---

〈 Chapter 5 - Claws of Temptation 〉

---

 

"Hmpf. Show her how to do it properly. Explain clearly, step-by-step, so that she understands well."

Garnet stood in front of Mira and spoke with derision. Every word was dressed with impatience and restlessness. Mira's heart would jump from each command directed at her and the constant stress day after day kept her on edge. Daily, from morning until night, she had become the young lady's primary maidservant much to everyone's surprise, but not a single person envied her.

At the current moment Mira was being instructed on how to properly dress her lady. More experienced personal maids were at her side and yet they were merely relegated as instructors for her. It mystified all of them. Time after time, day after day, Mira had been instructed in all things under the close and scrutinizing watch of her lady. Each mistake she made caused her very soul overflow with anxiety, and the silent judgment of Garnet's expressionless face and piercing eyes compounded her concerns.

Why? Why was she being singled out and instructed to be the sole maid to do all these servant tasks for her master without help or assistance? What was the look in her lady's eye? What could she possibly be thinking by making her go through each and every task in such a well articulated, explained, and methodical way under her scrutiny?

Malaise was the best word to describe her sentiment. All these muddled feelings of hers were the product of Lady Garnet's incomprehensible and moody orders. Mira had heard from other maids who had served the Duke's family much longer that the lady's current actions were ill tempered as usual, but somehow different from her norm.

Mira wasn't a fool. She was aware that servants in the manor had begun to treat her differently. They pulled away and made her feel alienated. It was when Valentina, a young competent maid who had served Garnet for years, had come forward to warn her that Mira's heart became dark and gloomy.

"Don't be naive. Make sure to serve the lady to the utmost and never complain or speak out of turn. Watch your words. If you fail to do so you will only have yourself to blame should 'something' befall you."

Though it was spoken like a harsh verbal reprimand and the cold tone chilled her, Mira could feel the serious concern that Valentina expressed towards her. It was only Valentina that had bothered to speak words of warning towards her and Mira treasured them.

Mira had tried her best to watch her words just as she had been warned. She truly didn't need to be warned to do so as she had always been careful of overspeaking her bounds as a servant, however, Lady Garnet seemed to regularly engage in malicious banter and conversation with her. She was forced into a position where she didn't know whether to speak or stay silent. Was her lady prompting her to speak with her statements and gaze or was her lady merely engaging in self directed rhetoric?

Mira had opened her mouth and spoken on many occasions, for better or worse, due to this problem of her master's meandering conversation. Each night she would go to sleep wondering if the things she had said out of nervousness would come back to haunt her as Valentina had warned.

Nothing ever came of it though. Mira was not punished for her mistakes. She was not punished for her inexperienced and slow execution of her servant tasks. She was not punished beyond a few sharp words for whatever she said to her lady.

At this time Mira began to wonder if her lady was truly as bad as she had been described, but she soon retracted her naive thought.

Seated on a lounging chair her lady who had appeared to be lost in thought started up conversation with her. She supported her tilted head with her palm and casually rolled her eyes to stare at Mira.

"You."

Yes?

Mira simply stared back waiting for more.

"A second daughter to a viscount. What are you doing here in this mansion as my servant?"

There were no words that Mira could speak in response. She had no idea what to make of it.

"But of course this is the best place for you to be useful to your family for now ... However, what will your future be like? The years of your life rolling by. How will a good and filial daughter like you be rewarded?"

Garnet stood up and walked to Mira who could only shrink in place. The red eyes intensely staring at her were foreboding. It was difficult for her to maintain her composure so she turned her eyes down and away as if trying to escape.

"You have a brother who is actively serving your family and is slated to inherit the house. Your talented older sister is to be married off to someone of greater standing rather soon with a large dowry as leverage, but as for you ... you're not talented are you? It seems that only your elder brother was worth it to fund and send to the academy."

Mira could only be alarmed that Garnet had known this much about her family and bothered to examine it to this degree.

"So then someone like you, without a gift in academics or magic, was sent here to be useful to your family and within that family you are firmly in last place."

Mira looked up towards the girl who said so many hurtful things to her. She wasn't sure what kind of expression she was making.

"It's all true, every word, ... but I still love my family and I'm always doing my best to help them. I'm doing my best."

Garnet seemed to contemplate Mira's sad words for a moment before replying.

"Yes, you are doing your best aren't you? I've noticed, but has your family? Then what. You might be in last place to them, but here, right now, and to me you could be first."

Mira's head was spinning and before she knew it Garnet had grabbed her and began to pull on her anxiety induced clammy hand. She was pulled and pushed right in front of her lady's dresser mirror and forcefully seated on the stool.

"You're a very pretty girl."

Garnet gently rotated Mira's head to gaze into the mirror. Mira was completely lost as to what was happening and it terrified her. Being forced to stare at her own confused wide-eyed reflection filled with uneasiness was not helping.

"You make funny expressions too!"

Mira could only inwardly retort that her lady Garnet was the one to blame for it all, and as she thought that something was slipped over her neck. A silver necklace with a large red stone set in the pendant's centerpiece.

"It's good for pretty girls to adorn themselves sometimes don't you think? Ah, but perhaps with your sister's large dowry and your inadequacy ... what will be left for you exactly? You like helping your family very much! One day you might be able to get married to someone for your family too. Then you can continue to help others before yourself well into the future. To put it bluntly, your life's all pretty dreary isn't it?"

Mira had avoided thinking about many parts of her life and had committed herself to keeping herself focused solely on her work. Her duties had been a curse and a blessing in that respect since she needn't think about such depressing thoughts if she remained occupied.

"Mira, I want you to think about your own happiness because it's naive thinking that happiness will definitely be given to those who don't pursue it. As if happiness could ever be entitled and naturally appear with no effort. How wonderful a world it would be! Ohohoho."

Garnet threw her arms to her sides whimsically and smirked. Mira wasn't foolish enough or naive enough to ever believe happiness was so easy to obtain. It was much easier to ignore her own misfortunes. She thought that everyone needed to do so in order to move forward in their lives.

"Often a disproportionate amount of control over our lives is not placed in our own hands."

Mira felt two well manicured claws rest on her shoulders.

"It seems like you have a lot to lose. Mira. There are good maids and there are bad maids. What are you?"

Despite how she felt like crying she managed to choke out her words.

"I'm a good maid ..."

A large smile bloomed on Garnet's face at her uncomfortable words.

"Yes! You're an excellent maid. I've noticed how hard you try and how you've improved step by step. But when I say good maid what do I mean? What does a good maid do?"

Garnet waited patiently for Mira's reply. She panicked and her mind was grasping for even a modicum of the correct answer.

"A-a-a g-good maid does whatever she is asked."

"Not quite. You were very close though. A good maid does what her 'lady' asks to 'the best of her ability' in a 'clandestine manner'. You could be my 'good maid' Mira."

"You could have 'good' things."

Garnet carefully shook the necklace she had placed on Mira.

"You could have a 'good' husband, a 'good' home, a 'good' future, there are simply so many things I could help you with if you just work a little. Because truly good maids don't have to spend their whole lives working for leftovers. There are sometimes only so many opportunities that we get in life and regret is indeed very, very bitter."

The constant undertones were making Mira's head spin. She roughly understood what kind of expectations Garnet had even without knowing the specific requests she might ask. Besides, even if her head was muddled she could sense the meaning behind all of Garnet's blatant words. There was hardly an ounce of subtlety or any guesswork needed.

In her dazed state she found herself moved and seated at the couch in the room suddenly. She was vaguely aware of her lady telling her to rest and think for a while.

Many strange things were spoken, but in the end Mira couldn't deny that she also had unfulfilled desires and insecurities about her future. Garnet had been the only one in her whole life to seriously examine and consider her trifling plight and concerns. Mira thought or perhaps hoped that her lady Garnet was not so bad despite the implied threats and bribery. The hand that Garnet had inconceivably held out to her, a mere servant, was warm. However, she had the desire to immediately recant those favourable thoughts the moment she saw the insincere self-pleased smile blossoming on Garnet's face. Her grin was simply too villainous to be fully trusted!

 

---

 

Time spun and another day passed.

Somehow Mira found herself watching the tea she brewed flowing in an elegant parabolic arc towards the floor of the sitting room. The one lazily holding the cup with an outstretched arm was none other than her mistress Garnet. After only one day of being a 'good maid' she already felt like she was the other, a 'bad maid'.

Two others silently stood in the room to watch this skit. Valentina and Teresa seemed to be taken by surprise at the sudden turn of events. Quickly looking over at Mira before shooting their heads down in silence.

"You would have me drink this?"

Garnet tapped the last drop out of the cup. Even though Mira had been told beforehand she still found it impossible to have the right words to speak in response and before she was able to say anything she was cut off.

"Maybe I should have you try it yourself?"

Garnet looked down at the ground seeming to imply something. Even though Mira had been told beforehand, Garnet's act still seemed so authentic that she thought this was perhaps the superficial reflection of the darkness within her soul! Her true nature might really be forever condescending!

Despite it all Mira played her part. She had no idea why she was doing this. She had no idea why Garnet had wanted this nonsensical act from her. She simply knelt down on her hands and knees in front of the puddle to draw in the shocked eyes and raised eyebrows of her audience.

"Hmpf. This isn't fun anymore."

Garnet stood up and placed her teacup on Mira's head, then she promptly left the room with Valentina and Teresa in tow.

Rotating the cup in her hands Mira pondered to no avail why she, a 'good maid', had become a 'good coaster'.

 

---

 

〈 Author's Notes 〉

Hello. I want everyone to know that I'll never go on hiatus. The story's my baby. Can't and NEVER will give up on it. If I don't post for like 3 months or more it just means that something bad has happened to me, like I got run over and then reincarnated in a fantasy world or something.

So, I think it's more fun to tell the story from many people's POVs. Since I spent so much time trying to build up various character's backgrounds and personalities I might as well put that stuff to use. Garnet's not the only character yo! Other people exist and have business too.