My name is Mia. I am a doll in service of mistress Sarah.
My master is black.
So she always makes a mess of things…

...and my job, as a living doll in service of Shadows House, is to diligently clean up after her. That’s the only purpose of my existence- being useful to my masters.
And I failed at that purpose…..

Today, just like the other day, I was receiving my punishment.
Bending over, I bit a piece of cloth, not to accidentally bite my tongue off. I lifted my work uniform up, exposing my pristine skin, blemished with countless bruises that still didn’t quite heal since the last session.
Today, additional ones would be added to the collection…

But what did I do to deserve such punishment? Ah, I remember now….
I shamed my mistress by getting overly close to another doll in my team. Her name was….

Rea, and she was the second oldest after Rosemary and Barbie.

The team composition from the oldest to the youngest:

Date: Unknown?...spring, 4 years prior to Emilico’s arrival

Rosemary, age 15, team leader
Rea, age 14
Ann, age 13
Mia, age 10

Each cleaning team was composed of four members, which occasionally rotated and switched depending on circumstances.
Their composition usually included two veteran members, one intermediate, and one novice.

The newcomer this year was Mia. Although she was a resident of shadows house for many years until now, even remembering the times of [redacted, don’t fret over trivial matters], like other living dolls, she wasn’t considered fit for work until she reached the age of 10.
Too many accidents occurred when dolls of inappropriate age were sent to work in the past; thus a decision was made to raise the bar considerable.

The doll who knocked at the window of her quarters that day...was Rea.
It wasn’t the first time Mia saw another living doll...in the past, all dolls had freedom of movement within the children’s wing, but everything changed from [certain point onward].

Rea was rather a quiet type, but she nonetheless, did a splendid job at diligently showing the newcomer around. As she explained various tools, utilities and toured Mia around, the young doll felt enamored with the charismatic wisdom of her senior.
She admired her and resolved herself to be equally dependable when she grows up and her turn to teach the next generation comes.
Alas...things are rarely simple and easy.

Sarah-sama always made sure to showcase the tool chosen for punishment before applying it. This time, it was a rather hefty looking stick. She’d play around with it, run her dark fingers among it’s well polished surface, occasionally gently slap a piece of furniture with it, producing a loud, menacing sound.

The purpose of that was probably...to intimidate. That way I would feel the fear of incoming punishment even before it reached me. After all, the physical part is the least important one- causing mental trauma is the real goal of discipline.
So that the next time a doll was about to disappoint her master, she would recall the unpleasant experience, and think twice before commiting such a terrible mistake.

And I had a lot to think over…

Rea was kind. Too kind.
As silly as it sounds, Mia found herself...falling in love with the older doll.
This of course, utterly ridiculous. Dolls aren’t supposed to develop feelings! They are just construct, meant to serve Shadows House and their masters. And yet…

Whenever Rea smiled at her, she felt her heart skip a bit.
Whenever Rea helped her out, she could feel weird warmth fill her, and tingles run down her spine….

This was very different from love recieved from Sarah, which only manifested in pain and intimidation. Mia actually felt she wants to spend time with this senpai, and that was….
A sin.

However, at this point, the young doll-girl didn’t know it yet. So she foolishly allowed these feelings to flourish and cultivated them.

Party of delight...was a moment of sobriety when such irrational desires were suppressed, and her mind was filled with nothing but virtue- loyalty to the house, and unconditional devotion to the one who leads shadows house, the shadows’s house king, us living dolls creator, the great creator-sama. However, the effects of the coffee were short-lived- and no more than a week later, the sinful desires would resurface, like pus oozing from an unhealed wound….

However, there is such a thing as “karma” in the world. Evil is punished, and good is rewarded. Four years after their meeting, Rea’s kindness was rewarded...when she got invited to the adult wing.

“Ara Ara, what an honor ~” exclaimed Rosemary. Despite being a year old than Rea, the time of her invitation didn’t come yet, and she was understandably jealous.

“Don’t worry Rosemary-san” said Rea, reassuringly “I’m sure one day, you will be invited, too! And then we will meet again, and talk about old times over tea and cookies~”

It was common knowledge that life in the adult wing is very different from the one they led as children. No longer having to serve, the older dolls all enjoyed a privileged life of luxury, not unlike their shadow masters. It was ultimate happiness all the living dolls strived to.

Suddenly Rea approached Mia. She gently patted her junior’s head, and Mia felt her cheeks involuntarily redden. The older doll leaned over and affectionatly whispered a sweet promise into Mia’s ear…
The young girl, overwhelmed, only remembered fragments of the lengthy sentence her senpai spoke that day, the last day she ever saw her….

*Reunion*
*Love*
*One Day…*
.....
*Free from your master*
..........

Shameful thoughts, unwarranted thoughts. It’s best if I forget it all.
But until the next party of delight... I couldn’t! I couldn’t get these words out of my mind, I couldn’t stop thinking about it, as sinful and rebellious as it was……

So I….messed up...on several occasions...I broke a vase, I knocked down a clock...and what’s worse, I didn’t feel guilty about it at all!

I disappointed Sarah-sama.

And eventually, I confessed all my sins.
My master listened to everything patiently, then decided on the method of punishment.
For seven days straight, I would be beaten with a different tool of her choice, to purge these sinful thoughts of my mind and my body.

As the wooden stick made a loud, whipping noise against the surface of my back, I could feel healed already.
The tears dripping down my cheeks were like impurities, forced out of my body by my master’s merciful hand.