In the small quaint town of Trolberg, everyone lives their lives normally and formally, doing whatever was the standard of the time. In the middle of the town lays a mansion with a wealthy family residing it.
Inside, there is a mother who does all the housework, Johanna and her child, a blue haired 16 year old named Hilda.
At this point in time, Hilda is now in high school and she was also undergoing problems within herself and others, especially her mother but that's normal for the time.
In the attic, Hilda sits at her attic window, being grounded there for a different reason, looking out into the outside is normal for her now. She got used to it, since she was constantly getting grounded by her mother. As she looks outside, she calls on Dagger, her wolf pup to come over to her side.
She met Dagger on the street and though her mother didn't approve of his adoption into the house, after Twig's death, she just accepted him in the house now.
Dagger walked up to Hilda and began to circle around her lap before settling in at the middle, making himself comfortable and Hilda enjoyed it for a while until she heard a knock.
"Hilda!" Johanna shouted, knocking on the attic door.
"Yes?" Hilda said hesitantly, she was grounded after all, so she hesitated on what she would do to her.
"I got breakfast." Johanna replied back to Hilda, with some worry in her voice.
Hilda then got up from the attic window and walked to the attic door, opening it carefully. Hilda saw Johanna, holding a tray of tea and crumpets along with a face of disappointment.
"Thanks, mum." Hilda said to her mother, holding the tray carefully and then placing it on the attic floor.
"Thanks, also could you clean up the attic?" Johanna thanked Hilda for the thanks and then pointed at the glass hards that are on the corner of the attic.
Hilda looked at where Johanna was pointing and immediately gave a face of regret and sadness as she knew she used that corner to flash out her rage and regret on many different reasons, some are too personal for her to share.
She reluctantly accepts her request and Johanna proceeds to close the attic door before going downstairs. Hilda then began to place the tray near the window and began eating the crumpets while also sharing the them with Dagger. As she was eating it, she looked at the broken glass bits at the corner and just felt a sting of guilt and regret as she first threw her fit of rage when she was grounded for stabbing David's dad in the leg.
She looked away and started finishing her crumpets before drinking the first cup of tea that was in the tray. After a few minutes of finishing the tea cups and petting with Dagger, Hilda hears her mother calling her downstairs.
"Hilda! Frida's here." Johanna cried out from downstairs, having set up Hilda to come down and see a new visitor to the house.
"Coming, wait!" Hilda replied back at the attic, coming down to wear her usual jacket and running downstairs with Dagger following along.
"Well, let's see if she's worth the invitation." A man talked to Johanna, sitting with his legs tight together and his arms crossed, hoping to see her in at least something of the standard.
"I'm her-" Hilda walked down the stairs and immediately stopped her sentence when she sees a man in luxurious clothing and a cane, sitting in the living room with Johanna at the door. "-who is this person?"
"Hilda, this is Gerald. He's just a co-worker of mine at the job I'm working at. Say hello, please." Johanna introduced the man to Hilda and she asked her to greet the visitor hello out of respect.
"I'm sorry-" Gerald interrupts them before Hilda could greet him a hello- "Why is she wearing…..that?"
Gerald pointed at Hilda's coat, specifically that because he thinks a coat would make women less fashionable. Johanna looked at Hilda with a taste of anger but she didn't mind, since she got interrupted by this visitor barging in into her house suddenly.
"It's my dad's coat." Hilda barked back with a reply at him, telling him that the coat was for her father and he can't change that.
"Some respect, please?"
"Hilda, that is not very formal. Now please apologize before I have to bring you back up." Johanna was shocked at her statement and asked her to apologize to him, which Gerald agrees with her.
"Now ma'am, what you just said is very rude and I will say that you will die alone if you keep acting like this." Gerald then stood up and then scolds Hilda for making a comment about him being rude, when he actually was.
"Sir, I think what you need to do is hear yourself and think of your actions." Hilda replied back with a little angst in her voice. "And I will say that you will die alone if you keep acting like this." Hilda then proceeds to use his own words back at him, making him very pissed.
"Okay, I will say this once!" Gerald then stood upright and walked closer to Hilda, making a threatening posture in front of her. "I'd say that you are so flat that I can go fuck on the floor than fuck on you!" Gerald quickly insulted Hilda and dodged her comment by commenting on her chest, which only makes Hilda roll her eyes in response.
"You are not very original with your insults." Hilda pointed out Gerald's comment on her, making him very pissed.
Thankfully Johanna pulled the man away, slowly of course and then she looked at Hilda with a death stare.
"Its all alright, you can go home." Johanna said to Gerald as he simply turned around and walked away with heavy steps.
As soon as he was far away Johanna turned around and slapped Hilda on the face, which made her collapse to the floor.
"Why are you like this?!" She shouted as Hilda got up from the floor. "Why every time I give you a good opportunity, you always ruin it!?!"
Hida stood up.
"If the first thing he insults or looks at is my chest, he clearly wasn't going to be a good husband." Hilda pointed out how Gerald wasn't interested in her. "And also manipulating me for your own sake is definitely not an opportunity!" Hilda screamed at Johanna for using her to achieve her own goals.
Johanna then kept her death stare but on the inside, Hilda was very right about her manipulation so she instead changed the subject in order to avoid being seen in the wrong.
"Hilda, you are scared! Your face looks like something out of a work of fiction! You are lucky if your husband doesn't run away!" Johanna then pointed her index finger at Hilda's scar in her eye, making it look like she needs some help when she didn't need it.
"Oh, insulting my scar, very original." Hilda rolled her eyes in response to Johanna's comment. "You can't hurt me that way anymore, I am not as sensitive as you."
Johanna raised her hand again, but this time Hilda held it.
"I would rather be a flat-chested, burnt face, pyromaniac motherfucker than end up having to take care of 4 kids and a house consisting 90% of unused space. Oh wait, maybe i don't have to worry about that!" Hilda then barked back a very deep rant about how she preferred to be single than be a mother of 4 and own a very empty house.
"What are you talking about?" Johanna got confused at her rant and looked at her with a death stare along with her holding her arm tightly.
"I don't own you answers, you clown" Hilda said as she released her arm from her grip and started walking upstairs.
Dagger barked at Johanna and followed Hilda upstairs as she slammed the door of the attic shut.
Hilda then let out a scream and grabbed a very old broom, repeatedly smashing it against a pile of already broken glass, making it shatter until it was almost dust.
She threw the broom at the side and then looked out at the window, and multiple people looked at the house, but she noticed David walking on the street, and immediately felt a burning, unending hate at him for allowing an arranged marriage.
She opened the window and pressed her face against the metal bars and began to scream.
"TRAITOR! FUCKING SCUM! ROT IN HELL!"
David awkwardly tried to ignore her but he couldn't get rid of Hilda's scream as she started trying to rip the bars off, willing to jump off from the attic and punch him in the face.
Frida looked at her and awkwardly waved a hello, out of being a friend, however she kept screaming until she got way too tired and just closed the window, falling on her bed gasping for air, but yet she kept whispering about her burning hate for David.
After that incident, Frida and David decide to walk their way to the market, now crowded and polluted than last time as they went out to find a spot where they could relax after that whole thing.
"Frida, could I tell you something?" David asked Frida as he swallowed a big gulp before letting out a big sigh.
"What is it about, David?" Frida asked, confused about him suddenly asking a question but she was eager to listen.
"It's about Hilda, and I wanted to keep this a secret because this one hurts, very much." David then told her what he will be confessing, rubbing the back of his head in nervousness as this is going to be a big secret to let out.
"David, whatever you have to say about her, it's fine. It's been years, and I'm fine if you still have feelings for her." Frida comforted her friend, already shivering in nervousness as she soothed his shoulder in support.
"Thank you for that but…..-" David thanked Frida for supporting him after all these years and he took off Frida's hand off his shoulder before beginning to confess- "Remember that one time where Hilda almost whipped you in the back and I almost drowned in the park years ago?" David asks her about a specific memory which she remembers, making her think if this is related to what Hilda did on that day.
"Yeah, I do. Why?" Frida said yes to his question and asked him why he brought up that memory.
"Well, that is not the end of it," David then continued that the incident at the park wasn't the end of the torment for David, "She did very bad things, and I'm not saying that just because I'm a man." David assured Frida to not ignore this as he was actually hurt from all of that and he's saying this to her as a victim rather than being a little pushy.
"She liked to hide my things, push me off the bed, take my breakfast to that wolf pet of hers, and tripped me on the way to the park, where…...that happened." David then continued his confession by telling her about what she did to him when he stayed at the house.
"Why would she do that, though?" Frida was just shocked at what David had to go through and asked him about her motive to torment him.
"We were arranged back then and Hilda really didn't want to be arranged. I tried to help her get her wish but she didn't like to work with me." David then continued on his memory of when he was almost pushed to the fire on that one time and as he continued on to remember, he began to sob a tear from his eyes as he was very traumatized from what happened.
"And when the church burned down back then, I just saw Hilda stab my dad's leg out of nowhere and I have also contemplated with murdering her before because she has hurt me so much that I-" David was then shouting at the top of his lungs at this point, and the trauma that lead up to the event has now built up so much that David stopped midway and started crying in frustration.
Frida was by then just speechless as what Hilda did to David and approached him carefully and then sat down with him and began to rub her hand over his back top to bottom to comfort him from all the trauma he has to go through.
"I didn't know she can do all of that," Frida talked to David about his time in her house and was feeling sorry about all of that, "I really feel pity for you."
"Thanks, Frida." David thanks Frida for the comfort and the support as he sniffs away a tear from his eye. "I really appreciate it."
"Maybe try hanging out with other women out there, or maybe hang out with me." Frida suggested David try reaching out to other women so he could at least recover from staying with Hilda and also suggested that he should try hanging out with her more so he could at least feel safe around women now.
"Thanks but," David thanked Frida for her suggestions but he stopped midway to tell her something- "maybe someday, I'll try."
"Okay, if that's what you want." Frida accepted David's request and then stood up from the ground and then reached out her hand for David. "Do you wanna go somewhere?" Frida asked David as she gave out her hand to him as he was looking up from her, still sitting in the ground.
"Sure, I guess." David then grabbed Frida's hand and then got up, and then they both walked out of the market, looking for somewhere to go and do something for today.
"Well, uh…maybe…..do you want to go to the theater? They have a nice play…today" Frida said, awkwardly. David nodded with a smile and started heading to the place with Frida.
Meanwhile Hilda was still breaking any piece of glass she could see.
"Traitor….Coward……. Just fight….Like a MAN!" she screamed as she slammed the broom on an old plate, smashing it to bits. "Fight…. Like a MAN!' she kept beating the pieces until she was simply too tired to continue.
Dagger was just curled up on his pile of blankets, looking, whimpering at Hilda as she continued breaking some pieces slowly.
She then looked at her pet and kneeled down near him, giving the wolf some headpats as his tail wagged.
"Awww, I can't be mad near you." Hilda then soothed Dagger as she gave him a head pat and Dagger immediately laid down, asking to get a belly rub, which she did.
"That whore….she thinks she is so clever, giving me dates left and right. So utterly disgusting." Hilda said with a shiver up in her throat while saying that.
Hilda then grabbed the broom and smashed it against the floor, making it crack and scaring Dagger.
She then hit the floor again, this time poking a hole on the floor.
She pulled the broom out of the hole and then plunged it at the wall, near her dad's painting.
"...I should be more careful with…..on where I throw that."
She approached the painting and carefully removed it from the wall, inspecting for any damage on the painting that she might have caused.
"I need a glass casing for this…. My most precious treasure…." Hilda uttered as she looked at the painting but seeing the glass shards on the floor, she sighed in disappointment and just went back to the attic window.
"Why is my life like this….why can't i just be born like, 50 years ahead of time, when slavery might still be cool, and I could stay in my room all day, jusy talking about my white lady problems?" Hilda just muttered this quietly to herself as she begins to regret the times she lived in.
She looked outside and saw David and Frida, crossing a nearby street to get to the theater.
"David, what are you gonna do now? Court Frida to you, I bet." Hilda then told herself a joke that only she could hear as she saw David and Frida walk towards the theater together.
"Such is the life of a young woman." Hilda uttered before proceeding to fall asleep.
As Frida and David walked in the street they saw a peculiar lady, most of her outfit was in shades of brown and she looked very confused, she also carried a briefcase and a backpack.
"H-Hey…. Uh… would you excuse me? I am lost…." The woman asked Frida and David, looking around to see if she got the directions correct.
"Oh, sure! What's the matter?" said David as the woman took a map out of her pocket.
"Would you mind telling me where the theater is? I think I got the directions wrong." The woman asked them for the directions to the theater and then pointed at the map where it is.
"Oh, uhh. I think heading that way to the left is the way." Frida pointed to the direction and then showed her the map and then waved her finger in the direction to the theater.
"Oh, thanks." The woman thanked Frida for her helpfulness. "I'm Kaisa, by the way. Are you also coming to the theater?"
"Oh, we're also going to the theater. We're David and Frida, by the way, nice to meet you." He answered Kaisa's question and then introduced themselves to Kaisa before placing their hands right in front of Kaisa, to suggest a handshake.
Kaisa shook his hand and gave him a sweet smile.
"So, why are you coming to the town?" said Frida as they started going to the theater.
"Oh I was in for a job…. Maybe as a maid, if you are interested." Kaisa clearly said to them, wanting one of them to hire her.
"Oh… Uh… I am not currently looking for one..." Said Frida.
"It's all ok….I get it." Kaisa said to Frida, telling her that it's fine for her if she didn't need her.
After a while, they arrived at the theater and then bought their tickets before walking inside of the amphitheater, not coming out until mid-afternoon.
Meanwhile, Hilda suddenly woke up to the sounds of knocking on the attic door. She groaned loud before getting up from her attic window spot to the door, where she opened it and saw Johanna's already blank face staring at her.
"What now?" Hilda asked her mum with some boredom in her voice, which makes Johanna a little bit disappointed because she wasn't acting the way she wanted it to be.
"You can come out now." Johanna then responded, making Hilda feel a little tense over what is gonna happen next but she was a little relieved that she was able to get out of the dank attic. "You can now stay in your bedroom."
"Is there a visitor today?" Hilda joked, making Johanna feel a little mad because she joked about what she did earlier.
"None, actually." Johanna then responds to her joke, making Hilda roll her eyes before walking down the attic stairs and then went to her bedroom, shutting the door close.
As Hilda then walked towards her bed, she then looked at the sheets and deeply remembers the time that her mum allowed David to sleep near her in that bed, and as memories start pouring in, so is her energy but she wasn't in the mood yet.
"At least I get to actually rest." Hilda said, lying down on the bed in relief as she was finally out of the attic before dozing off into another sleep.
Meanwhile, Johanna then walked out of the house, locked the door and then went on ahead to find another man who could at least be successful in courting her out, as she still wanted Hilda to marry so she could gain money for the family.
She walked towards a path she knows where men would like to gather and chat while the city is bustling and then walked a little bit further until she reached the theater.
She walked upon the line and as she walked, saw that there are still people waiting outside, waiting for the current play to end so that they can see theirs, and while she was looking at the bystanders on the side, she didn't look where she was going and accidentally bumped into the ticket booth.
"Oh, I'm sorry sir." Johanna bumped into the ticket booth, which disturbed the employee inside. As the employee got up from his rest, Johanna frantically began to think of an apology to the man before he wakes up and sees her.
"Yes?" The employee asked, unaware of what she did and Johanna just let out a big sigh of relief since she didn't have to look like a fool in the open.
"Oh, uhhh…" Johanna then began to think of what to see in order to get in and get someone invited, "Could I see The Life in A Day Opera?" Johanna then answered out of spite, she didn't look at the banners that were laid right outside the amphitheater but the employee didn't care.
He then gave out the tickets to the opera he thinks she was trying to say before reminding her that a play is still ongoing. Johanna then agrees with his reminder and then went over to where the rest of the theatergoers were and waited along with them.
As she waited, someone approached her with a confused face, focused on her. She looked up and saw a very unfamiliar person standing over her.
"Do you...need anything, sir?" Johanna asked the man, who then sat down right next to her and then began to ask her a question.
"Ma'am, do I know you?" The man asked, probably looking for someone and mistaking her for someone else.
"Umm, no?" Johanna replied, thinking that he's looking for someone and the man just nodded as he waited with her in the line, waiting for the current olay to end.
During the uncomfortable silence of waiting for the play to end, the man then struck up a conversation to ease the mood.
"Hello, I'm George, Jared's friend. I think I know your daughter." He said to Johanna, hoping that him talking could at least make the silence a little bit bearable.
"Oh, then I'm Johanna, Hilda's mother." She then replied back, wanting to know George and his friend Jared, hoping that either one of them could be another candidate for Hilda. "Are you her classmate?" Johanna added to her reply.
"Oh yes, I am." George then replied back, answering her question. "I was thinking maybe I could meet her for dinner, since my parents are gonna be away for a while." George then told Johanna about his situation at home and hoped that she might provide him dinner before he could go home and serve himself.
"Oh sure, and also maybe could you hang out with Hilda while you're there? I appreciate it." Johanna agreed with George's request and also requested him to try and hang out with Hilda, hoping that he might be successful with her.
"Sure, I guess." George responded gingerly, thinking that he might not have a shot for her but since this was a favor from someone who is willing to help, he might as well accept it.
"Great, let me introduce you to Hilda after the play." Johanna then responded back with a little excitement before calming her voice down and waited.
Meanwhile, Hilda finally got up from her sleep and then walked downstairs to find if there was any food left. After looking around the kitchen for a while, she then realized that there was no food here and that they had used up all of their food for yesterday.
Hilda just sighed and then grabbed her purse and some money in it to buy some food but as she walked to the door, she realized the door was locked. She kept twisting and turning the doorknob but it wouldn't budge.
She backed away from the door and just walked to the backyard and went over the fence before walking down the street that leads to the market. As she was walking down the road, she turned around and saw Dagger catching up to her, trying to come to her while going to the market.
Hilda just smiled at him and then slowed down for Dagger to catch up and then walked towards the market at a normal pace.
After a while, she arrived at the market and is now moving through the crowded hallways of it. She really can't see anything due to the crowded space and trudged her way until she got to an area where it wasn't crowded, she realized she just went outside of the market and now had to get back in to get the necessities they need.
As she groaned in frustration, she walked back in and then in the crowd, bumped into a classmate she knew back in the day.
"Oh, I'm sorry, I wasn't re-" Hilda then frantically apologizes to whoever she bumped into but as she refocused her view, she realized that she bumped into a familiar face- "Jared?" Hilda asked before rubbing her eyes to show that she is seeing the face correctly and then looking again to see Jared's face again.
"Hilda?" Jared asked back, but he isn't as confused as Hilda. He just stood upright while Hilda rubbed her eyes and also looked down to see Dagger, just growling quietly at him, making a little worried face while trying to focus on Hilda.
"So…..what brought you here?" Hilda then broke the silence between them, trying to at least not look like a fool out in the open and it looks like Jared is thinking about it too.
"I'm just here to buy some stuff before it gets dark." Jared answered Hilda's question, making her at least a little comfortable before walking back into the crowd while waving a short goodbye to him before going out of his sight.
After buying what she could buy out of her pocket, she then gets out of the market and starts walking back home with Dagger catching up to her and as she turned around to see Dagger, she sees another person following Dagger with him.
It was Jared, walking calmly behind Dagger as he chased towards Hilda. She then slowed down her walking speed so she can let Dagger catch up before walking away at a fast pace.
But as she turned around, she actually saw another man just turning back as soon as Dagger catched up to her and then showing Jared right behind the man, but she didn't have enough time to say a thanks to him and then left before he could see her.