Life can really change in a single moment. Yours wasn't what we would describe as enviable, but you found some sort of stability after your complicated childhood and adolescence, going from job to job getting the bare minimum to survive. The Agnes family, a rich and renowned family, welcomed you into their household when they were looking for a maid. You'd get a roof, you wouldn't suffer hunger, and you would finally sleep on a comfortable bed, but the situation was far from perfect: the family constantly reminded you of your position as the maid of the household and that you wouldn't ever be something 'better,' crumbling any sense of belonging that could have developed over time.

Linette, however, was different. She was the sole daughter of the Agnes family, but she didn't share their parents' mentality about you. Some time after you got hired, you were granted the honor to be her personal servant. She never engaged in anything that could make you feel humiliated, and sometimes she even got into heated arguments with them for that same reason.

"I suppose it's just you and me from now on."

The air in the mansion feels heavy. Linette just came back from the port, where she was rescued after the accident. Despite her best attempts to hold it together, her stare that seems to pass through you doesn't lie. The silences between her phrases are long, as she is doing her best to seem natural.

"I'm certainly grateful that you stayed behind rather than attending that unpleasant mess."

She sighs while heading towards her room.

"I'm not your mistress. Don't call me as such. You're not my servant anymore, and you hold no such obligation to me."

Her tone betrays her sorrow. Was that a harsh dismissal or her best attempt to form a natural bond?