It was a bright morning day, and the servants of the House of Merveille busied themselves in the garden. Some were pruning the leaves of the shrubs, while others were watering the plants and adding fertilizer.
Naturally, the gossip of the servants often took place out of range from their masters' ears, and that is why they often chose the gardens to talk. The gardens would always be prepared when the masters have tea in the garden, so the servants would be informed if anyone was in the gardens.
"Hey, have you heard of that young girl that the Master brought back to the house three months ago?"
"Yes! Is there any news? You worked to clean up after her, didn't you? How was she? The masters seem to favour her a lot."
"She says thank you to us. Sometimes, she smiles here and there. But her face is still always so cold."
"Well, she might seem closed off, but she's still healing. Especially after everything she's been through!" a warm-hearted matron answered.
"Ah, that's true." The crowd concurred.
"Why, when she came in that day with that broken body, I almost fainted from all the blood and dirt. How could something like that still be alive, I thought. Who would have imagined that after cleaning up everything, a little lady like that lies underneath!"
"I heard from Melissa that she doesn't talk much, but when she does, the master and mistress always praise her, and she does look like a fragile doll when she's quiet," one of the maids giggled.
"At least she's well-mannered. Doesn't look like a commoner either, with her manners and all that patted down. Do you think she's some illegitimate child like the Third Prince?"
"Hush! Don't spout nonsense!"
"And I hear that her face ruined. What can she do as a woman with a ruined face? No one would marry her."
"What a pity! She is what, sixteen this year? To be so lost at this age, it really make one's heart bleed."
"But all these still doesn't answer the most important question: what's going to happen to her now?"
Unknown to the gossiping and laughing servants, an elegant young lady stood by the window on the second floor. She eyed them quietly. With the help of healing magic, she had been able to stand and walk around steadily since a week ago.
Her long brown hair flowed down her back neatly, framing her pale face. She wore a grey chiffon ruffled dress and, on her face, there was a grey embroidered half-mask that covered the left side of her face. Her long eyelashes casted shadows on her cheeks as she stayed still.
After a few minutes, she finally moved and walked down the long corridors slowly. A small saw whet owl flew from behind her and landed gracefully on her shoulders, rubbing its face against her right cheek intimately.
"I guess, its time for me to talk to Alisa and Gregory, right, Tudor?" she smiled and tickled the owl.
The owl tweeted gently.