In the afternoon Elisi went back to the kitchen after finishing her work. 

Although the king had ordered her to stick around, Sebastian; Elisi didn’t want to create more hostility between her colleagues. That is why she decided to come to help them instead.

Mirna always seemed to wait for her at the table. She already got used to it.

“Please sit down... Here, have this paper to write your resignation,”

Since the king nor the butler were present, since they left for their trip early in the morning, it made it the perfect time to discharge Elisi from her duties.

“I don’t understand” Elisi’s eyebrows frowned and her head shook. Maybe she did not hear it right.

“Well, don’t you think the king warrants a better servant?”

Is he the one who asked for it? Why would he tell her yesterday to go to his room today?

Holding her apron as a security blanket, she got the courage to argue with her.

Did he wish her to quit? Such a thought unnerved her.

“Did he ask for it?”

“Of course he did, again, why would I be... Don’t worry Elisi, it is for the best.” Mirna was staring intensely “Do not fear, we will pair you with a great household,”

Elisi was going through her usual confusion. Why could she not continue her stay in the castle?

She just showed up to the kitchen to be ordered to resign? Even if Mirna was to be above her, she would not give up her position, not until the king tells her to.

In her past, she would have done as told right the moment they told her, but now she was determined to stand her ground to the best of her abilities.

It was hard. Her palms were sweating and trembling, the cloth in her fists was sheltering her distress. Yesterday’s memories brought her strength.

Why would he suggest coming to his room today and then encourage her to stay with Sebastian? It would be awfully mean, it would be too sad, maybe it would be better if she just left everybody, it would be better without her.

Same concerns as before were clogging her mind, yet came back to her senses as fast as she could.

“I will not sign that letter,” Declared Elisi, looking right at Mirna while yanking the fabric in her hands.

It surprised Mirna to see Elisi so determined. Absolutely took her off guard.

“How dare you defy the king! We’ll see, go to your room for now.”

Elisi wanted to rush into her room and cry.

But when walked towards her room, she held herself by the door. Her body instinctively froze and her eyes blinked in surrender when met the insides.

A few of the maids were waiting for her. Such an occurrence was familiar to her. Those dreadful images from school were still vivid in her mind.

Elisi stopped and one maid walked with heavy steps towards her with a sheet in her hand. The steps sounded like that of a giant  was about to eat its prey.

“Sign the letter,” added the girl, “otherwise it will not be good for you.”

“I did not choose this work. If there is any complaint, it should be voiced to the king and his butler”

“They are not here. Are they? The king is the one who demanded your leave!”

“Then wait till he comes back. He told me nothing about it,” Elisi proclaimed.

A slap shook her cheek to the side and from behind they grabbed her hair, shoving her down to a kneeling position.

While comforting the hurting place with her hand, Elisi remembered such behavior. It was like her past was coming for her once more.

“How dare you doubt any of this?! Just write the damn latter!”

Why I can’t fight back properly? why does it always come to this? Everything still hurts.

Even if she felt despair, she did not want to give up.

She tried to release herself from the grab of the maid, and the servant tripped on her behind.

“Look at what have you done,” said another "Why don’t you say sorry to us?"

It was weird. It is as if after she died she forgot about the only word she used to say over and over again back then. In her second life, she almost erased the existence of it, that’s the only thing that changed about her.

"Say sorry!!!!"

"Why do I need to say sorry????"

"You hurt her terribly. Look, she is on the ground!!!"

"So say sorry and write the letter!!!!!" another one added

She didn’t want to do any of those things, no matter the pressure. Although that word was itching to come out, she wouldn’t. She needn’t apologize for something she had no control over.

Suddenly her body felt shoved again and her back ached after hitting something hard. They pushed Elisi towards the bed with no compassion and hit the hard frame as she tripped.

The servant pulled Elisi upward, prompting her to get up.

“Please stop,” she begged. She was tired, her voice was small and weak.

This was the first time to beg, but sadly it went on deaf ears. The maids were determined to get on Mirna’s good side. There was nothing that would stop them.

She could not move, for the maids circled, outnumbering her.

While still hurting her, one of them brought scissors.

"Trying to seduce the king with that long hair of yours.... I'll show you your place," she said while giggling and cutting chunks of Elisi's hair.

"you didn't apologize. You deserve this"

Elisi saw her hair flying like feathers slowly falling into the ground, becoming a cloud of dark dust that covered all the surrounding floors.

They let her go and Elisi fell at once, exhausted, on the ground.

She was outnumbered, and she was not strong enough to fight yet.

An apathetic feeling filled all of her, but no tears were coming out, she could feel nothing, her body was numb just like her mind, all the touches from before felt like the tremors of distant drums.

The maid returned with a paper and pen.

“Write it now!”

“No!”

“Write or....”

Mary, who was sent upstairs to clean, came running. They could hear her shouting approaching them.

“Mirna, the king is here. His trip was canceled” Mary kept running “Is Elisi here? I'll go tell her, the king is calling for her”.

Mirna could not entice Mary to go against Elisi, didn't even tell her about it. Indeed, she needed to keep her plan a secret from most of her workers and recruited only the closest servants to her.

Now she had a terrified look on her face, her eyes became frozen. Mirna was counting on the king being absent for full a full week.

She was to present him with Elisi’s resignation letters and with a new maid to his disposal. She could even be the one to be his servant, she would give up her position for him.

Why did he come so early?

She was suddenly afraid, did not know why.

Why is she worried about a mere low servant the king will pay no attention to?

Failing to stop Mary from entering the room, she woke up from her deep thoughts after hearing Mary's loud gasp.

“Heavens! What has happened?!”

“Are you fine, Elisi,? My dear, your hair, your clothes!”

The butler came down to look for Elisi.

“The King is calling for Elisi”

“She is here!!!” screamed Mary

All the maids were standing strangely silent the Butler thought, it was a strange sight to see such a quiet kitchen.

Where are the cooks? He asked Mirna.

“I sent them all to pick vegetables in the garden,”

He looked back at her strangely and entered Elisi's room.

Such a view he did not expect to see.

So much hair was scattered around. Mary was hugging Elisi as if protecting her. The healer had a blank stare on her face and her clothes were ripped.

It shocked him to see that scene.

“Oh, my! What have you done?”