"What's your name?" Carina asked, once the other two maids had gone, and it was just Carina alone with the third maid.
The maid hesitated for a moment, before mumbling "Marie."
Carina grinned. "You're my new personal maid from now on, Marie, and what I need from you is actually quite simple. Anne will still be doing most of the chores for me, but you, you will be my private confidante."
Marie widened her eyes at that.
When she had been selected to potentially be Carina's new maid, she had thought she was unlucky at first. All the staff at Rayburn mansion had heard horrible rumours about Carina, and most of them believed that she would simply die quietly one day in her room.
Marie knew though, that the Carina she was currently looking at was nothing at all like the rumours, and that she would be changing things in the mansion soon enough.
"What does a private confidante entail, exactly... Miss?"
"In essence, you'd be a glorified bodyguard. You'll be with me every second of every day, and you'll make sure no harm comes to me. I suspect now that I'm causing a stir, Vanessa will try her best to silence me and contain me here, so I'll need someone to act in the shadows for me."
Marie wondered just what Carina was planning to do.
"I'm just a maid, Miss, I wouldn't be able to protect you proper-"
Carina swung her fist forward at Marie's face before she could finish the world 'properly', but Marie jumped back just in time to avoid Carina's knuckles making contact with her face.
"Your reflexes suggest you're certainly qualified for it, Marie." Carina commented, smirking. "I heard your father was a mercenary."
Marie was too shocked to reply, so she just nodded.
"I'm sure he's taught you quite a few things. Nothing as flashy as wielding a sword, I'm guessing, but something just as effective, I suspect."
Carina's gaze was careful, but not closed off, which Marie took to mean that if she answered truthfully here, Carina would know to place her trust in her, but if she lied, she'd close herself off and probably just hire another maid.
This was a test, the decision was up to Marie on how to proceed.
"My father despised knights, he always thought they lacked the stealth to be considered a proper soldier, so when he deemed me old enough, he trained me in the art of using a dagger instead."
Carina smiled, something bright and genuine for the first time since she'd woken up that fateful morning.
"You're hired."