The baron's brigde

The first two days were quiet, Rowena explained to Mavka her duties in the house and after that, the two saw little of each other. Mavka noticed that they were all free to manage their time as they saw fit, as long as they didn't miss out on their chores, and she also noticed that the girls were quite reclusive, at least towards her.

After the strange conversation with Seline on her first day, none of the others interacted with the blonde and all Mavka had were a few sporadic appearances by girls she didn't even know the names of, but they wore the same uniforms as her, so she thought they were her coworkers.

But the girls' hostile behavior was what intrigued her the least, after all, it seemed very jealous. What really didn't let her sleep peacefully was the fact that she hadn't seen the owner of the palace so far. For her, the baron was like an ethereal being, a deity who is often spoken of, but whom no one ever sees.

"You mustn't go to the north wing, that's where the Baron's private rooms are, only the girl selected by him can clean them, do you understand?" she remembered the words of the housekeeper, who had repeated that phrase two or three times during the conversation.

"And why would I want to look for him?" the blonde whispered to herself as she tied her apron, ready to start another day's work. "All I need is my job, a roof over my head and a paycheck, I don't need to know who he is."

The words served to soothe her heart since she was curious and, even if she was wrong during the day, when she laid her head on the pillow she wondered why the man was so reclusive and how a member of royalty could be like that.

Mavka left her room and locked it, putting the key in her pocket and walking down the long corridor. She still hadn't gotten used to the beauty of the place, nor the gloomy aura that surrounded it. The corridors were always too long, too dark, and usually, even during the day, there were stretches in the dark.

Rowena assigned her to look after the common entertainment areas - the library, the music room and the palace's small games room. Mavka liked her assignment, after all, she loved books, played the piano and loved chess, so spending time in these environments with things she liked made the job lighter.

Her steps were quick and precise, she went down a flight of stairs and headed for the kitchen, entering and finding it empty, she didn't mind having her coffee a little later than the other girls so as to avoid unwanted confrontations. Mavka grabbed a loaf of bread, some milk and jam, leisurely prepared her coffee and sat down to eat, losing herself in her thoughts for a few minutes until she heard footsteps almost as light as her own. The blonde turned her face towards the door and found, standing on the threshold, a girl she didn't remember, but who, like the others, stared at her as if she were the scum of the earth.

"Good morning," said the girl, crossing the kitchen and picking up one of the glasses, silently taking a sip of water.

She had light hair, a little darker than Mavka's, but still light. Her face had fine, delicate features, her beauty was charming and angelic, but her eyes displayed a sharp, dangerous gaze.

"Good morning," Mavka replied without looking at her for long, returning to her coffee.

Silence reigned for long minutes and then the girl approached, smiling at the blonde and sitting down next to her.

"I'm Calliope, it's a pleasure," her voice was gentle and friendly, and her smile was welcoming. "I know we're a bit wary of your presence, but don't get me wrong, I'm sure we'll be good friends soon."

"I hope so," Mavka replied with a smile, her heart feeling a little lighter, after all, she didn't want the strange heavy atmosphere to last too long.

"Welcome," Calliope said, hugging Mavka with a certain affection and stroking her back, then letting go. "Now I have to go about my business, have a great day!"

Having said that, the girl headed for the door, giving Mavka one last smile before turning and heading down the corridor with a closed expression and a serious look on her face.

...

Mavka was cleaning the large shelves in the library, the books she had organized in alphabetical order on Rowena's instruction, and was finally nearing the end of her work for the day. As she cleaned, the blonde hummed a delicate, melodic song, her voice echoing through the corridors and easily reaching the forbidden side, penetrating the dimness, advancing through burgundy suede carpets and thick curtains that prevented the sun from entering the windows, tracing a long path until it reached the ears of the man who, at that moment, had his long fangs embedded in Seline's neck.

The young woman was silent, her right hand was plunged into the Baron's dark hair and she felt no pain, it was the opposite, all she felt was gratitude, her gaze was like that of a faithful devotee staring at his deity. She was wearing her uniform, but her apron had been ripped off and her delicate bust was exposed, as the man took a firm hold of the neckline of her dress and pulled it down, exposing her breasts to his pleasure.

Seline moaned the moment the fangs left her skin and the Baron's lips slid slowly towards her breasts, leaving a trail of moist kisses wherever he went.

However, before he could take them with his lips, the melodic voice reached his ears in a plaintive way and, once again, the sweet smell came to torment his mind. Caellun inhaled deeply, then suddenly the taste of blood seemed bitter and the citrus smell of Seline was no longer interesting, now all he wanted was to hear that song more clearly.

"Get out," he said, releasing the maid unceremoniously, not even glancing at her.

The girl staggered slightly after being brutally ripped from her sweet fantasy, staring at the Baron with surprise in her eyes and a certain frustration. She had wanted him so much, had longed to be touched by him for days, but he had avoided her, even after confessing to her that she was his favorite.

"But... Sir, I..." the girl began, but quickly shrugged as she received a threatening look from the man, staring at the reddened orbs flooded with the constant brutal rage that accompanied him. "Yes, sir."

Selene adjusted her dress, pulling up the neckline and covering her breasts, then put on her apron and took out a handkerchief from her pocket, wiping the bite site and the red trail left by the Baron's lips. Then she left, leaving him alone, closing the door to his office and heading down the corridor.

On the flight of stairs leading up to Caellun's private wing, Seline finally heard the song and knitted her eyebrows together, gripping the banister tightly as she tried to convince herself that Caellun hadn't rejected her because of the new girl.

"How could that be? They don't even know each other... What could she have to offer?" As she thought, she continued down the steps, walking towards the voice, crossing the great castle and arriving at the library corridor.

Without a second thought, Seline walked to the door, sneezed through the opening and found Mavka singing as she polished the glass on the other side of the room. Slyly, Seline put her hand on the inside of the door, reaching into the lock and pulling out the key. Then, fitting it outside the lock, she pulled hard on the door, slamming it and then turning the key to lock it from the outside.

After that, she pulled the key out of the lock and, without bothering to hide her tracks, threw the key anywhere, after all, she knew well that Caellun never meddled in the girls' quarrels and that Mavka would probably be locked in there until Rowena, who had gone out to collect supplies in the village, returned.

Inside the room, Mavka heard the door slam and, when she turned around, she dropped her cloth and ran to the other side of the room, turning the knob and realizing that the door was locked. She looked down and found the lock without the key, so she bent down and looked through the keyhole, noticing a dress like hers pass by and quickly disappear from view.

"Hello? Hey! What kind of joke is this?" she shouted, banging on the door hard, but to no avail. "What?! Don't leave me here! Hey!"

The blonde tried to pull the door again and again, but nothing happened, the lock didn't even move. For a moment, Mavka despaired and, not knowing what to do, she started banging on the door several times, punching, kicking and screaming all the way outside, so desperate was she.

"Help, somebody help me!" she called out in desperation. "I'm trapped, help!

For a moment, the blonde thought no one would help her, the palace was so big that she could stay there for hours without anyone noticing, especially if one of the girls had really locked her in, as she suspected.

On the other side of the door in the immense corridor, rapid footsteps began to echo off the great walls and, in the distance, Corvina's red hair stood out, especially when hit by the sunlight. She had intended to go to the painting studio, but changed her path when she heard a distress call from far away.

"Where is that..." before she could continue, the voice reached her ears again.

"Help, someone, please help me!" Mavka shouted again, gasping for air as fear gripped her, making her dizzy.

Corvina ran, reaching the library door and finding the key on the floor next to the door. Without much thought, the redhead took the key and opened the door, pushing it with some force, causing the heavy wood to hit Mavka and knock her to the floor.

The blonde raised her eyes and found a redhead in front of her, an elegant woman wearing a beautiful dress that was certainly made from rich fabrics. Around her neck was a beautiful necklace and in her hair was a comb set with stones that formed a rose and held the strands away from her beautiful face.

"Are you all right? What happened?" Corvina asked, staring at the young woman on the ground.

She had seen the girl from afar while she was cleaning the windows, but had never taken much notice of her. After all, she wasn't that interested in her, she knew she was the palace's new maid and also that Rowena had insisted that Caellun stay away from her.

"Someone locked me in here... I don't know who it was," the blonde replied, seeing the woman hold out her hand and accept the help, standing up with some care, feeling a pain in her back.

"I'm Corvina, I don't think we've been introduced yet," the witch greeted her, smiling slightly at Mavka.

"It's a pleasure, miss, my name is Mavka."