Parisa was taken from the room before she could watch any exchanging of dacrems or signing of contracts. Despite the fact that it all pertained to her, she had zero say in any of it.
The young maid who had escorted Johnny and Sam earlier led the girl from the room. Parisa remembered her name being Cordelia. A pretty name for a pretty girl. She smiled kindly at Parisa as she held the door open for her to pass through before letting it softly click behind them. Cordelia was a blur of movement in the next second and Parisa found herself taking a step back, lifting her hands to her chest as if in some fragile form of protection. The maid didn't strike out at her, though. Instead, she bent at the waist and bowed to Parisa. The girl was at a loss for word.
"I apologize for the late introduction." Cordelia's voice was smooth. She spoke as if she were talking to a frightened animal. Parisa found it a mixture of endearing and annoying, but she remained silent as she watched Cordelia rise. A brilliant smile curled her pink lips. It accentuated her dark freckles and made her look much younger than she was. "Welcome to the Astri estate, lady Parisa."
"L-l-lady?" Parisa sputtered. Cordelia's smile didn't let up. She reached out and took Parisa's hands in her own. Parisa started at the touch. Her gaze shifted between their hands to Cordelia. She cast her gaze to the floor, her cheeks heating as she withdrew her hands from the maid's. "I'm hardly a lady." Parisa said. "Just Parisa is fine."
Cordelia's pale green gaze softened, but she didn't say anything in response. Instead, she turned on her heel and led Parisa back down the path towards her room. Parisa's soft skirts brushed against her legs as she walked. It was a feeling she wasn't quite used to, but one she rather liked. It was similar to a rhythmic caress, and she found herself relaxing with every swish.
Parisa kept watch of her surroundings, bunching her hands into the fine material of her dress. She had yet to see any other maids working on the estate, aside from Cordelia and Adele.
"Cordelia," Parisa started, her voice small. The maid glanced over her shoulder. "Are there other workers here?" she asked. Cordelia looked forward once more.
"Yes, my lady. There are others working in the Astri estate. You might not see them much as the lord likes us to stay out of sight unless needed." Cordelia stopped in front of Parisa's room and looked at the girl. "Here you are." she smiled. "I'll bring you some food shortly, my lady. If there's anything you need, don't hesitate to call me. There's a magical device on you bedside table. Use that and I'll be sure to come."
Parisa wanted to reach out and stop the woman from leaving. The place was strange and new and this was the only person who'd looked at her so far with kindness. Even if it was laced with pity, it was nice. Parisa's fingers itched to reach out and latch onto Cordelia's uniform to keep her there. Instead, Parisa took in a deep breath, smiled, and nodded. She opened her bedroom door and stepped inside, only allowing herself to breathe properly when the door closed behind her and she was alone.
Exhaustion swept her feet from under her. Her back slid down the wooden door until her bottom touched the cold tile flooring. She pulled her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around her legs, pull in on herself to the point where it was just on the edge of pain. Parisa closed her eyes and let her head rest on her knees. She allowed darkness to wash over her form and took comfort in the quiet of the space, listening to the soft crackling of the fire in the hearth off to her left.
Her room was warm. It was large. It was extravagant to the point she wondered if this wasn't some weird hallucination. Maybe one of her clients had fed her something. It wouldn't have been the first time.
"Mother. Father. What are you doing right now?" she wondered aloud, her voice warbling. She didn't particularly have strong feelings for her parents, but some part of her still held out wonder or hope that maybe they'd come back for her or regret their decision after all. Though she doubted they'd have any way to get her back.
- How much had they sold me for? How much more had the two men gotten in comparison?
Parisa's short nails dug into the skin of her arms. What was she going to have to do? When would he show up? How often?
Question after question swarmed her mind as she struggled to hold her cracked and chipped pieces together. It was a knock at her door that pulled her from her depressive state. She hopped up from the floor and scrambled away just as it opened. Adele stood in the entryway, a tray of food and tea in her hands. Her features held no emotion.
Parisa stood straight as a stick, curling her hands into the front of her dress. Her eyes traveled from the tray of food to Adele and back again. There was a delicious aroma of rising from the bowl on the tray, thin tendrils of steam grasping at the air above.
"Your food, my lady." Adele said, entering the room without an invitation. She carried the tray over to the small table by the fireplace. Parisa hurried after her.
"What is it?"
"It's a vegetable soup. It shouldn't be too hard on her stomach." Adele gave an inquisitive look up and down Parisa's body. "You don't seem to have had the best diet. This will help set you on the right path for lord Astri."
Parisa swallowed the saliva that was building in her mouth as she eyed the bowl of soup. There was a thick slice of bread beside it, buttered and looking soft and fluffy.
"Can-can I eat?" she asked, and Adele nodded. The older woman gave a small bow and took a step back. Parisa walked towards the plush chair and sat down, sinking into the comfortable and warm cushions. Her hands trembled as she reached for the silver spoon and dipped it into the broth.
"Please be careful. It's hot." Adele cautioned, though Parisa barely heard anything from the woman as she sniffed the food before placing it on her tongue.
A burst of flavors and spices came to life in her mouth. She didn't mind the sweet pain of it being too hot. Her mind was too focused on the warmth of the food. It filled a hollowness within her that she'd long since grown accustomed to.
It wasn't until Adele pressed a handkerchief to her cheeks did Parisa realize that she'd started crying. She looked up at the elderly maid and a smile broke Parisa's lips.
"This is lovely. Thank you."
The old woman returned her smile.