In the privacy of her room, Engjell activated the shield mechanism once it was operational. She plopped onto her bed with a relaxed sigh, discreetly removing her uni (universal) watch. Reaching out to a wall by her bedside, she drew some strange symbols. Suddenly, a strange scene occurred, the wall rippled, and in a flash of light, a secret compartment revealed itself.
Engjell smiled in satisfaction as she reached for the hidden compartment and pulled out a mysterious box containing contraband items prohibited in Austrean and Aurean society—treasures from the mortal continent and the black market. First, she took out a realistic-looking prosthetic hand and affixed the watch to it, before placing it back in the box, successfully going off the grid. She wasn't naive; she knew they monitored people through their devices. One reason she convinced her father not to equip their home with too much technology was the fear of being watched.
Finally, she retrieved the item she was most interested in for the day—a mobile phone she had specially acquired from the mortal continent. Unlocking the phone with practiced precision, she scrolled through its contents. She settled on a TV drama that had caught her attention the previous week, played the first episode, and threw herself onto her soft bed in a carefree manner.
Sounds of giggles and gasps echoed intermittently in the spacious room. Hours later, she remained engrossed in the show when the loud ringing of her room's sensor jolted her from her world. Sure enough, a gentle knock followed a beat later. Glancing at her watch in surprise, Engjell realized it was almost time for her scheduled appointment. She let out a sigh of resignation, carefully placing the phone back inside the box and restoring everything to its previous state.
Quickly, she walked to the door. She didn't need to check the monitor; she already knew who was standing behind it. Taking a moment to compose herself, she opened the door with her customary smile. The butler gently returned the young lady's smile with one of his own.
"Good morning, young lady," he greeted with a gentle incline of his head. "The time for your appointment is at hand. Would you like me to have the maids prepare a bath and clothing for you?"
Engjell raised her brows at him, disbelieving. She knew the real reason he had come to see her personally instead of sending a maid, as he would normally do. "I would really appreciate that. But not the clothes; I'm perfectly capable of handling that minuscule task myself." She let out an audible sigh and gave the old butler an exasperated look. "You can stop worrying about me; I'm fine. I never expected much anyway, so I'm not that disappointed," she gently reassured him.
Alexander couldn't help but feel a pang of pity for the young lady, who tried to comfort him even when she herself was disappointed by those closest to her. He looked at her wordlessly, making her fidget uncomfortably under his deep stare. "I'm really fine. You don't have to worry about me. I know they had no choice, and that is enough," she said in a resolute tone that left no room for discussion.
"I'm happy and at the same time distressed that you think that way. If you'll excuse me, I'll be on my way and have the maids come up to attend to you." He gave a curt bow and turned on his heels, presumably to fetch the maids.
Engjell watched the old man's departing back for a moment, feeling a bit regretful for causing him distress, but at the same time, she had no choice. Someone like her was bound to keep secrets; it was inevitable.
She stepped back into her room and gently shut the door behind her. Now it was time to choose her outfit for the day. She walked straight to her walk-in closet, opened the door, and browsed for possible options. "What should I wear today?" she said to herself in a sing-song voice. Her eyes flitted through the spacious room, carefully matching clothes in her mind. After a little while, she shook her head in disgust, apparently dissatisfied with her mental image.
She raised her wrist to eye level and clicked on her uni watch. "Maxwell, Go to clothing selection," she spoke into it.
The watch beeped, then responded in a human-like tone, "Yes, my lady." Soon, the clothing icon floated out. "Go to casual and style me an appropriate outfit for today," she commanded.
"May I ask what look we're going for today?" it inquired.
"Umm, something a little sexy, but casual."
"Got it." The screen changed, displaying different casual yet sexy outfits.
"Project it," she said.
"Okay. Projecting..." A holographic projection of outfits appeared before her.
"Next, next, next..." A series of "nexts" echoed in the room until—"Wait! This will do." She finally decided on an outfit: a metallic cropped silver jacket with angular shoulders and plenty of zippers, matching black leggings, a crop top, and silver high platform heels. She clicked on the image, and a mannequin with her desired outfit choice rolled out. "Thank you, Maxwell," she directed at the watch.
"Always a pleasure, my lady. A reminder, my lady: the maids Lucia and Fiona will be at the door in ten seconds. Should I leave the door unlocked?" Maxwell asked.
"Yes, please," she answered gratefully.
She selected a few accessories in a blasé manner, then returned to her room. Lucia and Fiona were nowhere in sight, but her sensitive ears picked up sounds from the direction of the bathroom. Maxwell must have relayed an order to prepare the bath on her behalf. She didn't have to wait long before the maids appeared.
"My lady, we're done."
"Thank you," Engjell replied gently.
She took her bath in record time, got dressed, and set off. On her way, she called Atarah. "I'm already on my way. I hope you're there or close by; I don't want a repeat of the last time." Laughter echoed through her earpiece.
"No need to worry. Candida and I are already here. Hurry up; we want to hit the mall."
"Yeah, yeah. I'm on my way. Okay, bye, get off my phone!" A loud snort was her only response before the call ended. She laughed in amusement, before clicking off her earpiece.