Nephrine screamed as she plunged her face back into the basin of water.
“Aaaaah! You knew, didn’t you? You knew and still did it?!”
Nephrine grabbed Diana by the hair and shook her mercilessly. This time, too, the sound of her hand cutting through the air was audible, but Diana didn’t avoid it. She knew that unless she took a few hits, the torment would only drag on longer.
“I should have sold you back to the brothel! You should have been given to some ugly, fat hunchback to bear his children! It’s not too late even now. Tomorrow, I’ll have the slave trader take you back, you whore!”
As her hair was being yanked, Diana tried to distract herself with other thoughts. Still, she couldn’t see anything, so at least she didn’t feel dizzy. That was one small advantage…
At that moment, the bedroom door burst open.
A stern voice rebuked them.
“Nephrine, what is all this commotion so early in the morning?”
It was Clara, the Viscountess of Defierre and Nephrine’s mother. She personally pulled her daughter away from Diana.
“Not the face!”
“Mother, why are you taking her side?!”
Nephrine screamed, her voice hoarse.
“Once again, there’s no response from the Duke today! It’s all because of her! Ever since that wretch showed up, nothing in my life has gone right. She’s ruined everything! It’s her fault that Duke Gaspar rejected me, her fault that no marriage proposals have come in, all of it…!”
While Nephrine was throwing her tantrum, Diana groped around the floor for her headscarf. After hastily wrapping it around her disheveled hair, she took a dry rag from her apron. Confirming that the mother and daughter quarreling loudly no longer had any interest in her, she began wiping up the spilled water under the bed.
Just three swipes with the rag left the floor spotless. The soaked carpet dried instantly as her touch absorbed the water. Droplets of water gathered at her fingertips, collecting dirt and grime before evaporating with a soft pop.
Repeating this a few more times, she cleaned the carpet until it looked brand new. The Viscountess and her daughter continued arguing with flushed faces.
Finally, exhausted from dealing with her daughter’s hysteria, the Viscountess waved Diana away.
“That’s enough. You may leave now, Diana.”
Diana stood, carrying the washbasin. Without a word, she exited the bedroom, leaving behind Nephrine, who was still sobbing and hurling profanities.
***
“Here’s your pay for this month.”
“Thank you, madam.”
As soon as Diana stepped into the hallway, Clara handed her a wage envelope. Unlike the wages of the other lowly maids, which were given by the head butler, Diana’s pay was personally handled by the Viscountess.
“I added a little extra, as always. Go ahead and check.”
Diana opened the envelope where she stood and counted the amount with her fingertips. The sum far exceeded the typical wages of an ordinary maid.
Despite all the humiliation, Diana stayed at the Defierre estate for one simple reason: the pay was the highest among noble households in the region. Moreover, as hush money for keeping quiet about Nephrine’s misdeeds, the Viscountess paid her an additional 10 francs every month. Though a cleaning maid, Diana received wages comparable to those of a maid with a noble rank.
I’ve saved up quite a bit.
Thankfully, the poison Diana had ingested had an antidote. The doctor had assured her that if she drank the antidote, the darkness clouding her corneas would gradually clear.
She just had to buy it, no matter what. The only problem was the exorbitant cost.
Diana carefully tucked the wage envelope into her apron.
Just three more years to endure.
Working at the Defierre estate allowed her to save enough money in ten years to buy the antidote. Anywhere else, it wouldn’t have been possible.
Think positively. If I don’t, it’s my loss.
As she had done all her life, Diana steeled herself once more. Tomorrow would be better than today, and the day after would be better still. Someday, she would heal her eyes, and someday, she would return to her hometown.
The vivid scenery of her mysterious homeland seemed to appear before her eyes. Swallowing her longing, Diana reassured herself, as she had grown accustomed to doing.
But the world always mocked her optimism.
Clara, the Viscountess, spoke nonchalantly as she passed by.
“This will be your last wage.”
“Thank you… Pardon?”
Diana froze, still holding the envelope.
“Are you saying I’m being dismissed, madam?”
“Someone has expressed an interest in you.”
Clara replied curtly.
“Tonight, clean yourself up and come to the study.”
***
Surely, they’re not sending me back to the brothel?
As she washed herself and changed into fresh clothes, Diana trembled with fear.
How could they? After everything she’d been through to escape that place!
One reason Diana endured Nephrine’s tyranny in silence was that she had already experienced far worse. Until she was fifteen, she had lived in the small town of Hilde, a week’s journey from the capital.
Hilde was a pleasure district where the entire city operated as one giant brothel. Pimps acted like kings, and the women of Hilde were queens ruling over men.
However, once outside the brothel, these women were treated worse than commoners.
Nowhere in the empire did anyone regard the people of Hilde as human beings. It was a den of beasts addicted to drugs and prostitution, plagued by venereal diseases and foul odors. Everyone there, except the pimps and customers, bore the label of “putain”—a derogatory term for prostitutes.
Thus, the women of Hilde could never escape its confines—unless, like Diana, they risked their lives to flee.
The pimp of Diana’s brothel had been particularly tenacious. He purchased slaves of any gender, training them thoroughly so they wouldn’t dare consider escape.
The memory of that vicious pimp sent chills down Diana’s spine.
If it comes to it, I’ll flee the capital too.
Forgetting the antidote, she was prepared to run for her life. Returning to Hilde meant being repeatedly violated by faceless men until death claimed her.
Diana steadied herself before the Viscount’s study.
“It’s Diana, my lord.”
“Enter.”
At the Viscount’s command, Diana carefully opened the door and stepped inside.
She walked three paces straight, stopping as her shoes touched the edge of the carpet. She bowed deeply, knowing this was the appropriate distance to face the main seat.
But a sharp rebuke quickly followed.
“Kneel and bow. You are in the presence of someone far superior to yourself.”
“Apologies, my lord.”
Diana realized the Viscount wasn’t alone. A noble of even higher rank had arrived. Who could it be?
The unfamiliar voice ordered, “That’s enough. Come closer.”
Torn between fear and confusion, Diana hesitated, kneeling awkwardly. The unfamiliar voice seemed to judge her distance by the volume of her steps.
As she inched forward and knelt on the carpet, a commanding voice interrupted.
“Straighten your back and show your face. Remove your headscarf as well.”
The stranger was a young man. His voice was high-pitched and clear, a mature tenor yet tinged with boyishness.
With trembling hands, Diana removed her headscarf. Her milky blonde hair cascaded down her back like a waterfall.
The Viscount addressed the stranger.
“What do you think?”
“It’s certainly a color I’ve never seen before.”
“Indeed. It’s deceptively common yet impossible to replicate. A clear golden hue tinged with ashen silver. Even he would struggle to replicate such a shade.”
He? Replicate? Diana didn’t understand the cryptic exchange.
The stranger spoke languidly.
“Yes, it is intriguing enough to capture attention.”
“Would you like a closer look at her face? Diana, stand and come closer.”
“No, I’ll go to her.”
The sound of the stranger rising from the sofa reached her ears.
