Chapter 5 - First Duties, First Temptations

The sun never touched Whitcroft Manor.

Even when Mira woke to a thin light, it felt like moonlight had been stretched and watered down.

A bell clanged sharply in the hall, jolting her upright in her tiny, cold bed.

She fumbled into her uniform, her hands still clumsy with exhaustion, and stumbled out into the corridor. Waiting there were the four familiar figures, Adeline, Clara, Margot, and Lys, already immaculate in their pressed black-and-white dresses.

Adeline: "Sleeping beauty finally wakes."

Mira: "Morning..."

Clara: "Not really. Lady Selene prefers it dark, even inside."

Margot: "First day! We get to break you in."

Lys bit her lip, clutching a clipboard.

Lys: "Um... T-These are today's duties."

She handed Mira a wrinkled sheet of paper covered in neat, curling handwriting.

At the very top, underlined three times:

"DO NOT ENTER THE MASTER’S CHAMBERS WITHOUT PERMISSION."

Mira’s throat dried instantly.

The rest of the tasks were normal enough: Dusting chandeliers, polishing silver, tending to the sprawling gardens that looked more like a haunted graveyard than anything living.

Adeline: "And if you screw up?"

Clara: "She notices."

Margot: "And she punishes."

Lys: "But usually, it's not... physical..."

The way the other three giggled didn’t reassure Mira. She straightened her back anyway, gripping the list tighter.

Mira: "I can handle it."

Adeline laughed approvingly and gave her a clap on the back hard enough to make Mira stumble.

Adeline: "Good girl."

They split up then, the senior maids vanishing like shadows down the twisting corridors. Mira was left alone with her list, a feather duster, and a heart hammering in her chest.

Hours dragged by in an eerie silence.

Dust floated through the air like tiny ghosts. Every old mirror reflected back a more tired version of herself.

By the time Mira found herself near the west wing, she was dragging her feet.

She leaned against the wall to catch her breath, only to freeze when a soft voice purred behind her.

Selene: "Slacking already, Mira?"

Mira whirled around, and there she was.

Lady Selene.

She was dressed not in the heavy black she’d worn yesterday, but in a long, silky gown the color of wine, slit daringly high up one thigh. Her hair fell loose over her shoulders, and her sparkling gray eyes pinned Mira where she stood.

Mira: "I-I'm sorry, my lady. I was just-"

Selene only smiled, drifting closer.

Selene: "Tired already? Poor little lamb..."

Without waiting for permission, Selene reached out and plucked a cobweb from Mira’s hair. Her fingers brushed Mira’s temple, ice-cold and lingering.

Mira flinched, but Selene’s hand followed her movement, caressing her cheek.

Selene: "So warm. You burn like a candle."

Mira: "I'm fine."

Selene: "How brave. How stubborn."

She leaned in until Mira could feel her breath, cool and smelling faintly of some dark, heady perfume.

Selene: "You know what happens to stubborn girls here, don’t you?"

Mira swallowed hard, clutching the feather duster like a weapon. Selene’s smile widened, amused.

Selene: "Relax, kitten. I won't bite."

A pause.

Selene: "Today."

Mira flushed crimson from her collar to her forehead. Selene chuckled darkly and turned away, trailing her fingers along the wall as she walked.

Selene: "Follow me."

Mira hesitated, but the unspoken command in Selene’s tone left no room for argument.

She trailed behind as Selene led her down a narrower hallway Mira hadn't seen before, one lined with heavy, locked doors.

Selene stopped before one and produced a silver key.

Selene: "A special task for you, little maid."

She opened the door with a creak, revealing a room draped in deep crimson curtains and thick rugs. The center of the room held an enormous chair, almost a throne, upholstered in dark leather.

Selene: "This is my receiving room."

Mira: "Receiving...?"

Selene: "For guests. For... entertainment."

She turned, and something dangerous flickered behind her eyes.

Selene: "Your job? Keep it spotless. Every day. Every night. No exceptions."

Mira nodded stiffly.

Mira: "Understood."

Selene: "And if you disobey?"

Mira shivered.

Mira: "I won’t."

Selene’s smile sharpened.

Selene: "Good girl."

She brushed past Mira then, her fingers ghosting over the back of her neck, sending a shudder through Mira’s entire body.

Before Mira could react, Selene was gone, the only evidence of her passing a faint, lingering scent of roses and something darker. Mira sagged against the doorframe, heart hammering wildly. She didn't know how much longer she could survive in this house, but one thing was certain.

She wasn't just working for Lady Selene. She was caught. And Selene? Selene knew exactly how to pull the strings.

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