It was time of the night and the sky had started to change it's colour. Some of the maidens were in the kitchen occupying themselves in preparing dinner, others were busily doing the house chores.
Anna held the lanterns that would be used to light up the corridors. As she placed the lanterns one after the other at each side of the corridor, the rain began to pour. It poured so heavy making the place turn cold.
The wind that blew in her direction was blowing off her hair, causing it to cover some parts of her face. She tried to remove the strands of her hair blocking her eyes but her hands were full with lanterns.
Just as she took another step, she lost her balance and was about to fall down when someone caught her.
"What are you thinking losing your balance?" Came the deep voice behind her.
At his hands on her bare shoulder, goose bumps started to form on her body. She tried to pull herself away from him but his grip was firm.
"Master Marcos.....?" She reminded him that his hands were still on her.
"I was only trying to help you." He muttered, removing his hands from her. "How ungrateful of you."
"You took too long in removing your hands from me." She frowned slightly before bowing her head.
"I appreciate your help and apologize for not being careful with my steps." She said.
As she took another step forward, Marcos held her.
"Where do you think you are going to?" He asked.
"That part of corridor needs light. I think it's too dark." She said.
"And who told you it needs light?" Marcos asked.
"Nobody. But—"
"There are no buts. Place the lanterns were you are told to." He said.
"Why is that side of corridor always dark?" She asked.
"That is because I wants it be like that, is there a problem with it?" He raised a brow.
"Elizabeth stays there. Her room needs more light, it is too dark for a little girl like her." Anna insisted on putting at least one lantern at the side of Elizabeth's room.
"Has she ever complained to you about needing more light?" He asked.
"No." Anna shook her head.
"Then you should mind your business. The other night I caught you wandering to that direction." He said.
"You should know that no maids is allowed to go to that side of the corridor no matter what." He took the last lantern from her and dropped it where it was supposed to be.
"Brother Marcos." Anna heard a faint cry. It was coming from Elizabeth's room.
She snapped her head to the room and saw the door opened. The governess in charge of Elizabeth walked outside with a serious expression. She turned to look at Marcos and for some time, they didn't blink as they continued to stare at each other.
"I am done with Elizabeth. She needs more rest." She told Marcos.
"Have a nice day." Marcos smiled at the woman. Anna turned to watch the woman's back for some time. Should she stop the woman to ask her what was wrong with Elizabeth?
Thinking it would be weird since she was just a maid, she decided to keep quiet. Turning around to speak with Marcos, she noticed he had disappeared.
"Where did he go?" Anna asked.
She looked around wondering where he had gone to. The cries continued to sound throughout the room and after sometime, it died down. Anna found it hard to understand that there was nothing wrong with the Windsor family.
The two sons were sly, evil, dangerous and everything cruel could be used to describe them. On the other hand, Elizabeth was always in her room 24/7 hours of the day and sometimes she would cry alone in her room. Madam Charlotte also do not want any of the maids go near her two sons. Something was wrong somewhere, Anna thought.
The wind in the air was creating whispers in her ear and when she turned around, she saw Lucian with a wide smile.
"Master Lucian....?" She bowed her head.
"What is a maid doing in this side of the corridor alone?" He raised a brow.
"I was just putting in lanterns to light up the Mansion." She spoke nervously.
"You look delicious this evening. What did you rub on your face?" He asked, licking his lower lip.
"Nothing. What do you mean I look delicious?" She asked, confused.
"Forget." He laughed. "That is just my thing."
She looked around to see if she would see Marcos but he was not there.
"What are you looking for?" Lucian questioned.
"It's Master Marcos. He was here sometime ago but now I couldn't find him." She replied.
Deciding to ask Lucian about Elizabeth's condition, she said. "I apologize for what I'm about to say but is something wrong with Elizabeth? I mean I saw her being tied against the chair the other day."
"Yes." Lucian nodded. "Let's take a walk and I will tell you everything that had happened to her."
Anna nodded and they walked downstairs and outside the Mansion to the garden.
"Elizabeth has been suffering from a condition. It's somehow like an illness were she would start losing her mind and spilling out curse words." He paused before deciding not to say the rest.
"Do you mean she's losing her sense? Running mad?" Anna asked.
"Exactly." Lucian nodded. "She has really suffered a lot. We are hoping if we could find a solution for her condition."
"But how do you know about this when you haven't visited the Mansion for a long time?" Anna questioned.
"I heard it from her mother. She told me everything when I came back." Lucian answered.
"Ohh I see." Anna nodded.
Wanting to find answers, Lucian took a step closer to her. "Do you know of anyone who could heal her. Anyone?"
Anna pursed her lips. "No. But why do you ask?"
"Nothing." He smiled at her. "It's getting late. You should join the other maids in serving dinner."
"Yes." She bowed her head before leaving.
Lucian stared at her back for a long time. The more he was talking to her, the more interesting she became. She was smart, too smart for her age.
But there was something special about her that he couldn't pinpoint. Was it about her dreams of fairies? Did she have any family members who was a fairy that was why she kept on dreaming about it?