CHAPTER 2

Like every morning, Anne woke up early and prepared to carry out her duties as a maid of the ducal household. She washed carefully and tied her long golden hair into a neat bun. Standing before the mirror, she put on her uniform: a dark blue dress that reached her ankles, lightly flared, paired with a white apron with delicate ruffles, almost as long as the dress, which adorned her figure with simplicity and elegance.

She approached the bed and, from underneath it, pulled out a pair of perfectly clean, polished black shoes. After slipping them on, she returned to the mirror to inspect herself one last time.

“Perfect,” she murmured.

Once satisfied with her neat and tidy appearance—so characteristic of the maids of the Duchy of Elisian—she prepared to leave her small room. However, before closing the door, she glanced up at the window above her bed. Snow was falling steadily, covering the landscape in a white blanket.

“It’s going to be a cold day,” she thought.

“I must hurry before the lords wake up,” she told herself, stepping briskly into the hallway.

As she moved swiftly through the mansion’s corridors, lost in thought, Anne sensed a presence around her. Instinctively, she turned her head—but saw no one.

Despite the brief unease, she decided not to dwell on it and continued with her duties. Upon reaching the dining room, she headed straight for the fireplace. Her task that morning was to warm the room and set the table before the ducal family came down for breakfast. With agile movements, she grabbed some firewood stacked beside the hearth and began to light the fire.

Just as she managed to ignite the flames, a sudden icy gust burst into the room, extinguishing the fire instantly. Startled, Anne stood up quickly and turned toward the door. That’s when she realized her mistake—she had left it open.

The relentless wind was pouring in through the open doorway, lifting the edges of the tablecloth and making the curtains dance. She frowned and clicked her tongue in frustration. How could I be so careless?

As she hurried to close the door, Evine’s voice—her closest friend and fellow maid—echoed clearly in her mind, as if still resonating through the ducal hallways.

“Before you light the fireplace, make sure the door is closed. That way, the room will warm up faster, okay?”

“Yes…”

“Mmm? And what's with the long face?”

“It’s just… do you really have to leave?”

She remembered with pain the moment Evine had told her. They had been in the pantry, folding tablecloths and laughing softly, when Anne, her voice trembling, blurted out the question that had been gnawing at her heart for days.

Evine looked at her with a sweet, almost nostalgic smile.

“Oh? So that’s what it was?” she said with a tender laugh. “You know it was inevitable, Anne. I’m getting married in two days. It’s time for me to take care of my own household and start a family with my husband. To do that… I have to leave this job.”

“But… I’m scared.”

Evine tilted her head, surprised by her friend’s honesty.

“Scared? Of what, Anne?”

“I’ve never dealt directly with young Master Cleoh. What if I make a mistake and get punished?”

Silence filled the room for a moment, but then Evine let out a soft laugh—so infectious that it even eased Anne’s tense shoulders.

“What are you talking about? Young Master Cleoh is calm and kind. Even if you made a mistake, he’d understand. You have nothing to be afraid of.”

Evine stepped closer and placed a warm hand on her shoulder. It was a simple gesture, but full of affection and trust.

“Besides, thanks to me leaving, you’ll finally get out of the laundry room. They’ll assign you to the dining hall and noble chambers. Now you’ll be able to send enough money to your family so they can live well. It’s a step up, don’t you see? So… cheer up a bit, Anne!”

The scene faded from her mind like the smoke from a candle. Anne returned to the present with a deep sigh.

“What’s with this sudden wind?” she thought, glancing out toward the dining room entrance. Her eyes fell on the main door, located to the right of the room—it was completely wide open.

“Huh?!” she exclaimed, startled.

She didn’t clearly see the person who had left, but she did manage to spot a peculiar head of black hair whipping in the wind.

Anne rushed to the entrance and, peering outside, confirmed her fears. It was, without a doubt, young Master Cleoh. But she couldn’t understand why he had run out of the mansion in such a state.

Before her mind could fully grasp what was happening, Anne acted. She ran to the parlor, grabbed one of the blankets that covered the sofas, and, without a second thought, dashed after him, shouting desperately for him to stop.

Just when she thought her cries had finally reached the young master’s ears, her heart dropped as she saw him collapse into the snow.

“No, no, no…! Young Master Cleoh!!” Anne rushed to his side, knelt beside him, and, as best she could, turned him over. His slender arms were numb from the cold, and he was gasping for air, but she had to lift him.

However, she didn’t have the strength to do so. With what little breath she had left, she screamed desperately:

“Please, someone! I need help! Young Master Cleoh isn't responding! Guards!”

No matter how loudly she cried, there was no answer. The absence of any response sank her deeper into anguish, until finally, she broke down in tears. With trembling hands, she wrapped the blanket carefully around the young man and held him tightly in a desperate attempt to shield him from the freezing wind and biting cold that lashed the grounds.

“Is anyone there?” a voice called out, suddenly breaking the silence like a distant echo.

She quickly lifted her head and looked in all directions until, in the distance, she saw the silhouettes of two guards patrolling the courtyard on that frigid morning.

“Here, please, over here!” she shouted, raising her arms and waving them frantically to draw their attention.

The guards rushed over. When they arrived, they found the young maid kneeling in the snow, clinging desperately to a figure wrapped in a blanket.

“Anne?” one of them asked, visibly surprised. “What are you doing outside the mansion in this weather?”

Anne remained silent. She couldn’t find the words—not even for herself. Confusion clouded her mind, and no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t fully understand what was happening.

Seeing her so bewildered, one of the guards knelt beside her, trying to make sense of the situation. Then his eyes landed on the face of the young man wrapped in the blanket—and something about that image chilled him to the bone.

“Young Master Cleoh…?” he murmured, his voice cracking, his face frozen in shock. He turned slowly to the maid, searching her eyes for an explanation, but the questions flooded his mind faster than he could form them into words.

Driven by urgency and without a moment’s hesitation, he gently took the young man from Anne’s arms and sprinted toward the mansion, carrying him as carefully as the moment allowed. The second guard, seeing the maid’s condition, took off his coat and draped it over her shoulders. Then he helped her to her feet gently and accompanied her back to the mansion’s main entrance, shielding her from the icy wind that still whipped through the snow-covered gardens.

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