Before me was a massive structure, a mansion, with a large, well-maintained garden and a few workers attending to it at the moment.

  A 10-foot-tall iron fence guarded the perimeter that belonged to the estate. A few cameras were rotating and recording.

  It all reminded me of the time we went to be seen by the aristocrats for the first time. The estate back then rivalled this one. However, this one was the superior.

  Despite the approaching dark clouds in the sky, the relentless cold wind and the light exposed wear I wore, I only felt slightly chilly.

  The high heels I had been forced to wear for the past day and a half were bigger concerns than the weather. I was better off barefoot.

  At the gate of the manor stood two lightly armed men in navy costumes. A butler in a navy bow tie and black costume came out and greeted us while the security kept an eye on the ones escorting me.

  “Good day, sirs. And you must be the ‘Lily’ we were expecting. Will you, gentlemen, be staying for a while?” he greeted us and went straight to business.

  “We’re ordered to escort this good to Marquess Gareth’s place. As we are done, we’ll be off. Goodbye.”

  “Have a safe trip!” he told them as they re-entered the jeep.

  Soon, the jeep drove away from the mansion.

  “Cold morons. Must be Balor’s men. For the third time in a row, a Generation was wasted… When would they realise their mistake and renew the real ideal?”

  The man spoke coldly, his gaze looking at the jeep that was leaving our sight with hostility.

  “Anyway. My name is Alfred. I’m the head butler of this place. In rank, I surpass you, but you only take orders from the family head and our adored young Lady. You should feel free to ask me for any amenities you might need in the future for all your needs. Now, I’ll bring you to our precious young Miss and your Mistress.”

  Head butler Alfred. He is responsible for taking care of the mansion and its staff. He has the authority to command the other maids and butlers. He had and continues to have superior combat abilities compared to me. I know little of his past.

  He is an older-looking man with greyish hair and amber eyes. He was and still is taller than me and moved with a confident gait as if he were in his thirties.

  He walked and I followed him. We went into the backyard. There was a garden and a small artificial pond.

  In a small structure with a wooden roof, a table and chairs were set up in the middle of the small artificial pond. A beautiful blonde girl with deep, dark blue eyes was reading a book and enjoying a snack with a hot drink.

  She wore a white fluffy overcoat and the skirt from her navy dress was visible.

  The butler and I walked on the wooden path towards her.

  “Mistress Mariana, the ‘Lily’ we have been expecting has arrived.”

  Mary stopped reading, looked up at us with her gentle gaze, got up and went to me. I got hugged without prior notice. Her warmth calmed my edged instincts.

  “You’re alive!” she said with tears in her eyes, “It must have been hard on you…”

  This was how I reunited with Mary, my Mistress. Until death do us part, she is my Mistress and I am her loyal servant.

  Until it started raining, we talked, ate sandwiches and drank a liquid I didn’t know the name of.

  “Mistress, what is the name of this drink?” I asked her at some point.

  After realising that Mary was my master, I intuitively accepted her without any protests and started addressing her as ‘Mistress’.

  “First, when it’s just the two of us, call me Mary,” she said while pouting, “and secondly, it’s known as tea. We have a lot of tea, so drink and eat as much as you want!”

  I initially devised a plan of being an obedient puppet until I realised the situation I was in. Afterwards, I was going to start planning my rebellion and escape the grasp of my tyrannical master. Maybe even end them at the end.

  But seeing my master being Mary, all my will to fight faded away.

  “This tea has just been prepared. If I may?” a maid came.

  She was in a maid uniform, but her tie was white.

  “Yes, our cups are almost empty. Fill them.”

  After the hot tea was poured into our teacups, I took a sip of the fresh tea.

  Mary was smiling the entire time. Her smile made her the prettiest person I had ever seen.

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  She had matured and was more beautiful than the last time I saw her, but her gentle warmth hadn’t changed one bit. I was enchanted by her mature self.

  She drank from the new tea after I tasted it.

  “Aw! Hot!” she dropped the teacup on the wooden floor and it shattered.

  “Please, forgive me!” the maid apologised on her knees, her head touching the boards where the hot tea had been spilt seconds ago.

  The maid seemed scared. She resembled a young girl, no older than 16. Her clumsiness made it evident she was new and inexperienced at being a maid.

  Still, the fear she showed towards her mistake was something that got me on guard.

  “It’s fine. Lift your head. Are you alright? If I remember correctly, your name is Sarah?”

  “Yes, my Lady. I became a servant at your esteemed household five days ago,” she lifted her head, but her knees were still glued to the floor.

  “Mistakes happen. Worry not. If you haven’t injured yourself, please clean up my mess. Thank you in advance.”

  “Yes, my Lady.”

  I feared she might have lashed out at the maid, but after her replies, I understood that my Mistress wasn’t like most nobles and I calmed down.

  After the maid cleaned and left, I asked my Mistress a question.

  “Mary, I have been wondering, why was the maid’s tie white, while the bow tie Alfred possesses was navy?”

  “It’s the seniority of the staff and their rank. White means they are new. The darker the blue colour, the higher their experience and skills are. Normal servants wear neckties, while only the most important among the staff wear bow ties.”

  We also discussed how I arrived here when no servants were nearby.

  “I wonder why I’m here with you, Mary.”

  “Fate?” she said while looking away, a pure drop of sweat on her forehead.

  “I don’t believe you.”

  After fiddling with her fingers for a bit, she replied.

  “I might have had my father put in a request to reduce your burden. It took me a lot of time to convince him to do so and I only managed after saying I wanted you to be my bodyguard. My apologies!”

  In short, she was my master. Her wishes are orders for me. I’d do every one of her whims.

  My upbringing forced me to do so, while my instincts also supported this idea, but they warned me that something was off. They found Mary to be a person I was advised to serve if I wanted to live.

  Nighttime came.

  While the head maid gave me a tour of the mansion, I saw a portrait of a woman who bore a striking resemblance to my Mistress.

  The only difference between them was the eyes – the woman in the portrait had emerald eyes – and the woman’s bosom was also larger.

  It was in a place that hardly anyone from the aristocracy would go to – the mansion’s storage room.

  The portrait was kept clean. Someone was taking care of it and even a vase filled with fresh lilies and roses was next to the painting.

  After the tour, I was allowed to rest for half an hour in my room before it became time for dinner.

  I was given the honour to dine with my Mistress and her father, the family head.

  The dining room had a long table filled with food I had never seen before.

  I could barely hold my saliva. The light snacks my Mistress treated me with couldn’t keep me full for long.

  This was the first and last occasion when I saw my Mistress and her father eat together. He was rarely home.

  I had changed my clothes from the orange dress and torturous high heels before presenting myself at the table, but I couldn’t remember in what exactly.

  The family head was in a formal suit, while my Mistress wore a floral dress. It suited her.

  “I heard the news of you graduating and coming into my household. I am glad to know that you are safe and sound. You may address me as Lord or Marquess Gareth.”

  He hadn’t changed one bit. The dark circles under his eyes still haunted him. Something was giving him unimaginable pain and sorrow.

  I also realised the concealed tense atmosphere between my Mistress and her father.

  “I am most happy to serve your daughter, my Lord. Thank you for choosing me,” I replied while bowing and looking downwards.

  “You may look up.”

  I looked around for a bit after sitting at the table. From the “exhibition”, I knew that a woman always accompanied a male aristocrat.

  “Are you looking for my wife?” he asked and Mary stopped smiling for the first time.

  She looked distressed, with teary eyes… and anger. The fork and knife in her arms were trembling.

  I gave a nod, hesitating to ask further.

  “Mother…” my Mistress mumbled silently.

  ‘Mother’. The word sounded so warm, yet distant to me. I wondered what a ‘mother’ was.

  “The love of my life… she died 14 years ago when Mary was three years old. It’s a long and painful story…”

  “My condolences for your loss.”

  The training in etiquette was helping me a lot back then, but the mood got dampened after asking about my Mistress’ mother and nothing could lift the dark atmosphere.

  There was no more talking during the dinner. Only our utensils dared to break the silence.

  After the tense dinner, my Mistress told me to follow her and I did so. Our destination was her bedchamber.

  There were many high-quality products and furniture and the bed sheets were soft and comfortable.

  Strangely, my room was almost as good as hers.

  “I’m tired. I’ll take a bath and go to bed. Will you take a bath with me?”

  “If you wish me to do so, Mary, then I would gladly do.”

  We took a bath. It felt great taking a bath. I washed her back and she mine.

  She looked strangely at my body at the beginning – at my wounds that might not heal in my life. They were just a small visible part of that which my body and sanity had to endure.

  “Those scars… Are they from your “training”?”

  “They are.”

  “I see… Do you know how old you are?”

  “I don’t.”

  “I’m 17 this year and you are a year younger than me. That was what my father and I could learn about you. You are 16. Let’s make this day your birthday. From this day on, you have a birthday on 14th October! I’ll make sure to have something prepared to celebrate your birthday next year! Look forward to it!”

  I also gave her body and curves a look.

  She had no bruises and no scars. Her skin was white and breathtaking. Her bosom area and other curves were well developed. Her charming body made me hold my breath in fear of sullying her with the impure air.

  As for my curves… I could see close to no difference from two years ago. Only the scars increased.

  After the bath, she showed me how to use a bath towel. After we dried up our wet bodies and hair, we got dressed in comfortable underwear and fluffy outer clothes.

  “What is this wear called?” I asked.

  “It’s called ‘pyjama’. You wear it when you go to sleep.”

  “Understood. Have a good night, Mary,” I said and headed to the door.

  “Wait! You are sleeping with me!”

  I did as my Mistress asked.

  Before we fell asleep, she embraced me with my head on her bosom.

  “I’m sorry… I’m so sorry… I couldn’t get you out of there sooner. I’ll do everything in my power to let you live a “normal” life to the best of my abilities,” she whispered with tears in her eyes.

  I remembered this warmth, this unforgettable embrace.

  No, this is even better than the last time.

  I honestly thought I wouldn’t live long enough to feel it again.

  Being in her arms felt comfortable and relaxing. I longed for this feeling for so long…

  I fell asleep fast.