Chapter 3

Even though Jane warned me, I still didn't change my decision. Maybe everyone thinks I'm stupid, but I accept being stupid for once to help Clara. Above all, I'm not afraid of rumors that have no evidence.

Time passed quickly; soon, it was the first day of May. Early in the morning, Pearl drove to pick me up. On the way, she gave me a small notebook. It states the rules I must follow as Arthur's maid and the daily work I must do.

These laws are even stranger than the ones I've ever known. I forced myself to ask Pearl, "Why are there these laws? It's so strange! What if I break the law?"

Pearl glanced at me with harsh eyes. She gritted her teeth and said, "If you want to live, you'd better be careful with your words. You have no right to wonder!"

Going a little further, Pearl sarcastically said, "Don't worry about breaking the law because even if you don't break the law, you can't come back here."

"What does that mean? I don't get what you mean!" I am surprised.

Pearl smirked; her eyes were the same as the other servants had looked at me the past few days. The look in their eyes told me I was stupid.

After that, Pearl didn't say anything more to me.

Douglas Palace has a large area, and behind the palace is a small mountain with stunning scenery. At the top of that mountain is a magnificent villa explicitly built for Arthur to relax. I don't understand why he stays so separate from his family.

Because fast driving is not allowed in the palace, it takes about an hour to get there. In front of the villa door, there are two bodyguards standing guard. Pearl just took me to the gate. Before leaving, she said, "Don't break the law too soon. If you disappear, Clara will take over the job."

Two bodyguards opened the door for me. I introduced myself and greeted them in a friendly manner, but no one responded to me. The feeling they gave me was like being a soldier in the army, so severe and pressured that ordinary people wouldn't dare to despise it.

One of the two bodyguards said solemnly, "Mr Arthur is not here yet. You have time to get to know this place."

This is probably a good offer. I thanked him and walked into the villa. The small book contains a page of a detailed map of this villa. I looked at the map and walked to my bedroom. The room was better than I imagined; this is the best room I have ever stayed in.

I put my things in the closet. After that, I went to the window and opened the door; the wind blew gently, carrying the scent of flowers and leaves. At this moment, I feel like this job is not bad at all.

What I like most about this room is that it has a bathroom. When I was at the orphanage and a servant at Douglas Palace, I had to use the same bathroom as the other servants. I have always dreamed of having my bathroom for comfort.

After admiring my room to my heart's content, I started touring the villa to get used to it.

The villa has two floors. The first floor has the living room, kitchen, pantry, and bedroom; there is a basement, but the basement door is locked, and I don't know how to open it. The second floor is dedicated to Arthur, including his bedrooms, a dining room, a book room, and an antique gallery. Behind the villa is a green lawn with two apple trees planted in the yard. Large trees with luxuriant foliage create cool shade.

After grasping the place well, I started doing my work. In the small notebook, there are specific tasks I need to do, and the tasks are written according to specific hours, so I am not confused.

…

By evening, Arthur still had not arrived. A rule said I had to return to my room at eight o'clock at night and stay there until six in the morning. Even if I hear any noise, I cannot leave the room.

I hesitated but still decided to follow the law. I don't want to make a mistake on my first day here.

Not long after, I heard noises outside the room. The sound of many people's footsteps. The roars of wild animals mixed with desperate screams. Occasionally, there is the sound of things falling.

That terrifying noise lasted about ten minutes. After that, the crowd moved to the second floor. I vaguely imagined the ceiling shaking.

"What the hell is going on?" I was confused and curious but did not dare open the door to look. My hands trembled. I tried to grab the door handle a few times, but in the end, I gave up because I remembered Pearl's last words.

I don't know what those people were doing on the second floor. Loud noises continued until about an hour later when the space became quiet again. Before the footsteps left the villa, I vaguely heard a man's voice, "Quickly deal with them!"

What do they do? I wondered but got no answer. This whole night, I couldn't sleep because of confused and curious emotions.

…

I got ready very early so that I immediately left the room when the alarm clock rang at six o'clock. I went to the living room, the scene unfolding before my eyes made me dumbfounded for a few seconds.

Yesterday's elegant living room had turned into a mess. There are many strange stains on the floor. I took a closer look and discovered that these stains were dried blood. Blood stains trailed up the stairs and second-floor hallway.

I can imagine what a fierce battle must have been like with what I saw and heard last night.

"Hey, why are you standing still here? Quickly prepare breakfast for Mr. Arthur and clean up this place."

A guy's harsh voice made me jump, and I recovered my spirit. I looked at him; he didn't look like he was a bodyguard. I ask, "Who are you?"

The guy frowned, annoyed by my question, but still answered, "I'm Dylan, Mr. Arthur's assistant. It's best not to ask too many questions; do your job properly."

"Yes, I understand!" I say.

Dylan coldly snorted and went straight to the second floor. I quickly went to the kitchen to prepare breakfast for Arthur.

After preparing breakfast was finished, I brought it to Arthur's bedroom. I knocked on the door, and Dylan was the one to receive Arthur's breakfast. I knew I shouldn't show my curiosity in front of Dylan, so I kept my head down and didn't look into the room. It seems Dylan is satisfied with my attitude.

I cleaned up the battlefield in the living room, counted the broken items, and gave the list to a bodyguard. In the afternoon, those broken items were replaced with new ones.

Dylan stays in Arthur's room all the time. By the time Arthur finished dinner at seven o'clock, Dylan had left the villa.

I finished my work and returned to my room at eight o'clock at night. I quickly fell asleep because I didn't sleep last night and worked hard today. Fortunately, there was no more fighting in the villa tonight, so the next day, the villa was still intact, and my work was more accessible.

In the following days, everything still went smoothly. My curiosity grew more assertive because I heard strange sounds from Arthur's room every night. Sometimes, it's a wolf howl; sometimes, it's a crazy scream like someone with a mental illness. Every time those noises rang out, I would wake up startled.

Until today, the whole moon night of May, Dylan left the villa very early. He told me not to cook dinner for Arthur today and to return to my room at six o'clock at night.

I don't understand why everyone in this palace pays special attention to the full moon night every month.

At night, I heard a loud noise in Arthur's room. I still suppressed my curiosity as always, but I didn't understand why there was an urge in my heart to go to Arthur's room. The screams I heard today were very different from usual. The scream contained pain to the point of despair. Sometimes, a wolf howl hides a feeling of extreme sadness.

I couldn't bear it anymore. I want to know what happened to Arthur. Maybe he's having some problem, I should help him.

The door to my room opened, and a cold felt ran down my spine, but I still steadfastly walked out.

Standing before Arthur's room, I tremblingly pushed the door open. His room door is never locked because Dylan can come in anytime.

The room was so dark that I couldn't see, but I still recognized a man writhing and screaming on the floor.

I panicked, didn't think much, and ran to his side, "What's wrong with you?" Are you injured somewhere?"

I thought he was in pain because he was injured.

Suddenly, everything before my eyes turned upside down. By the time I recovered, I was pinned to the floor by Arthur.

"Who. Are. You?" His voice was low, each word uttered heavily.

"I… I am Lucinda. I'm…." I hadn't finished saying that I was his servant when I fell silent because he strangled me.

The darkness that swallowed Arthur's face made him look like a devil. I regretted my curiosity.

Arthur's hand tightened around my neck tighter and tighter. I kept struggling to escape, but it was ineffective because a weak person like me couldn't fight against a strong person like him.

When I almost suffocated to death, Arthur let go of my hand. He suddenly screamed very loudly and fell to the floor, writhing in pain as if someone was beating him brutally. I narrowly escaped death and quickly crawled up.

At this time, the clouds that obscured the moon drifted away to reveal a full and bright moon. Moonlight crept through the cracks of the closed window, shining on Arthur's body.

Thanks to the moonlight, I saw a magical phenomenon. Hair began to grow all over Arthur's body, and his nails grew longer like the claws of a wild animal. Because the light wasn't enough, I couldn't see what animal he resembled. I was so scared that I froze and forgot to run away.

When I was startled and wanted to run out of the room, I didn't have time. Arthur grabbed me, pinning me to the floor again. A painful feeling came from my neck. I felt my blood continuously flowing out. Did I have to die like that?