The door to Lady Arcenna's chamber opened slowly, and what greeted us on the other side was complete darkness, accompanied by a silence so deep that it seemed to swallow even the faintest sound of our footsteps.
I swallowed hard. This did not resemble a noble chamber at all. It looked like a hole prepared for the dead, a very deep one, and I had certainly never seen a room this dark before, not even during the times I had been locked away in the dungeon.
At least the dungeon possessed torches along its stone walls and the occasional sound of guards passing.
Whereas this place had neither warmth nor company, only darkness.
No wonder Lady Arcenna's madness had never improved. Who could possibly remain sane while living like this?
Why was it so quiet? Perhaps she was asleep?
If so, then good.
Perhaps we could just quietly leave her breakfast beside the bed and escape before she noticed us.
Yet, the thought had barely crossed my mind when a tremendous crash suddenly erupted and shards of broken glass flew in every direction and scattered across the floor before us with a violent clatter.
All of us immediately stumbled backward before we had even properly stepped through the doorway.
I could only stare at the broken remains scattered across the threshold, wondering—
Perhaps she had simply intended to welcome us with a flower vase and it accidentally crashed instead.
"Darn it! That crazy bitch!" Anneliese cursed beneath her breath.
I turned toward her in surprise, startled by the vulgarity of her words.
I could understand her anger, considering that a vase had nearly struck us in the face before we had even entered the chamber, but even I knew better than to call Lady Arcenna such a thing aloud, or even whisper it so carelessly.
She was still a noble lady of the Westwond household, and not merely some common mistress who could be insulted whenever servants pleased, regardless of how unstable her mind had become.
I truly did not like this Anneliese of a witch. I wondered what gave her such confidence to behave so proudly and speak so freely within the territory of Westwond itself.
There were surely servants in this estate who knew their station and limits, yet Anneliese seemed determined to prove that she belonged to neither group.
She carried herself as though she were somehow above every servant and guard in the estate, and I could not understand how she had not yet been taught a lesson.
"Dorothea, did we not agree that there were to be no more flower vases in this chamber?" Wendy sighed, raising a hand to massage her temple. "How has this happened again?"
Dorothea remained silent for a moment before answering in her usual low voice. "The physician said we should add more decorations to improve her mood and keep the chamber lively."
"What use are flowers in a room this dark, for heaven's sake?" Anneliese snapped, glaring at Dorothea as though she herself had personally ordered the vase to be thrown at us.
Dorothea merely shrugged.
"The physician's recommendation."
Wendy released another weary sigh. "Never mind. Let us go inside first. Anneliese, light the candles."
"Do not tell me what I am supposed to do," Anneliese scoffed.
Nevertheless, she began walking into the chamber, disappearing into the darkness.
I blinked at the entire exchange, still trying to comprehend how much trouble had occurred within the space of a few breaths.
We had not even started our duties, and already there was enough chaos.
Poor Manor was trembling beside me, her face pale with fright, and Clara was not looking much better.
Wendy suddenly turned toward us, apparently inspecting our reactions. Manor looked as though she might faint at any moment, while Clara had also gone pale, her eyes fixed upon the dark chamber before us. As for me, surprisingly enough, I was rather calm.
I had certainly been startled when the vase came flying toward us, and I had no wish to have my skull cracked of course but that was all.
The thought of a madwoman in a dark chamber did not frighten me, perhaps because I had already dealt with far worse things in my previous lives.
Besides, I had once encountered Lady Arcenna's madness myself, even if only for the briefest of a moment.
I knew enough about her to understand that whatever happened inside this chamber, I ought to expect the unexpected.
Wendy seemed to notice my composure as well.
One of her brows lifted slightly.
Without thinking, I raised mine in return.
What?
Could a girl not simply be unafraid anymore?
Wendy suddenly shook her head, a faint smile appearing upon her face. "I simply did not expect you to be so unafraid for someone your age. That is rather admirable."
I stared at her in surprise.
How had she known what I was thinking?
Before I could decide whether she had some strange ability to read minds, Wendy laughed softly. "You are quite an easy person to read, Clare. You seem like the sort who processes far too many thoughts inside that little head of yours. Whenever I look at you, you have already made a thousand expressions within the space of a few seconds. It is difficult not to find you amusing."
I nearly gasped.
A thousand?
In seconds?
Was that not a little exaggerated? Surely it was.
Although... She was not entirely wrong.
I did tend to think about several things at once, especially when I was frightened, irritated, confused, or surrounded by people who deserved to be insulted in my thoughts.
Unfortunately,my face had taken it upon itself to announce it before I could properly conceal it, which is an inconvenience for someone who survived primarily by keeping her opinions to herself.
Wonderful.
I truly needed to become more difficult to read. Mysterious, perhaps. Quiet and elegant too.
Yes.
That sounded much safer.
"Hahaha!"
Wendy suddenly burst into laughter, startling me and, more importantly, frightening poor Manor so badly that she jumped at the sound.
Dorothea finally turned toward us.
"Can you both stop joking around?"
I looked at her in disbelief.
Both?
When had I ever joked around?
It was Wendy who had suddenly burst into laughter! I had merely been standing there, minding my own business and trying to understand why the woman seemed to find my face so entertaining.
Why had I been included?
I sighed inwardly. People truly seemed to enjoy accusing me of things I had not done.
And I was beginning to suspect that maybe standing near someone troublesome would be enough to make me guilty by association.
"I am finished," Anneliese announced.
At last, the chamber became somewhat brighter as the candles were lit, though the light remained terribly dim compared with an ordinary room.
Shadows still clung to the walls and corners, and I had to narrow my eyes slightly to make out what lay before us.
My eyesight had been getting worse lately.
Wonderful.
As though surviving mentally unstable aristocrats were not enough, I now had to contend with failing eyesight as well.
I desperately needed to save enough coin for a pair of spectacles before I walked directly into a wall and ended my third life through sheer foolishness.
"Let us go in," Wendy said at last, appearing to have regained her composure.
Or rather she had regained her sanity.
We began moving farther into the chamber, with Anneliese and Dorothea pushing the trolley of covered dishes behind us. The faint candlelight trembled across the floor, stretching our shadows strangely along the walls, and with every step deeper into the chamber, I found myself wondering why anyone would willingly live in such a place.
Any sane person of course.
"All right, girls," Wendy began.
She stopped and lifted one hand, gesturing toward the bed.
A dark figure stood upon it.
Her hair was wild, falling and rising in strange directions as though she had been caught in a violent wind.
Even from where I stood, I could see that her posture was unnatural, her body tense and poised as though she might spring at the first person who dared come too close.
It was undoubtedly Lady Arcenna.
I could not see her properly because the chamber was still too dim, and my eyesight was hardly helping matters, but even through the darkness I could tell one thing with absolute certainty.
This was not how any noble lady ought to appear.
She did not look like a refined aristocrat awaiting her breakfast; she looked like a madwoman.
Utterly mad.
And judging from her stance, she appeared quite prepared to prove it.
"This is Lady Arcenna," Wendy said calmly. "The lady we are to tend."
Obviously.
Who else would it be?
"The first thing you must notice is how dark this chamber is," Wendy continued. "This is how it must remain. Under no circumstances are you to open the windows or bring a bright light close to her. If you do, you may very well lose your head from your shoulders."
I nodded with great seriousness.
That, at least, was an instruction I had no intention of forgetting.
No opening windows, no bright lights—Keep my head attached to my body.
Simple enough.
"She must be served breakfast first thing in the morning, before anything else is done. You will stand nearby and watch us for now, so pay close attention and take note."
I nodded again, I should take note, remember every word and preserve my head at all costs.
Wendy suddenly paused. Then she looked directly at me.
I slowly tilted my head in confusion. What now?
"Rather..." She glanced at the others before returning her gaze to me. "Clare can assist us. She seems eligible enough."
My eyes widened.
Wait.
What?!
Why me?!