The sound of my name being called, jarred me from a fitful sleep. I opened my eyes to once again see the maids from before standing at the end of my bed – grinning.

"Good morning, my Lady!" They said, at the same time.

"Must you wake me before the sun even rises?" I yawned, shifting into a seated position.

"Of course we must." The Blonde giggled. "You have lessons after all."

"What are your names?" I sighed, turning my legs over the edge of the bed, and standing.

"I'm Wella." The brunette laughed.

"I'm Sorna." The blonde smiled.

"Char." The stocky one said, walking over. "Come, let us ready you."

"Where is my maid?" I brushed her off. "Alora."

"Alora?" Sorna tilted her head, tapping her chin thoughtfully. "Do we have an Alora here?"

"I don't know." Wella mused. "Not as far as I know."

"She must be referring to the new girl that came with her." Char said.

"Oh, I see." Wella and Sorna nodded.

"Well?" I crossed my arms, tapping my foot. "Where is she? Don't make me repeat myself again."

"We don't mean to upset you, my lady." Sorna placed a hand on her chest, smiling still – eyes unfocused.

What is wrong with these people? I suppressed a shiver, narrowing my eyes. Something about them is just…unsettling.

"Sorna is right." Wella nodded. "We just forgot her name, is all. She's undergoing training."

"Training for what exactly?" I walked over to the wardrobe, shifting through the items inside.

None of these will be up to Matilda's strange standards. I shrugged, pulling out a pale pink gown. Not that it matters. I had stayed up well into the night trying to read the idiotic book she gave me yesterday.

I hadn't planned on actually trying to read it through since there was absolutely no way I'd have been able to finish it for today. Several of the chapters I had to stop and reread because the language was so outdated. I knew the book was going to be awful from the title and her comments, but it was far worse than I had thought. It was also boring and lulled me to sleep five hours ago.

"For the manor." Char explained, walking up behind me. "All staff must undergo extensive training to work here. She should be returning tomorrow to attend you."

"She is a quick learner." Sorna crossed the room, taking the dress from my hands. "She'll be back tonight – I believe."

"The three of you can leave." I snatched the dress back, shooing them off. "I can dress myself. I don't need your help."

"We must help." Wella insisted. "We are here to serve you, my Lady."

"Leave," I bit out, temper spiking. "Now. That's an order."

"An order?" Sorna stared at me blankly for a long time, then slowly smiled. "We understand. Call us if you need anything!"

"Oh, please do." Wella nodded as the three of them walked toward the door. "A simple call is all you need!"

"Right…" I trailed off, feeling a shiver run down my spine.

The three maids disappeared out the door, closing it with a gentle click. What the hell is going on here? I stripped quickly out of my nightgown and pulled on the dress. They're not only pushy, but they're…odd. Almost like pod-people. I shook my head and reached for a brush. I'll figure it out later. I better hurry before Matilda blows a gasket.

After I brushed my hair and pulled it back in a loose braid, I left the room. The maids had – thankfully – disappeared. They hadn't told me where to go, but I assumed it would be at the same location as last time. I made my way quickly through the hall, intentionally avoiding the gazes of the maids. A few of them greeted me, but I didn't respond back. The strangest part was, they didn't seem bothered by my response – if anything, they expected it.

I pushed the thoughts aside as I entered the same room as before – although it was slightly different. The piano had disappeared completely and instead was replaced by an ornate table. I crossed over to it, touching the surface lightly. Inscriptions of flowers in shades of reds and blues curled around the edges – extending down to the legs.

Why is this here? I glanced over to the chair behind it, frowning. While the table was appealing, the chair was not. It was short, made for someone who was in their early teens, and straight backed. The seat looked as though it had a cushion on it at one point, but was removed recently – if the thin line of threads left behind was any indication.

Does that witch expect me to sit on this? I nudged the chair's leg with my foot, grimacing when it creaked loudly. If I sit in this I'll either get a splinter or it'll break.

"What do you mean you forgot to make my tea?" Matilda's loud voice boomed just outside the door.

I turned my head in her direction, to see her face bright red and a larger ruler in her hands. She huffed and rounded on the maid – one I hadn't seen before – and smacked the objects across the maid's head.

"You spineless filly." She snarled. "Be gone from my sight this instant! Tell another maid to make my tea and I better not see you again in this estate."

The maid flushed, lowering her eyes, and ran down the hall. Matilda grumbled something I didn't catch, and walked into the room.

"Why are you dressed like that again?" She walked over, her high heels clicking with each step. "Never mind that, sit down."

I glanced over at the chair and back at her. "You want me to sit in this chair?" I pointed at it, tossing her a leveled look. "You have to be joking."

"Do I seem like one who makes jokes?" She snapped, wagging the ruler at the chair. "Sit down, now. I swear this is why I never tried for another child."

You probably scared your husband into not wanting to be around you. I highly doubt it was a choice you made. I rolled my eyes and sat down – choosing not to argue with her. She had a blunt object in her hand after all. My back stiffened as I braced myself, half expecting to end up on the floor. To my surprise, the chair didn't break – but it did creak and groan under my weight.

"Now, tell me young lady, did you finish How to Serve Your Husband: The Maiden's Guide to a Happy Home?" She walked over, stopping at the front of the table, and lightly tapping the ruler against her palm. "I don't suppose you did. I don't know why I bother having expectations for the women my son poorly chooses."

"I did attempt to-"

"Hold out your hands." Matilda snapped, cutting me off.

"My hands?" I blinked a few times, looking down at them. "Why?"

"If you had read the book as you were told," Matilda huffed. "You would understand my instructions perfectly. Now, do as you're told."

I sighed, strongly suspecting what she was about to do. What if I don't hold them out? What then? Will she rage? If she did throw a temper tantrum over my defiance, would that result in a faster death for me? The chances of that happening were too strong to ignore. I have to pick my battles until I'm sure I'll win.

I took a deep breath and held out my hands as instructed. A slow smile spread across Matilda's face. "Good girl." She laughed, smacking the ruler against my skin.

I winced from the sharp quick pain and bit back a curse. I knew it was going to sting, but the pain was similar to being cracked with a whip. How the hell did she manage to make it hurt so much?

"You will finish the book two days from now or your punishment will be much more painful." She clicked her tongue and began to walk in a semi-circle. "Now tell me the first rule of obeying your husband…"

Why was she giving me two days? I planned to ask her, but she never stopped her questions.

For the next few hours, she grilled me on everything and anything that popped into her head. A few of the questions she asked – I doubted were actually in the book. Each time I answered incorrectly – she made me hold out my hands again. Each slap hurt more than the last – and by the time I was done with her grilling, I had been hit at least twenty times.

She wrapped up around noon and left complaining how incompetent I was. I watched her wordlessly until she disappeared behind the door.

"Bitch." I snapped, looking down at my hands. Bright red welts contrasted the paleness of my skin.

I had half a mind to follow after her, grab the ruler, and hit her across the face. No, not worth it. Calm down. I let out a long breath, closing my eyes.

If I didn't know the plot – I'd have gone after her.

Time will prove to be her downfall.

All I had to do was wait.