That was until she saw someone boldly step forward to the circle that seemed to have been drawn on the ground, and she realized that the test had began.
"My name is Mawak. I'm the only child in my family. I live in the Mid section of the district. I'd like to work for Lord Cain because I am extremely skilled in cooking and I think my skills will benefit him," The young man said with a low bow but he had barely finished speaking when the officiator spoke again after glancing at the tall and well-dressed man man who stood beside him..
"Step to the left!" he ordered, beckoning for another person to step forward.
'This is easy enough, I'm almost tempted to step forward and get it done,' Violet thought to herself, stamping down the urge to yawn.
'Even the church has a stricter process for servants!' even as she watched someone else step into the circle and begin to chant his name almost like he knew it by heart.
"My name is Bushan. I'm an Orphan. I live in the lower section of the district–" he began but he was still speaking when everyone froze as the man Violet had been violently admiring who hadn't spoken a word or even moved since he entered jumped down from the second-floor landing without so much as making a sound.
"Allow me to introduce lord Cain to you!" The officiator said interrupting before urging the young man to continue, something he found much harder to do as Lord Cain slowly moved closer to him, a huge dark coat on his back that billowed as he walked.
"I-I would like to serve Lord Cain be-because–" he stammered heavily and Violet couldn't even blame him as she felt fear grip her own heart when she noticed a long gun Lord Cain openly held in his hand as he walked towards the young man.
'He wouldn't!' Violet thought as she stood and watched him raise the gun and point it right to the man's forehead.
'He wouldn't!' she thought unable to look away. 'He's just trying to scare him!' she said more to convince herself than anything else as her heart began to race and she slowly watched the devilishly handsome man she had admired face place his finger on the trigger and pull.
The sound was the loudest yet most subtle sound Violet had ever heard as she watched the man's brain burst open just before his body slammed to the ground.
The blood splatter was minimal and the only evidence that it happened was a small hole in the skull of the dead body on the ground.
'He did!'
'He did!' Violet muttered under her breath as she watched the man she had been gushing over look down at the body on the ground without a single change in the permanently blank expression on his face as he raised his leg and placed it on the dead man.
'He-he's--" not finishing the sentence in her head for fear that he would somehow know exactly how she felt, going as far as to lower her face.
'He killed someone for absolutely no reason!' she thought even as she felt sweat slowly pool on her forehead as she slowly raised her hand to wipe it off.
She was still slightly lost in her thought when she heard the familiar voice of the man who had been speaking to them boom in their ears.
"Mr Bushan was caught lying and of course he died. I'm sure you've all been made aware that any one that fails to pass would be immediately killed!"
"Its the way we've always done things!" he seriously continued even as he ordered for someone else to step forward.
Voilet couldn't help it as her eyes widened in horror as no one even noted or made an effort to get rid of the body before someone else boldly stepped forward right into the circle, just beside the barely cold body.
"My name is Faren. I'm from the--" He boldly began raising his head even though the rest of his body trembled as he continued to speak.
"-the lower region of the district. I have two little sisters and an aged--" he continued but he was still speaking when Violet watched Lord Cain again raise the gun in his hand right to his head just like he did before.
Her fists balled together in horror, involuntarily shaking her head as she watched him slowly squeeze the trigger with such slow speed that it was almost clear that he was doing it for their sake.
"Pleas-please! My mother is old and I just want to work--" A bullet tore through his skull before he could finish with whatever he had been saying just before his body slammed into the ground.
The fear that gripped Violet's heart was mountainous as she finally realized what she had gotten herself into.
'He's a madman! The fact that any of the servants are still alive is a miracle. He called us here to kill us all!' was the only thought in Violet's mind as she watched utter and complete silence descend on the hall.
No one moved and even breathing seemed a little difficult even as the black-haired officiator man continued to speak in a neutral tone, like two people hadn't just died with their bodies still littered on the ground.
"The next person can now step into the circle!" He announced and Violet was too stunned to think of the appropriate curses she would have liked to rain on him.
'He's joking! He can't be serious!' Looking around, not surprised to see that not a single person dared to move and do as he said.
'I should have left when I was offered the chance to!' cursed her badluck under her breath as she continued to stand at the very back where she thought it was the safest.
The silence in the hall was cold and chilling with all eyes on Cain, who still held the gun in his hand loosely by his side, even if the cold look in his eyes showed that he was ready to use it.
Yet the last thing they all expected was to hear him speak.
"Fine!" speaking with a drawl as he turned walking towards the closest person to him who hurriedly tried to back away.
"Introduce yourself!" He ordered with his eyes fixed on him in a lazy way that almost looked like he wasn't actually looking at him.
The young man he directed the question to shook so much that he looked like he was about to have a seizure.
"my-my name is Gri--" he mumbled in a low tone with obvious tears in his eyes.
Violet stood to the side feeling her heart wrench as she saw Lord Cain hands tighten over the gun in his hands in a way that made it seem like he was about to use it.