The remainder of the ride was a quiet one. Neither of the two women spoke to one another. Eventually, the rain that was pouring outside had stopped. And soon after, the carriage came to a halt. The coachman descended from his seat, pulling open the carriage door as he first helped Marion step out of the carriage then the younger girl.
Stepping out of the carriage the girl took in the sight in front of her. Although it was dark outside, the girl could clearly see the white marble mansion in front of her. The girl's eyes nearly popped out of its sockets from surprise. She had seen many mud and wooden homes and shops back in Blue Moon Village, but never had she seen a home or building made out of marble. The home stood tall in front of her with many large arched pillars used to support the balcony on the upper floor. Multiple large glass windows lined up the bottom and upper floors of the mansion. Many intricate designs were apparent on the pillars and walls of the mansion.
"Come along dear." Marion called out as she made her way into the mansion.
The younger woman followed Marion inside the mansion. Entering through the large front doors, the younger girl had imagined that the inside would be bright and filled with life. However, after entering the house, she felt a pinch of disappointment. The inside of the mansion was dull and gloomy. The walls and floors of the mansion were a dark brown color, and the floors were covered in a maroon-colored carpet. In front of the entrance where the women had just entered, was a tall single set of stairs with many steps, of which it then splits into two separate sets of stairs, a large circular platform is formed, connecting all three sets of stairs.
"Welcome to the Delmonte Manor." Marion said with a smile as she gestured her hands to the space around her. She then walked over to a cabinet and pulled out a pair of black shoes. "Take these will you dear. Please put them on, we will throw yours away. Master will not appreciate it if you dirtied the manor with your old shoes." She said, handing the younger girl the new pair of shoes.
The younger girl took the shoes with no hesitation. Looking at her old pair of shoes, she noticed how muddy and dirty they were. The shoes were worn out. The right side of her shoes had a small tear at the top where her big toe laid. When she was living in Blue Moon Village, it never bothered her how dirty the shoes were. Everyone in Blue Moon Village had worn and torn shoes, as it was a village that is completely filled with gatherers and laborers. Now that she was here, in an enormous mansion and experiencing the luxurious atmosphere for the first time, she now realized how out of place she was. Slipping on the new pair of shoes, they felt wonderful on her feet. They were much more comfortable than her previous stiff pairs. The young girl wondered, if shoes for servants felt this wonderful, how nice would the attire worn by the master be.
While the younger girl was lost in her thoughts, Marion had a servant retrieve the trash bin for her. Looking at the younger girl, she cleared her throat with the intention to get the girl's attention. As the younger girl snapped out of her thoughts and glanced over at her, Marion tilted her head to the trash bin, signaling for the younger girl to throw the old pair of shoes into the trash bin. After witnessing the young girl dump the shoes into the trash, she was quick to say, "Follow along. I will give you a show around the manor." Marion said as she began to take small steps away from the main entrance, ensuring that the younger girl could catch up to her.
Turning left from the main entrance and entering through a wooden door, the two women walked down a long hallway towards another door on the opposite side. The hallway was decorated with large windows on either side, giving a view to the outside world. As they reached the wooden door, Marion led them both to the room on the other side.
"This is the cooking room. This is where you will help prepare the meals." Marion said as soon as the doors opened.
Inside the cooking room stood a petite and older woman. The woman was busy wiping tables as Marion and the young woman walked into the room. Gesturing towards the petite older woman, Marion spoke, "This is Lillian. She is our main cook around here. She is responsible for the cooking room and all the meals of the Master and servants. You will report to Lillian when you are on cooking duty. Understood?" Marion questioned. The younger girl nodded her head.
"Very well." Marion responded with a smile after seeing that the younger girl had no questions. Leading the girl to a different door in the cooking room, both the women entered through the door.
"This is the dining room." Marion said after they both entered through the connected room. Stepping into the room, the girl was in awe. The dining room was enormous. It was decorated with various glass silverware and a glass table that stretched across one end of the room to the other end. "This is where the master has his meals." Marion continued.
"Madam Marion, you only ever mentioned 'the master', does the master have family members?" The girl asked out of curiosity.
"And what would you do with that information if I were to tell you? I can answer that the Master enjoys his meals alone in the dining room, if that is what you wish to know." Marion responded, causing the younger girl to think how lonely it must be to consume one's meal alone. She had experienced these feelings many times before back in Blue Moon Village. These feelings that brought discomfort to her heart each time she sees other villagers enjoying their meals together and chatting away. "Any more questions?" Marion asked, disturbing the young girl from her thoughts, while the girl responded with a shake of her head.
Marion led the young girl across the dining room where there was a set of stairs on the other side of the room. Leading the younger girl up the stairs Marion spoke as the two reached the top of the stairs, "Also, there's no need for formality with me around here. Just call me Marion. That is what everyone calls me around here." Marion said to the young girl with a slight smile as she continued leading the two down the hall.
Soon after, Marion's footsteps came to a halt in front of a large wooden door. There were many doors that the two had passed by as they walked down the long hallway, however, this door was the only door that the hallway directly led to. All the other doors were facing inwards toward the hallway.
"This entire side of the manor is the west wing. This room is where our master resides. No one is allowed in the west wing unless you are performing cleaning duties. Cleaning duties are only to be done when I tell you to, otherwise, I advise you not to step foot near the west wing. I cannot promise to help you if you were to offend the master. Am I clear?" Marion spoke sternly with a strong sense of warning during the latter half of her speech. The young girl nodded in response to her question. "Very well. Now I will show you to your room."
Marion led the girl down the stairs and passed the main entrance of the manor through another wooden door. After walking past a few doors, Marion finally came to a stop and showed her to her room.
"Well, here you are." The elder woman said as she opened the door to the room.
Observing her surroundings, the young girl thought the room she stayed in was of a decent size. The room consisted of a small bed with a thin blanket, and a nightstand and lamp to allow some light for the room during the nighttime. Although the room may seem small for an average person, quite honestly, it was the best thing she could ever ask for. At least having a room and a bed would provide her much more comfort than the hard rocks she had laid on in the cave when she was living in Blue Moon Village.
"Be rid of your old clothing and take a rest. You will begin your work starting tomorrow. Have a good rest dear." Marion spoke as she stepped away from the room and closed the door on her way out.
It was then that the girl noticed a neatly folded garment laying on the bed.
Picking up the new attire, the girl unfolded the clothing to see that it was a tunic dress. The girl stripped away her old worn-out clothing and changed into the fresh set of clothes. Seeing a trash bin in the corner of her room, the girl walked up to the bin and threw her old clothing into the bin. Staring at the clothing she had thrown in the bin; the girl felt a sense of relief.
The old clothing is the last item she owned and had brought with her from Blue Moon Village. It was the last thing that connected her to the old life she had, one of pain and torment. Now, she has proven to herself that she is capable of leaving that life behind. Whatever unknown the future holds, she only hopes that it is a brighter future than the one she had before.