Chapter 4: THE MAN WHOSE NAME IS JOHN

Mia wears an ivory-white satin dress, with a long button in the middle that looks very pretty. Looking at herself in the mirror, the girl feels a little proud and happy. This is her first time wearing such a beautiful outfit. The girl is full of excitement, takes the skirt, and turns it around, smiling innocently. When she enters the common room, most of the other noble ladies look at her with surprised and slightly envious eyes. They are feeling their rank threatened when they see her. Even Lita has eyes like them. But very quickly, she returns to her usual calm and gentle face, smiling and praising:

 “You are really beautiful, Mia! This dress suits you very well”

Receiving compliments, Mia is both happy and a little shy. She scratches her head slightly, lowers her face, and replies:

 “Thank you so much… It's my first time being dressed like that!”

Lita is just about to reply when she is interrupted by Karina - the girl who despised Mia's identity on the first day of their meeting. She with a pompous gesture, her eyes darting sideways, and her lips slightly raises, smiles scornfully and says:

 “So how did you dress before? Naked huh? Or wear ragged clothes from top to bottom (sigh). Are you sure everyone in your family is so rude? Miss Lita, I think you shouldn't be too kind to her. Anyway, she will be complacent!"

When Mia hears that, she angrily raises her face, looks into Karina's eyes, and clenches her fist. And says in a very gentle voice:

 “No, miss Karina. Our family may not have fancy clothes, but we still know how to be polite. If someone dresses well but behaves badly, I think it's worth mentioning?" – Mia asks, smiling while rolling her eyes.

Seeing Mia's calm demeanor and smile, Karina becomes even angrier and assumes that the girl is looking down on her. She immediately stands up, reaching out to slap Mia. Immediately, there is a knock on the door from outside that make her stop her action. Lita hears that and goes out. Before leaving, she does not forget to warn Karina about her short-sightedness. Karina is furious at being told that, she grimaces, frowns, and then, with Diana and a few other girls, go back to their rooms. Mia follows her gaze, confused.

Meanwhile, Lita catches Malcolm watching Mia, she asks him:

 "She's pretty, isn't she?"

The man does not deny or agree, he just turns his head and leaves.

At this time, a girl with a lovely face, and a well-proportioned body calling herself Luna approaches to get acquainted with Mia. The girl asks Mia about her background, and the two talks quite well and become friends. Luna asks Mia:

 “Am I your first friend here?”

Mia thinks for a moment, then replies cheerfully:

 “You and miss Lita are my first friends”

The girl's face fell, seemingly unsatisfied with that answer.

 “Admittedly, miss Lita is perfect. She is the only daughter of one of the richest families in this country, beautiful, talented, and has a kind disposition!”

Mia completely agrees. She also greatly admires Lita.

 “Besides, she is still loved by him. Who knows when I will be able to rise to that position… The highest rank. So great!" – The girl adds, her face revealing a self-deprecating expression.

This is Mia's second time hearing about the 'rank' issue but she doesn’t know what it is. She guesses that it is the ranking of the nobles according to the level of power. But because she does not know if she guesses correctly, she asks Luna. When receiving the question, Luna also seems quite surprised, the girl hummus a little and then answers vaguely:

 “Well, it's generally not what you're thinking. For you, it will be known quickly, but it will take me 4 months to get here…”

 “But…” – Mia confused – “Is it a secret? Is it because I haven't been tested on my housework skills?"

Luna grins and pats Mia's shoulder.

 “Nope! But… how can you know about the test?”

 “It was Lady Lita who told me.”

The girl is silent for a moment, then moves on to another matter. They talk for a while and then it is time to go to bed. At the Hiddleston family, all the girls here have to follow the rules about living hours. Because there is no room, Mia is arranged to sleep with Luna. Looking at the cutely decorated room with a bed large enough for two, Mia immediately praises and admires it.

 "Does everyone sleep in one room?"

Luna rearranges her dressing table while nodding.

 “But my room is also the smallest! After all, I don't have the power and money like other girls"

A girl from the countryside like Mia comes up extremely surprised by this fact. She surveys the room carefully, then says:

“Small…? It's even close to a house of mine!"

Lying on a large bed, with soft pillows and warm blankets, other people will probably like it, but Mia feels unfamiliar. She tosses and turns, unable to sleep, glances over at Luna, then she creeps up and opens the door to go outside. Mia walks absent-mindedly out of the living room and out into the garden. The gentle wind blows, and the girl's thin shoulders tremble slightly. She hugs herself and continues walking. She stands in a corner, looking at the distant rows of houses still brightly, there are some sounds of laughing and talking extremely bustling, her heart suddenly feels so empty. Mia slightly looks up at the starry sky, looking at the bright moon. The night sky is as beautiful as a picture. She looks at it and thinks about it. This causes her eyes to become so vast and uncertain.

Suddenly, a cloud of smoke approaches her.

 "It's beautiful, isn't it?" – The man holds a cigarette in his mouth and approaches the lonely figure.

Mia suddenly turns her head, quickly wiping her tears. Responding with a clear voice mixes with sadness:

 “John?… Aren't you asleep yet?”

He holds a cigarette in his hand, takes a deep breath, and leans against the wall. His dark brown hair is slightly curly, his eyelashes are long, and his eyes are beautiful – Those are Mia's impressions of him. John replies in a low and hoarse voice:

 “No, you too, Mia?”

The girl nods and then continues to look at the distant sky. The man looks at her with puzzled eyes. The girl says:

 "You know, in my hometown, there aren't much electricity and roads, so at night, we only use the lights of the sky!"

 “Light of the sky…?”

Mia smiles.

“It's the moon and stars” – The girl turns to look at John – “You must be very good to be here, right?”

John wonders at Mia's words. The girl then explains:

 “You look so young, but you are already a chef of a big family… Do you think I can continue to stay here? I have nothing, and here everybody is all wonderful!”

After hearing Mia's candid confessions, the man laughs.

 “Do you want to stay here like that? Even though you don't know anything?"

Mia clasps her hands to show her determination, her eyes flashing with a spark. She speaks in a loud voice, looking John straight in the eyes. Her look makes him feel a little strange so he avoids her.

“I will do my best to be retained! I still have people to protect”

John feels that Mia has something different from other noble girls he has met.

The girl keeps cheering for the man.

 “Let's try together! After the rain, the sun will shine again, I often tell myself!”

 “Should we make a promise between the two of us?” – John asks the girl

Mia then smiles brightly. So the first promise between two people with two strange identities is formed.

Suddenly Mia's stomach growls because she has nothing to put in her stomach all day. She is embarrassed but still smiling.

 "You haven't eaten yet, have you? Take it” – John hands the girl an oat bar – “I'll keep this a secret for you!”

Mia is still a bit shy because the housekeeper has forbidden her to eat anything today. And she hears that any newcomers here mustn’t eat anything for a day.

 "Thank you! But I can't get it. If something happens, our promise will be broken.”

With that, Mia asks permission to return to her room first and leaves John alone.

 “Someone to protect? I'm wondering if you can protect yourself. It's silly and also… interesting. I look forward to seeing your face then. The smell is really seductive. Everything will be destroyed by today's promise!" – While saying that, the man throws away the cigarette.

In the living room, Malcolm is conversing with the house butler.

 “Send them a message that I will be here for a while. Don't let anyone know about this, except the new girl”

The housekeeper knows what he meant is Mia, doesn’t ask any more questions, and just nods in agreement.

 “Don't let her know my true identity” – Give the woman an oat bar – “Remember to give it to her”

 "Yes sir!"

Then, the man leaves.