Sudden laughter filled the air as Sharmaine stared at her mother. "I wonder why are you curious now," she said in a jokingly manner.
"I wanted to know."
Iris smiled. "Maybe you should take a look when we're there. After all, it wouldn't be fun if you already knew the surprise."
Sharmaine did not know what Iris meant nor what her purpose was. Simply, she just assumed that she's having fun teasing her sick daughter. With this reason, Sharmaine carefully ended the conversation and left the room.
When the door clicked, a sudden realization entered Sharmaine, so she barged almost immediately in the office again. Her mother reacted in a composed way as she asked the reason for Sharmaine's unwomanly behavior.
"Do you happen to have medical books?"
Iris paused. "You should search the library. The maid should be able to guide your way."
Sharmaine thanked Iris as she gently closed the door. In this mansion, there was strangely only one maid who managed this gigantic house—that old woman. And she knew that finding said woman would be a pain, for the halls looked identical wherever you look.
"Maybe Merry knows where the library is..", she thought.
As she tried to get back to her room, a panting Merry greeted. Her face screamed worry and impatience as she was startled when she found out that Sharmaine was not in their room. Merry paused for a second to catch her breath before asking Sharmaine's whereabouts.
"I was in my mom's office."
"That's good. Have you got any requests?"
Sharmaine smiled. "Yes, I wanted to go to the library."
Merry nodded as she led Sharmaine to the library entrance. At first glance, Sharmaine was convinced that Merry worked here somehow as she knew the twists and turns of the place. She might even know a few secret passages since it is a common occurrence among grand houses.
"It's pretty normal to get lost in this gigantic place, but if you memorize the layout of the house, it's very simple."
Sharmaine frowned. "Do I have to?"
"I am not so sure, but in case of emergency, you might know some of the passages in this area."
"You know this place a lot, huh?"
Merry giggled. "Of course, I've been working for the Miss for quite some time now—hmm… I would say about a year now."
One year was not a very long time, then again, it wasn't very short either. As Sharmaine passed the other identical looking hallways, she couldn't help her brain producing more and more questions.
Why is this place built so big for four people?
Why was there only one maid when Iris could've just hired hundreds?
Why does Merry know all passages despite of only working for at least a year?
The mansion, along with the people inside, was just filled with so much mysteries. It was just a matter of time before they arrived in the library. Sharmaine's eyes widened as the library felt so vast and endless. It had shelves filled with book all the way around, and it extends above and below. It was truly impressive.
"I'll be accompanying you, miss. I hope you do not mind."
"You are free to do whatever you want."
Finally, Sharmaine had arrived to the possible source of her answers.