"Since it has come to this, let's just go with the flow!"
Anna's voice that became louder came from underneath the blanket, which soon was removed. She got up and hugged her knees while entertaining the thoughts in her head.
"I was hoping for a peaceful life, but now that I'm Anna, it's an impossible dream. Since that's the case, I might as well do whatever I feel right. That'll give me a better chance of survival than simply waiting. Yes, that's how it is."
Anna voiced her thought out loud, finding it was better than keeping them inside her mind. Once she decided on the path to take, the heavy feeling in her chest was lifted.
She grinned as she extended her hands to the air and laid down on the comfy mattress. "Right now, I need someone to become my eyes and ears. Hmm, is there anyone reliable?" she pondered. At the same time, she remembered that Mr. Gunnar had told her to choose someone as her personal maid.
"Oh, she would be perfect!" Anna chuckled as an image appeared inside her head.
She got off the bed and walked towards the door. Her right hand went straight for the white chrome doorknob and twisted it to the left before pulling it. Her eyes roamed the hallway to search for someone. Seeing no shadow of the person she was looking for, she followed the hallway and arrived at the common room. There were a few people there. Mostly, the maids who were working at the mansion.
Looking around, Anna saw a petite woman carrying a vase walking towards a corner. She had short black hair that accentuated her small frame. Her lips were humming a soft unknown melody.
A smile emerged on Anna's face upon seeing the person she was looking for. However, the smile didn't last long when she realized that her little maid was now surrounded by a group of maids with ill intentions.
Anna sighed when she realized the well-played game of the bullies. They used their height to pressure their victim, who probably was only five feet. Given the disadvantage, one would often cower in fear, but surprisingly Anna saw a fighting spirit in the little maid's eyes.
...
"You, why are you here? Didn't I ask you to clean the toilet?!"
"Do you think you deserve to work here?!"
"You stupid, ignorant b*tch!"
Ruby swallowed the lump of fear in her throat. She lifted her head and stared directly at the maid who was speaking ill of her.
"Leave me alone!" she said, trying to stand up for herself. The other maids looked at each other before laughing mockingly in unison.
Ruby gritted her teeth as her fingers curled to a fist. She was angry, and she wanted them to know that she didn't deserve their bullying. Sadly, her knees would weaken every time she heard their laughter.
"Leave you alone?" a maid sneered. She made a gesture with her head, and the rest of the team enclosed the petite woman, invading her personal space.
"Who gives you the right to talk back? Huh?!" the maid spoke in anger. Her hand grabbed Ruby's hair and shook her head vehemently. Her physical attack acted as a signal for the rest to get their hands on Ruby's small frame. The deed was done so quickly that Ruby could only scream in agony. She pushed the closest person to free herself, but another maid covered up the gap. As the bullying reached its peak, a voice as cold as ice interrupted them.
"Having fun?" the sudden voice entered everyone's ears. It was spoken casually, but everyone felt a coldness in their feet when they saw the person to whom the voice belonged.
One of the maids braved herself to look at the owner of the voice. "M-Miss Anna," the name slipped through her quivering lips. Hearing the word, everyone turned their heads around, revealing a fearful expression for being caught red-handedly.
Anna glanced at the maid, who called her name and recognized her as the head of all the bullies.
"Five of you against one person? How weak," she scoffed.
"If you want to bully someone, why don't you do it alone? Let's see if you have the gut to do so," she walked into the circle and pulled Ruby out of it. The things she said earlier was to reflect all the bullying she had witnessed before. Whenever they were alone, such bullying would never occur; however, it would be a different story once they gathered together.
"M-Miss Anna, w-we were only teaching her some lessons so she'll improve in the future," another maid spoke. The excuse she used caused Anna to laugh out loud.
With eyes that were still laughing, she approached the maid.
"A lesson?" she said in a sadistic voice, and slowly, her right hand landed on the maid's head, caressing her hair with eyes of admiration. The maid was startled, but without a chance to react, she felt a sharp pain in her head. She looked at Anna with teary eyes and saw a few strands of her hair between her fingers.
"This lesson is fun, right?" Anna scanned the faces of everyone who was now looking at her wide-eyed. Satisfied by their reaction, she focused on the maid again.
"How about this?" she grinned, and without hesitation, pushed the maid's shoulder, making her fall to the floor with a terrific thud.
"Miss Anna, what are you doing?!" all the maids rushed to their friend and helped her to stand up. Their eyes were showing fear, but at the same time, they couldn't hide the hatred they have towards Anna.
"Piff!" Anna held her stomach as she tried to hold her laughter.
"You asked me what I did? I'm teaching her a lesson. Wasn't that what you did when you taught Ruby a lesson?" Anna glared at the group of maids in front of her. Her tall body towered over them, making them shrink back in fear. That was when a hand tugged her dress. She looked behind and saw Ruby shake her head.
"M-Miss Anna, it's okay," she said. Her eyes glowed in sympathy the moment they landed on her co-workers. Anna shook her head when she saw the kindness in Ruby's eyes. Still, she smiled at her and nodded.
"I will not pursue this matter, but if I see any bullying again…" she let her voice trail off as she stared at the faces who were present in the room. "I'll make sure you'll see nothing but the exit door."
"And from today onwards, Ruby will no longer work in any department. She'll become my personal maid," she announced.
Her declaration didn't shock just Ruby but everyone else who listened to her clear and loud voice. Their mouths were wide opened, and when closed, they enviously looked at Ruby. They wished it was them in her position because to become a personal maid was one of their dreams. It was one of the fastest ways to be promoted to a better position.
"M-Miss Anna, is it really okay for me to be your personal maid?" Ruby asked with fidgety hands. She followed Anna with her head down, not knowing exactly where they were going.
Anna stopped on her track, and Ruby did the same, waiting patiently for her reply.
"You can refuse if you want to," Anna spoke and turned around to see Ruby. Her black orbs were as bright as the sun, reflecting her pure personality.
Working in the Gunnar's mansion was a dream come true for most people because it opened up to a whole new world to them.
However, the competition was fierce, and once you slipped, the chance would be taken away from you. This kind of environment would often take away the good in a person. Anna had seen it a lot in just a few days, but Ruby was one among the few who remained humble. That was the reason why Anna chose her as a personal maid.
"What do you say?" Anna asked, making sure that her voice sounded neutral to allow Ruby to choose without feeling pressured.
Ruby rubbed her palms nervously. She still couldn't believe that she was chosen as Anna's personal maid. Moreover, she was giving her the chance to think twice, to make a choice. She knew if she said no, Anna would never force her and would just let her go. But, was it wise to be Anna's personal maid? Considering the thing she knew about her in the past...
"Miss Anna, thank you for choosing me! I'll do my best as your personal maid!" Ruby spoke as she did a ninety-degree bow to show her gratitude.
"Chest up! I don't have much power in this house, but I'll promise you no one can bully you like before," Anna meant what she said. Those who she considered as important would always have her support no matter what.
Ruby was overwhelmed with gratitude. She felt a lump in her throat and a tingle on the corner of her eyes. Puffing her chest, she said in a firm voice, "I understand!"
Anna nodded, satisfied by her strong response.
"Good! Let's go," she patted Ruby's shoulder before resuming her walk. Silence accompanied them until they reached Anna's room.
"Sit down," Anna motioned for Ruby to sit on a one-seater sofa while she sat on the two-seater sofa across her. She looked up after settling down and saw Ruby's legs clasped together with her hands on top of her thighs. Seeing this, Anna's lips curved upward.
"Relax," she chuckled and noticed the sudden redness on Ruby's fair cheek.
"I-I'm sorry. I can't calm myself," Ruby blurted out. Her lips were crimson red due to her continually biting them.
"Well," Anna rose from her seat and bent forward. She took the teapot on the coffee table and poured its content into one of the cups. She took the filled cup and gave it to Ruby, who was shocked at her action.
"Miss Anna!" Ruby stood up in shock. She stared at the hand which was holding a teacup with trepidation on her face.
"I-I can't accept this," she gently pushed the hand away from her. Anna raised an eyebrow in response.
"Why?" she asked.
"I-It's not right," Ruby held her hands in opposition. She couldn't believe such kindness from Anna. "I should be the one doing the serving."
Amused, Anna placed the teacup in Ruby's hand. "Drink it. It'll soothe your nerves," she said.
Seeing the teacup, Ruby's tears fell like a rainstorm. All these while, she was always the one serving, but today, a woman of higher status had served her a tea. It was probably a small act of kindness, but to an orphan like her, this was like a dream come true. This kindness... She would remember it forever.
"T-thank you," she said sincerely.
"You're welcome," Anna responded with a smile on her face.
"Ruby, I have a few questions, and I want you to answer them honestly," Anna stared at Ruby, who appeared a lot calmer than before. However, she was still jittery whenever their eyes met.
"I will answer them at my best ability," Ruby replied with fists on her thigh, not hiding the eagerness she had towards the first task given to her.
Anna chuckled again. She could understand why people wanted to bully her. Her petite body plus her adorable look was enough to invite jealousy from all the maids in the house. Moreover, she had a likable personality, which made her very favorable to others. Perhaps, the other maids realized this and thought of her as their biggest rival hence the bullying?
"Miss Anna?" Ruby looked at her young miss. She couldn't wait to be of service to her.
"Ahem!" Anna coughed to clear her mind. "How old are you?" she asked.
"I'm twenty-six," Ruby answered with a grin on her face. "I started working a year before you became a permanent resident in this mansion," she added.
Anna, who was taking a sip of her tea coughed, her eyes were locked on Ruby without blinking. "Y-you're older than me?" she asked with a blank look on her face.
"Yes, but please don't treat me differently. With this body of mine, no one really thinks highly of me. That's why I always get bullied," Ruby sighed.
Anna was still in disbelief because she thought Ruby was younger or probably the same age as her. Moreover, the way she overreacted to everything made her look like a cheerful young lady.
"Miss Anna, did you think that I'm younger than you?" Ruby smiled awkwardly. "I understand if you thought so. It's a common misunderstanding," she blushed after saying that.
"I understand. I'm sorry for the misunderstanding," Anna let out a small laugh. Although surprised at the revelation, she was also relieved because it meant that Ruby could answer most of her questions.
"Erm, Miss Anna, do you have any more questions? I understand that you want to recover your memories, so I'll do my best to answer everything," Ruby asked after minutes of silence.
Anna responded with a nod. "What is your opinion of me? I mean, before I lost my memories," she asked while placing the teacup on the coffee table. She looked at Ruby and saw her troubled eyes look back.