Mr. Frederick glanced at the maid. "Please, give us a moment," he said gently.
The maid bowed her head and quickly left the room, closing the door softly behind her. As soon as they were alone, Mr. Frederick approached Maria cautiously.
He reached out to touch her arm but immediately recoiled as though shocked by something unseen. His face shifted into an expression of surprise.
Maria looked at him in confusion, concern etching deep lines on her face. "What is it?" her eyes asked silently.
"Maria, what happened?" he asked, his voice low but urgent.
"I had a terrible nightmare," she replied, her voice trembling.
He sat beside her on the edge of the bed. "Can you tell me what it was about?"
Maria hesitated, swallowing hard. Her skin felt unusually hot, and she knew something inside her was shifting.
"I found myself killing a lot of people," she began slowly, her voice filled with dread.
