The maid frowned, her brows knitting together as she stared at the unmoving door.
Panic clawed at her chest, and her mind raced, desperately trying to understand what was wrong.
'Is it locked from the outside? Or is it stuck?' she thought, 'No, that didn't make sense, but then why wouldn't it open?'
She tugged at the handle again, her fingers trembling slightly.
"Are you so tense to leave that you've forgotten how to leave?" Veronica's light chuckle filled the room, breaking the tense silence.
Her voice was calm, almost amused, as if the growing fear in the second maid's eyes was nothing more than a slight misunderstanding.
The maid turned, her expression shifting from fear to a hint of irritation.
"How to leave?" she asked, trying to suppress the rising frustration in her voice.
Veronica only smiled, an air of calm confidence radiating from her.
With a slow, deliberate movement, she stepped away from the bed where her lord lay motionless, his chest rising and falling with slow, shallow breaths.
Her delicate fingers gently touched his hand, a gesture that seemed almost affectionate, though her gaze remained on the nervous maid.
"Yes," Veronica replied, her tone patient but tinged with a hint of playfulness. "Don't you remember? There is a password lock on the door's side. Sir Valen is always… cautious. He has it set so that anyone in here can leave, but only those who know the password can open it."
The maid's gaze drifted to the door, her eyes catching sight of the faintly glowing sigil nestled subtly beside the handle.
The intricate pattern of runes etched into the door's side shimmered softly, their silvery glow barely noticeable unless one looked closely.
Her tense shoulders relaxed just a little, a gentle wave of relief washing over her.
'So, it was true. the password lock tool existed. Veronica hadn't been lying.' she thought.
That simple confirmation was enough to ease some of the panic that had gripped her moments before.
But almost immediately, a new wave of anxiety washed over her.
She didn't know how to use it.
Not even the faintest idea.
Her fingers hovered near the runes, hesitant, her breath coming in slow, shallow draws.
She had never been taught anything about this.
Despite her time spent in the estate, learning, observing, carefully memorizing the rules, customs, and routines, this particular detail had eluded her entirely.
She had always prided herself on being observant, on knowing the subtle rules that danced beneath the surface of this grand residence.
But this?
This was something she had never even heard of until now.
A faint shiver ran down her spine as she recalled a whisper she had once overheard, a hushed conversation between two guards at the estate's outer perimeter.
They had spoken of how, a few months prior, an attempt had been made on their lord's life.
An assassination plot that nearly succeeded.
The attacker that had secretly breached the estate.
They spoke of the assassin skilled mainly in the art of stealth, slipping through the once-secure walls.
In response to that horrifying incident, security measures had been tightened, and new systems were quietly put in place.
But she had never imagined that something so… complex, so hidden in plain sight, would be one of those measures.
Her gaze lingered on the runes, a nervous energy swirling in her chest.
She had always thought herself prepared for anything that could happen here, ready to serve, to adapt, to obey.
But now, faced with this strange, arcane lock, she now really felt like an outsider she is, caught in the delicate web of secrets that she hadn't even known existed.
Veronica's calm, almost playful voice echoed in her memory.
"Don't you remember? There is a password lock on the door's side."
'Easy for her to say.'
Veronica clearly knew about this, knew how it worked, knew how to open it.
But for her, with no such knowledge, it was a barrier.
A reminder of how little she truly knew about this weird estate, even when she thought she knew much.
Her fingers drew back slightly, unwilling to touch the runes without knowing how they worked.
What if she triggered something?
What if she accidentally set off an alarm or, worse, locked herself in completely?
Her heart quickened again, that calm she had barely managed to grasp now slipping through her fingers.
But then she forced herself to breathe, slow, deep breaths.
Panicking wouldn't help.
Veronica had been clear.
The lock was there, and it was meant for security.
Sir Valen had it set up after the assassination attempt.
And if she remembered correctly, he was a man who prized loyalty to the disgraced noble who is currently laying on the bed above all else.
Which meant… Veronica was right.
It was here to protect their lord.
Not to trap her.
But to protect the master she had sworn to serve.
But then suddenly, the maid gaze shifted.
She turned slightly, looking back at the room she was so eager to leave, her eyes settling on Veronica.
The first maid was standing by the bedside, her fingers gently wrapped around their lord's pale, unmoving hand.
There was a softness to her touch, a delicate tenderness that seemed almost motherly.
Veronica's lips curved into a gentle smile, her thumb stroking faint, reassuring circles on the back of his hand.
Her expression was one of unwavering devotion, calm, caring, and warm.
To any observer, she would have seemed like the very image of a loyal, kind-hearted servant, one who had dedicated herself entirely to the well-being of her master.
But as the maid continued to watch, something within her shifted.
Her breathing slowed, her pupils subtly narrowing, and her once-anxious expression melted away.
A darkness settled over her gaze, cold, calculating, and almost predatory.
Her fingers curled slightly at her sides, the gentle press of her nails against her palms going unnoticed.
A silent, venomous thought entered her mind, her attention locked on Veronica's back.
'Should i just—'
Veronica's head turned, her gentle smile still present as she glanced over her shoulder.
Instantly, the second maid's expression changed.
The darkness vanished, her gaze softening, her lips curving into a faint, almost embarrassed smile.
There was no hint of suspicion in her expression, no sign that she had noticed the darkness on the other maid's eyes just moments before.
Veronica turned her gaze back to her lord, her fingers continued to gently trace comforting circles on the back of her lord's cold, unmoving hand.
But then, without shifting her gaze from the unconscious figure on the bed, Veronica's voice cut through the stillness, casual yet sharp.
"And also… I've been thinking for a while now," she began, her tone almost conversational, but there was an edge beneath the warmth. "What is your name?"
The second maid froze, the words catching her off guard.
For a heartbeat, her mind raced, thoughts spinning in a frantic dance.
Her lips parted, her tongue already beginning to form a name, any name she could think of.
But before she could speak, Veronica continued, her voice calm, almost amused.
"Because I don't recall ever seeing you here before. And if I remember correctly, my lord specifically said he didn't want any more help around him. A decision he's made quite clear for a while now."
Veronica's hand never left her lord's, her thumb still tracing those gentle circles, her expression never wavering from that soft, serene smile.
"I know all the maids in this estate," Veronica continued, her voice sweet but steady, like a song sung with perfect control. "I've served here for years, and I make it a point to know each and every one of them. Their faces. Their names. Their voices."
Her gaze finally lifted, her warm brown eyes settling on the second maid.
"But you… you aren't among them."
The second maid's pulse thundered in her ears, her carefully constructed mask threatening to shatter.
She forced a smile, but it felt brittle, a faint tremor in her voice betraying her.
"I… I am… I was recently assigned… I—"
"Oh?" Veronica's smile widened, but there was something almost predatory in her gaze now. "Recently assigned, you say? But that's rather odd. Because Sir Valen himself told me after the assassin attempt that no new maid should be brought in. That my lord has insisted on keeping his household staff… familiar and trustworthy."
The second maid's mouth opened, but no words came out.
Panic clawed at her chest, her mind scrambling for an excuse, an explanation, anything that could weave together a believable lie.
Veronica leaned slightly forward, her gentle smile never fading.
"So, if you wouldn't mind… would you care to explain who you are?"
The second maid's fingers clenched into fists at her sides, the pressure of her nails biting into her palms a faint, grounding pain.
Her mind raced, her thoughts clawing desperately at the walls of panic threatening to crush her.
But even as she tried to think, even as she tried to force her lips to form a convincing answer, her gaze locked with Veronica's.
And there, in those calm, watchful eyes, she saw something she hadn't noticed before...
A predator's patience.
A hunter who had already set the trap.
Veronica's smile never wavered, but now there was something sharper beneath it, something dangerous.
"Well?" Veronica whispered, her voice soft, almost sweet. "Who are you… really?"