passed through the door and stepped outside the mansion. A vast, lush garden stretched out, its end unseen.
Wow, I couldn't help but exclaim. I had glimpsed the garden from the carriage, but seeing it properly, the well-maintained garden was breathtakingly beautiful.
I was lost in the view when I noticed Isabella walking alone. I quickly snapped out of it and hurried after her.
I was curious where we were going, but since she didn't say anything, I followed silently. Asking might only get me a negative response.
Isabella headed to the back of the mansion. A small house in the distance caught my eye. That must be our destination.
The distance seemed tiring, but Isabella led me not on the path but through the forest beside the mansion.
We walked through the underbrush until my legs felt numb, then emerged from the forest. We were already in front of the mansion.
How? I was surprised and looked back at the underbrush we had just exited. It must be a shortcut. I then focused on the mansion in front of me. It was a smaller annex compared to the main mansion, but to me, both looked equally grand and luxurious.
Inside, the atmosphere was even quieter than before. The main mansion was relatively quiet compared to the number of people, but this place was eerily silent, as if no one lived there.
"Only the minimum number of servants stay here."
Ah, I wasn't mistaken. I nodded in response.
Isabella walked to the end of the corridor and climbed the stairs.
"Breakfast is served at 6 AM, lunch at 12 PM, and dinner at 6 PM. You will receive the meals from the kitchen and bring them to the master at the designated times. Dessert is served at lunch, so you should bring it then. Pay special attention to maintaining cleanliness. The bed sheets must be changed every morning, and the same goes for the clothes. Laundry should be collected and brought to the back door of the annex every morning."
"Yes."
"Basic supplies are provided here, but if you need anything else, let me know. I will try to provide it. The same applies to any difficult tasks."
"Yes."
"By the way, all tasks must be completed at once. If you can't finish something in one go, don't try to come back and finish it later. The master is sensitive to such things, so you must be very careful. Act as if you are not there."
"I understand."
I nodded repeatedly, memorizing her words. Acting as if I am not there is the easiest thing for me.
After climbing the stairs again and walking down the corridor, we stopped in front of the last room.
"Finally, one more thing."
Before opening the door, Isabella turned to look at me. I glanced at the door behind her and took a step back.
"From now on, you must keep everything you see and hear to yourself. Be careful even with a single word, and show no reaction to anything you see or hear. Don't even listen. If you speak out of turn, the consequences will be more than just punishment. Do you understand?"
It was an unexpected warning, but for me, it was as easy as breathing.
"Yes, I will keep it in mind."
I answered firmly, and Isabella turned to knock on the door. Tap, tap, tap. She waited for the master's permission to enter, but no sound came from the room. She knocked again, as if used to this.
Tap, tap, tap.
"I'm coming in, master."
Even without permission, Isabella skillfully turned the doorknob. Creak—darkness flowed out from the crack in the door.
The room was pitch black, so dark that I couldn't see a thing. The air was cool, and there was a strange smell.
I pinched my nose and frowned. Then, I quickly composed myself. I mustn't react. Glancing at Isabella, I was relieved to see she wasn't looking at me. I lowered my hand and held my breath as much as I could.
But as Isabella took a step into the room,
Bang!
"Ah!"
Something flew out and shattered against the wall.
Instinctively, I covered my head with my arms and crouched. When nothing else flew, the surroundings became quiet again. I slowly opened my eyes. Unlike me, Isabella remained motionless, standing in the same position. Next to her shoes, broken glass pieces lay scattered. It was a broken glass cup.
I stared at the glass pieces, then looked up at Isabella. As she took another step, something else flew out of the darkness and hit the wall. Thud! A pillow fell with a dull sound.
What is this? I stood up and looked around the room. It was still pitch black, but my eyes, now adjusted to the darkness, could make out vague shapes.