After three days of the trip, I finally arrived at the front of the household at night. I was amazed at how vast the house was. Even it had a sort of tower like a castle, this was a real noble house. Yet the carriage didn't stop at the front of the gate; it stopped at the other entrance, which was at the back of the house. At the entrance, I could see a woman standing, waiting for me. I went down from the carriage and walked to the woman. As I got closer to her, her expression stayed flat. I was standing in front of her; she was looking at me and circling me. I couldn't help but feel a sense of unease as the woman's circling continued. Her eyes seemed to bore into me, as if searching for something. Eventually, she broke the silence and spoke in a low, almost haunting voice, "Miss. Eileen? Is that right?"
I didn't know how to answer it. Was she a member of the family? or someone else? Did I need to address her as madam? From her appearance, she was quite old. While I was thinking about who she was, suddenly I felt her head in front of mine. As I tried to look up, it was right; her head was in front of mine. I could see her face closer.
She spoke in a low voice again, "Miss. Eileen? Is it you? Or are you just someone else?"
"For-for-forgive me; indeed, it is me; I am Miss Eileen." I lifted my skirt and did a little bow to her.
The woman's expression softened as she recognised me. She smiled warmly "Miss Eileen, I am the housekeeper of this house; I am Petra, and you will be working under me."
"Another apology; how do I address you?"
"You may address me with ma'am; if you need to address me formally, you may address me with Ms Petra or Housekeeper Petra; is that clear?"
Ms Petra, did that mean she was still single until now? And did the housekeeper have a higher position than the maid? I thought a housekeeper was just a person who did dirty work, such as mopping the floor or anything else. I didn't know if it had a higher position.
“Miss Eileen, is that clear?"
I forgot to answer her, "Yes, ma'am.."
"I hope, in the future, you will open all those ears and quickly give the answer."
"Another ap-"
"Stop! I don't want another apology; just don't do it again."
"Yes, ma'am"
"You may follow me; I will show you where you will take a rest after the trip."
As I took a step after the entrance, I could only see the wall of plants, like stone walls, made of green plants. I had seen these types of plants; it was plant-like boxwood to make a knot garden. My eyes couldn't stay away from the plants, so I was looking above all the time to see the highest point of the plant fences.
"Is there something wrong, Miss Eileen?" Asked Ms Petra to me.
I was surprised by her question, "No-no it's nothing..."
"I was just confused; why were you looking around the plants?"
"I am just amazed; it's my first time to see plants like this, especially tall ones like this."
"So it's that reason why you were looking around."
After a few minutes of walking, I could see a building from far away. As we arrived at the outside of the building, Petra said, "This's the third servants' quarter, and where you will live from tonight."
"Third? Is there another servants' quarter?"
"Yes, but you will start to live in this quarter."
I followed her inside the quarter. When we were inside the quarter, there were some people at the front of the quarter, some of them talking to each other or doing absolutely nothing. They didn't realise our presence until Perta gave a small cough. Immediately, their eyes went to us, and with speed, they stood up in line. I was behind Perta, amazed by them, yet they were looking at me. I saw their attire wasn't like what I imagined of being a maid, their attire seemed like me, simple dresses with simple garments.
"Good evening, ma'am, What's the commotion that makes you come here in this late night?" Said one of the maid…
"I came here to bring you the new girl who will work here." After that, Petra looked at me as a sign I needed to introduce myself in front of them.
I made a small gesture of introduction and introduced myself, "My name is Eileen… nice to meet you all…" the others replied with warm smiles and welcoming nods.
After my introduction, I saw Ms Petra look around, it seemed she was trying to find someone in the room, and she asked, "Where is Noa??"
All the girls in the room were looking at each other as if trying to find this girl named Noa…Until someone from the back said, "Here! Ms Petra".
Ms Petra looked at the voice direction, and I looked at it too. I could see a girl that seems older than me, with a short black hair. She had a confident smile on her face as she walked towards Ms. Petra.
"Is there anything you need from me, Ms Petra?" Asked Noa with her gentle tone…
"Noa, tomorrow you will be unsigned from the still room…"
"Pardon, Ms Petra?"
"From tomorrow, you will be unsigned from the still room and become this girl's instructor, teaching her everything about the recipe, herbs, and anything in the still room. After a week, you will become a between-maid."
Immediately, everyone in the room was whispering to each other. As if it were a big thing.
"Keep quiet, PLEASE!!!" said Ms Petra…
Within a second, everyone was quiet. I didn't quite understand this still room and the between-maid thing. The main part was why she needed to teach me about herbal remedies or recipes. Was I not going to stay closer to the family like most of the books I knew?
"With this, I will hand this girl to you, Noa…You will have the responsibility of this girl, and you may guide her to her room…I believe there is some space and empty room in this quarter…"
"Yes, Ms Petra, there is an empty room…And I will take care of this girl…"
As Ms. Petra tapped my shoulder and gave me a little push to walk into Noa. I walked towards Noa. With that, Ms Petra went out of the quarter without looking back and saying a word. After the door was closed by Ms Petra from outside, everyone was breath relief and backed to their own activity. They were ignoring me. Noa gave me a little tap, and gave me a gesture to follow her…
I followed Noa, feeling a mix of nervousness and curiosity. As I followed behind her and walked further into the quarter, there was no conversation between us on the way. The silence between us made the atmosphere even more tense, even one time, I saw her give me a small and short glance towards me. I wondered what she was thinking, but I didn't want to break the silence.
Suddenly she stopped, and immediately I stopped.
She turned back her body and said, "For now, this is your living quarter… make yourself comfortable…And start tomorrow, you need to wake up before the sun rises." I nodded, and she walked past me, leaving me....
I took a deep breath and stepped into my new living space, taking in the unfamiliar surroundings. As I began to unpack my belongings, I took in the surroundings of my new living space. It was small, with a bed, a desk, and a small wardrobe. I checked the bed; it was a small bed. I tried to lie down on the bed, but I couldn't fully stretch my body; my feet would hang off the edge. And the fabric of this bed wasn't comfortable at all. Even the bed at the manor wasn't comfortable enough for me, and this was far worse than that. I stood up from my bed and continued to unpack my belongings. I started organising my belongings on the desk and in the wardrobe.
After I finished organising my belongings, I laid down on the bed. There was no ceiling in front of my eyes; immediately, I could see the structure of the roof. The exposed beams and rafters gave the room a rustic charm, but it also made me feel like I was sleeping in a barn. I couldn't help but wonder if the roof would leak during a rainstorm.
"Am I going to live here forever? In this small and uncomfortable place? Is this really how maids live? In this small space… and with such limited comfort?" I began to move around on the bed to find a comfortable position and place for me. "Even though I have lived for 14 years in this world, I have never experienced such cramped living conditions, and I missed my bed in the previous world…"
Despite my concerns and being uncomfortable with the bed, my exhaustion took over, and I drifted off to sleep with my feet hanging around the edge of the bed, hoping for a better night's rest.
ns 15.158.61.20da2
