Vices and Virtues

The girls set me down on the couch. I folded my hands in my lap as Daniela and Bela sat beside me and Cassandra on the seat across. They kept watching me, snickering.

"You must've been quite busy before you started working here, yes? Mother was eagerly awaiting your arrival," Daniela said.

"Oh… I had no idea," I said. Waiting? For me? Couldn't they have filled my position with any other woman in the village?

"So, what were you doing? Where did you go?" Bela asked.

"I… had another job," I replied.

"As a saddler, right? That must be awfully boring." Cassandra rolled her eyes.

"And sweaty!" Bela added, "Aren't horses mean? They must've kicked you a dozen times."

"No, I just make or alter saddles; I don't−"

"You must feel much better now that you can be away from those filthy commoners," Bela interrupted. "You should feel honored."

"Yes, of course…" Yeah, right. What an "honor" it was. Between them and Heisenberg, I was starting to get a sense of just how pretentious the Houses were.

"Come on, you don't have to be shy around us! We won't hurt you," Daniela said.

"This can't be a one-sided… or I guess three-sided conversation. If we wanted that, we wouldn't have invited you here," Cassandra said.

"I'm sorry. I'm just nervous. As you said, this job is very different from my last one." Although it wasn't the job they were referring to.

"That doesn't mean you can't talk to us," Bela said.

"So, what's your favorite thing about the outside?" Daniela asked.

"And what's your favorite thing about the castle so far?" Cassandra asked.

"Well… hm…"

Favorite thing about the outside… The easy answer was Mamă or Daria, but something told me that wasn't what they were looking for. I tried to think back to all my experiences. But all that came to mind were the things I detested. My time with Heisenberg conditioned me to filter out any positive feelings I had about the village. So, I tried to think back to my childhood, to the things I truly remembered enjoying. The amusement on Elise's face the first time she caught me trying to pet her chickens, the games Oskar and I used to play, the cool breeze that came down from the mountains in winter, the first snowfall of the year, the gifts that were sent to me for my birthday… Before I knew it, the list was a kilometer long. And so, I rambled on. The words flowed from my mouth into the lounge, filling every empty space. I was expecting that one of them would interrupt me at some point because they were bored, but once I got going, I became more enthused about the subject.

Once I'd said all I could, I smiled. Daniela twirled the end of her hair for a moment and glanced at her sisters.

"What's snow like? Is it soft? It sure looks soft!" she said.

"Oh, um… it is soft, yes. It's fun to lay in it or build snowmen. But it's also very cold." I grinned as I thought of Mamă scolding me when I tried to pack snow together without gloves.

Cassandra shivered. "You don't have to remind us. But… could you lay in it like a bed? If it was warm?"

"Uh, yeah, I guess you could… but if it was warm, it would just melt."

"And what about those games you talked about? I don't think I've heard of them," Bela said.

"Really?" They were common amongst all the children in the village. Maybe nobility just didn't tolerate such foolery.

"And how come no one brings us gifts for our birthdays? Mother usually just celebrates with us here in the castle, but…" Daniela pouted.

"You said you like snow, but rain must be dreadful, right? Who would want their clothes to get soaked?" Cassandra asked.

"Well, the sound of rain is nice, but… yeah, it can be messy too…" I replied.

These girls… They acted as if I were explaining concepts from a civilization far away. But we'd always had rain and snow. Then that meant…

"Have… none of you ever been outside?" I scanned over each of their faces.

The girls glanced at each other again. A scowl crossed Bela's face. "Don't insult us, peasant! Of course we have!"

"Don't lie, Bela; it's beneath you," Daniela said.

"OK, fine, you caught us. It's… not like we don't want to," Cassandra said, looking to the side. "We just… can't."

"Oh… I'm sorry, I didn't−"

"Save it. We don't want your pity," Bela snarled.

The rattling of silver disrupted the tense air. A maid poked her head into the room and bowed.

"Excuse me, mistresses; I've brought you tea."

She stepped in and set the tray on the table. The girls waited impatiently as she poured each cup with shaky hands. Once finished, she bowed again and stood back. Once the girls took their cups, I realized there was one for me as well. Good, I thought, maybe this will calm my nerves. I picked up the fine ceramic with loose fingers and blew the steam away. There was no point in even attempting a sip until−

"AH!"

Bela shrieked as her cup fell from her hands and shattered on the floor. "Are you trying to burn me, you miserable wench?!"

"N-No, miss Bela! I just thought you wanted it−"

"You thought? You thought?! And why did you not consult us first?!"

"I'm… I'm sorry!"

I swore I saw a flash of steel come from Bela's hand.

Cassandra quickly rose. "Bela! Not here!" she hissed.

Bela shot a glance over at me before bringing a smile back to her face. My heart jumped as I watched the maid cower. Her eyes pleaded with me. Oh, poor woman, if only I had known… but what could I have done?

"Fine. Get out of my sight. But don't think I'll forget this," Bela warned.

"Yes, mistress!" The maid scurried away.

"Hmph… now, where were we?" Bela asked as she retook her place.

I wouldn't take the poor maid's sacrifice for granted; she'd given enough of a distraction to prevent me from being the target of Bela's irritation. Going back to the previous topic would be suicide. I swallowed and tried to change course.

"You were asking me… what my favorite part of the castle is," I recalled.

"Ah, yes! So?" Daniela prodded, resting her chin on the back of her hand.

"Well… everything about it is very nice, but if I had to pick one thing… I would say the paintings."

"Aren't they gorgeous?! I think they capture Mother and us perfectly!" Cassandra said.

"I agree! Although our attire might be a bit outdated… maybe we should ask Mother about getting new ones?" Daniela suggested.

"But I like the current ones! They're good mementos, you know?" Bela said.

Wait… that couldn't be right… The paintings were of women in attire from long before my time. Just what was going on in that castle?

"All right, time's up, daughters. Lipa has work to do," Lady Dimitrescu ordered.

"Yes, Mother," the daughters said simultaneously.

"We'll be chatting again soon, Lipa," Daniela said with a smirk as she and her sisters waved at me.

I gave a slight bow before hastily returning to my post. It was a relief to pick up the duster and cloth. If I could just focus on cleaning, I wouldn't be able to think about the absurdities I'd just heard. Maybe it was all just a fever dream. Who could say? But one thing was for sure; the head maid hadn't lied. One small mistake could have cost me my head. I started to think back; had Heisenberg ever treated me so harshly for doing something wrong? He could be insulting, yes, and I had my initial concerns about him. But I'd lived within the factory grounds for a year and never once been punished. I had only been in the castle for a day and already witnessed a woman fear for her life. So long as I stayed on their good side (which I appeared to be despite my misstep) I would be fine… right?

The rest of the night progressed normally. Really, the next few days were relatively tame. I got teased every time the daughters caught me wandering aimlessly to try to reach my next station. Sometimes they were in a helping mood, other times they were just amused with watching me walk in circles.

The girls would continuously ask questions about the outside. They got me to teach them all sorts of games that I had learned or traditions the villagers had that they may not have known about. In exchange, they showed me some of the castle's hidden gems. While I came nowhere near seeing everything it had to offer, I at least got a feel for the history it held. I could sense the centuries within its walls, see the time that had been put into upkeeping the sumptuous lifestyle of the owners. In my free time, I took to reading various books stored in the copious bookshelves. I even tried my hand at playing the piano (per the girls' request; it was then I learned I didn't have even a speck of musical talent). Things were… calm. For me, at least.

The other maids seemed to have a worse time keeping up with the demands of the Dimitrescu's. I found one maid, Anastasia, crying in her room. I tried to console her, but she insisted she was fine.

"Please don't tell anyone," she begged, "I don't want to end up like the others!"

"…I won't. But what do you mean?"

"Haven't you heard it?"

"Heard what?"

At that moment, footsteps came from down the hall. We hastily returned to our posts.

One day, about a month after my new job started, just when I thought I'd memorized the layout, I took a wrong turn and wound up opening the door to the wine cellar. Lady Dimitrescu was inside, examining a bottle. She turned her head at the sound of my intrusion.

"Oh… excuse me, my lady," I bowed deeply, "I'm in the wrong place." I frantically started to pull the door shut.

"Wait."

I stopped and pushed it back open.

The lady smiled at me. "I want to show you something."

I took a step into the room as I folded my hands in front of me.

"Do you know about my business, Lipa?"

Business in an official sense, or a rumor sense?

"…No," I replied.

"I started my own distillery. Surely you've had wine before."

"…Yes. It was only for special occasions, but Mamă made sure to always have a bottle."

"And?"

Lady Dimitrescu and Heisenberg were similar in many ways (not that I would ever say that to their faces). One such way was their impossible questions. There were only two answers: the right one and the horribly, terribly wrong one. Luckily for me, I could usually figure out the correct response. It wasn't like I was lying when I answered such questions; all my responses were truthful, but it was good to know where they would land.

"She had nothing but good things to say about it," I recalled. "It was a precious commodity for her."

It just dawned on me; Mamă stopped buying wine about a year before I was sent to work for Heisenberg… huh. I should've noticed on my 20th birthday, but I was so caught up in the bizarreness of the day, it must've slipped my mind. … How long did she know?

Anyway, back to the cellar.

"And what was your opinion?" Lady Dimitrescu asked.

I swallowed. "I found it… a bit bitter."

Surely my head would be detached for that. I winced in preparation, but she just smirked.

"That's only natural. You were just a child after all. I'm sure that opinion will change in time."

So she said. I admit that even now, I don't like wine (most alcohol, really). After everything, I… can't look at it the same way again.

Lady Dimitrescu set the bottle down. "Come with me. We have much to discuss."

Wonderful. I could only guess what that meant. Up until then, I hardly interacted with her directly. I normally received orders from the head maid or the daughters. Most of the time, if I did see her, I just bowed and avoided eye contact. To what did I owe the honor of a one-on-one audience?

I followed the lady as she ducked under door frames. We eventually made it to her private lounge. She snapped her fingers at a maid walking down the hall and ordered for tea to be brought. She invited me to sit on the couch across from her.

She folded her hands onto her crossed knee. "It seems my daughters have grown quite fond of you."

"They've been incredibly kind," I replied.

"I don't say such things lightly. They can get bored quite easily. For you to hold their attention for so long… it hasn't been done."

I rubbed the back of my right hand. What was I supposed to say? There had to be a catch, right?

"And so, you've caught my curiosity. What makes you special?"

…Was that rhetorical? I wondered. I opened my mouth as if to say something but shut it when I realized I had nothing to say. If I were to answer the lady's question, I would have said "nothing". In my mind, I was ordinary. What could possibly be special about a girl from a hick village who worked on saddles?

Thankfully, the lady didn't expect an answer because she herself had none. She just gave me a curious gaze, her visage amused. The maid came in with tea. After the tray had been set, the lady silently waved her off. She stirred a spoon around her cup delicately.

"From this day forward, I'm making you my personal assistant. I might give you some cleaning to do around the castle since we are a bit short staffed at the moment, but rest assured, your orders will come directly from me from now on."

"…Thank you, my lady."

"Your new duties start tomorrow. I expect you to be here promptly at sunrise. For now, tell me about yourself."

No one had ever asked me to talk about myself… mostly because I'd never had to. Everyone knew everything about everyone; that's just the way it was. It was hard for me to know where to begin, what to say. I was so used to just talking about my job; most of my identity revolved around it. But she already knew about my job… It took me a moment to even think about what I liked. I can't even remember what I said. But whatever it was, it was enough to keep the lady content, and that was good enough for me.

"You intrigue me, Lipa. I see now why my daughters like you."

"…Thank you."

"Get some rest. And be ready for tomorrow."

"Yes, ma'am."

I feared that working directly for the lady meant intense scrutiny since I would always be close to her line of sight. But it actually made life easier. I no longer had to wander the halls like a lost puppy. I knew where to be and what needed to be done. When the lady was feeling chatty, she would strike up a conversation. Most of the time I just listened and nodded (another similarity between her and Heisenberg) while she discussed things about her business or her previous occupations. She was the only person I'd met who knew of a life outside the village.

"What made you come here? Wasn't life more… interesting out there?" I meant to say "better", but I thought any insinuation that I didn't want to live in the village would incur a punishment.

Lady Dimitrescu smiled. "Yes, it was interesting. But I wouldn't say it was more interesting. Certainly, there is more to explore out there. But it's nice here, don't you think?"

Since lying wasn't my specialty, I put a filter on the truth. "I can't compare the village to anything else. But the castle is lovely."

The lady gave a nod and smirked before flipping a page in the book she was reading.

As one month turned into several, I forgot about life in the factory. I was decidedly happier in the castle. Everything was upscale. I often wonder what it would've been like to be born to a rich family. While I can agree that riches often turn people cold and mad, having a more comfortable life would've been nice. My time at the castle is probably the closest I'll ever get to that lifestyle.

But one night, the comfort I'd found was disturbed. I had been searching for Anastasia to check on her. When I found her room empty, I asked the head maid about her. The poor woman went pale and shook her head before briskly walking away. I continued further down on the first floor. What I got in return were moans… terrible, almost shrieking howls that didn't sound human. I didn't dare search further. My position in the castle was set; there was no sense in tarnishing it. So, I let the matter go and made a mental note to never traverse that hall again.

A few days later, as I was dusting the bookshelves of the private lounge, Lady Dimitrescu asked, "Are you homesick, Lipa?"

"Hm? Oh, well… to be honest, I've never stopped to think about it."

"Well, that must mean you've paid it no mind. Good. I'd hate for you to be… uncomfortable here. This is your home, after all."

What she meant as an honor I saw as a life sentence. Just how long was I expected to stay at the castle? While I had no plans of going back to the factory, I did at least want to go see Mamă once in a while.

"If there's anything that I can do to make you more comfortable here, do tell me. I would hate for you to spend your precious time in discontent."

The lady smiled and dismissed me for the night. Even a blind person could see that my situation was odd. I sought the head maid to enquire about Lady Dimitrescu's treatment of me. Sobs came through her door. I let the poor woman be and toiled over my concerns in private.