Hostility

A small girl clings to the long skirt of an old woman, both walking at a slow pace through a long stone-paved corridor, it's cold outside with light snow falling, the little girl wearing a simple dress that covers almost her entire body leaving only a little space under the knees, her feet covered with a thin sock and cloth sandals.

The old woman stops near a shabby old door, she opens it for what would look like it's the first time in years, that the smell of dust makes the little girl sneeze. The old woman then looked at her with a gentle smile.

"Now Manila, we are going to clean this place and this will be your room." - She gives a broom taller than the little girl and both go inside and start sweeping.

Two hours passed and the room started to feel more comfortable and almost all the dust was swept from the floor and the furniture. The old lady let Manilla do most of the work alone, teaching her how to do it properly. The little girl was smiling while doing the work. It was the first time someone had paid so much attention to her in many days.

Outside the grayish-cloudy sky became darker and the little Manilla heard her stomach growls of hunger, the old woman patted the hard mattress in the bed, signaling her to sit. She goes there obediently and receives a cloth-packed sandwich, it is delicious, there is cheese, ham, and even some greenish herbs, so different from the normal gruel she was fed daily.

"Now Manila, this is your room from now on, you will need to take care of it every day, can you do that for me?"

"Yes, Laura! I need to do exactly as today right?" - A hand lands on the child's head and with a soft gentle smile the old woman pats her head.

"Exactly, and remember you can only stay in this part of the mansion unless you are summoned ok?"

Nodding with a small and gentle smile the girl continued to eat until the sandwich was finished, helping to clean all the crumbs on the bed and wearing a light green nightgown that was too big for her. Tucking herself under the thin blanket she looks at Laura who gently pats her head.

"I will not be able to be here every day but I will leave food and water for three days, you have to restrain yourself and make sure the food I will deliver will take the three days to be over, okay? "

"Why can't you stay with me, Laura? Will I be alone here?"

"I'm sorry dear, but master Mellorus ordered me to stay with the little master, it is something that the little master asked for." - A sad sigh came from the old maid.

Sad about the fact that she will be alone again, she hugs the old maid quietly and enjoys the last day of her company. Manila opens her eyes and looks around, the same old room, the same one that appeared in her dream. It's been fourteen years since she started living here.

She never saw Laura again, the only person in the entire mansion that treated her well when she was little, after living in the room she started her training to be a maid and worked every day without a break.

"You did everything they always told you to do and got nothing as a reward." - The voice inside her mind becomes active at random times of the day, appearing more and more, making her stay in a state of stress and doubt.

"She probably never liked you too and after dumping you in this tiny dirty room she probably got a nice reward for her job well done."

"No, she was different. I know she liked me, but Master Mellorus took her from me." - Manila answered while changing into her work attire.

Two weeks have passed since she started her new work routine, the objective is to remain unseen to avoid more problems, sleeping late, taking naps, waking earlier, and many other changes that would maintain her schedule but without any interruption or distasteful encounters.

A lot was passing through her mind, the secret voice in her head was sowing disrupting thoughts about her loyalty towards the Felnatus family, questions that she never thought of before afraid of retaliation or even the desire to be nurtured as part of this place. Now she is at the limit.

To avoid murmurs about the existence of Manila, she always received payment for her work, even with the deductions caused by Luccio, and all this money that she never spent on anything was saved in a hidden place that only she could find in the mansion. The idea to leave the Felnatus grows into her heart even if it's just a little seed.

Three light knocks at her door caught her by surprise, it seems she can't avoid the summons anymore. She opens the door and sees the irritated face of Amarilla.

"You sneaky rat, avoiding me at all costs." - The anger in her voice was palpable.

"Do you have something important to say or can I continue my routine without annoying interruptions?" - Her cold and aggressive tone caught Amarilla by surprise, never Manila answered like that before, she was always passive no matter what she said.

"L-lady Amiliath is summoning you, she is waiting at her chambers."

With an annoying sigh, Manila nodded with her head and shoved the head maid aside. Those thoughts, the voice inside her, everything she had to endure, all she wanted was peace and her blood was starting to boil. She knocks on the door three times and hears a calm voice inside the room.

"The door is open, you can come in."

So many years since the first time she entered this room and nothing changed. The wall is painted with a light peach color and decorated with many beautiful paintings, some are new while others stay in the same position. At the center of the room, a small circular wooden table covered by a large white lace with many flowers in its design. A beautiful light green tea set for three people and a four-layered tower with many sweets finish the decoration of such a delicate piece of furniture. 

Having a little sip of tea, the owner of this room, Amiliath, wears a long classy white dress decorated with peach-colored laces and golden threads creating a beautiful design. Her short brown straight hair is well kept, her light blue eyes were focused on the tea before looking at Manila. She smiles and waves her hands to the other servants to leave the room so she can have a private talk. The doors close behind Manila after everyone leaves.

"Welcome my dear Manila, please have a seat. I need to talk with you about many things since you have avoided me for so long."

"What can I serve you, lady Amiliath?" - Said Manila containing her frustration while sitting at the opposite side of the table.

"First, you don't need to be so formal with me, Sister, we are the only ones here."

"My lady, you know well that Lord Mellorus forbids anyone who knows about this fact to talk about it."

"Yeah, yeah, I know." - With a bored expression on her face.

"But no one here will tell Father about that right? I know I will not, will you?"

"It's not my place to say anything about that, my lady."

"Argh! You are boring sometimes you know? Try to have some personality or something, you are always so submissive."

"That's what you wanted to talk with me, my lady?"

"Ha!" - She said triumphantly. "That's what I wanted! Yes! Be more like this, life in this house is boring enough, you don't need to be like that all the time. But no, that's not what I wanted to say." -Taking another sip of the tea and a bite of a chocolate biscuit, she speaks in a fake worried voice.

"You know sister, our father didn't treat you well for so long and you are an angel, very diligent and so good at almost everything you do."

Blatant provocation is one of her many skills, she hasn't changed in all these years. Always like this, first she will show a friendly facade to lower your defenses, then with her vicious words she will manipulate you to react and do whatever she wants, while Luccio is brute and flashy. Amiliath is classy and proper, but they are the same.

"Don't worry, different from those two I know your potential and can say for sure that your skills are fit to the name of Felnatus."

"Kill her."

"My dear brother is paying for his bad behavior and will be back at our residence in two months, so I'm here to make a deal with you that will help us both."

"Make her drown in her blood."

"If you can provoke my brother to be…rough again, it will show to our father that he is not good enough to be the Heir and will open a way to me."

"Imagine her dead body falling after you pierce her throat with a serrated dagger."

"What do you say? You would be free of him and I will probably make your life here easier."

"If I join this little plot with you my lady, it would be my neck in the chopping board so I will decline. That is all my lady?" With an annoyed and exhausted sigh, Manila answered in a bored tone.

Amiliath's face reddened so bright that you could feel all the anger she felt only by looking at it.

"I see…I was wrong to try to make you useful for once, you can leave now."

She gives a slight bow and leaves the room, it will not be the last time that Amiliath will try to charm her into doing her dirty work. Only two months before Luccio comes back, this is all the time she has to prepare to deal with him, maybe there will be a way to leave the house.

But that is for another day to think, there is a lot of work to do.