January 20th, 2021 – the following morning

Daniela watched as the flakes of snow blew against the glass of the window. It was yet another morning of flurries. It seemed as though the approaching winter was going to be an especially fierce one. Her eyes gazed at the white mountains in the distance, yearning for the day that springtime would arrive and she could disembark from her castle and venture out to the world.

The howling of the wind vibrated the panels. Her gloved hand could feel the force on the other side. Such a powerful storm it was. She'd be dead if she was ever caught out in something like this. Stepping away from the window, her attention turned to the Opera Hall down below. Resting over the balcony, the redhead shifted her stare toward the stage.

With a sad hum, she imagined the days when she and her siblings would dance around the floor, holding hands and singing along to songs that they just made up in their heads. It was a strange time. Almost as if Bela and Cassandra were different people back then.

Daniela sighed as she hung her head, standing straight, and removing her hands from the banister. It was a long time ago. Decades. So many long decades. Those were the earliest days that she could remember in this place. When they were born, they all looked at each other and somehow knew that they had a bond. Neither knew a single thing about the other, but over time, conversations led to a deeper understanding.

Bela was the chattiest of the bunch. She could talk for hours if no one stopped her. And no one did.

Daniela loved to hear everything that she had to say. There was a part of her that just enjoyed soaking up her environment like a sponge. She could just sit and listen, absorbing the world. When Bela's interest in talking to her dried up, that natural desire to absorb did not.

It only left a feeling of emptiness in its wake. Why did Bela turn away from her sisters?

Daniela couldn't know for sure. The blonde gradually began to focus more and more on what their mother wanted. Maybe she got a few extra compliments and decided that she wanted more. Who knows?

Cassandra, on the other hand, was a different story. She experienced a true decline. The brunette started out just as happy and social as the others, but something changed along the way. The only thing that Daniela knew was that her sister began to complain more, implying that she was feeling left out. A few missed meals because she couldn't eat as fast as them.

Well, not at first. Cassandra eventually picked up a habit of eating anything that she could, as if she was trying to avoid missing a meal like she did in the past. Bela and Daniela would apologize for their actions, and while they were accepted at first, a few repeat instances must have left their mark. The brunette may have found an issue with other things in the castle, and she would always express her sense of boredom.

Bela figured that as the years passed, Cassandra started to act out, earning some of their mother's ire along the way. She was the messy one. A minor rebel. Then the fights happened, and from that point forward, things just weren't the same.

Then Bela stopped talking to them as much, and then…

Daniela sighed again, dissolving into a cloud of flies and exiting the Opera Hall immediately. She traveled all the way back to her library, the one place of seclusion that felt right. It had not changed at all over the years. Sometimes, when she entered, she thought she was stepping into the past.

A past that she wanted nothing more than to have again.

Delia was patiently dusting the shelves once again when she saw the redhead enter the room. "Good morning, Miss Daniela," she greeted her as usual. The maid was always on the mark with her respectful attitude, never faltering from addressing her in a proper matter, regardless of the circumstances.

"Delia, how are the shelves looking?"

The young lady held her hands behind her back, the feathery brush of the duster poking out from her side. "I just started on the shelves, Miss Daniela, so they are still dusty. I took the liberty to dust your seats first. I figured that you would prefer to sit down."

Always so thoughtful.

"As I would." Daniela didn't show too much emotion as she calmly walked over to her favorite lounge chair and grabbed the book that had captivated her mind for so long. She plopped herself down, spreading open the pages and searching for a place to begin reading.

Little did she know that every time she opened that book, she never started on the same page as she left off. It was a constant restart with each lift of the cover. She might remember some parts of the story she read previously, but most often, her mind was a blank slate.

"Fire razed the once-happy settlement to the ground, the vengeful Valkyrie flying overhead. She had prepared herself for this moment for so long. A heart that desired nothing more than to see the world broken down. A world that had rejected her purpose.

As her sword raised to decimate the surviving townsfolk, a flash of light appeared in the corner of her eye. She knew who the source of the light was. An angel from the heavens. A sister who rejected her ideals, but not her. It was a clash of will, but the Valkyrie could not accept it as just that.

It was all or nothing in this game of life and death.

She wanted the woman of light to side with her, but deep inside, she knew that it would never happen.

With fire raging from the tip of the Valkyrie's sword, she aimed her weapon at the shining angel and sped toward her with all her might. When they two collided, it was as though a bright star had formed over the charred town.

Only one of them would see this dreadful day to its conclusion."

Just as Daniela was about to turn the page, she felt a dryness creep up in her throat. Reaching for her wine glass, she took hold of the chalice and held it out to the servant nearby. "Delia, I'm thirsty."

The maid set down her duster immediately, pacing over to the nearest wine bottle. "Yes, Miss Daniela. Red or White?"

The noblewoman's amber eyes drifted to the maid, and her hand casually reached over her shoulder as she sat and flicked a lock of hair upwards. Red.

Delia understood the cue. "Yes, Miss Daniela." She set down the bottle and picked up the correct one, walking over with it before she poured its contents as ordered. When the glass was filled, Delia strategically placed the bottle on the table beside the redhead, assuming that she would likely ask for some more shortly.

Each of the daughters had an unquenchable thirst. None of the maids ever had knowledge of how the money in the castle was spent, but if they had to guess, they would conclude that Alcina invested most of the income on drinks and food. Tried as they might to keep the castle in order, there was a state of disarray that could not be ignored.

Broken walls and crumbling stones littered some very prominent sections of the fortress. Select areas were stored with clutter, seemingly regarding as a shell of what it used to be. Alcina had a nasty habit of punishing the staff for the slightest mistakes, attributing their careless actions to a laziness that cast a stain on the image of this place.

But the yellowed stains of her old gowns told of a woman blended with time but not immune to it. It was as if she was oblivious to the change around her while held hostage by the belief that she could never die. Perhaps she was immortal, Delia thought.

The stories had been told from generations of staff over the years. The only thing that had changed was the height of the mistress, but the presence of all four within its walls was not to be forgotten. As isolated as this village was, Delia sensed that there was more to the greater world than she could have ever known.

But whatever was going on in that world, it wasn't the same as what was going on her.

People could just tell when something wasn't natural. This entire castle reeked of a great perversion of the natural order, but who was she to comment on that?

Retrieving her duster, Delia resumed her work on the shelves, brushing the same old spots that she did every day, whether they were dusty or not. It was better to just play the part and ensure that her job was done. If she didn't, then her body would surely pay the price.

But like clockwork, her task only got to go on for as long as Daniela would allow. Before she knew it, the redhead was already holding out her glass again and asking for another drink. "Yes, Miss Daniela." Delia set down her duster again and returned to the wine bottle, and once more, she poured its helpings into the cup.

Daniela did not express any gratitude as she brought the rim of the chalice to her mouth. She didn't even look her way. Moments like these were to be expected. With how often her moods fluctuated, Delia kept herself safe by simply going with the flow of them. She would never dare press the noblewoman for anything when she appeared despondent.

As soon as Daniela began to drink, the servant was already on her way back to dusting.

For the youngest of the three daughters, the sip of wine was a welcomed relief. If she could have swam in an ocean of this stuff, she gladly would have. Cassandra was the one who liked to drink the most, but there were days when Daniela felt like she had some competition. The joys of alcohol helped loosen her stress, and the buzzing of her flies' wings under the spell of the intoxicating drink was most riveting.

Today was not going to be one of those days, however. Daniela wanted to keep her mind steady, but if she could soothe out her nerves, then that was good enough. Yet there was still one other quality about wine that she enjoyed the most: courage.

As she read some more of the story, her mind returned to the image of the princess, and when it did, all she could think about then was the kiss that she wanted so badly. Her eyes were now just scanning through the words, not processing any of them. She would flip a page, and then the next, uncertain as to what was even happening in the plot. It got to the point where she just put the book away and turned around, seeing Delia still dusting away.

Hmm… I know that this has been on my mind for a little while. It still feels weird, and I don't like it, but I need to know what this feeling is like. It's like I can't enjoy this story without knowing! Argh! Did the writer create this only for people who had experienced love? I want to enjoy this story to its fullest, but it feels like I am left out! Hmph! No matter… I won't let that be.

"Delia…" Daniela watched as the maid heard her voice and set down her duster for the third time. By pure instinct, she was already on her way for the wine bottle, only for the redhead to surprise her with a different command. "No. I want you to grab the other one and bring it over here."

"Yes, Miss Daniela." Delia thought that her master desired nothing more than a change of flavor. When she grabbed the new bottle and approached the stand, her actions were just the same as before. She uncorked the container, ready to pour it into Daniela's glass.

But just like before, Daniela had a different order for her.

"No."

Delia paused, uncertain of what she was doing wrong. "What can I do for you, Miss Daniela?"

"There's another glass over on that table," she said, pointing to it at the same time. "Take it and bring it over here. I want you to join me."

The maid's apprehension was no secret as she paused and gazed at the table. Daniela had never invited her for wine before, but that wasn't the reason why she was so hesitant. Before last night's dinner, Luana had made mention of a recent incident in which the redhead had done the same thing to her. However, it quickly turned sour when she became infuriated at her inability to read.

In contrast, Delia's reading proficiency was not a problem, but she knew how Daniela could find an issue seemingly out of nowhere. She was worried that this was going to lead up to her being attacked again, just as Luana had been. But there was no way for her to get out of this. Accepting fate for what it was, the girl prepared herself for the likely event that was sure to follow.

"Yes, Miss Daniela," she said softly as she walked over to the table, eyeing the glass that stood there. Her trembling fingers reached out to take hold of it. She had only sampled wine once in her life, but she was not a big fan of the taste. More so, she knew a thing or two about its alcoholic contents. Her father used to drink liquor from time to time. Unlike some of the men in the village, he wouldn't overindulge, but she remembered a few nights where he accidentally knocked something over.

Such a thing wasn't punishable by mutilation back in her home, but in this place, it was guaranteed. Delia feared that Daniela would force her to ingest so much wine that she may lose control of her balance. Anything that hindered her ability to perform her tasks was a greater risk to her health than alcohol itself. The wine was nothing different.

She picked up the glass and made her way back to the lounge chair, where Daniela casually moved over and offered her a seat. Breaking a weak smile, Delia obeyed and sat down, asking the woman which bottle would be best for her to drink out of.

Hmm… I don't like white wine as much…

"Right there," Daniela replied as she pointed her finger at the crisp, unopened bottle. Delia's heart raised as she viewed just how much wine was still in it. Would she be forced to drink it all?

Daniela could never get control of herself when she got excited about things. The maid didn't want to think that it was intentional, but there was a sadistic side to this woman. All three of the daughters were vicious killers, and getting mixed up with their personalities was no excuse to forget about all the lives they so gladly ripped away.

Delia could see herself being tortured with excessive consumption. Daniela didn't care about her wellbeing. If she did, then she wouldn't have beaten her as many times as she did. But like a loyal dog, the servant held no say in the matter.

"Thank you, Miss Daniela." Delia grabbed the bottle and uncorked it, pouring a little bit of the wine into her glass. She could see the collection of dust that had accumulated inside, but if she were to clean it in front of the redhead, then it would look like she hadn't been doing her job. It was just better to keep silent and literally swallow the grime rather than invoke a reason to be reprimanded.

"Do you hate me?" Daniela asked in a sinisterly playful tone. It made the hair on the back of Delia's neck stand.

"Uhm…" Delia only realized her poor choice of words the moment she sealed her lips. She didn't want to give off the impression that she held any dislike toward her master, which she did. "Sorry." Delia played it off by accentuating the wine that she had still yet to swallow. With a gulp, she used the spare second to get herself back on track. "Of course not."

Daniela's brow pinched and her eyes narrowed, casting a scornful glare at the feeble maid who sat just a foot away from her. "Why did you hesitate?"

"I wanted to answer quickly, but then I realized it was rude to speak with something in my mouth, so…" She gulped again. "I do not hate you, Miss Daniela. I promise."

Why doesn't this sound genuine? Delia wouldn't lie to me. She knows better not to. She's nothing more than a useless servant.

"You know what would happen to you if you did hate me, right?" Daniela giggled as her crimson lips curled into a smile. She brought her glass over to Delia's, gently tilting it until a few drops of her red wine fell into the white. They splashed and clouded upon impact.

It looked just like spilled blood. Delia gulped a third time. Daniela didn't need a response to know that she understood what she meant.

"I promise that I do not hate you, Miss Daniela." Delia fought to keep her hands steady. She was getting scared. The weight of the room was now pushing down on her. Any second now and Daniela would lash out. "I am thankful to be your personal servant."

"Oh, are you?" The redhead giggled again, finding some fun in the conversation now. "What do you like most about me?"

Delia knew that she couldn't stall. Answers had to be quick and concise, leaving no room for any misconception. "You are so full of life, and your library is a wonderous room. I enjoy being able to maintain it for you. It's what I imagined when I first saw this castle from the outside as a child."

Wow! I didn't know she felt that way! I chose right, didn't I?

"And what about me?" Daniela asked, drawing out her final words in a somewhat odd manner. "There has to be something about me…"

Even she didn't know the complete context of what she was asking. Sometimes Daniela's impulses got the better of her. They overrode her train of thought, rendering her into a creature who acted purely on instinct. The conversation she had begun with Delia and the act of wine drinking mirrored some of the romantic portions of her story.

She felt like a character in her book, living out a fantasy that would not come to her in the real world. Delia wasn't Delia, nor was she anybody else. Daniela did not see the handsome prince sitting beside her. All she could make out was a person with a familiar face but whose name she did not care to think about.

This had become a rehearsal that was aimed to prepare her for the man who would eventually carry her away.

Delia was aware that this was bordering on a dangerous turn. She took another sip of her wine to buy herself a little extra time. "Well… I can complement your appearance or your personality, if you prefer either one."

It was an unknowingly poor choice of words, because all Daniela heard was the flirtatious nature that those words could be skewed into. She fell into the flames of her own emotional hunger and was burned alive at that very moment.

"Start with my appearance." Daniela gazed at her blankly as she downed another sip of her drink. Her eyelids moved closer to each other as she grinned coyly.

"Your hair color is most stunning," Delia began, hoping that her response would entertain the noblewoman. "Your face is so elegant, and I wish that mine was as beautiful." She drank some more of the wine right after. The taste was sour to her, but she to pretend that she enjoyed it. "You set such a high standard."

Daniela rotated the glass around in her hand, crossing one leg over the other. She peered down at the floor and then to the walls around them, smiling as she shut her eyes. "All the men in the castle always go for Bela."

Delia was smart to not openly pick one daughter over the other directly. Daniela held a great sense of loyalty toward her family. Any perceived insult was never taken well. "Then they have overlooked a diamond before them, Miss Daniela."

The redhead drank some more of her wine, giggling to herself as she basked in her fantasy world. "Daniela the diamond, huh? I like that."

Delia smiled confidently, thinking that she had done well to keep her master happy. Holding the wine glass in her lap with both hands, she was eager for this conversation to end so that she could get away from her. There was still the lingering concern that this was going to go south in a blink. Her lip still ached from the punch from the previous day. It was a reminder that shallow waters could always drown someone if they weren't careful.

"It fits you well," the servant added.

Daniela then softly opened her eyes and glanced at her from the side. "So, what would I call you, then?"

"I, uhm…" Delia coughed. "I'm sorry?"

"You deserve a nickname too, Delia."

"Oh, yes!" She nodded. "Apologies! I would adopt whichever name you choose for me, Miss Daniela."

What should I call her? She needs some sort of name.

"Delia the delightful?" Daniela laughed.

While this talk sounded friendly, any kind remark did not last long in Delia's heart. She became a little fidgety as she smiled back, an involuntary reaction that thankfully did not appear to be noticed by the unstable lady beside her. Chuckling, the maid nodded. "I like that name."

"Oh!" Daniela's eyes grew wider. "What about Delia the darling?"

Delia nodded again. "That is also very well chosen, Miss Daniela."

"How's about Delia the dumb?" Daniela stared directly at her with a fixed expression on her face. Those wide, predatory eyes were the most uncanny things that the maid had ever witnessed. Her broad, beaming smile was frightening beyond all measure. The redhead was like a hungry wolf, who was just inches away from an injured baby deer, waiting to go in for the kill.

Delia's smile faltered a bit, and her chuckling died down to an uncertain rumble. "Uhm, yes…" She tried to laugh again, but her voice caught in her throat. She cleared it and instinctively nodded. "That is a good name, Miss Daniela."

But the youngest of the daughters did not respond. She did not move at all.

Delia lowered her head, still trying to smile and remain polite, despite the unhinged actions of her company. She peered down at her wine, debating taking another sip to occupy her time, but from her peripherals, she could see that Daniela was still staring at her. This woman was so unpredictable.

"Miss Daniela," Delia said as she lifted her head. "I think that is a very good name. Yes, indeed."

She still wouldn't say a word, leaving that mischievous, thousand-yard grin etched on her face. The room was locked in a deathly silence. Even a pin drop would have jumpstarted the servant's heart. She was ready for something to go wrong. Any second now and it…

Daniela scoffed as she enjoyed another sip of wine. "Oh, please. You're not dumb."

Delia returned with the shakiest smile, coupled with a hollow chuckle that would have shown anyone else just how frightened she was right now. "T-thanks, Miss Daniela."

Why is she stuttering? What a silly girl.

It didn't matter if Delia didn't like wine. The next sip she took was a large one. With the glass held high above her nose, the maid shut her eyes as she allowed the liquid to pour down her throat. She was careful to leave some left, as she was unwilling to pour anymore for herself. When she lowered her arms and swallowed the rest of what she had ingested, the young woman was back to making direct eye contact with the delusional redhead.

Daniela hummed as she turned her gaze down and stared into her wine glass, swooshing it around and watching as a whirlpool formed in its center. She imagined that the wine was nothing more than pure blood, and blood had its way of hijacking her stability. There was no self-control when moments like that came to pass. Something about the rich taste of sanguine joy just got her going.

There was not enough blood in the world, but she made do with what she was given.

And when she thought of the blood, she thought of the wound that Delia had sustained not too long ago. Daniela rotated her body around as she moved about the lounge chair, facing Delia head-on as she set her glass down on the night stand.

"What about this name?" she suggested. "Delia the daring?"

Like before, Delia smiled and instantly agreed to the idea. "Yes, I like it. Delia the daring!" She let out a small laugh to round off the friendly appearance that she wished to convey, but all that did was trigger something else.

Okay Daniela… You're going to do this, right?

The redhead then changed her voice, leaning in and speaking seductively as she parted her lips. "What does 'daring' mean to you?"

Delia fluttered her eyelashes with unease. "Uhm, the definition, Miss Daniela?"

"Sure."

"Okay!" She bobbed her head, sitting upright and leaning a little back so that she could retain a degree of personal space. "I would say it means being brave, even if you know what may happen."

Daniela shut her eyes and closed her lips, still smiling as she giggled. "Do you know what is going to happen?" If she was looking, she would have witnessed the wine glass almost fall out of Delia's hand.

"I don't believe so… Miss Daniela."

You got this.

With a breath, Daniela opened her eyes and removed the glove off her right hand, revealing her pale skin and purple-hued fingernails. Beckoning Delia closer with her finger, she eyed the maid as the girl obeyed and leaned in. "Open your mouth," she stated.

"Uh… yes, Miss Daniela." Delia did as she was told, and the second her lips parted, Daniela's fingers entered to pinch her bottom lip and gently lower it down. In view was the cut that had been planted there from yesterday's punch to the mouth. It was a miracle that the rest of her jaw was unharmed. With the fury that had been expelled at her fists, there should have at least been some displaced teeth.

"I could reopen that wound with my fingernail if I wanted," Daniela teased her. Delia did not pretend to find joy this time.

With her words muffled by the capture of her lip, Delia softly implored the opposite of such an outcome. "You don't need to, Miss Daniela."

"Would you stop me?"

"No."

There was a bit of a rush found in the response. Daniela knew that she could just tear Delia's face right off and snack on the gore that lied underneath. The fantasy of her cannibalizing the maid on this couch electrified her senses, invoking her to partake in such an action.

But like a chain, one thought linked to another, and before she knew it, she had been redirected to her other fantasy of being deflowered by the man she loved so dearly. Daniela inspected the tension that Delia's muscles used to move her lip around. The skin was so soft and gel-like, in some ways. So malleable under the rolling of her thumb.

What can a kiss feel like? I want to know.

Daniela lifted her chin at Delia as she took a deep breath. "And if you could stop me, would you?"

Delia fell back on her instincts. "No."

"Well," Daniela said, still looking at her ensnared lip, "it would be daring if you tried."

The Kitchen

Luana watched as Kyia slowly chopped the portions of meat into little squares. It had been a tedious hour in the kitchen, as the newest addition to their staff seemed to be struggling with what she had to do. The cook would have given the new girl a ton of leeway with making mistakes, but after that dialogue that she had given last night, one would have expected her to know her craft.

It was an odd turn of events. Neither of the other maids had spoken with her much, and those that did said that she was not most sociable—or pleasant. Luana could have chalked that up to Kyia simply being afraid, but the confidence she exuded when she spoke to Bela conflicted with such a thing.

She wasn't like Sorina, who could become so distraught from fear that she could barely form words. Kyia knew how to speak to somebody when she needed to. The fact that she willingly kept quiet and distant from the other maids was concerning.

However, the way she had thrown the cooks to the wolves by agreeing that the food was cooked to subpar levels irked Luana, as that display willingly placed her in Bela's crosshairs. With that in mind, she was not too keen on becoming friends with Kyia, not until she had a better idea of what kind of person she was.

There existed stories of staff over the years who had sold their peers out in order to preserve their own lives. One or two allegedly went as far as to lie about something they did, pinning the blame on the other and watching them die. Luana shuddered to think that Kyia would do the same thing to her or Sorina, but the way this woman excluded herself cast a grim outlook for the future.

When Madelina entered their room last night to set up Kyia's bunk, the brunette did not utter a word. She only stood there, gazing at the floor with a permanent scowl etched across her face. It only went away when the Grand Chambermaid called for her attention, and in a blink, she was snapped out of whatever mental state that she was in.

Yet, even in the way she responded, Kyia did not show much emotion. A simple "Yes, Grand Chambermaid" in a low voice was all Madelina would receive. When all was said and done and the three servants were left alone, Sorina tried to interact with her, but her introduction was greeted with cold indifference.

Kyia did not want to speak much at all, only confirming her name before she sat down on the bed. Luana asked her if she needed some privacy to undress, and that comment appeared to catch Kyia by surprise. "Oh," she had said, "I can change out of these clothes?"

That was the most that they got from her. When the two women re-entered the room, Kyia was lying down on her bed, silent and absent of focus. It was a weird night, but Luana figured that there had to have been things that she was not aware of.

So far this morning, nothing had changed. Kyia was the same woman that she was last night. Going off what she had heard her preach to Bela, Luana decided to test her cooking abilities. If the brunette had claimed to have a history of cooking and serving people of noble rank, then she should surely know how to make a plate of lamb and bread.

But she didn't.

Kyia had no clue what half the things in this kitchen were. The way her green eyes expanded when she glanced around the room made it look like she had never seen a kitchen like this before at all. The heaps of animal carcasses that littered the room made her gag. Any veteran cook would have been well-acquainted with raw meat.

When Kyia was asked to collect some tomatoes from a nearby basket, she returned with a handful of wheat.

Something was amiss. She must have just lied to save herself from punishment, Luana decided. For the sake of not having Bela explode over a delayed meal, Kyia had been tasked to just chop up what was given to her. That was a task that shouldn't have been easy to mess up.

Preparing a fresh bowl for the vegetables that Sorina was sorting through, Luana's plan was to get the raw food into the fire as soon as possible. The greens could be added on after, and it was best to have the meat ready to go by then. The young, fragile brunette was still putting together the carrots by the time her friend approached her.

"Sorina," Luana said, "run those through the water and begin cutting them up as well. After that, do the same with the tomatoes, okay?"

"I will." The girl picked up her knife and began to skin the heads off the tops of the orange sticks. As nervous as she tended to get, Sorina worked well when the Dimitrescu daughters weren't around. Luana even thought that under the right circumstances, she would have been an exceptional cook.

Turning away from the table, the blonde noticed that Kyia was still working on the first slab of lamb. The flesh had yet to be stripped from the bone. Instead, the woman had begun cutting perfect little squares, which took so much time that she should have already been almost done with it by now.

Luana stopped in her tracks as soon as she saw it. This was not going to do, she thought. Bela would surely freak out if she saw that breakfast had any sign of being late. After last night's dinner, the eldest of the trio was on edge. She often came down harder on her staff if the previous meal failed to meet her expectations.

Out of Luana's goodwill, she wanted to do what she could to spare Kyia from harm. While this woman may not have been the most sociable and possibly even willing to place someone else in danger to clear her name, she was still new. That counted for something.

"Kyia," Luana called out as she walked over. "You don't need to be too precise. Just take the knife and run it across the bone, and then dice up the lamb into equal portions."

To Luana's amazement, the brunette did the literal interpretation of what she had been told to do. Kyia skimmed the knife across the center of the bone itself, not even aiming for the flesh. The maid in charge of the kitchen did not know what to say. This woman had to have been at least a decade older than her. How could she not know what she was doing?

"Kyia…" Luana gestured for the knife.

"What?" There was not a hint of friendliness to her voice. No indication that she was willing to play along for the sake of all three of them. Kyia did not even spare Luana a glance. She just kept her gaze lowered onto the lamb, staring through it as she waited for an answer.

"Take the knife and cut in between the meat and the bone."

She paused for a bit, only to then seem to notice what Luana had meant. "Hmm." That was all she would say before she sliced through the strands of lamb and separated it. Once that was done, Luana then pointed to the tiny cubes that the fawn had created.

"These don't have to be perfect," she said. "Just keep them between one to two inches. They don't have to be that small, either."

But Kyia would not go without arguing. "You said to cut them into squares. Do these not look like squares to you?"

Luana squinted her eyes. She was never one to disagree. In fact, she hated the idea of ever putting anyone else down or making them feel like they were wrong. But the response from the newest addition to the kitchen staff was alarming. Kyia was so wrapped up in the simplest little things. She seemed to have no self-awareness at all.

And on top of that, Luana was quickly losing faith that this woman was anything close to nice.

It forced the blonde to break away from her very nature. "That doesn't matter, Kyia. This should have been done by now. Just get it done, please!"

She saw the edges of those pink lips curl. A flare to her thin, sharp cheeks. Those emerald eyes snapped in her direction, filled with a blossoming rage. "It's getting done."

But Luana held her ground. There were bigger things at stake here. "That food is going over the fire. I'll be back in one minute." Kyia held her glare for just another second before she turned back to the lamb and resumed her chopping. The blonde was not going to deal with this for much longer. If it wasn't ready when she returned, then she would just have this woman stand off to the side while she and Sorina took care of it.

They had worked harder meals than this. Kyia's incompetence wasn't about to sink them.

When she got back to her table, Sorina was already finished with the carrots, and the tomatoes were already being worked on. There was still a half hour left before the meal would need to be finished, and Bela was likely going to check in on them shortly. Double-checking that the oven's fire was ready, Luana took a second to soften that headache that was slowly approaching.

She was no stranger to stress, but today was already getting off to a bad start. She dreaded what the next two meals would be like if Kyia didn't pick up. She had hoped to have someone with experience on their team, and judging by her age, there should have been a lot.

But reality couldn't have been further from the truth, it seemed. This was not the time to teach someone from the ground up. They had their own tasks to worry about.

When Luana finished confirming that the rest of their steps had been set, she returned to Kyia, curious if the woman had gotten it together and made some progress. It was only when she peeked over the slender brunette's shoulder that she realized how bad things were.

Kyia had separated the meat from the bone and had cut it into a rectangular shape, but what remained of the rest of the slabs were large blocks of flesh. She had the measurements all wrong. Each one had to be eight to nine inches wide and ten or so more in length. The assortment of giant rectangles was mind-boggling.

And to top it all off, Kyia was just standing there.

Luana did not know what else to say. "Kyia, what are you…" She approached the edge of the table, picking up the knife and cutting into the slabs as fast as she could. Kyia only watched her as she went about her work.

The cook made it through the first one before she turned to the new girl and set her knife down. "Kyia, this isn't one to two inches."

"What is that?" Kyia tilted her head, raising an eyebrow.

Even Sorina, who had been eavesdropping on the conversation, stopped working as she turned her head over to see the interaction unfold. Luana's mouth was agape as she shook her head. She could not believe that this was happening.

"Are you serious?" Luana tried her best to not mirror the way Bela would talk to her and Sorina, but this was beyond that now. There was no way that Kyia could have done anything that she talked about if she couldn't process the simplest of concepts.

Making matters worse, the brunette got extremely defensive in the blink of an eye. "I said I didn't know, so why don't you answer the damn question?!"

Sorina covered her mouth to suppress a gasp. She had never seen any of the staff argue.

"No," Luana responded, pointing to the tiny bench nearby. She was done. There was no time for this kind of drama. "I don't have the time, Kyia. Either you go sit down or go stand somewhere else. I'm sorry, but this breakfast needs to get done on time."

After a few seconds of shooting a wicked glare, Kyia only had one thing to say, "Fine." She walked past Luana without any additional thought. It was as if the whole matter was over with. To her, if the young woman was so intent on getting things done her way, then so be it.

Kyia was frustrated as ever. She hated being spoken down to, and even more so, she loathed the idea that she was incompetent. This was not her world, and none of its things made sense to her. She wanted to take that knife and jab it at Luana's face.

As she walked over to the window, the overwhelming stench of the dozen animal carcasses was finally getting to her. She felt like she was going to vomit sooner or later if she didn't do something about it. The air had grown so thick, but when her eyes found themselves on the nearby window, her thin fingers began to search for a way to open it.

"Kyia!" Sorina called out to her. The sudden shout caught Luana's attention, and the blonde then snapped her head back to the problematic servant.

"Kyia," Luana said, "leave it, alright?"

With a scoff, Kyia continued to search for a way to open the window. It was only when Luana approached her that she withdrew her hands. "Can you not smell that?" she told her.

"I know the smell is strong," Luana agreed.

"It reeks," Kyia corrected her. "I need fresh air."

"The windows stay closed."

With a groan, Kyia rolled her eyes. "There is no common sense here."

"Just leave the window shut, Kyia." Luana turned back to the meat, which she would then resume chopping in lieu of her partner's failure. "It's Lord Dimitrescu's orders that no windows are to be opened unless she says so."

"What?" Kyia kept her eyes on Luana, but it was Sorina who answered her next.

"It's just the way things are."

The fawn then glanced back at the window, listening to the whistling and howling of the wind outside. The flakes of snow were already battering the glass panels. A barrage of white that heralded freezing cold temperatures. She didn't know anything about the environment of this world, but the way the two cooks spoke about Alcina's commands left an odd question burning in her mind.

What was so bad about an open window?

NOTES:

It looks like things are going better in some places and not so well in others.

Addressing the obvious, this story so far has been a lot of Daniela physically and mentally tormenting Delia. I think I've hammered in that aspect of their relationship well enough. Daniela isn't a likeable character, and she isn't supposed to be, but her outlook on her sisterhood and how she reacts to it will shape her development in this story. We're getting close to the next arc, and while the daughters will still be confined to the castle (obviously), there is still a whole world for us to see.

Moving onto Kyia, it's clear that her lies only get her so far. She's not perfect. She may be able to make herself look good in the moment, but as we've witnessed in Fears, she doesn't do so well when she's tested. She comes off as very unfriendly, and while her reactions are genuine, there may be a method to her madness.

Still, she knows that she is in a dire situation, and she will be looking for every avenue to exact her revenge and escape. Root for her misfortune if you must, but when more fuel is poured into the fire, someone will surely get burned.

The next chapter will explore more of what is going on with Heisenberg and Narratha, shaping the next direction of this story. We'll also get more of Dani and her siblings, as well as some additional mishaps in the kitchen with Kyia.

The next chapter will be out in two weeks on the 19th!

Also, I wanted to explain the recent widening of release dates. Life has been good, but also with some drastic changes. I've been more occupied lately, and when I have the time to write, my mind has been focused on other things. With those changes, I do not have access to any scanners for my art, so I'm not expecting to make any just quite yet. Still trying to figure things out on my part here, but I will indeed figure it out.

Do not panic! This story will not go into a hiatus or see exceptionally long releases. I very much plan to finish this, and I am very excited about it. I think two weeks is still quite fair for now, and I cannot wait to show you guys what is to come!

In the meantime, I hope that you are all having a wonderful weekend, and please stay safe out there! 😊