A month has passed since I agreed to enter the service of Marquis Redgrave, and I confess the feasts have been scrumptious and the company has been nothing but delightful. Yet still I struggle at learning the ancient art of being a dutiful maid.  

My combat abilities speak for themselves but in his words my aptitude for a maid and servant leave much to be desired, like no shit, they trained me for combat and execution not pouring tea and placing ten pairs of forks in the proper order.  

‘You doing okay there, Bel? You're looking rather pale"

A soft and comforting voice asked from behind me

The voice belonged to Miss Ceres, the head maid of the villa and the primary overseer of my training.  

Ceres, the head maid of this branch of the Redgrave family, a young woman blessed with a cute face and easy eyes, but her tongue lashes sharper than any whip and I’d been on the receiving end of a fair share of her lectures.   

“Good Morning Miss Ceres… No I’m fine I assure… shit!”  

I groaned as a sharp pain surged through my body.  

“Are you certain you're alright, Bel?”  

Miss Ceres was as sweet and caring as she was, strict and severe, truly the perfect picture of a maid and servant. However, her persistence was most unwelcome and a total pain in my ass. 

"I'm okay, what can I do for you?'  I said

‘The Marquis wishes to see you. He said it’s urgent, ’ Ceres answered with her lips curled into a comforting smile.  

‘Thanks for telling me. I’ll head over straight ’ ’ I said as another jolt of pain trickled through my legs.   

‘Shit, it’s getting ’ ’ I mumbled, trying not to alert any of the other maids.

Before long, I arrived at the Marquis chamber. He'd been a very busy, so I haven't really spoken with him since I agreed to his proposal.   

He pretty much just dumped me on Miss Ceres for orientation and training… typical noble, I suppose.  

‘I’m coming in, sir,’ I said while plucking a strand of cobwebs from my otherwise tidy hair. 

‘Come in Bel’ The Marquis said, his voice unusually bright and full of mirth. 

All it took was the slightest glance to find out the source of the Marquis' high spirits. There she was, the girl in the picture, the girl who captured my intrigue from a simple photograph.  

Lydia Redgrave carried herself with all the poise and grace expected of high society. Her school uniform, which comprised a white button down blouse, crimson blazer, and a black tartan skirt with a garter belt, were immaculate and meticulously maintained.  

‘Good morning, my lord,’   

I said, while nailing the curtsy that took me hours to get down seriously. The upper class are such sticklers for the finer details. I must do everything to perfection and nothingness with suffice.  

I guess the upbringing of elite maidens and assassins aren’t all that dissimilar after all, though they don’t get beaten and starved for the slightest misstep, well most of them don’t, anyway. 

‘Punctual and well mannered, I see Ceres famous training regimen produced fruit once again,’  

I nodded and forced myself to smile nice and wide. That famous training regimen was a waking nightmare.

  Cleaning rooms down to the last speck of dust, earning the optimal way to remove stains from linen sheets and articles of clothing, and worst of all and not permitting me to rest if I couldn’t recite the book A hundred and one ways to please your master or mistress! Verbatim from my memory.  

The Marquis laughed while taking a seat behind his lavish timber desk, clearly elated at his precious daughter.  

 ‘It’s most unbecoming of maid to not greet her betters upon entering a room’  

My eyes turned from the Marquis to his daughter, Lady Lydia Redgrave.

"My apologies. A very good morning to you as well, My Lady.”   

‘Better! See that you don’t make the same mistake again.’ My Lady scoffed while flicking a strand of her golden hair from her shoulder.  

 her voice felt to me in that moment like a gentle spring breeze, something warm, ethereal and beautiful beyond measure.

‘Father, are you certain this one doesn’t require further tutelage?’ 

‘No, I don’t. According to Ceres, our young Bel here is a dutiful maid and a fast learner. She’s also reliable and loyal. She’s rough around the edges, true enough, but they’ll be smoothed out in time.’  

‘Very well, I trust your judgment, Father.’ My Lady said her lips formed the faintest outline of a smile.    

‘Now than Bel. I wish to know your family name now, and that’s an order.’  

 My Lady said, striding towards me and making my heart skip a beat.   

Deception and subterfuge were nothing new to me as an Assassin, when on a job I’d often find reasons to assume a false identity. However, thanks to the carelessness of Marquis Redgrave, My Lady now knows my actual first name.  

I’ve used a plethora of surnames over the years, so I suppose I’ll just have to pick one… 

‘Are you ignoring me, servant? I asked you a question and I expect an answer,’  

‘I’d never dream of ignoring you My Lady, I was just lost in thought.’  

‘I’ll let that one slide. Now give me your full name, I will not repeat myself a third time.’ 

‘My name is Bel Crowett, I come from the town of Pinnella in the Kharis Empire,’ 

My Lady squinted while staring me up and down, most likely trying to discern if there were any holes in my story, any telltale signs that I was lying.  

 Luckily for me, though, my true altering skills were impeccable and air tight. I’ve done my homework, so to speak. 

‘Father, care to explain how a girl from the Empire found her way into your service?’  

Unphased by his daughter's ceaseless questioning, the Marquis answered without skipping a beat.

‘Bel’s only family, her beloved mother, passed away from sickness, leaving the girl to fend for herself. Eventually she found her way into Tisiolia and had the gall to steal from one of my attendants while I was visiting. Ashbourne.   

Seeing her ratty clothes and malnourished frame, I gave her a choice: go to the dungeons for daring to steal from nobility or join my house as a servant. The rest you already know.’ 

‘Hold on a moment, Bel, you’re getting blood all over the carpet.’ 

Yes, thank you for pointing that out. I was really hoping that nobody would notice the trails of blood running down my inner thighs. It’s just my luck that lady Lydia was as keen eyed as her, the Marquis.  

‘Apologies, I’ll clean it up at once,’  

To my absolute surprise, My Lady knelt before lowering herself to my level and seemed to show an earnest concern for my well being.   

It’s just my curse acting up, nothing to worry about,’ I said scrubbing the wooden floor with furious fervor. Of course my curse would act up now of all times and ruin the only chance at making a first impression with Lady Lydia.  

‘Your curse? What in heaven are you talking about?’  

‘I was born with a curse that sprang to life when I was twelve,. It’s not the dire or anything, it just causes me to bleed from my uh…well you can figure it out. The curse also carries some more unpleasant side effects, sharp cramps in my lower back and it saps my energy, leading to fatigue.’   

I endeavored to smile and play it off, but an exceedingly painful cramp struck my lower back, making me grit my teeth. I can’t believe I got blood on the floor. The Marquis and Lady Lydia must think of me like some sort of dog.  

‘Father excuse us!’    

In the passing of a second, I was being dragged out of the room by my lady and down the hall into a room that I hadn’t ventured into yet. It was a sprawling bedroom with rose pink colored walls and teddy bears and other stuffed animals arranged over a comfy-looking bed.

"Tell me, Bel, this curse of yours, does it flare up roughly around the same time every month?”

‘Give or take a day here or there, yeah, like clockwork.’  

 I said, still not grasping what my lady was trying to say.

‘You’re not cursed Bel, You’re just menstruating,’  

“Oh, neat, I’m menstruating… what the hell is that?”