Dina flinches when the door of her room is open wide with a loud sound by Mary. She looks confused at the madam who seems to lose all her energy coming in such a hurry to her room.
"Madam Mary …did something happen?" She walks towards the old maid and helps her sit on the chair near the table, close to the door.
Breathing heavily the maid says, "I thought something happened with you …young Miss …last night I heard noises from here … and this morning Lord Sebastian left, as well the young Master."
Dina flinches again realizing that the maid was sleeping in the room beneath her. She scratches her nape and bites her lip.
"No …. I just fell off the bed, then some book also fell …I didn't have sleep last night …. Sorry for the hustle, Madam Mary."
The girl is blushing, as she fidgets. She likes the women a lot so ruining her sleep makes Dina blame herself even more.
"Young Miss, don't worry. I was worried something might have happened. Is good that you are fine. "Mary smiles brightly at the girl.
"Even so …" Dina pouts as she stares at the madam.
"It could have been worse…. I heard Lord Sebastian that you might be hunted down by stray vampires! "The woman makes a worried face as she grabs the girl's hands." You have to be careful, young Miss."
Her voice made Dina feel a warmth she hadn't felt since she was young. Her mother used to talk in the same affectionate voice. How long has it been since someone talked to her like that? Nine years ago, since she had a mother figure. At ten years old, then, she doesn't remember much about her. But her voice and hugs were always things she remembered with grief.
Tears form and she starts to cry like a baby. Collapsing she buries her face in the maid's lap. The woman doesn't really understand what is wrong with the girl, but she gets that she is sad. As her old hand caresses her hair she remembers her late Madam.
"Cry …you will be better after, young Miss." Her sweet voice makes Dina let loose the tears that she didn't let go fully when her parents died.
After she wipes the tears off her face, she feels embarrassed looking at the wet patch on the maid's lap.
"Don't worry, I can change, young Miss." The maid sees her concern and brushes a tear off her cheeks." You better now, right?" She smiles and the girl nods.
"Let's go and change. I want to let you choose the dress." The maid stands up as the girl rises too. She looks at the mess in the room, and as she leaves the room with the girl following behind," I will send a maid to clean …"
Dina is grabbing the maid's dress from behind, making Mary look back at her." I want to clean myself …I don't have what to do anyway. "The girl is biting her lips and waiting for an answer.
The maid is tempted to send a maid instead of letting her clean, she is the young Miss of the household now. However, the desire she sees on the girl's face makes her agree to her wish.
"Good then …..Ohhh…young Miss …you slept with this dress on you …must have been uncomfortable …Let's go quick to take a relaxing bath and a change. The lunch will be ready soon. "Mary rambles as she looks at the girl who is looking disheveled, dark circles are under her eyes too. She drags the Miss after her.
…..
Dina is in a tub full of hot water. Her eyes close as her muscles relax.
"What was in my mind to show her that pathetic side of mine?" Her whisper is ringing in the steam.
'Have I reached a limit ?.... I …indeed miss …mom …dad …." Her tears are ready to fall when she swallows them, as she lets her head drop back on the edge of the tub.
"I will be fine…" Her mumble is interrupted by Mary who enters the bathroom with a sponge.
"You will be …young Miss." The maid turns to take the soap and she rubs the sponge on it. Soon bubbles are covering the sponge.
Dina lets out a giggle, wondering how she managed to find such a good person between all those vampires.
"Indeed, madam." Her smile is making the maid respond the same. The girl closes her eyes again but the maid interrupts her.
"Young Miss …can you stand up?" Mary is gazing at the girl with the same cheerful vibe.
Dina frowns…Why should she stand up? Without more questioning she stands up, not wanting to put a front towards Mary.
The woman closes the distance and takes her hand. She begins to rub it.
Dina understands what she wants to do. Of course, she feels weird since this was never done to her. But, she doesn't want to upset Mary who seems excited to help her wash.
The girl gulps as the old maid brushes all her body.
In the end, Dina concludes that someone washing your back wasn't so bad.
After getting out of the bath, the maid leads her through a small corridor that separates the bathroom from a clothes room. They were on the fourth floor.
Dian shivers from the cold air but follows obediently the old maid. Mary opens the door of a well-lighted room full of closets on all the walls. A big mirror caught her attention. She passes by it as the mirror is on the left side closet and she is going after the madam in the forward direction.
 She stops when she sees her body covered with a towel in the reflective object.
'I look like a wet cat …. sigh …' The wet hair stuck to her skin as the towel covered her body that was stiff from the cold air. She turns her head from the mirror and continues to follow the madam who already opened the closet in front of her.
"Young Miss, pick one!" Mary can't contain her happiness as if she was the one who will wear the dress. Dian giggles and looks at the variety of dresses.
Thinking back, she remembers the time she went with Angelo in that shop. That red dress was still hanging in her mind. Dina laughs shortly….' Maybe I will take it in the future when I will go with him again …'
With an awe expression, she points at a dress that seems simple, the material being a velvet violet.
"You seem to like velvet material …young Miss, "Mary says while she takes the dress from the closet.
"Is that good or bad? "Dina asks curious. The girl wants to know what the maid has to say. Her eyes follow the way Mary handles the dress as she stretches in front of her.
"Is a good thing. You just remind me of our late Madam way too much. Sometimes I can't stop thinking that this might be fate. Fate that I should take care of you, myself …Sorry for talking too much, young Miss .." Mary shuts up as her shadowed expression turns bright as she shifts her attention to the dress.
"Let's see if this was a good pick!" Mary smiles sweetly.
Dina understands what she means, and she chooses to not ask more since the late Madam was surely a sensitive topic for the old maid.
As she dresses in the material, Mary drags her right in front of the mirror she looked before in. Now her eyes sparkled. What can do clothes to your appearance!
' ...magic ....' She didn't look as bad as before.
The hair that Mary brushed till it dried is now fluffy, covering her shoulders, edging her waist. Her body was wrapped nicely by the dress which seemed to have a slit starting from the middle of her thigh. The material loses its tightness from her ass down, flowing with elegance as she moves. The neckline was above her breast, covering it.
Long sleeves cover her arms offering her warmth against the autumn air. Not to forget the shoes, Mary especially chooses for her. A small heel shoe that had having pointy front and laces warped around her ankle.
Mary is watching satisfied.
"You look beautiful, young Miss!"
Dian smiled but she wasn't too excited.
Her thoughts were floating around, thinking that even if she dressed like this, there was no reason to, since Angelo was not there.
As she realizes what her thoughts are, a blush covers her cheeks.
'How shameless …..Have I changed overnight ?!....." She makes a cross sign on her chest with her three main fingers gathered at one point.
Mary laughs." Have you thought of August?" She giggles." The boy would have appreciated this outfit. He is whipped for you, after all."
Dian finches and blushes more thinking that the maid almost guessed what she was thinking.
"As if he is ….." She rushes while trying to end the embarrassment.
"You didn't yet see how he looks at you, young Miss." Mary continues her idea excitedly.
Dina listens to Mary who describes the boy's expression as 'how a bee looks at honey '. She bursts into laughter but in the back of her mind, she finally understood the meaning of his look. Her mind sends alarms, as she laughs nervously.