Challenge Me began airing on schedule. 

Layla just finished her bath and went to open the TV. Sitting by the bed while towelling her hair, she watched five commercials pass, then waited for the two-hour premiere to start. Her phone had been beeping nonstop with messages from her classmates who were also in front of the screen waiting for the program to begin. 

-knock knock-

"It's open!" She called. 

Michael came in with a glass of warm milk expecting his little sister about to turn in. He was surprised to see that the long-abandoned TV was finally plugged and turned. 

"Anything interesting in there?" He asked, putting the glass on the centre table of the sitting area. 

"Huh?" Layla looked at him incredulously. "You didn't know that Sena was invited to a program?"

He looked blank for a second, "What program?"

Sounds like he doesn't have an idea. 

"Well, that's odd. Nikki probably knows so it's a wonder why he hasn't told you about it. Sena joined a reality TV program and they are about to air the opening."

"Oh, that!" Intrigued, Michael sat on the furry couch and had his eyes on the screen. "I nearly forgot about it."

That's the problem of workaholic people: they tend to forget many things. Layla thought with a pout. 

"Let's cheer for her big brother." She said, blinking prettily. "I have gathered plenty of my classmates to support her, with your help her frame will not appear too pitiful. Look, trolls are dirtying the screen already. I hate that I cannot help her when she does a lot of favours for us. I don't like people to continue to misunderstand her just because of her strong personality."  

"Hm, she does have a strong personality, doesn't she?" 

Layla smacked him on the shoulder. 

"I don't mean it in a bad way." 

It's an amazing trait that is not entirely intimidating which he hoped his sister would adapt in the long run. 

Layla wished she had a quarter of Sena's wit and charms. 

"So you know." She mumbled. 

"I feel like you like her more than me now." Michael looked at the little sister begging cutely and gave her a soft head pat. "Let's see what we can do."

Besides, Nicholas won't stand idly by once he sees the disparaging comments about the apple of his eye. While they were talking, the boisterous soundtrack of the program finally sounded and Challenge Me began with the opening by naming the casts.

An avid fan of period dramas would imagine ball gowns and richly decorated halls when the age of monarchy is mentioned. But for a historian though, especially those who study domestic affairs, ball gowns, cakes and luxury were the last on the list.

Too bad for the cast, what they land themselves is a replica of a farmhouse and one serious guide named Ms Emma. A thirty-six-year-old historian specializing in how the day to day life of an ordinary ancient person came to be.

Under the eaves of a thatched roof, flint and stonewalled house nine people listened apprehensively as Ms Emma explains the mechanics of the program and how they should navigate during their stay. 

The cameras are on a roll catching the colourful expressions of their contestants in high definition. Tonight features their introduction, the first arrival at the villages and joining a family. Each of them will be assigned to a peasant house acting as faraway relatives coming for a visit.

Among the nine of them, Sena was the only addition and little was changed from the original event when she joined. There were supposed to be only eight families, one was added to make up for all of them and Sena did not try to steal anyone's partner just because she has the advantage of knowing the future. On the contrary, she planned to let the show continue with only a little twist; she wanted the deserving contestant to win this time. 

"Because the program time is limited, you as tenants must find ways to earn money as soon as possible to solve your basic needs and help your new family. Your performance will then be graded from poor to excellent by the respective heads of the house. Failing on a task means lower scores. Any questions?"

Before they arrived in this village, they were asked to pick a role from the lottery box. When the initial task is done, they would be able to meet the people who will become their guide in this challenge. Sena raised her hand. The other casts looked at her with contempt thinking she hadn’t understood the rules.

"Ms Erde." The guide called out.

"I would like to know if the river is open for fishing or if it needs fishing rights to fish from there? The same with the woodlands."

Ms Emma smiled. Nothing impresses her more than a girl who has some common sense.

"Both things are open."

Sena nodded, so the crew decided to be merciful after all. It was quite common in ancient times that places like the woods where people get firewood and forage are under the strict supervision of the landlord. The same with the river where fish and other aquatic foods are abundant. 

The Eddings family, (not their real names) work as tenants for the lord. The head of the house Mak and his wife Sharon looked at their visitor with a little apprehension. During the individual interviews, the couple stated their misgivings.

"We don't know anything about these rich kids and how they will look at us when they arrive. Our family is used to making ends meet living on the breadline, we don't know if they were able to adjust to it in a short time. But as their guides, we will gladly lend a hand to show them the ropes. I hope we can entertain them if possible." Mak said, patting the shoulder of his wife. 

The people watching the show expressed their admiration for the family man as he spoke his thoughts kindly. They begin to anticipate what will happen to the cast once they see the situation themselves. Will they surrender without trying or continue with the challenge? 

Sharon nodded. Their daughter Mycah however had some more realistic thoughts. 

"I'm a little perplexed with the setup. What if they can't stand our living conditions and quit early? I mean, not once in their life did they imagine being here. I bet they don't even know we exist on this side of the planet. It will be quite a shock."  

A shock indeed. After the audience was given the first impression of the families, the program next showed the background story of each contestant. The word extravagant may not be enough to describe the lifestyle of these people. The ladies alone who spend thousands of dollars for just their bags, makeup and clothes to the high-end vacations trips they take. 

Maya stood out when her interview came. She credited her good life to her father who is a hardworking businessman and her loving mother who never failed to educate her about the facts of life. Mrs Luz appeared briefly, giving Maya a few reminders before she leaves. 

The cameraman moved to find the perfect angle to shoot the mother and daughter pair magnifying their affluent background.

"When you are out there, forget about the abundant life you have here. I think this challenge is a great leap to show you the reality of living." 

Said the woman wearing expensive branded clothes while having breakfast in the posh dining room of the Luz mansion. She spoke elegantly while glancing at the camera. 

"Not everyone in this world is as lucky as you to be born in comfort, take this chance to reassess yourself and your abilities. Improve what you think was lacking so that you can use them in the future." 

Maya did not speak throughout the lecture and just nodded her head obediently. Breakfast was a sumptuous western style laid on an exquisite dining set. Mrs Luz, having worn her favourite pearls and emeralds wowed many viewers.

The mother and daughter spoke amiably while eating. Soon Maya had to bid goodbye to her dearest mother and sat on a white Lincoln Continental.

Applesauce: [Baby Maya is such a good kid. I kinda feel bad sending her to the challenge. She deserves to be pampered.]

Frufru: [It's my first time seeing the rumoured Mrs Luz. She looks so young.]

Brittle: [Have you guys noticed that Mrs Luz only reminded her softly and did not show any ridiculous expression when told she will be going to the countryside?]

Applesauce: [Yes! So unlike Yuni's mother who became hysterical. It's funny seeing her lose it when told that Yuni might be ploughing the fields.]

The comments turned into a hearty exchange of jokes. 

The men's spendings could not be underestimated either. TK loves to collect cars and action figures filling a whole floor with knick-knacks and memorabilia of his favourites. Gan is also a car lover and had two or three sports cars in his garage, most of his money was given by his parents as most of the contestants have. Eron Shi, being known for his vlog, has a room full of shoes, branded clothes and bags. 

Arthur Min on the other hand has a few pieces of precious antiques carefully tucked in the gallery of their french provincial mansion. The gallery is filled with plenty of items he and his brothers bought from auctions abroad. With the smell of old money, his position instantly rose in the heart of the eagle-eyed audience. 

This one is not like any other spoiled kids!

Surprisingly, Sena, who had an overall bad impression among the viewers, suddenly turned 180 degrees when her part was shown. Her interview was not held in her apartment due to her busy schedule and had it in her office in the company. They shot scenes of her working, going on-site, and meeting with the clients. The last and final one was the day before they departed in which a cameraman had to come into their house. 

Funny enough when the sneak peeks of Challenge Me was aired earlier, they let everyone guess which female contestant the background was being shown. From cute collectables, fancy rooms, cars, antiques and apartments. The effect created a riot within the netizens and viewers of the show. Everyone was guessing and speculating about their favourite contestants.

Half of the screens are already flooded with comments. 

Fan999: [The anime figurines must be Nancy's!]

In the end, it turned out to be TK who was caught in Pikachu pyjamas earlier. Nancy does love anime but what she showed were her high-end pink desktop and customized gaming broadcasting studio. 

Next is an apartment. 

[My God, where is this place? The driveway of this building is much grander than any hotels I’ve seen!]

[Above, this is the newest tower located at the Sunset Harbor in Pearl Marina District, Paragon Residences.]

[For reals?]

Felix, who's holding the camera, entered the lounge. After showing his pass the doorman Patrick guided him to the elevator towards the unit. On the way, the camera swept through the elegant furnishing of the lounge and the emblazoned name above the concierge desk: Paragon Residences. 

[Oohh, it's the Paragon Residences. This one tops the rest when it comes to the background!]

[Then, who among the cast do you think lives here?]

[Ahhhhh! I think I know, it’s Yuni! Did you guys see her previous house tour vlog? This must be the apartment she asked for her father to buy.]

Applesauce: [I’m guessing it’s Maya’s. Didn’t she say that she received a gift from her dad, additionally she invited a very popular home designer? This must be it!]

[Yes, I agree as well. This must be her new place. She did say she will show it to her fans soon. I’m so excited to see it.]

Frufru: [Wow, Papa Luz is very generous. He really pets Maya to the bones. I want to sign up for adoption!]

Then someone interjected.

Chopsuey: [Mr Luz may be wealthy but without connections, he is still not qualified to enter this place.]

[His money is still not enough to support let alone buy the cheapest unit here.]

[Above, how dare you?! The Luz Companies are very large and their products are household must-haves!]

Cuckoo added sarcastically: [From a miniscule canning factory to several preserved foods businesses. Yeah, I agree their products are known.] 

[Don’t forget, they also began venturing into real estate.] The die-hard fan Applesauce hurriedly added as if afraid that others would not know how wealthy the Luz's are. 

Cuckoo doesn’t want to back down either, [So? This is Paragon Residences, one of the world’s top five most exclusive eight star hotels. You have to have both reputation and influence to stay here. Something that stuck up nouveau riche cannot achieve.] 

Chopsuey: [Even when Mr Luz is rich he cannot throw fifty-eight million dollars casually.]

[Hey, I just came from another broadcast window, this isn’t Maya Luz’s apartment. The other window already showed her place.] and frankly it wasn’t even half as impressive as this one.

Maya’s fans who were planning to make trouble no longer replied and silently tucked their tails in embarrassment. They switched to her window to watch her give a house tour of her freshly decorated city apartment. It's an 800 sq feet modern flat on the twentieth floor dominated by white with purple and lavender accents. Being in a city filled with tall buildings, the huge drawback is that all three sides which are supposed to have floor to ceiling windows are blocked. But be that as it may, it also has a charm of its own when the lights come on at night. 

"This is the gift my father gave me recently..." Maya looked at the camera proudly. 

People are visual animals, once they see something incredibly shocking to their senses, the rest pales in comparison. Maya took everyone to every corner of her home introducing this and that but responses had been tepid. Perhaps if they hadn’t seen the one in Paragon, they would be amazed seeing Maya’s bachelorette pad. 

Some viewers secretly switched to Sena's windows again. 

The uncle cameraman successfully reached the 62nd floor. The high ceiling, recessed ambient lighting and walls decorated with framed paintings came into view instantly as soon as the elevator door opened. 

It's a private corridor. Even Felix was mesmerized by the interior and could only compliment the superb planning. The security is also top-notch. This is not a building but a castle for the crème de la crème.

Netizens: [Then who owns a unit here???]

He pressed the doorbell twice before someone came to open it for him.

[Here we go…]

[Who’s on the other side of the door?]

Apple’s tall figure came into view with his stiff business suit, hawk-like gaze and professional smile.

[Wow, who is he?]

[I don’t seem to recognize him. Maybe an obscured young master joining the program!]

[The world is really big, just when you think you have seen enough…]

[Oh my God! Who is this male beauty? Somebody get his number for me!]

[Ahhhh, my heart!]

"Hello, I’m Felix, your cameraman for the entire show." An arm came out to shake hands with the male beauty.

"Yilmaz Adin," Apple replied with a professional smile. "Executive secretary to Miss Sena Erde. Please come inside." 

[WTF what secretary? So stuck up!]

[Who’s house again?!]

[Haha, Sena Erde lives here folks.]

[My mind is focused on only one thing…. is this handsome man a secretary? Are secretaries so good-looking these days?]

They chose to sit on the balcony after taking a short video of her apartment. As proposed by Apple they went to Sena’s favourite area in the house; he guided Felix to the balcony amidst the blooming lights of the marina. 

The noisy bullet screen conversation suddenly turned silent then came back to life slowly.

[Wow, wow, wow, I’m not dreaming am I? This is not an apartment but a whole house. A house up in the sky.]

[You would only usually see this kind of place on Yu-tube. Mom, her balcony is larger than our entire living room. I want to live here it's so big I bet Sena won't find me *crying in poor*]

Applesauce attacked again like a wild dog: [No, no, there could be something wrong. Are you sure we are in Sena Erde’s window, not Luan, Yuni or any other well-known casts?]

[Are you deaf? You heard Mr Secretary say this is Sena’s home! Why are you even in denial?]

[Someone cannot accept that someone is living better than their idol.] 

Frufru: [No, you’re probably just mistaken. How could she afford to live here? Are you saying she’s richer than Mr Luz himself?]

Wild Dog Applesauce: [It’s definitely fake!]

[Fake!!!]

OlalaMozarella: [This person with ID Applesauce, have you forgotten that she is an elite real estate agent? Plus her mother left her a substantial inheritance, of course, she lives in luxury!]

Applesauce: [*vomit* So in the end she’s still just a girl living off her parent’s money. Why pretend to work hard? What trash!]

OlalaMozarella: [You’re terminally jealous. Go see a psychiatrist.] 

[You cannot deny that she is indeed well off. Unlike the rumours out there.]

Felix thought he would have to wait for a long time before Sena woke up but she was already packed and ready to leave. She came down dressed neatly with only one bag. He cued her with the camera but she neither looked panicked and just nodded her head in acknowledgement. 

"Did you have breakfast? If not, let’s have some first."

Felix was surprised by her sudden question. Mostly in his job he got so used to being invisible that people often forget to offer him water. April was in the kitchen making a very early breakfast for the four of them, Sena rolled up her sleeves and tied her hair into a messy bun and helped. 

[The strong visuals of these people makes me doubt they can really cook.]

[Is that Sena’s housekeeper?]

[It’s Ms April, she’s not a housekeeper. She is her other personal assistant. I’ve seen her a lot on the Diamond Realtor’s page when we were watching their videos.]

[She could become a beauty queen though…]

[Ms Erde, do you need a housekeeper? I'm fine sleeping inside the pantry. I promise not to eat your groceries.] 

Sena thought they would jump straight to the car, but on Apple’s insistence, he had April prepare breakfast. They made snappy pork fried rice, steamed dumplings and warm fish soup to fill their stomach. Sena doesn’t have a good appetite early in the morning but thinking of what was coming, she happily devoured her food hoping it would sustain her until the middle of the day.

"Who knows when the crew plans to feed you?" He said tersely. "You can’t go in there hungry. Hey wait-- you ate too much of these. Slow down."

Sena shoving the tenth dumpling to her mouth: WHY??? 

[Wahahaha somehow I found the little rich girl pitiful. She obviously wants to eat more.]

[Why do I feel such a strong motherly vibe on Mr Secretary???] 

[Correct!]

[Eating too much dumpling will make you gain weight. She has to control her diet!]

 

---

 

The new season launched successfully, President Bo the boss of Imagine, the talent agency where Maya and Yuni are signed joined the executives of Rainbow Media for a celebratory dinner. Everyone responsible for the program was so happy they could not clamp their mouths in joy. The previous seasons didn't have this much enthusiasm on the first day, thanks to the cast and the early propaganda the viewers' interest was stoked. 

The idea of casting fresh faces unexpectedly raked high ratings surpassing those of the same show on the same time slot. 

President Bo was happily toasting the other bosses when his phone rang and the enraged voice of Mrs Luz broke out. 

"You said you will handle the show correctly?! I don't think you did. Look what is happening now." She nagged angrily. 

Confused as to why she was having a fit President Bo looked at the TV screen and found no anomaly. The people in Rainbow Media did as he instructed. They increased Maya's screen time and only showed the best parts of her interview. Does the old witch still want more?

"It seems like you're confused." Mrs Luz sneered. "Didn't I tell you to focus more on Maya? Why don't I see the same amount of comments on her as Sena? My daughter was the one originally drafted, she was only able to appear there because we planned it to. Don't make the mistake of giving her all the points!" 

The middle-aged man scratched his brow. "Madam, I did as told. You can ask your manager for it. The audience reaction is completely beyond me. There are plenty of ways to boost Maya's popularity. If you want more audience you can buy several navvy commenters under a pseudonym. But directly interfering would be dangerous on my part since I am her boss, my hands are tied on this."

"The show less of her during primetime! Cut her scenes!" 

"Now, now, I can't do that. I'm not the director nor do I write the script. If we push it too hard we might get caught. Besides this only on the first day, when the task arrives, you will have more fun seeing the result. Just watch." 

What is wrong with this woman? She has no inkling how showbiz works at all. They may have had an agreement with Rainbow Media and paid a huge bribe for it but that is also a double-edged sword. What if those people found their frequent meddling unpleasant and used their transactions as evidence? They will have no place to cry by then. In this field, there are no permanent allies. Only constant rivals. 

In the Luz house, the woman slapped the remote on the couch. Her eyes sharply pierced the lively comments on Sena's interview. President Bo was trying to appease her, well he's got a point. The show just aired, there are tons of possibilities that could happen. 

Mrs Luz's has a very bad temper and complained about it to her husband but instead of getting her usual assurance Mr Luz just brushed her off saying:

"You're too old to join in the children's affairs. Just leave it alone." 

She threw another fit, "Is it wrong for me to defend my daughter? That Sena is a thorn stuck in my throat. She had been against us from the very beginning!"

"It's a TV show for chrissake and it's your idea, to begin with. If you do not constantly and deliberately irritate her, you can live your life in peace. Just take it as if you did not see her." 

"Is that what you do?" She asked with sarcasm. "But I'm different from you. Those years we suffered in humiliation are not going to disappear in my memory."

"You must have forgotten that it was our choice that resulted in all of this and that what we went through was a consequence of that choice." He said with a cold gaze. His words harshly reminded her of her position. 

Mrs Luz stiffened as if she had been slapped. 

Before he would never dare remind her of her origin. Her husband would even blindly excuse her behaviour when she sneakily tore him away from his wife's bed to visit her in the middle of the night. 

She was a thief. A filthy and lowly thief. And she dreaded the moment of him waking up one day and looking at her with these eyes. 

But she also immensely hated to hear him speaking for Sena. Yes, she stole him and he let it happen. He should forget about them completely. Sena's existence will constantly remind her of the dirty tricks she did to win over this husband. He was hers now therefore he should discard his past. Including the daughter he had. 

Mr Luz looked tired. Frankly speaking, Sena doesn't even see them as someone worthy of her time. That child has changed a lot from a sobbing cat to a roaring tigress. His wife overtly and covertly kept taunting her. He was only reminding her in case she went overboard and eventually suffered. 

"I'm going out for a while." Mr Luz frowned and took his car key. 

She was left seething in the living room looking at his departing back. He's barely home these days because of the projects he wanted to win over. Mrs Luz gripped her shaking hands, she had a vague feeling things were slowly slipping out of her hold. She sat back down on the couch and reached for her phone. 

If President Bo could not interfere, then it's better to ask someone who can. 

 

---

 

Sena's first arrival at Edding's humble home was different from what everyone was waiting to see. There was no reaction of repulsion and disgust, in fact, she quickly adapted on her first night. Mak and Sharon and their daughter Mycah however shocked the audience when their visitor came in. 

The first time Sena came in, the daughter Mycah looked at her owlishly. Inspecting her from head to foot. 

"Hello everyone, I'm Sena. I'll be intruding in your home for a little bit. Just a little bit." She said smilingly while carrying her backpack with her. 

The middle-aged man in simple peasant attire enthusiastically replied, "My name is Mak, my wife Sharon and my daughter Mycah, she's sixteen this year." 

"You look ready," Mycah commented pointing at her backpack. "Isn't your luggage supposed to be surrendered except for the personal hygiene products?"

"Ah, yes but they said I can bring these." She replied. "I tried to minimize my things and only brought what was needed. A few changes of clothes, socks, towels and warm blanket."

"The other guests had a lot of things." She murmured in disappointment. 

Mak joined in the conversation while Sharon tried to help her with the backpack. They moved to the small sitting room and talked to her about their daily lives as a means of exchange. The show requires them to have a cosy conversation and that is why a script was prepared but they can choose to improvise however they want. Just as Mycah had been doing.  

The home has two bedrooms, an attic, a kitchen and a small living area that were meshed together to save space. 

"So Sena, this is our living room," Sharon introduced excitedly. "This is where the family mostly gets together in the daytime and also during special occasions."

The house is a medieval set lent for them to use. Sena looked at the hearth in the middle of the and the four-seater wooden table by the window where the family eats. She walked towards the fireplace and touched the hook hanging in the middle. 

"My job as the tenant of the lord is to raise piglets and farm in the field," Mak added. "My wife Sharon will come and help me while Mycah takes care of the pigs and the house while we are away."

Sharon chirped, "But the lord is short of people as of the moment, we needed all the manpower we could get to stock up for winter so we will be bringing Mycah with us in the fields." 

In short, the cleaning and feeding of the pigs will fall on her shoulder. Sena only let out an "Oh," then nodded her head slightly. 

The same scenario happened to the other cast. Maya was appointed to feed the chickens and collect eggs in the coop, Yuni was tasked to weed the yard, Nancy was to milk the cow and finally, Luan was asked to let the geese out for a walk. 

The men were given similar jobs that suited them perfectly. Collect firewood and fill the tank with clean water. 

Cuckoo: [Oh my God, isn't cleaning the pigsty a bit too much?]

Applesauce: [Ha, deserve it! Let's see how she will react. Sena Erde will not last being the snob that she is.] 

Chopsuey: [Calm down bud, you're always looking for faults, it makes you sound desperate.]

Meanwhile, the three people in front of Sena looked at the lady in disbelief. 

"I can do it." She said without a trace of panic. 

"Are you sure?" Mycah raised an eyebrow. "We have three pigs and their place needs to be cleaned and washed." 

Sena stretched her limbs. Seeing that the task does not affect her they proceed to bring her around the house. 

"This is Mycah's bedroom," Sharon introduced when they arrived upstairs. "It's small but she likes it." 

The space is only enough for one person, Sena had no idea where she will be sleeping tonight.

Mycah sat on the bed smugly. "How is your room like Sena?"

"It's functional," Sena replied tactfully. "I can sleep just fine and it has enough room when I need to do my work." 

The online screen was filled with plenty of 'hahahaha'. 

[Good job Ms Erde, she did not dare describe it in detail in order not to offend the girl.]

"Huh?" Mycah looked at her with doubt. "Aren't your homes usually ostentatiously huge and lavish? When I hear people talk about the rich ones I always think of big houses and fancy branded stuff." 

But Sena did not look like the others who wore beautiful clothes and bags when they first arrived. Her only accessories were an earring and a watch. She was looking forward to meeting at least one real rich girl so that she can ask plenty of questions she'd been dying to ask. 

[How would a girl know the Sena is wearing a 10 carat of rare pink diamond and a Little Lange 1 Moon Phase watch by A.Lange & Söhne?] 

[I didn't know she was wearing something shocking like that!] 

[It's called class. Something you will not get by wearing huge brand logos and large accessories.]  

Mrs Luz who is in front of the television bit her teeth hard. Are they referring to me?! 

[This kid really… I feel like she's intentionally asking Sena about her personal life.]

[So what? She's just a kid.] 

"About the sleeping arrangements," Sharon said a little hesitantly. "As you can see there is not enough room for the two of you, so we decided to clean up upstairs. We haven't used that in a while but it was a lot more spacious than here."

Sena noticed. It was decided that she will temporarily live in the attic so off they go while Mak goes on with the script. 

"What do your parents do for a living by the way?" 

Sena turned back with a smile that did not reach her eyes. The cameraman Felix felt offended on her behalf. He read her profile before accepting the job and knew that her mum passed away while her father already has a new family. The whole day spent with her made him reconstruct his old view of the spoiled missy, she was neither stubborn nor haughty as frequently said. He signalled for Mak to change the subject but Sena answered.

"Mama is gone now and I am not close with my father." She said softly but enough for the microphones to pick. "I have lived alone for more than a year."

The viewers felt a pain in their chest for a moment. Poor baby! 

Nicholas watching on the laptop in his office touched her face displayed on the cold screen. It was the same face he saw when she was crying so bad on the beach but this time, she had no tears. Just plain palpable sadness. 

The family seemingly numb to her expression continues. 

Sharon adopted a compassionate tone, "I see, it must be tough living on your own. I mean doing chores, budgeting and making a living. Have you done chores dear?"

"Yes, I cook occasionally and do the laundry."

"You mentioned working, it is part-time?" Because she could not believe someone like her could do it full time. Most people her age and status don't have working in their vocabulary. 

"It's a full-time career and a bit tough," Sena replied lightly. "But adults have to work to get by."

[Lies, even if you don't work you will not starve!] 

[That's rich coming from someone rolling in money.]

[Hypocrite.]

Cuckoo: [Why can't some people understand that everyone has a different perspective in life than them? Sena is not the kind who will sit and wait to be served, just as you dreamt your life would be. Don't impose your fantasy on her. Her brain works normally!]

OlalaMozarella: [Yeah, and what's wrong with her wanting to earn a living just because she's rich? I bet you can't even have half of her diligence. Your future looks so bleak.]

"You work?" Mycah asked incredulously as if she heard her say she was eating babies. 

"I do--"

"Where do you usually go on vacation?" Mak interrupted.  

Sena sighed inwardly. This family is after her blood. 

"The Mediterranean in winters, somewhere in the Alps and north in summers." 

"Whoa, that's fantastic. Do you always go there?" Sharon exclaimed. 

"My family has a villa in Lake Como in Italy and a newly built one in the French Riviera. I have to go home for the holidays and see my grandparents."  

The comment section went silent.

"Sena, if you don't mind me. What does your family do for a living?" Mak asked. 

"It's an old institution from our forefathers while mum was president of Angharad's International Realty."

Well, she did not lie. Paula Erde introduced herself as such when she came here. But that's just a tiny part of the truth, the reason why Paula easily used the title was that Angharad is a subsidiary of Nexus Global. The company her great grandfather built in the 18th century. 

"Angharad? I haven't heard of it." Mycah said with a shrug. 

"Me neither." Sharon shook her head.

The comment section burst to life. 

[Oh, these poor dears. It's alright… we understand. We didn't know about it either until a few seconds ago.]

[I'm sure the daughter thinks it's just some puny third-rate company.]

The attic was indeed clean, it has one ancient bed and one wooden cabinet enough to fit a few clothes. 

"This will be your room for the time being." Mak introduced. 

"Thank you." Sena replied, looking around curiously. She knows that cameras are placed in every house for the broadcast. The cameraman's uncle Felix will retire once dinner is done and will resume following her when the warm-up task starts. After she settled her luggage, they went back downstairs to prepare dinner. Sena helped chopped vegetables, then she was shown where the condiments and food were placed.  

The viewers watched her intensely. Be it the way she walked or the way she sat, although she seemed carefree everything exuded a breath of proper breeding. It was the same as looking at some high-born lady in ancient times.  

Anyone can be rich but grace and finesse is something only those well-educated households possess. Everyone thought collectively. 

[She's incredibly likeable isn't she?]

[Whoever started the rumour that she's mean? Look at those dainty hands holding a knife expertly, she just gutted a fish without flinching!]

On the other side of the village, many of the cast were dumbstruck as they came face to face with their 'new home'. The revelation of morning chores as warm-up tasks added more to their grief. Maya knew that the crew chose the family she will be staying at carefully but seeing the shabby peasant house frightened her. 

What if there are cockroaches and mice?

What if these people steal her things?

The house is damp and it smells like mold! 

The family she got herself into is made up of a couple with their five-year-old son. Thankfully she caught herself before she showed her anguish face and tried to smile stiffly. At this moment Sena must be throwing a tantrum being put in the attic and making a clown of herself. Compared to her, she will not lose so she endured the horrendous environment and went inside. 

The family received her warmly and lent the room of their son for her to use. It was cleaned in every corner and the sheets may appear shabby but were carefully prepared by the crew. When she was finally alone in the room, Maya patted the bed, smelled the pillows and wrinkled her nose. She had no choice for the time being. Most of the cast doesn't have half of her comfortable treatment.  

The show will not coddle them. They will live the life of the ancient, eat their food and use techniques only available in that era. Everyone settled in tired from the travel and to save energy for the challenge tomorrow. However, when dawn came, the horror finally came to them. 

There is no water!