《Aching Elegy》 Prologue Avril¡¯s dizziness had yet not settled. Opening her eyes, everything was so clear that she couldn''t help but close it again. Behind her something was hard and cold. She tried to sit up but soon a vertigo nailed her to the ground. Her breath trembled. She couldn¡¯t remember what happened before. She once again tried to open her eyes and could finally see around her. She was on a road, or seemed like it. Some tiny little stones hurt her back. The sky was blue and the sun was higher up. A nice breeze sobered her up a little. Her arms were by her sides and they weighed so much that she couldn''t lift them for the time being. A tiredness caught up to her and she closed her eyes once again. Soon a pressing voice rang. Avril listened a bit and heard some hurried footsteps. ¡°Orane?¡± was said. But she was so tired she couldn¡¯t even part her lips to figure out what was happening. ¡°Orane? Can you hear me?¡± a melodious voice tentatively asked. Avril grunted in response. ¡°Please help me! Orane is not feeling good.¡± Some more footsteps arrived. She could hear the clack of some heels and soon some hands touched her. She jerked her eyes open. Three to four women were trying to sit her up. Her head hung low and she breathed aloud. After sitting her up someone gently tapped her face. ¡°Orane can you hear me?¡± You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version. When Avril turned her head to follow this voice she choked. The face that appeared before her was fair and gentle. Her eyes were hazel and with the sun we could distinguish some yellow in it. These eyes, she knew them like the back of her hand. She had watched them numerous times before, she loved them so deeply. Right now these eyes showed some concern for her and Avril¡¯s heart missed a beat. ¡°Emerie?¡± she mumbled. This name left a bittersweet taste in her mouth. She struggled out of the others women''s hands and caught ¡°Emerie¡±¡¯s face with both of hers. She clinged to it desperately, hardly breathing. ¡°Emerie, is that really you?¡± some tears built up in her eyes and she seemed so desperate that Emerie was stuck. ¡°Yes, it¡¯s me. Orane are you okay?¡± Emerie¡¯s voice sounded like a lullaby to Avril¡¯s ears, that for a moment she didn¡¯t hear the name that was spoken. When she caught up to it she opened her eyes wide. ¡°Orane?¡± Who was Orane? It certainly wasn¡¯t her.. She pondered a moment before being completely in a chokehold. She was not Orane. Why does Emerie seem to insist on it? ¡°Transmigrator number 814276, welcome to your first world. Be prepared, I¡¯m going to introduce you to your environment. Please listen carefully. Your name is Orane. You are one of the servants of the duchess of Wilsburry. Madam is very weak and does not have patience for impetuous characters. You just arrived yesterday and are not yet familiar with your responsibility. Fortunately the other servants are comprehensive enough. You have fifteen days to clear up this story. You have to find shelter for you and the other servants somewhere where peace is the law. Do not go out of character or you will bear the consequences. Mind what you hear and say. Be careful not to anger the duchess of Wilsburry. Have a nice stay!¡± What? Chapter 1 Avril was stunned. She clearly remembered being on a bus a second ago, going home after a long day at work. Where was she now? She looked around again, meeting the eyes of the four worried women. In front of her was a big mansion with a tower in the left corner. To her left was Emerie looking at her, seeming to wait for a response, and beside her another woman who seemed really young. To her right were the other two women, one was tall and with freckles, the other woman was also tall but with blonde hair and a dignified look. Avril forcefully freed her arms from their grip and passed a hand over her face. Despite their astonished looks, she mumbled that she was okay, just a little dizzy and tried to stand on her own. The four worried women didn¡¯t let her any space to fall and surrounded her, though they seemed hesitant to touch her again. Finally, standing up, she looked around once more. The mansion was elegant and old with greyish yellow stones. It was a four-story manor, wide windows, with wooden and intricate design on the shutters and doors. To the right front was an annex, way more modern with fewer tears and less decaying colors. She then realized the four women were wearing old-fashioned dresses with an apron and their hair was tied up. She looked at herself and saw the same beige dress and apron. Starting to panic, she glanced at her hands. Her painted nails were gone, replaced by her natural ones. Confused, she looked at Emerie with expectations as if she was her only source of comfort in the world. ¡°Emerie, what is happening?¡± ¡°I do not understand your question. Are you sure you¡¯re okay? Maybe you should lie down a bit.¡± answered Emerie. ¡°Where are we now?¡± Gasped Avril. ¡° Why are we dressed like this? What¡¯s happening? Is it some kind of prank?¡± She tugged at her clothes, searching for cameras. She couldn¡¯t breathe, feeling like a caged animal. Then she grabbed Emerie with both hands. Emerie widened her eyes neither understanding the familiarity nor this reaction. She was then addressed: ¡°We need to go. Come with me. We¡¯ll discuss it after. Come on.¡± Avril seemed panicked and started to move with Emerie at her fingertips. Her only thought was getting her out of this masquerade. Under the confused gazes of the others, she took three hurried steps. But as she looked around she didn¡¯t recognize anything ¨C she was in a foreign countryside with strange people, where could they even go? Suddenly a low and commanding female voice interrupted her spiraling thoughts. Everyone froze, even herself. ¡°What is happening right now?¡± The Madam had just returned from a walk in the park when she stopped behind the group of women. She looked at them with suspicion and with one hand holding a fan, she fanned herself. To her right a slumped masked person with a costume and high tied up hair waited, ready to pounce. The group turned to face the Madam and bowed down a little to show respect. Avril let go of Emerie¡¯s hand. The atmosphere was tense; nobody dared to breathe aloud as awaiting their sentence.The blond haired woman came in front of the group and took the lead in explaining the situation. She seemed to be the leader of these women. ¡°Madam you¡¯ve returned? How was your walk?¡± the blonde woman gracefully cleared her throat and bowed down again. ¡°It was refreshing. Now now, Viviane, can you explain to me why you are all here instead of working?¡± ¡°Naturally Madam. Orane was feeling dizzy. We only helped her stand up and were resuming our activities. ¡° Her voice shook a little then she bowed again. ¡°Is that so?¡± ¡°Of course Madam.¡± She cleared her throat once more. ¡° With your permission, may we be excused?¡± After the Madam nodded, Viviane bowed again as she returned to the group. She hardly reached the other tall woman with freckles when she was rudely interrupted: ¡°I am going to my quarter. Orane, can you prepare me some tea and bring it to my chamber? I wish to rest.¡± Avril wanted to speak up but Viviane didn¡¯t let her answer, turned abruptly and urgently agreed to it. ¡°Of course Madam. I will send Orane soon.¡± The Madam nodded and moved forward. The women stepped back, waited and bowed down until the Madam entered the mansion. After the Madam and her companion were out of sight everyone relaxed, except Viviane who seemed aghast. The atmosphere became breathable again and the tension subsided. Avril looked at Emerie once more with expectations, ready to interrogate her again but Viviane quickly pulled herself together and then instructed: ¡°Orane, you come with me, I will show you where you are going to prepare the tea for Madam. The rest of you, resume your chores soon. Madam should not wait.¡± The three other women nodded, scattered and flew right through the doors and to the garden. Avril watched as Emerie went out of sight. She wanted to follow her so badly but didn¡¯t want to cause any more trouble - she regretfully let out a sigh, tears building up in her eyes. Viviane didn¡¯t waste any more time and went directly to the annex. Avril dared not say anything anymore and just followed suit. The interruption of the Madam sobered her up a little from her panic. She began analyzing her environment and what waited ahead. The logical solution was that she was dreaming, but never her dreams were this complex. They always were about a blurred picture and her crying self in front of it ¨C no background, nobody else. If it was not a dream, it was probably a hallucination. But she could not imagine what caused it. A moment ago she left her work for home, she wasn¡¯t tired or didn¡¯t take any of her pills today. She remembered she was looking at the city night scenery thinking and then she woke up here in pain. As strange as it seemed, she was sure she wasn¡¯t hallucinating or dreaming ¨C because in either case, Emerie had never appeared this clearly before. What was it then? Everything felt real. The terror she and the other women felt when the Madam was here was palpable. She couldn¡¯t explain it but she needed to follow the rules and then act lest some inexplicable consequences would dawn on Emerie or herself and the other women. As she walked, she realized that the previous voice had spoken about a Duchess, it was probably this frightening Madam. It did seem that the voice was right, she didn¡¯t appear to be like a patient person. As Avril walked, she tried hard to remember the other content the voice talked about. It said that she had fifteen days to clear the story and she had to find some kind of shelter where peace is the law. What does it even mean? Is clearing the story some kind of game? What was her role in all this? And especially why was Emerie here safe and sound? All these questions were left unanswered as they entered the annex. The aroma of grilled flesh assaulted her nose, she retched. Inside was a grand kitchen with two people preparing some dishes. What were these two people doing? When she turned her head, she saw a piglet roasting on the fire. The skin was brown and it seemed really burned. Yet the two people didn¡¯t care about it. Avril retched uncontrollably again, tried to swallow back her disgust and continued to follow Viviane who was heading to their right. She silently led the way to one of the two doors situated in the back of the kitchen. She entered the right one. The two women pushed the door and were finally in a big cellar. Pieces of meat were hanging from the ceiling, and a lot of shelves contained fruits and vegetables. It was pretty cold and only one tiny window lit the whole room. Fortunately the previous smell didn¡¯t linger in here. On the floor were sacks and sacks of potatoes, coffee, leaves of tea and some more vegetables. Viviane suddenly spoke breaking the silence : ¡°Do not make Madam wait, she hates it. Go ahead, everything you need is here.¡± She then clicked her heels and turned to leave. Wanting to inquire, Avril tentatively asked in a hurry : The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. ¡°Wait¡­um¡­ Can you show me¡­ how to please Madam, um¡­ please? I¡¯m afraid I can¡¯t do it right.¡± Viviane arched her brow, confusion written all over her face. ¡°Were you not a maid to a¡­ Sir before? I remembered you talked about it at supper yesterday. ¡± Avril breathed calmly and analyzed the information. Just as the voice said, Orane arrived yesterday, so Viviane didn¡¯t seem to know a lot about her. At the very least Avril knew now that Orane served a man before. With this little insight she decided to take a gamble: ¡°Sir was my¡­ distant uncle. He was good to me and I didn¡¯t learn a lot from him.¡± She faked her embarrassment by scratching her head. Avril looked at Viviane trying to see if her lies were believed. Viviane¡¯s eyes scrutinized her seemingly seeing through. She couldn¡¯t understand how someone as clueless as Orane was sent here. As the red on her face faded a little, Viviane composed herself again and sighed: ¡°How did you end up here? Madam hates novices.¡± ¡°I.. I learn things fast.¡± Viviane sighed again and pinched the bridge of her nose exasperatedly. After calming herself the atmosphere turned grave again. She then approached Avril menacingly and let her recoil to a corner. Avril stopped breathing and closed her eyes, thinking she was going to be hit. As she hit the wall bracing for a blow, a finger poked her forehead. ¡°Listen to me. All of this is not trivial matters for anyone here. You saw how frightening she looked? That¡¯s because she is frightening. Every mistake you make reflects us. Will you take responsibility if one of us is severely punished because of your idiocy? Will you? If not, you have two choices - either leave right now, or pull yourself together and do your job properly ? Am I clear enough?¡± Viviane emphasized every word as she lowered her finger now clutching lightly Avril¡¯s left shoulder. At this moment, Avril glanced lightly at the hand which was holding her. Viviane¡¯s hand was refined and lightly callused probably due to her work. As she moved her gaze from the hand she saw something under the sleeves. Some deep and purple scars were faintly visible. Suddenly Avril had a bad premonition. ¡°What happened to your arm? Are you injured?¡± she asked as she reached it. The next second, Viviane retracted her hand and covered her arm. She seemed flustered as all colors faded from her face. A grave look landed on Avril¡¯s face, like an unnameable secret was discovered. ¡°That¡¯s¡­ nothing. Do not worry about it.¡± She then tugged at her sleeves hiding the mystery. Suddenly Avril realized that she had misjudged the situation. She choked a little. Showing both her hands for sincerity she realized this whole play didn¡¯t seem to be a joke, it seemed rather serious. Was it the so-called consequences the voice talked about? Judging from the look on Viviane¡¯s face, something was definitely wrong in this mansion. The terror she felt as she faced the Duchess suddenly made perfect sense. Then she bowed a little. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I will try harder, I swear. Please teach me the right way, I¡¯ll do my best.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t understand.. I.. I can¡¯t..I..¡± Viviane¡¯s face paled; she was on the verge of tears. Then the next second she regained her composure, focused her gaze and said: ¡°We lost enough time. I will do it this time, you will give it to Madam.¡± Then she got into work. Avril followed her and diligently watched her every move. Soon enough the tea fragrance embalmed the room and almost covered the piglet¡¯s smell for a second. Viviane shoved the cup of tea in the hand of Avril and went to fetch a plate. Then she arranged everything to look good enough and sent Avril to the mistress¡¯s quarter. ¡°Go to the first floor and then to the left. You knock on the flowery door and wait for a response. When you have the authorization, enter and set the plate on the table in the center of the first room while bowing. Announce which tea. Then bow again and wait for her to send you away. do it like this.¡± Viviane then simulated : ¡°A green tea for Madam¡± and bowed. ¡°Now go. Don¡¯t waste anymore time!¡± She shoved her outside. Avril mouthed a thank you, bowed slightly and went outside the kitchen with the plate. She heard a light sigh. ¡­ When she was shoved outside the kitchen, she appeared in a large dining room. A majestic chandelier hangs from the ceiling above a large table with more than thirty seats. Everything looked exquisite with golden linings. The room was lit by huge wooden windows with elegant red curtains hanging on each side. Even though the room was luxurious, it looked abandoned, as nobody had come here in years, but it was neatly kept. In front of Avril past the table was an ark and behind was giant marble stairs. She didn¡¯t waste any more time and took the stairs as she tried her best to stabilize the tea. She was far from the gracefulness of Viviane, but at least it looked decent. Her thoughts were in turmoil as she recited in her head what Viviane just told her. She reached the first floor in no time. Turning to the left she saw a massive wooden door with delicate engravings of flowers. She was about to meet the Duchess alone and it stressed her out. She breathed lightly to prepare herself and enter Orane¡¯s role. Finally she knocked on the door and tilted her head gently. Someone opened it, but Avril was bowed and could only distinguish some brown boots. As it was neither elegant nor clean, they probably belonged to the slumped masked person who was alongside the Duchess. Both stood without moving and without a single noise when a low and unhurried voice rang. ¡°Come in.¡± it resonated. Still bowing, Avril entered the huge room. The masked person closed the door behind her with a loud ¡°thump¡±. She quickly found the table in her range of vision and drew near it. ¡°A green tea for Madam.¡± she mimicked perfectly what Viviane told her. She set the tea on the table and waited again, slightly bowed. While she expected to be soon excused, she heard some clinking of tableware and some sound of gently sipping. She waited for what felt like ages accompanied by these two noises which reverberated inside what seemed like a huge room. She didn¡¯t dare move afraid of the consequences. ¡°Do you feel better?¡± These words startled Avril who wasn¡¯t prepared to talk much. She hesitated but didn¡¯t dare delay it further. Cold sweat soaked through her beige dress and clang to her back. ¡°Thank you for your¡­ concern, I am okay now.¡± she feverishly answered. ¡°The tea is fragrant.¡± the Duchess said. Avril hummed in response. Just the Duchess¡¯s presence was enough to freeze the atmosphere. Her simple sentences each seemed like a threat. The wait continued as the atmosphere grew colder. The masked person appeared silently to her left. She didn¡¯t even hear them approach, it startled her. She clenched her right fist in anxiety and bit her bottom lips lightly. The only impression she had of the masked person was their aggressive gazes. They seemed ready to attack anybody who didn¡¯t follow what their mistress wanted. She tried to pay it no mind, still bowing. Everything felt like a silent confrontation as if the Duchess studied her every move. Avril swallowed with difficulty. The stickiness of her dress was really uncomfortable and the silence grew more oppressive. She exhaled calmly trying to sober her mind. Every rustling fabric and breathing were amplified in this silent room. Avril couldn¡¯t see anything but her and the masked person''s shoes which increased her restlessness. Focusing on this strange presence, she couldn¡¯t even hear them breathe. ¡°You may go.¡± the Duchess said abruptly. Avril nearly jumped as she exhaled lightly. She nodded and bowed before heading to the door. The masked person appeared to her left silently again and opened the door for her. She glanced at them and saw their terrifying eyes, a chill crawling down her spine. She averted her gaze and didn¡¯t dare take more time. She went out without saying anything. When the door closed she leaned against the cold wall. The surge of coldness relieved her sticky back. She gasped noisily and started thinking, feeling as if hours had passed. Nothing happened yet her body was tense. She rubbed her face and rested her hands on her shoulders, catching her breath. She hadn¡¯t dared misbehave nor had she caught anything useful in this room. She didn¡¯t even see the Duchess clearly, yet her chills had yet to calm down. Some light droplets of sweat were visible on her forehead. Why was she so scared? It didn¡¯t make any sense. It was merely giving some tea to a woman of high standing, no death threats indeed. Yet she was in a deep state of panic, trying to catch her breath. She needed to inquire what was going on in this mansion. Her trembling hand finally steadied as she decided to find Emerie to ask her some questions in private. Maybe before wasn¡¯t a good time but she didn¡¯t know what to do now. Emerie was the only person she knew and could trust. Resolute, she shook off her fear away as she took the stairs down. Chapter 2 Her heart never stopped thumping as she made her way downstairs. Lost in thoughts, she thought of a plan. She already had the ground floor of the annex as well as the ground floor and first floor of the mansion memorized. In front of the Duchess¡¯s quarter were another two rooms she identified as guest rooms. She stopped in the middle of the stairs. The manor was four stories high. She must know what her environment was and had to see the other floors before making any rash decisions. She turned around to go upstairs again when a familiar voice called out to her. Viviane just appeared with plates all up her arms from the room facing the grand dining area. ¡°Orane, go help Lucia in the laundry room, now.¡± Viviane ordered. ¡°But¡­¡± ¡°But what? Do you think you¡¯re here to laze around?¡± Avril sighed in exasperation. ¡°You¡¯re right. I¡¯ll go immediately.¡± she quickly conceded. ¡°Good, the laundry room is beside the cellar. I¡¯m going upstairs. If trouble finds you, ask Lucia.¡± Hurriedly, Viviane went up the stairs accompanied by the clinking of her porcelain plates. Avril clenched her jaw and exhaled loudly in annoyance, but she soon rationalized. For her and Emerie¡¯s safety, she must follow these binding rules. Before acting, she needed to gather intelligence. For now, what she knew was that Viviane seemed to be the first attendant and her direct superior. Following her order was the best choice and Lucia might even have some answers. Resolute and knowing her way around, she went directly to the nauseating kitchen. When she entered, the charred piglet was still above the fire and the sight and the smell were terrible. She held her breath, crossed the room in a hurried manner and went directly to the left door at the back. She paused for an instant in front of it, exhaled lightly and entered Orane¡¯s role once again before opening the door, plastering a light smile on her face. As she opened it, she saw a petite figure crouching in front of a big basin. She recognized at once the young woman who was beside Emerie. Looking around she saw a lot of empty baskets on the left corner. Along the walls were some stone tables. Opposite to her was a fire with another huge basin on top. There was a door on the left wall. To her right were two big empty clotheslines and some more baskets. The room was stuffy and she could hardly breathe. Sweat started trickling down her back. She wiped off her face on her sleeve and asked: ¡°Um... Lucia?¡± The young woman was startled and some water splashed directly onto her apron. She lifted a hand to heart and exclaimed: ¡°Sorry, you surprised me.¡± She then flashed a big smile. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I didn''t want to scare you.¡± Avril apologized truthfully. Both stared at each other for some time. Lucia was really young. She should be barely 15 years old. She looked really naive and kind. The fairness of her face enhanced her light grey eyes and her light brown hair. A single loose braid tied her hair. Being stared at, some rose colored her fair cheeks. She cleared her throat in embarrassment. Prying some information from her should be easy. ¡°So¡­ Do you need anything?¡± Lucia asked to break the silence. Snapping out of her thoughts Avril averted her gaze and answered: ¡°No, um¡­ Viviane told me to come help you so¡­ here I am.¡± she faintly laughed. Lucia oh¡¯ed and scratched the nape of her neck. The silence was awkward. It was far from the ease of Viviane to talk and order around. Lucia swallowed loudly. ¡°Um¡­ What can I do to help?¡± Avril asked. ¡°Oh¡­ yes. I was washing Madam¡¯s sheets. Maybe you could wash¡­ her clothes. Do you know how?¡± ¡°¡­ yes of course.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll give you the other side of the basin.¡± She then moved to a corner of the huge basin and crouched again, rubbing. Avril glanced at her before searching for the clothes. The clotheslines were empty and so were the baskets. She started walking toward the basin on the fire. There they were, boiling with a light foam on top. The bubbling, the rhythmic rubbing and the occasional crackle from the fire were the only noises she could hear. It was really uncomfortable in this room and droplets of sweat rolled down her face. She fanned herself with her hands and looked at Lucia who, at times, wiped her forehead and continued to work on the sheets. ¡°Um¡­ Lucia, can you help me take down this basin please?¡± ¡°Oh no need. Pick the wooden pole to your right. Grab what you need with it. Let the rest continue to boil.¡± Lucia then returned to her work and Avril followed her instructions. She fished out what seemed like a linen dress and put it in the huge basin in the center of the room. She found another washingboard and got to work. The water was icy and the foam was greasy. The cold offered a light relief to her sweating body. She tried to imitate pieces of fiction, unconvinced. ¡°Are you feeling better now?¡± Lucia asked out of the blue. ¡°¡­ yes, thank you for your concern.¡± Lucia hummed lightly. The two women continued their work. Sometimes, Avril watched how Lucia rubbed the sheets, willing to improve herself. Suddenly the young woman got up and asked: ¡°Can you help me wring out the excess water please?¡° ¡°Sure.¡± She left the dress in the basin and got up too. Standing at opposite corners, they wrung out the sheets together. ¡°Come with me, we¡¯ll do the same outside.¡± The other door in the room led outside. Fresh air poured inside her lungs, dried her sweaty back and finally offered her some real and awaited relief. Outside were some more clotheslines and another basin filled with water and other white sheets. Avril followed blindly as they put their sheet inside. ¡°We¡¯ll rinse them and wring them out together. It¡¯s way easier for two people!¡± Lucia said joyfully. ¡°Do you usually do this alone?¡± Avril inquired, curious. ¡°Yes. But sometimes Viviane comes to help me.¡± she smiled. As Lucia jumped to the conversation, she lit the room, putting Avril at ease. Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. ¡°And the others?¡± Avril asked. ¡°Isabeau is our gardener. If you haven¡¯t seen the garden yet, it¡¯s huge. She doesn¡¯t have time to help me. Emerie cleans the mansion alone with sometimes the help of Viviane. And Viviane is the Madam¡¯s first attendant, she¡¯s busy. So, it leaves me to do the laundry. But it¡¯s not so bad compared to them.¡± Lucia answered calmly. ¡°Bingo.¡± thought Avril. As they hung out the sheets in silence, Avril rejoiced. She finally found some pieces of relevant information. ¡°Since when have you worked here for Madam?¡± asked Avril eagerly. ¡°I started¡­ I¡­¡± Lucia frowned, lost in her thoughts for seconds. ¡°I¡­ don¡¯t seem to remember. It must have been a long time.¡± she chuckled uneasily, nervousness twitching her fingers. ¡°Probably.¡± Avril answered, narrowing her eyes. Then she tried to brush off her uneasiness. ¡°I hear a light accent, where are you from?¡± Lucia¡¯s brows furrowed deeper as she stopped what she was doing. She then answered in a flat tone, almost like she rehearsed it tons of times: ¡°From a town far from here. You probably haven¡¯t heard of it.¡± Her gaze was unfocused and drifted into the distance as she chuckled again. Avril hummed in response. She felt as though she had touched on an unspeakable subject again. She secretly grinned. To confirm her doubt she should ask the same questions to the others. But as it seems, this whole game had its limits. She didn¡¯t need to burden Lucia any further ¨C perhaps her safety was at risk too. ¡°Are you close, you and the others?¡± simply asked Avril to change the subject. ¡°We should be.¡± a smile lit Lucia¡¯s face. ¡°That¡¯s good.¡± They silently continued their work outside until they emptied the basin. Though the silence was comfortable, Avril¡¯s thoughts never ceased. As she saw it now, each of them were to enact this play lest it brought consequences. It possibly was why Viviane seemed so afraid, why Lucia couldn¡¯t tell the truth. She needed to find Emerie and Isabeau to gather their stories. Even if it was still a mystery why Emerie appeared here out of nowhere. She couldn¡¯t figure out their role for this story and why it was needed to disguise herself as Orane. What did Orane do deserving deprivation of her entire person? Was it the Duchess¡¯s accomplishment? Sensing her spiralling self, Avril stopped making assumptions and based her thoughts on what she knew. She had a story to follow ¨C serving the Duchess and freeing the servants from this place. She must ¨C ¡°We¡¯re good to go. Let¡¯s wash the clothes together.¡± interrupted Lucia. Avril lightly hummed and followed her inside, enjoying her last bit of breeze. The suffocating heat soon clung to her skin again. Lucia went to fetch another dress and they started working again. An hour passed while they rubbed all the clothes clean. They followed the same routine as before and went outside again to rinse and hang the clothes. The sun was high in the sky, so Avril guessed it was probably 3 P.M; the air carried a slight chill and the vegetation was verdant ¨C it was likely spring. She inhaled lightly and smiled a little. The view was beautiful from here and it was the first time she actually looked at it. The mansion was on a light cliff. From the clotheslines area you could see a little bit of a forest in front and a corner of the garden ¨C indeed it seemed huge, she should visit it at some point. She closed her eyes for a second, enjoying the breeze. Lucia stretched loudly and hummed. ¡°Let¡¯s clean the laundry room and we¡¯re finished for the day. Then we¡¯ll go help the others.¡± Avril nodded. Cleaning the laundry room was especially easy. The basins were to be emptied of water outside and the floor just needed a scrubbing. They finished in less than half an hour and prepared to set off to Viviane for instructions. Avril decided it was time to act. After everything happened, she hadn¡¯t given up the idea of exploring all of this residence. But first, she needed to be free from Lucia. ¡°Um¡­ Lucia, I lost something this morning, I need to go find it now. It was precious to me.¡± ¡°Oh, of course. Do you remember the last time you had it?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t seem to remember.¡± Avril scratched her chin seemingly in thought. ¡°We should start from the beginning. Come, we¡¯re going to our room.¡± she hurried through the door. ¡°Our room?¡± Was what Avril thought. Maybe they shared it. It was a good opportunity, so Avril hurried after Lucia. They went through the door and back to the kitchen. The horrid stench made them retch together. Lucia brought a hand to her mouth to hide her silent heaving. Avril was not so polite and stopped breathing. The two cooks didn¡¯t seem to mind and continued what they were doing in silence. It was really strange. But Avril had no time to dwell on it. They took the wooden stairs in one corner of the kitchen and escaped this room. Upstairs the smell subsided a little and the two poor women finally breathed aloud. Seeing that Avril wouldn¡¯t talk about it, Lucia didn¡¯t comment. She silently led the way to a long hallway and then turned directly to her right to enter the first room. Avril followed, paying attention to their surroundings. It seemed that the passageway led to more rooms, so she should definitely find some information. There was another small room right when they entered ¨C she identified it as a restroom. The rest of the room was small with four aligned beds and bedsides. In front of these were four small wooden trunks. Nothing more in it, it was really bare. A light breeze came from the opened window in the background. The roofs and the walls were made from fair wood. As soon as Lucia entered she started rummaging through the room. She crouched down, checking under the beds. Avril was stuck in place not knowing what to do. She should have checked the trunks, but she didn¡¯t know which one was hers. She probed the room, in search of information. One of the trunks was slightly ajar, likely due to clothes stuffed inside. But the three others hadn¡¯t any signs of use. The bedsides were bare and their drawers were untouched. Lucia noticed her stiff expression and stopped for an instant. ¡°Are you okay? Do you remember anything?¡± ¡°...Yes¡­ I had it when I got up this morning.¡± Avril cleared her throat and pretended to think. ¡°Maybe I lost it when I fell earlier.¡± Avril closed her eyes, scratching her chin. ¡°Oh let¡¯s go find it then!¡± said Lucia joyfully. She seemed so kind that Avril started to feel bad about lying to her. Lucia went for the door when she was stopped by a hand on her shoulder. ¡°Wait um¡­go to Viviane, I¡¯ll check quickly and catch up to you. Let¡¯s not waste anymore time. It¡¯s just an object.¡± ¡°Are you sure?¡± ¡°Yes¡­ Thank you for your help. It was really kind of you.¡± ¡°No need. I¡¯ll go to Viviane and excuse you for a second. Be quick.¡± ¡°Promise.¡± In her mind, Avril apologized, wishing to erase the lie. Lucia didn¡¯t suspect anything and nodded at Avril before going out of the bedroom. Avril listened closely for the footsteps before starting to search the trunks. The trunk by the farthest bed from the entrance was full with pieces of clothing. She probed the bedside and it was full with items like headbands or some books. It could belong to Orane. She then searched the chests of the second bed and it was empty, same for the third one. She searched through the last trunk near the door and the bathroom and found clothes. The bedside contained some scattered items ¨C her bed must be one of the two which showed signs of use. No notebooks, no maps, nothing useful. She searched through the bathroom ¨C it was a simple one. Finding nothing of interest she quickly moved on to the other room beside this one. The room was exactly the same with two trunks and bedsides used. Inside one she found some written pieces of paper. It described some daily chores, like cleaning the windows or the floors. This bed probably belonged to Viviane or Emerie. She scanned through the note and found some minor information. It mentioned Orane¡¯s arrival yesterday. Orane was described as nice but lost and there was a strange sentence: ¡°Poor thing, to have come to this manor.¡± Avril closed her tearful eyes, based on the tone used, she identified this bed as Emerie¡¯s, although it was nothing but speculation. She shook her head, focusing on the clue. So, this manor really had something going on, but what exactly? She found nothing else really useful and quickly made her way to the other room. The passageway led to four bedrooms. If the manor assigned rooms based on gender, then one of the last two should belong to the cooks. The third one smelled really nice. There were some blue curtains hanging beside the windows. In this bedroom, only one trunk was stuffed with light blue and beige dresses. This was definitely Viviane¡¯s room, the clothes were much more extravagant than the others ¨C worthy of a first attendant. But she¡¯ll wait for the evening to confirm her suspicions. Finding nothing again, she went through the last room. This one was dark. The heavy closed curtains were black. It smelled as terrible as the kitchen¡¯s stench. She reluctantly went through the trunks and the bedsides. Again, only two were used. Inside one of the bedsides, Avril found a word engraved in the wood: leave. A cold sweat clung to her back as an ominous feeling seized her heart. She caressed it with the tip of her fingers. Who could have written this? Why was it carved inside this room? Were the two cooks relevant to the story? Did they know more about the situation? Despite her heart thumping as she thought, she promised herself to find more about them ¨C maybe they were the keys. She finished searching through and quickly went out, some lingering feeling darkened her train of thoughts. Chapter 3 Now was a perfect time to explore what was left of the manor, but Avril didn¡¯t want to cause Lucia any more problems. She decided to join her and Viviane as soon as possible. To the right of the stairs leading to the kitchen, there was a door that supposedly led to the guest rooms, opposite the Duchess¡¯s quarters ¨C or so Avril had thought. But now she wasn¡¯t so sure anymore. Why would the servants¡¯s quarters lead to a guest room? Her curiosity got the better of her and it soon made sense as she went through the door to confirm which room it was. She saw a gorgeous room, lit by grand wooden windows. The wooden walls and the tapestry had flowery designs. In the center of the room, was a medium sized table with twelve pieces of silverware. The chandelier and the chair had silver ornaments. The whole room was gorgeously lit by the silver¡¯s reflection; everything looked almost too dreamy. There were signs of use in one of the seats ¨C it was probably where the Duchess ate. This private dining area was much more extravagant than the grand dining room. Finding nothing more of interest, she went out through the door opposite to where she stood. She had reached the first-floor landing. Without any second to waste she went through the other door next to the private dining area. It was a modest room and not at all a guest room. The flowery patterns were still there but the room looked much more like a tea lounge. There were two facing brown sofas with two animal skin blankets on it. Between them was a little wooden table with porcelain cutlery and teapot on it. Two almost empty bookshelves sat against the opposite wall. Avril could still smell the lingering aroma of the same green tea she served before. She didn¡¯t waste any more time, going out to continue searching for Lucia and Viviane, when a melodious voice interrupted her. She froze, trying to swallow the lump in her throat ¨C Emerie was there. ¡°What are you doing here?¡± asked Emerie. Now that she was in front of her, Avril couldn¡¯t utter a single word. She stood still, Emerie¡¯s voice lingering in her ear. She swallowed with difficulty, her hands sticky. A million questions ran through her head. How are you doing? Are you hurt? Why are you here too? But her voice was gone, replaced by agony and yearning. So much time had passed and so much pain. She stuttered: ¡°I¡­ I was¡­ Viviane and Lucia.¡± It was all she could articulate. Tears soon filled her eyes. She looked at Emerie. She was so beautiful, exactly like she remembered ¨C her joyful and empathetic gaze, her kind smile and her adorable freckles. The weight of all these years seemed to force Avril to kneel down. Avril silently cried. Emerie witnessed this scene and worried: ¡°Orane, are you okay?¡± The name hit her like a bucket of ice-cold water. She could hardly breathe. She looked at Emerie with wet eyes and her gaze hardened. She needed to see her true face, right now! She hurried through the door, a million thoughts ran through her head, pushing Emerie aside and rushed to the private dining area. Not caring about anything else she had one thought: Do I look like Orane? Is it why you don¡¯t recognize me? She grabbed a silver platter in her hand and didn¡¯t mind crashing the cutlery to the floor with a loud clatter. Emerie had followed her closely and watched her in astonishment. Avril looked at her disfigured face by the silver with urgency. She sighed in relief when she saw that she was not Orane, not at all. Her true face was reflected. She felt her face with one hand to confirm it was her and with a shaky voice asked Emerie: ¡°Why are you calling me Orane?¡± Avril let out a low and forced laughter. She didn¡¯t like where this was going: ¡°There¡¯s just the two of us. No need to play.¡± She continued to laugh ¨C more like lightly chuckled. Emerie took a hesitant step back. ¡°I don¡¯t understand. Are you joking?¡± ¡°Emerie, it¡¯s me.¡± Avril grabbed Emerie¡¯s hand and placed it on her heart. With her other hand she lightly caressed Emerie¡¯s face, and repeated in spite of herself: ¡°It¡¯s me.¡± Emerie¡¯s eyes widened in horror. Her trembling hands freed her from Avril¡¯s grip. Her gaze darted around begging someone for help, but apart from Avril, nobody was there. She sucked in a breath and said in a hurry stuttering as she went: ¡°I don¡¯t know you. You¡­ You arrived yesterday¡­ How¡­ How could I know you?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t remember me?¡± Confusion dawned on Avril. She had already feared this outcome. ¡°I¡­ I¡¯m Avril¡­ we¡­ we were¡­¡± Avril stopped here, afraid that naming it would crush every hope she still had. Emerie¡¯s eyes narrowed, suspicion creased her nose. She then gave a fake smile and said she was going to talk to Viviane. She darted back and went quickly through the door. Avril dropped the silver plate and chased after her. ¡°Emerie, WAIT.¡± yelled Avril. The Duchess¡¯s door opened suddenly with a loud noise as Emerie and Avril were in the middle of the stairs. The slumped masked person appeared followed by the Madam who seemed angry. The two women stopped and turned slightly bowed. ¡°Madam I¡­¡± As Avril tentatively soothed she was rudely interrupted. ¡°What Is Going On While I Rest!?¡± roared the Duchess as every syllable was articulated. Both women bowed a little more trying to appease the Madam¡¯s anger, none of them dared to talk. Viviane and Lucia, who were lured by the loud noises, appeared downstairs. They bowed too, waiting for the orders. Viviane¡¯s eyes trembled. The Duchess¡¯s face was red from anger and fatigue. She turned to her masked subordinate. ¡°Seize them.¡± she faintly pointed to Avril and Emerie¡¯s direction. The masked person did as they were told. They approached aggressively. Emerie¡¯s face showed her horror as her mouth was agape and her eyes widened. Avril thought fast and put herself right in front of her. ¡°Madam¡­ Excuse my insolence. I was the one who yelled and made so much noise. Please excuse me. I¡¯m begging you.¡± She kneeled on the stairs, hand on top of her head. She couldn¡¯t see Viviane slightly shaking her face. It didn¡¯t even lightly appeased the Duchess, her face turned green and she shouted: If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. ¡°I want them punished! Undress them!¡± The masked person turned their head lightly to question the Duchess, no noise was heard as they communicated. ¡°The four of them.¡± she answered. The masked person grabbed Emerie and Avril by their neck and pushed them upstairs. They forced them to kneel in front of the wall and tore their dress apart, showing their back. Emerie started to silently cry. Avril¡¯s heart was beating so fast it could escape from her ribcage. Then the masked person grabbed Viviane and Lucia and pushed them in the same location. Their backs were soon exposed too. Lucia was trembling so hard she heaved. Only Viviane stared at the wall with the rest of her dignity. Their backs were facing the Duchess who was so angry she could have ripped them off at any moment. ¡°Hands on the wall!¡± she yelled. Everyone executed the order. ¡°If I hear one word, you¡¯re done for.¡± said the Duchess cruelly. Lucia and Emerie were shaking, tears rolling down their faces. Avril was hardly breathing, guilt was ripping her body. She couldn¡¯t see but she braced herself for pain. ¡°Five each. Begin!¡± Suddenly a whip sliced through the air and striked Emerie with force. Her muffled whimper was heard as she flinched, mouth opened. Five times she shook and cried silently, tears rolling down to the floor. She didn¡¯t dare make another sound. Avril wanted to reassure her, took her hand and endured in her place but she stood still, not wanting to aggravate the situation. Soon it was her turn. At the first lashes she convulsed, yelping with difficulty. The second striked at the same place, tears soon were felt. The stinging pain flew through her whole body. The third one she lost her capacity to think, all she did was brace herself through the pain. The fourth one made her spit, saliva dripping from the mouth and through the fifth one she lost a bit of consciousness. The pain was unbearable. She sobbed lightly and tried to keep her head above. She couldn¡¯t help but shake as Viviane didn¡¯t flinch through each stroke. She kept her head fixed and gazed faraway through the walls. Lucia was so scared her hands shook against the wall. She wanted to beg for mercy but all she did was cry as the first lash landed. We could hear distinctively each stroke as they hit Lucia¡¯s back, slapping ferociously. At the fifth one, Lucia fell down and lost consciousness. The deed done, the Duchess clapped satisfied as Lucia laid down unconscious. ¡°Get back to work.¡± she simply said a big smile through her face. She then turned around and, followed by the slumped masked person, they entered the Duchess¡¯s quarter. Viviane was the first to move to lay Lucia in a better position. She caressed her face gently as she murmured some comforting sentences. Emerie was in shock. She didn¡¯t move a bit and cried in silence, her gaze unfocused. Avril¡¯s thoughts were in turmoil as she was the culprit behind all of this. She failed Emerie and the others. She failed herself and aggravated the situation. She stood up, ignoring the pain and looked in the distance. Viviane did warn her. Could she bear this responsibility? She walked toward Lucia to offer help but was hushed away by Viviane. She looked at their backs, and five swollen ragged strips were visible, it looked so painful. The guilt was eating her away. She started to panic and cry. Nothing went as she wished. She controlled nothing. She needed air right now. She couldn¡¯t breathe, guilt crushing her shoulders. She looked at her colleagues who were marked because of her, ran away through the stairs and went out of the manor. Fresh air started pouring in her lungs but the crushing weight wouldn¡¯t let her breath. She tried to calm herself but failed. She turned slightly purple and pulled at her hair. Nothing worked, she couldn¡¯t even feel the pain. She heaved and finally threw up the content of her stomach. It freed her breath as she vomited. She knelt down and cried a little more. She wiped her mouth with her sleeve and gazed around. At this moment, everything became clear, the fear, the eerie feelings and the play. The previous reminder from the voice rang in her head. The Duchess hated impetuous character and hadn¡¯t any patience. The breeze hurt her swelling back as her thoughts were never this bright. She had to save all these people, whatever it took. It was the only way her guilt could lightly subside. ¡°Orane, go change and come back to me.¡± She heard Viviane¡¯s voice from far away. She couldn¡¯t face anybody right now as guilt was devouring her entrails, but she moved despite herself. She went directly through the annex as she would face less people that way. The kitchen¡¯s stench didn¡¯t even bother her this time as she was in her thoughts. Entering her room she saw Lucia crying, kneeling in front of her trunk. She couldn¡¯t utter a single word as her throat burned. She remembered the other used trunk, the closest to the door and went through to grab another dress. Lucia¡¯s sobs were heard in this empty room and echoed through. Despite herself, Avril muttered lightly: ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± She couldn¡¯t say anything more. Lucia didn¡¯t even hear her, immersed in her own sorrow. Avril undressed herself and changed. The moment the fabric touched her back she hissed in pain. She ground her teeth and pushed herself to endure. It was her punishment, she had to suffer and maybe, just maybe, she could finally be forgiven. Baring through the pain, she dressed up again and turned to look at Lucia who hadn¡¯t moved one bit. She focused her thoughts. ¡°Lucia, let me help you.¡± she tentatively said. No answer. She moved to Lucia¡¯s side and knelt too. ¡°Lucia, I¡¯ll help you.¡± The fabric rubbed her back and she winced. ¡°It hurts.¡± said Lucia, crying. ¡°Let me fetch you some water.¡± Avril executed what she just said and rushed through the bathroom. She grabbed a cloth that was hanging beside the sink. She rinsed it and went back to Lucia who still didn¡¯t move. ¡°I¡¯m going to put some water on your back.¡± Avril said. Lucia nodded. Avril wringed the cloth on her back and some relief finally came to Lucia. She sighed and choked. The process was repeated three times before Lucia finally talked a bit: ¡°It hurts so bad.¡± ¡°I know, I¡¯m sorry.¡± said Avril. ¡°It¡¯s not your fault.¡± ¡°Yes it is. Can you stand up? I¡¯ll help you get dressed.¡± Lucia nodded again and stood up. Both worked together to dress Lucia and avoid as best as they could the pain. When Lucia was finally dressed, she weakly smiled at Avril. Avril choked and knelt almost immediately in front of her. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry Lucia. Forgive me. It will never happen again, I swear.¡± Avril apologized almost mechanically. ¡°It¡¯s okay. I feel better now. Let¡¯s go to Viviane now.¡± Lucia brushed some hair from Avril¡¯s forehead and smiled again. Avril could hardly breathe, guilt ripping her insides, but she smiled back and stood up. Both women went out of their room and met Emerie who was just going out too. Her gaze was unfocused until she saw Avril. She narrowed her eyes and scoffed before turning her back to them and going to Viviane¡¯s room. Viviane went out too and the four women stood still in the passageway. Avril couldn''t¡¯ even rejoice about her suspicion being proven true as guilt pressed her heart. She looked down and didn¡¯t dare make a single noise, making herself the smallest possible. Viviane broke the awkward silence. ¡°Are you all okay?¡± Everyone nodded silently. ¡°Good. It''s almost time for the Madam¡¯s mealtime. Orane and I will handle it. Lucia, could you mend our dresses please?¡± Lucia hummed lightly in response. Viviane continued to order: ¡°Emerie, go help Isabeau in the garden. We¡¯ll meet in the kitchen for dinner, in two hours.¡± Everyone nodded again and soon only Viviane and Avril stood silently in the passageway. Viviane pinched the bridge of her nose. ¡°Are you proud of you now?¡± she said, disgust written on her face. ¡°No¡­¡± ¡°Do you get it now?¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡± Viviane sighed exasperately as Avril muttered: ¡°It won¡¯t happen again. I swear¡­ I swear.¡± Avril swore, not only for Viviane, but for herself too. She will never let anything like that happen again. Never.