A New Job

Castle Dimitrescu: it loomed over the village like the grim reaper. The sheer sight of it was enough to send a chill down my spine. Years before I was born, women would voluntarily apply to work there. Many men tried but were turned down. From the time I was born, the desire to work there had dwindled. Lady Dimitrescu's servants were sent out to recruit instead. The women who worked there were never seen again along with any male "visitors". Word amongst the villagers was that they were all eaten. Like the sermons about the black god, I refused to believe. People could be cruel, yes, but no one could possibly be that inhumane. Yet those people had disappeared all the same. I wasn't naïve enough to think it was a coincidence. That was why I had to take Mamă's place.

The servants said nothing to me as we rode up through the castle's gates. They ushered me into a side door before leading me down a hallway. The only light came from the candles the two women carried. Gold shimmered on the walls as we walked. I found myself entranced by the details, unable to look away from the accents in the décor. We wound around corner after corner. Every hallway was unique in its charm, but the aesthetic was homogeneous.

"This will be your room. Your uniform is on the bed. Get dressed promptly and meet us back out here when you're done. We can't have you looking like…" The blonde servant scanned me up and down with disdain, "that when you meet the lady."

"Yes, ma'am."

The room seemed unnecessarily extravagant. It was completely furnished and had the same gold trim as in the hallways. I half wondered if there was some misunderstanding, and I wasn't there to be a servant. But the uniform suggested otherwise. It was rather rude of me to show up to a castle dressed in such ragged clothing. Putting my distractions aside, I did as I was told. The servants wordlessly started leading me again.

I would be meeting Lady Dimitrescu soon. What kind of person was she? Based on her living environment, she would be the opposite of Heisenberg. I couldn't decide if that was a blessing or a curse. I had grown somewhat accustomed to Heisenberg's personality. Adjusting might prove to be a challenge.

Finally, we arrived at a door adorned with a large floral crest that had two swords sheathed in an x. The blonde servant knocked twice.

"What is it?" A reserved yet authoritative female voice came from the other side. I gulped.

"Pardon me, my lady. We have brought Ms. Tarnicerin as you requested."

"Very well. Send her in."

My spine stiffened as I straightened my apron. The servants opened the door and watched me as I took three small steps in. They slowly shut the door behind me. There was a shadow casted from the fireplace.

"Come here, child. I don't bite."

I moved toward the fire and found…

"Welcome to Castle Dimitrescu. Rest assured that so long as you do as you're told, you and I shall get along famously."

The lady smiled at me. She was… the largest person I had ever (and probably will ever) see. Even sitting, her head was above mine. I forced my mouth to stay closed to avoid offending her. Just my luck that I encountered someone more intimidating than Heisenberg. But at least I could see her eyes.

"Are you still a maiden?" she asked.

"Yes, ma'am."

What an odd question. I guess I was a bit old to still be single (by the village's standards). I didn't really choose for it to be that way; it's just that no one seemed interested in marrying me. But what did my chastity have to do with being a maid?

"Good. Your work begins tomorrow. For tonight, you will be escorted back to your room by the chambermaid. Understand?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"Then be on your way."

Back out the door I went, trembling. I must say, despite her appearance, she was much kinder than I anticipated. Her regal aura made me feel inferior, but at least she hadn't verbally degraded me.

I mindlessly followed the woman I presumed was the chambermaid back to my room. She ordered me to undress.

"What?"

"I must examine you, dear. Lady Dimitrescu's orders. Don't worry, it won't hurt a bit."

While I knew it was best not to make waves, I wanted to refuse. But then I remembered the rumors. I did as I was told, humiliated. Once she was done with her examination, the chambermaid left, leaving me to rest for the night. Even though I was sleeping in a real bed for the first time in a year, my breach in privacy made me toss and turn.

Yet I also felt… strangely at ease. I didn't feel any eyes watching me. I could do whatever I pleased in that room without worrying about being scrutinized. Not that I planned on doing anything other than sleeping. All my personal possessions were still in the factory.

The next morning, I started my training. There was barely time to breathe or ask questions. It was like I was starting all over again. My main duty was dusting and sweeping to start. The lady of the house had a very strict definition of what clean was. The head maid informed me that the three young mistresses were especially scrutinous.

I had the unfortunate pleasure of meeting them as I was given the tour. The head maid and I were briskly walking through the halls when we happened upon them.

"Ah, you must be the new maid! You're just adorable!" one of them chimed.

"How nice to meet you! We promise we won't bite," another one cackled.

"We're gonna have so much fun together! I can already tell!" The last one giggled.

"Please excuse us, mistresses." The head maid bowed. "Lipa, these are Daniela, Bela, and Cassandra."

I mimicked her motion. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

The girls' eyes gleamed. Their gaze made me squirm.

Once away from the daughters, the maid informed me that they required… special attention. Under absolutely no circumstances was I to open a window when it was cold outside, and I had to do everything perfectly in their presence or face severe consequences. Just how severe were we talking? She refused to elaborate.

As we walked down yet another hallway, a fly landed on my wrist. I instinctively went to smack it. The maid snatched me and let it leave.

"Don't kill the flies," she scolded.

"Why? Wouldn't Lady Dimitrescu find them annoying?"

The maid just gave me a knowing stare and repeated, "Don't. Kill. The flies."

My head hurt by the end of the training. You would think that cleaning is less mentally taxing than engineering, but you'd be surprised. The maid handed me a bucket containing everything I'd need and recited my route and duties before sending me away. How was I supposed to find my way around without a map? Surely, they didn't expect me to know the layout in a day; I was sadly mistaken.

First up was the dining room, which was… where was that again? Left or right of the main hall? I wandered around, determined to find the way on my own. It wasn't until I almost bumped into Lady Dimitrescu that I gave up and asked a nearby servant for help.

I didn't fully appreciate the training Heisenberg put me through until I had to vigorously scrub every centimeter of furniture. If I had been taken to work at the castle in any other circumstance, my arms would've gone limp after just one room. Thankfully, I seemed to be meeting the standard. I was reminded thrice of spots that I missed, but they were only mild corrections. Flies would buzz around me occasionally. Reeling back my repulse, I waved them off. At least they didn't seem like the flies that plagued Daria in the summer… If they were, I would break the killing rule in an instant.

And just when I thought no one was monitoring me, I heard a group of giggles rise from around the corner. I was torn from my work and snapped my head toward the direction of the three mischievous ladies. I groaned. Had they come to mock me? Oh, yes ladies, please, come and look at the poor maid who slaves over your lavish house so that it's livable for you! Watch her dance, watch her sing, watch her brush the floors you tread! Oh, what was that? You need your feet scrubbed? Of course, my ladies, anything for you! Let me just−

"Lipa, right?"

I almost kicked the bucket off the ladder. "Huh?! Oh, yes… Um…"

"Daniela."

"Yes, Ms. Daniela?"

"My sisters and I were wondering if you would come with us for a moment."

Oh wow, lucky me. It had to be a death sentence. But I was in no position to refuse.

"All right…" I responded.

"Don't worry about your things; I give you my full permission to leave them."

How kind. "Thank you, my lady," I bowed.

We soon met her sisters at the staircase.

"How nice to see you again, Lipa!" Cassandra? No, Bela cooed, waving her fingers at me.

"Working all day is bad for your complexion! Here, let us relax you a little," Cassandra said.

Ah, so it was a death sentence… Walking up those stairs at least gave me time to reflect on how in the hell I'd ended up there. Everything was fine until the year before… well, so I thought, but upon further reflection I'd say things took a turn in my teenage years. Anyways… There was really nothing left for me to do but hope that I was wrong about the sisters' intentions.

"Wait. We should take her to my room. There's a lot more space in there," Bela said.

"Bela, there's plenty of space in all of our rooms," Daniela rolled her eyes.

"Sooo, we should take her to my room, then! It's cleaner than either of yours!" Cassandra argued.

"Liar! I walked by this morning! You had… erm…" Bela glanced at me, "stains all over the carpet from when you spilled your food!"

"That's the maid's fault, not mine!" Cassandra protested.

"That's not your fault, of course," Daniela said to me, "You just started. But a word of caution; Mother doesn't take kindly to servants who don't keep up with their work."

"I see…" I replied sheepishly.

"Oh, whatever! You're just careless!" Bela continued.

"What, like you've never spilled your food before?!" Cassandra fired.

Back and forth it went. I started to fear more for my sanity than my life. If I did get to see another day, I could only hope it was away from these girls. But watching them left me with… a sense of longing. I always wondered what it was like to have a sibling. If I had had a sister, would we have bickered like that? Would we get along despite the arguments, or despise each other?

"Everything always happens in your room, Cassandra! Let me have a turn!" Daniela.

"Oh please! We played cards in your room last week! I'm the one who never gets to host!" Bela.

"You're overreacting! I only host once a week! You're just ganging up on me because you know I'm Mother's favorite!" Cassandra.

"What is going on here?"

I was the only one who became tense. The girls all turned toward the sound of their mother's voice.

"Mother, will you please tell Cassandra how ridiculous she's being?" Bela pleaded.

"Yes, Mother, you must convince these two that I haven't been allowed enough fun lately!" Daniela folded her hands.

"Oh, will you two grow up? Mother doesn't have time for our petty arguments… but if you do have time, then please tell them how childish they're being, Mother!" Cassandra begged.

"Girls, girls, settle down. What is the issue now?" Lady Dimitrescu scanned her daughters before landing her eyes on me. I gulped and bowed.

"We wanted to play with the new maid!" Daniela explained.

"No, it was my idea," Cassandra corrected.

"Uh, I'm pretty sure you stole it from me," Bela said.

"Girls, please. You'll all have a turn. Raise your head, child," the lady instructed.

I obeyed. She studied me for a moment.

"All right. You can have your fun in the lounge. But do try not to make a mess. We don't want poor Lipa to break her back on her first day, do we?" She smirked.

"Yes, Mother," the daughters said simultaneously.

Daniela and Bela each took one of my arms as Cassandra led the way. I started to say a prayer in my mind on the off chance there was someone out there who could help me as I was whisked into yet another room I couldn't remember.