Maria stroked the back of her head. "Yes, it’s a little painful, but it will get better. I made a mistake, after all. Master was right to want to punish . This isn’t a place where one can act wilfully and make mistakes like that..." She shivered.
"Then why did you choose this job, Maria?" Daisy narrowed her eyes in the dark as she voiced the question.
"Hmm?"
"I an... you’re clearly scared of Master, and you’re always worried about being clumsy. Today, you almost lost your life..." Daisy whispered in a concerned voice. "Why would you want a job like this?"
"Silly girl. It’s a little tough, but at the end of the day, what job isn’t tough? My mother used to work here, so I ended up following in her footsteps..."
"Oh? Your mother worked here too?"
"Mother loved it. Unlike , she was great at what she did, so she always received praise and promotions. Master even personally rewarded her," Maria said with a soft smile on her face. "But my mother passed away early on, and I had to drop out of school, so I’m not well-educated enough for other jobs. Not just that... my face..." She touched her scars as she sighed. "With a face like this, what kind of jobs could I even get? I’ve been trying to get a job here for years but never succeeded..."
"You’ve been trying for that long?"
"You probably got this job the first ti you applied, right?" Maria cupped the scarred half of her face. "That’s right. I’ve been trying for a long ti, but I was always rejected. People who work in Kingsley Mansion have to go through many verifications, including their family background and previous generations. My mother was the only family I had left, and after her death, I had no one. Moreover, my face isn’t delicate or pretty, so that couldn’t help either."
"You don’t need to be sad about it anymore," Daisy said, patting her back. "Aren’t you here now? You’ve already got the job."
"It’s all thanks to the current Madam. The butler told that Madam saw my profile and took a fancy to . She asked them to hire right away, just like she did with you. We’re lucky in that sense."
"What Madam? Isn’t she just a mistress?" Daisy said, her voice taking on a tone unfamiliar even to her, but since she had spent ti studying the original ’maid’ before coming here, her mimicry was accurate.
"Shhh... What are you saying?" Maria panicked, jumping to her feet. She quickly locked the windows and looked around the room before returning to Daisy. "You can’t say things like that."
"Was I wrong, though?" Daisy pouted. "She isn’t even lawfully wedded to Master. What kind of ’Madam’ is that?"
Maria laughed and patted her shoulder. "When you say it like that, it’s true. The man you saw outside today is the only heir of the family, Master’s son with the late Madam. My mother worked here when the late Madam was alive. But even back then, Master had many affairs," she whispered softly.
"My mother would sotis co ho exhausted from work, mumbling about her day. She’d tell how her heart ached for the Madam, who had to witness all that. Master took in many mistresses and had affairs from the ti he was just married, when the late Madam was pregnant, when she gave birth, and when the little Master was growing up..."
Daisy felt a twinge in her heart.
"That’s why I was so surprised when the butler told the little Master was here. It was my first ti seeing him as an adult."
"Does that an you t him before?"
Maria nodded. "When I didn’t have school, my mother would bring here with her. I saw the little Master a few tis, but I was young, and I don’t rember all the details. However, I do rember one ti when I saw the little Master fighting with Master, asking why he was with another woman and why he was treating his mother coldly..."
Maria rubbed her arms. "I found him pitiful back then, but today, I was startled by how different he seed. Nowhere near as pathetic..."
"Enough."
The room fell silent as Maria flinched. "Daze?"
Daisy swallowed the lump in her throat, suppressing the discomfort spreading in her chest. When Maria was speaking, she could almost picture it in her mind—a small Ryle, about a little taller than Angel, running around, seeking his father’s affection, trying to have a complete family, trying and failing, being disappointed all by himself.
When Daisy didn’t reply, Maria sighed softly. "I understand. You must feel sad for him, right? Actually, when you think of it that way, it is sad. Master always had many mistresses outside, won he pampered a lot. He even brought them ho, and so of them interacted with the little Master. After all, Master spoiled them."
Daisy clutched the sheets in the darkness. What kind of child would want to interact with won his father was cheating on his mother with?
"But the current Madam... she seems to be the real deal."
Daisy collected herself and refocused her attention. "Why do you think so?"
"I’ve heard from the other maids that Master has kept her around for a long ti. He seems to be wrapped around her little finger. He lets her do whatever she wants and even assigns people to serve and protect her. He gives in to all her whims. But I’m glad about that. That’s how I got this job after all. However, it seems like they might get married."
Daisy fell into contemplation. A weird feeling erged in her chest but she was unable to put a finger on it. There was so missing clue in this whole puzzle and it seed to be right in front of her eyes, but when she reached towards it, it disappeared.
A man who had a weakness for won and would often change them about like clothes. Why would a reprobate like that persist on one woman suddenly? Did he change his ways? Or did he get himself a woman who changed his ways?
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