"Sorry if it looks scary. This mansion is an inheritance of an old friend of my master. We only have to stay in this place for a few weeks, so we didn't really think about the state of the mansion."
"Oh, you and Lord..."
"Maximilian."
Ah... Maximilian. Pretty good name. Somehow, the name seemed fitting for a cold man like him, Edna thought.
"You and Lord Maximillian are not from this city?"
"Yes, we are not from here. We are from a very faraway place."
"Oh, it's just the two of you?"
"Yup. Just the two of us. I've tried to find a few servants before, but none of them lasted more than three days. They are always running away. So, I hope you can last a little longer."
Luca invited Edna to join in following their master, while the coachman turned to leave the abandoned yard. The rusty iron gate gave Edna a little fright. She reconsidered her decision. Had she made the right decision, or had she actually entered the monster's den?
Inside the mansion, things were much cleaner. It wasn't as bad as she thought, although there were still lots of cobwebs and dust that had accumulated in every corner of the mansion.
"Why don't they last long?"
"Hm... I don't know either, we pay them quite high. At first, I was confused as to why the servants always left in a hurry, until two days ago, the fifth servant said Lord Maximillian's temper was too much. They couldn't stand being under a lot of pressure."
"Hmm? D-did Master Maximilian.. torture them?"
Luca laughed so hard that his voice echoed in the mansion. The two of them went up the stairs.
"Not really. But Lord Maximilian was someone who was hard to please. He really doesn't like foreigners and complains about many things. He must have everything perfect. Food, bed, clothes, even drink."
(Sounds like a difficult person) thought Edna.
"But I hope you will last long, Eden. Because if you run away, then I have to draw my sword. What you saw this morning must not spread."
Edna nodded nervously. She moved her hand across her lips in a locking motion. Luca laughed again and nodded. The man then invited Edna to take a tour around the kitchen, bedroom, and dining room.
Luca also taught Edna some things that she couldn't do at the mansion.
When she ran into Mr. Maximilian, she had to keep her head down or walked away and never showed her face in front of him.
If Mr. Maximillian was eating, never asking or speaking. She had to stand as far back as possible, but still stayed in the dining room in case their lord need something.
Mr. Maximilian had to have his coffee at nine in the morning.
Mr. Maximillian's clothes had to be ready at 9 a.m. Edna had five minutes to prepare it as Mr. Maximillian would take a bath at that time. She wouldn't run into Mr. Maximillian as long as she was on time.
Never talked to Mr. Maximillian.
If Mr. Maximilian was shouting angrily, it was better to stay away.
Every evening, she had to bring dinner to the garden at the back. Again, never spoke or made a sound.
Besides that, Edna had a lot of free time. She was allowed to do anything outside of that because most of the time Mr. Maximilian stayed in his room or went out of the mansion.
"You can even burn down this mansion if you're bored as long as you don't let Master Maximillian see you," Luca said jokingly.
"Then, what do you do, Luca?"
"Me? My job is only to make Master Maximilian's mood no worse and did everything to achieve our goal in here."
Edna nodded in understanding. In essence, she had to live as quietly as possible while she was staying here.
Edna was then allowed to go to her room. Luca said that she could do her job starting tomorrow. Today, she was allowed to rest immediately. Before returning to her room, she thanked Luca.
Who would have thought that a criminal like her received such good fortune? Did the gods or goddesses hear her prayers when she prayed in the church earlier? Edna had never been to church, so she didn't know how to pray properly.
She was only introduced to the names of the gods, as well as the duties they carried out.
Edna then laid her body on the bed. Her stomach still hurt from hunger. However, the tiredness was so great that she could no longer endure the drowsiness. Getting a chance to lie down made her pleased.
Even the bed felt much softer than the bed in her room at the Westfall residence. Although the room was still dirty and full of dust and cobwebs, the bed was very comfortable.
Edna fell asleep right away.
The girl only woke up when the sun had already set high. She woke up with a hurt stomach. Walking towards the kitchen, Edna did not forget to walk on tiptoe so as not to make a sound. She was afraid that she accidentally crossed paths with Mr. Maximillian.
Edna looked back, then...
BUGH!
"Ouch!"
Edna stepped back to see what she had bumped into. In front of her stood the human she had tried to avoid the most. Remembering the warning from Luca, Edna immediately stepped back and lowered her head without making a sound.
Maximillian passed Edna just like that. The man could hear how Edna's heart was beating so fast. He just glanced at her briefly, then went back to do what he was going to do.
After making sure her lord wasn't around anymore, Edna let out a sigh of relief. She held her chest, which was in a bit of pain. She would never get used to this situation. It was too scary. Moreover, there was not much lighting in this mansion. Only a few flame torches had been lit up.
It seemed Luca was the one who lit the torches.
When Edna was about to enter the kitchen, she saw the wooden door that led to the backyard was open. It seemed that Lord Maximillian had just enjoyed his dinner in the garden, as Luca had said yesterday.