Three days had passed. Mora and Petal were assigned to both kitchen and hallway duties, and so they remained in the room adjoined to the kitchen. The new friends they made had moved to other areas of the castle.
Mora also met some of her new colleagues, all of whom had been working in the manor for years. They were always tired out and had barely paid any attention to either she or Petal. She didn't know if it was a good or bad thing. She was just happy that she could get to work without any problem.
Mora was slowly starting to get used to living in the manor. Asides from how everywhere was eerily quiet, she loved the calm that was constant. Everyone went about their day in silence and in the night, she and Petal talked till fatigue wore them out and they finally gave in to sleep.
But while she had no problems during the day, Mora had a lot of them in the deepest hour of the night.
For one, the voice in her head that always called her name was more pronounced, more…real. She had woken up several times thinking that truly someone was calling out for her, and would return back to sleep shaken and utterly confused.
This particular night was about to take a scary turn.
She and Petal were done for the day and were both laying down on their mats. The room was filled with tired maids, all of whom were asleep or were about to sleep.
Petal was part of the former.
When she was done with her chores, she had simply walked into the room, greeted Mora with a tired wave and laid down on her mat, falling asleep in a second. Mora didn't have the mind to wake her up, even though she had been waiting for her return so that they both could talk about their day.
Mora laid flat on her back, facing the ceiling with her hands on her chest. She enjoyed doing the chores she was assigned to, as they helped her take her mind off the rambling thoughts in her head that seemed to have increased ever since she began working in the manor.
She released a deep sigh, and then slowly closed her eyes, willing the sleep to come.
And it did.
Blood. All she could see was blood. She didn't know who or where it was coming from, and she couldn't see anyone at all.
She looked down at her hands. They were stained with it, her dainty digits shaking due to nerves.
A voice called her name, laughing wickedly, and a chilly feeling traveled down her spine. Everything in her body screamed for her to run, but when she tried she couldn't get up.
'You both will suffer!'
Mora woke up with a gasp, her face covered in sweat. She glanced at Petal who laid next to her, then at the other maids lying in the room. All of them were fast asleep.
She placed her hand on her chest, trying to calm her heart as she took in deep gulps of air. It helped a bit, but the room still felt stuffy.
With a final glance at Petal, Mora quietly stood up from her mat and tip-toed to the door separating their room from the kitchen. She opened it slowly, walked out and then shut the door silently behind her.
She took in a deep breath, then let it out. Finally, she could breathe well.
Mora walked deeper into the kitchen, then sat on a stool next to the long wooden table in the middle of the room.
I'll just rest here a bit, she thought, leaning against the table.
She remained there for a while, and then she stood up to light a candle. She wasn't sure if she was supposed to do that, as Claudia never warned them against it. Still, a candle was something even she could replace, so it probably wouldn't matter.
She walked over to the shelves at the other side of the kitchen opposite to where she had sat, and then opened one of them. Then she brought out a candle and a match, lit it, and then put it in the candlestick seated atop the shelf.
Suddenly, something made a sound and she froze, holding her breath. After a terrible night, that was definitely not what she wanted to experience.
Slowly she turned around, trying to search for the source of the noise when a movement caught her attention. It was at the far side of the kitchen, adjacent to its entrance.
Mora picked up the candlestick and walked towards it, forcing her nerves to calm down. The closer she got to the source, the more she realized that she was nearing the shelf where deserts were kept.
Is it a wild animal? She wondered. Claudia would be beyond herself if that was the case, and it wouldn't fare well for all the maids in the manor. It would mean that they didn't do a good job of properly cleaning the place.
But she needn't worry so, because when she reached the shelf, the sight that greeted her was far worse than she had expected.
It was the young fae lord of the manor.
On the ground, with cake crumbs all over his face.
The image was so cute, Mora couldn't help the chuckle that escaped from her, causing the young lord to frown deeply.
'Who are you?' he asked, his voice muffled as he still had something in his mouth.
Mora crouched to his level, holding unto the candlestick. She cocked her head and smiled,
'Young lord, what are you doing here in the middle of the night?'
'How dare you talk to me like I am your equal?' he said, enraged. But Mora couldn't bring herself to be scared of him, seeing as he had smothered himself with cake. His full cheeks paired with his beautiful face made him even more adorable.
Without thinking, Mora stretched out her other hand and pinched his cheeks, shocking the young lord. 'Forgive me my lord,' she said, smiling brightly. 'I couldn't help it, seeing as you are so adorable.'
She had never been so brave.
A blush appeared on the young lord's cheek, and his rage increased further.
'You…!'
'Shh my lord,' Mora said, bringing her index finger to her lip. 'You do not want to awaken the rest. I am pretty sure the head maid won't like what she sees should she get here.'
He huffed, dusted his hands and stood to his feet. 'She wouldn't believe you. If I tell her that you took it, you will be punished.'
Mora frowned slightly, 'But aren't you above telling such a petty lie my lord? You seem more mature than that.'
The young fae gritted his teeth, then he pointed his finger at her. 'What are you called?'
'Mora, My lord.'
'Well Mora, you should learn to mind your business and accord me proper respect.' He stuck his nose up proudly. 'I will forgive you today, for this is your first mistake. Make sure you never cross me again.'
He began heading to the kitchen's entrance, his stride cute and his face still covered in crumbs. It was obvious he was trying to save his dignity and get away from the scene of his crime. Mora would have taken him seriously, had she not noticed how red his face was.
'My lord,' she called out, getting to her feet. The young lord paused, then turned around to look at her.'
'What is it?'
'If you are patient enough, I can make you a far more delicious dessert.'
The glint that passed through his eyes told her that she had hit the jackpot.
'What dessert?' he asked, faking disinterest.
'Well in the village, there is this special snack made of bread–'
'Bread?' the young lord exclaimed, frowning. 'What is so special about bread?'
'Well this bread is unlike any other bread,' she said, smiling mischievously. 'Because it has fillings.'
He cocked his head, curious. 'What is that?'
She walked closer to him, her eyes animated. 'They bake bread, and then fill it up with meat, carrot, peas–'
'Meat? Why would I want to have meat as fillings when I can have as much meat as I want?'
Mora's smile became forced. Not everyone can afford meat, my lord, she thought.
'That should not be the focus, my lord. What you should be curious about is the taste. And trust me when I say, it is heavenly.'
The child moved closer to her, his eyes wide open in curiosity, exposing the childlike nature he kept hidden. Mora didn't think her heart could soften any further from how adorable and innocent he looked then.
'Will you make it for me?' he asked.
Mora grinned. 'As you wish, my lord.'