Chapter 2

The sun had set, and the night coldness had slowly crept its way through the day.

My mind was in complete havoc, and my body refused to relax.

I quietly let out a grunt as Trinity, the head maid, tightened the corset around my waist.

She immediately flashed me an apologetic smile.

"I'm sorry, beauty is pain, isn't it?" She joked and laughed to herself.

I remained quiet and watched nothing but my reflection as I recalled what their 'Master' said to me this morning.

"I'm sure you know it's tonight." His words repeated themselves for the hundredth time in my head, and I shivered.

What was tonight?

What about tonight? I've had on about three outfits today in this very room, just for the sake of this master, and all the dresses were made of silk, but I only saw him once.

I was very likely to meet him tonight, and that is to say, ten minutes from now.

And now this third dress came with a corset that was trying to squeeze the blood out of my body, leaving me drained.

Trinity quietly arranged the folds on the dress under the corset. And I decided to go on with a question.

I have been awfully quiet for a week, and as it seemed that the so-called master was finally home, I needed an answer.

One was Enough.

All maids never give any answers to my question, like my significance here.

Why was I getting treated this way?

Who was this master they speak of?

No matter how many times I ask, none of them relay anything, and the head maid wasn’t going to be any different.

But I decided to give it a try.

I silently took deep breaths before opening my mouth to speak.

"Trinity." I called.

And my voice came out low, as was a little bit expected.

Trinity paused. I didn't know if she was mad that I called her, but she sure looked surprised.

"Yes," she beamed at me. "Is there something wrong?"

I shook my head. "No, nothing's wrong; I just wanted to know; no one is willing to tell me, and I just wanted to maybe ask you."

"Well, fire on, dear. I've always wanted us to have one or two conversations. You've been nothing but quiet ever since your first day here. It did worry me a bit, but don't worry, I'm here for you. Talk to me."

I was glad of Trinity’s coolness and assurance, but still, I doubted she would tell me.

"Why am I here?" I asked.

"What do you mean?" She laughed.

I gawked at her before shaking my head.

"I don't understand; why am I here? I don't really know why I’m here."

Trinity's smile faded as she looked me in the eye. "You're here because you volunteered. Isn't it?"

"Volunteered? Volunteered for what?" I was starting to panic.

"You can't be here against your own will; Master can never do that. No never. Well, not unless you're in his debt, but still, he never forces people against their own will, and for a situation like this, no, he can't; he would never." Trinity shook her head.

I stared at this woman in her late forties in front of me. I was speechless but trying to think of what to say.

Volunteer? Debt? Forces?

With the weird words she was spitting out, I tried not to lose it:'Cause my reflection definitely didn't look like the inside of me at that moment.

I exhaled in and out gently before opening my mouth to speak.

"First, I never volunteered for anything, especially not to live lavishly and wear silk dresses every day. I mean, who doesn't want to live like this? But I know there's a price to pay for me getting this luxury and hospitality every day. And I am clearly not in any debt or whatsoever, so I don't understand what you mean.

My voice faded, and I gulped. I realised I had become more nervous than ever, and Trinity had noticed.

She paused before breathing out, a befuddled look across her porcelain skin. "I think there has been a misunderstanding."

A misunderstanding?.

"What?" I asked.

Trintiy looked like she was about to blast all the words out and just explain to me what was going on, but decided to keep it to herself.

“You being here in the first place means you ought to know why you're here, but the fact that you don't know means there's a problem."

She looked around before turning to me.

"Look, it's almost time; you'll be leaving this room and going to the dining room to dine with the Master, and I want you to just be yourself. I'll find out what's going on and why you're here instead of maybe someone else, and I'll make sure to do that before you share a bed."

My ears dropped at Trinity's last words.

"Share a bed?" I repeated.

What in the world was going on? “You mean have sex?” My words almost came out as a scream.

"Don't worry, it won't happen. I'll make sure of it." Trinity flashed me an assuring smile, but I didn’t trust the smile, not one bit.

My heartbeat was starting to become really unstable and I could feel my breathing hitching up.

The door to the room opened, and a maid walked in.

I turned to Trinity, and she tapped my arm.

"It’s time. But don’t you worry, just go on, be yourself, and I'll sort everything out."

The maid walked up to me and gestured her hand towards the door. I glanced back at Trinity before taking a hand full of my dress, lifting it up, and heading towards and out of the door.

"And miss Joanne..." Trinity's voice called back, causing me to pause and turn around.

She looked like she wanted to tell me something else, but she just let out a smile and shook her head.

"It's nothing; just be yourself."

I clenched a hand full of my dress in annoyance; why was she holding back so much?

Maybe she was just trying to obey her master or whatever, but she should help me out too; I was in the wrong shoes.

And I was so close to losing it.

I was suffering!

"Thanks," I mumbled under my breath before following the other maid out of the room.

I was having a difficult time walking in the five-inch heels on my feet, and the dress was as heavy as a hamper of dozens of blankets.

The way to the dining room seemed like a never-ending journey as I walked past different hallways and staircases. I could swear my feet were already bleeding in the heels.

I never liked heels. And I never owned any that went above two inches.

Finally, we made it to a hallway where the maid stopped walking, and I stopped too.

She turned to me. "This door here is the way to the dining room; Master wouldn't want any of us in there, so my journey ends here."

With a slight bow, the maid made a turn and walked away, out of sight.

I stood still in front of the wooden door that had amazing carvings and a golden door knob. Contemplating whether to run or grab the knob and push the door open.

But I needed answers, and I needed them fast.

I took that little time to gather myself before holding the door knob and pushing the door open.

Finally .

But what I saw in front of me was beyond words.

.

...*