To avoid unnecessary questions, Maria decided to end the conversation and silently began to pack her belongings. Opening the wardrobe, she found several spare sets of uniforms. They were typical black maid dresses with pristine white aprons. The only nuance was the fabric. Maria was knowledgeable about textiles, and she quickly determined that the dresses were made of high-quality Italian wool, which was quite expensive.

"How wealthy must this person be to afford dressing their staff in such clothes?" she pondered.

"Aren't you hungry?" interrupted Isabella. "We have a dining area where they serve three meals a day buffet-style. You can come and choose anything you want, absolutely free."

"Wow!" exclaimed Maria. "The owner of this house is very generous!"

"Yes," replied Isabella, "that's why everyone follows strict rules and works diligently not to lose their place here."

"Hmm... a high salary, free food, good accommodation, high-quality clothing... Sir Thomas has cleverly devised this," reflected Maria.

"So, are you coming with me?" the girl asked again.

Glancing towards Isabella, Maria realized that she hadn't eaten for a while, but due to the events of the day, a tremendous sense of fatigue had overwhelmed her hunger.

"No," she shook her head in response. "I'm going to bed."

Shrugging her shoulders and saying nothing, Isabella left the room.

***

Maria, like the rest of the staff in this house, woke up before sunrise. Despite waking up early, she felt very refreshed. For the first time in a long while, she had slept through the night without nightmares. The attire they provided her surprisingly fit perfectly, even though she hadn't disclosed her measurements. "Sir Thomas must have a keen eye," she couldn't help but admire his professional qualities. After getting ready, she and Isabella headed to breakfast.

The dining hall was a rectangular room with a long, massive table in the center, and on either side were equally long and massive benches. Along the walls, as the girl had described, a variety of dishes were laid out buffet-style, ranging from light vegetarian salads to fried bacon.

There were about 30 people in the room, although they constantly came and went, making it impossible to say exactly how many people worked here. With such a number of people, the room was almost silent. Most were eating in complete silence, lost in their own thoughts. Although some were talking, it was so quiet that, due to the sounds of tableware, their voices were almost inaudible.

Maria chose her usual breakfast: a plate of oatmeal, a boiled egg, a small piece of freshly baked black bread, and strong aromatic black coffee. Gathering everything on a tray, she followed Isabella.

Seeing Matthew, the gardener, she quickened her pace and sat across from him.

"Good morning," she said with a gleam in her eyes.

"Hello," he said in a quiet voice, and a soft smile appeared on his face. He shifted his gaze from Isabella to Maria, who had appeared behind the girl.

"Good morning," Maria said, sitting down.

"Hello," he said just as quietly and gently. "How was your first night in the new place?"

"Surprisingly good. I haven't slept so soundly in a long time."

"You know, Maria, you're not the first person positively affected by this place," Isabella interjected. "I used to suffer from terrible migraines, but since I started working here, they disappeared."

"Perhaps it's the fresh air and the fact that you work a lot outdoors," Matthew suggested.

"I don't know, maybe," she thoughtfully replied. "But still, I feel different here."

They spent the remaining part of breakfast in silence. When finished, Maria stood up from the table.

"Sorry, I won't accompany you to the estate; it's not on my way," Isabella said with annoyance.

"That's okay, I..." Maria didn't finish her sentence as Matthew interrupted her.

"Allow me to do it?" he asked politely, looking into her eyes.

Finding no reason to refuse, the girl nodded, and they left the room.