Aria opened her eyes and found herself facing the warm smile of an unfamiliar young maid. 

The girl had skin as pale as the moon, yet her face radiated kindness, while her eyes sparkled like rubies. Her black hair fell in soft waves over her shoulders, framing a delicate and friendly face. 

The maid wore a dark but neat outfit adorned with silver details that accentuated her slender figure. Despite her youthful appearance, Aria noticed a subtle shift in the air around her. 

The mana in the air seemed restless in the presence of the maid as if it were a whirlwind avoiding getting close to her.

Although Aria couldn't confirm it entirely, she was certain of something. 

That maid was a vampire. 

Several details matched the description Aria had read about vampires in a book months ago. Alarms rang in her mind, but she acted calmly.

"What's your name?" Aria asked in an indifferent tone as she got up.

"I'm Elizabeth, pleased to meet you, Miss Aria. It's a pleasure to finally meet you," the maid replied, bowing.

Aria looked around and confirmed her suspicions. The man in the room was leaking out of the window.

[Danger. Murderous intentions detected]

Was this why vampires were natural enemies of mages? 

Aria thought as she tried to devise a strategy to get out of this situation. 

If she ran, the chances of dying were high, as the vampire could easily catch her. Fighting wasn't an option, as she didn't even have combat skills. In all the possibilities that Aria calculated in seconds, she ended up dead.

What was that vampire doing here?

"And my food?" Aria instinctively asked, not seeing her plate of food on the small table next to her bed. 

"Oh, excuse me, Miss Aria," said Elizabeth, bowing.

"I'm still new and thought you'd tell me what you wanted for breakfast. Could you give me your order?"

That murderous intent disappeared. Aria let out a brief sigh of relief.

"Bring bread with jam," ordered Aria.

"Understood. I'll bring it right away."

Turning around, Elizabeth left the room, leaving Aria alone. 

She hadn't even made her bed, hadn't helped her change, or given her a kiss on the forehead. Still, Aria didn't complain to the maid because, at that moment, she felt a great relief: she was alive.

Besides... why would she want a kiss on the forehead from that vampire? María's kisses were enough.

Where was María?

That was the first question that came to Aria's mind. She knew there were days when María wasn't with her, but she never expected a vampire to be her replacement.

More importantly, how had that vampire entered this place? Wasn't a vampire dangerous?

Aria had many questions, but a part of her urged caution. The priority now was to survive.

◇◆◇

To Aria's surprise, Elizabeth turned out to be a somewhat clumsy yet dedicated maid. 

She wasn't as efficient as María, but she did her best to assist Aria in everything she needed, although Aria always felt shivers whenever she was near her. It was as if her instincts rejected the maid's kindness; something felt very out of place.

The day passed, and Elizabeth tried to keep up with all of Aria's whims, although these had decreased considerably. 

In the afternoon, Lucía visited Aria's room while she was solving some exercises, discreetly trying to investigate information about the existence of good vampires.

During Lucía's congratulatory conversation about Aria's talent in studies and mentioning the teacher who would soon come to train her, the maid's expression changed for a second. Aria noticed it but pretended not to notice. That maid didn't give her any confidence.

As Lucía was about to leave, Aria stopped her by grabbing her hand.

"Is something wrong?"

"When is María coming back?"

[Danger. Murderous intention detected]

Aria felt her entire body freeze while she was still standing.

It was an unpleasant feeling for her. 

Trying to maintain composure, she didn't hear Lucía's response properly. As she regained her senses, she noticed Lucía had left. No

w, she was alone with Elizabeth.

"Miss Aria..."

Aria slowly turned in the direction of that voice. 

Was this fear? 

Was she going to die? 

When would this vampire attack? 

And the question that annoyed Aria the most was: 

How did Lucía not realize that there was a vampire in the house!?

Those were the questions Aria had, but to her surprise, the maid in front of her was crying.

Why? 

Was it some kind of spell or technique? 

Aria couldn't understand why the vampire was doing this. 

Aria examined her body, but apart from the shivers, she found nothing unusual.

On the other hand, Elizabeth was crying with some intensity while she held her hands behind her back.

"Am I so bad at my job for Miss Aria...?" 

Her voice tone expressed sadness, but this only made Aria take a step back. 

Elizabeth's tears ran down her pale cheeks. The maid hoped for some compassion from the girl, but she just turned around and lay down on her bed.

"If you're going to cry, do it outside... I don't like noise while I'm resting..." Aria said as she covered herself with her sheets.

"Understood," said the maid as she bowed. 

Seconds later, the door opened, and Aria felt relieved.