The dawn lights painted the sky, and the timid rays of sunlight streamed through the window, illuminating the entire room. Gleaming on the gold decorations and refracting multicolored light in the room's crystal and glass cabinets, the room received the full vigor of the sun directly.

The light show gently awakened the sleeping guest in the room, who frowned before slowly opening her golden eyes. Talih was about to despair at the strangeness of the room she found herself in until she remembered the events that had brought her there. The soft mattress seemed to embrace her while the fluffy sheets gently held her there, but Talih felt she needed to wake up. She couldn't forget that she was just a guest.

Talih sat up in bed and took a few seconds to fully wake up, using that time to remember everything that had happened and also to admire the room, enchanted by the colorful reflections coming from the crystals and the sunlight shimmering on the golden decals of the walls, ceiling, and even the bed itself. The soft curtains danced with the morning breeze, creating a beautiful waltz of shadow and light in the room. Finally awake, she smiled to herself and got up, promptly going to make the bed.

Toc toc.

"Good morning, Miss! Are you awake?" one of the maids called from the other side of the door.

"Good morning, yes, I am," Talih replied with a smile, until her smile faded, she swallowed hard, and she rubbed her hands to calm herself. "Did something happen?" she asked, her voice trembling.

"Everything's fine, miss. May I come in?" she replied calmly.

"Yes, the door is open," Talih replied before stepping away from the door and turning her attention back to the bed.

The servant entered smiling, whispering her "excuse me," and looked at the new guest with a raised eyebrow.

“Miss... what are you doing?”

"I'm... making the bed," Talih murmured, confused.

The maid burst into laughter, leaving the guest even more bewildered, who simply stopped beside the bed with her hands in her lap, her gaze darting around the room.

"Excuse me, miss, please forgive me for laughing," the servant said, catching her breath. “But that's our job! Besides, you're hurt. You can relax and go change, miss, breakfast is waiting for you.” The young woman said, gently pushing Talih towards the en-suite bathroom and handing her a dress before closing the door, preventing any form of protest from Talih.

The dark-skinned girl observed the room she was in, her gaze drifting to the beautiful dress in her hands. She felt small in such a large room. As she approached the sink and saw the decorated mirror, she could finally see herself: her eyes swollen from the tears of the previous night, her face tired from the exhausting struggle to survive, along with a weary expression. Talih took a moment to breathe deeply and washed her face before changing, also taking the opportunity to wet her hair to restyle it.

The change in her expression was noticeable. Talih smiled at her reflection and sighed; nothing could hurt her there, she was safe. Finally, she took a good look at the dress. It was long, a creamy pink color decorated with blue and white flowers, with some ruffles at the hem and fluffy puff sleeves. The girl put it on and felt comfortable with what she saw. She thought it was risky to take a bath at that moment; drying herself alone was too complicated. Talih made a simple French braid on one side of her curly hair. Again, she stared around the room while smiling nervously, caressing her hands and biting her lip, blinking repeatedly.

“Miss, is everything alright?”

"Yes, I'm fine," she replied, stammering, and finally left the room.

The maid's eyes widened and her mouth dropped open with a loud 'oh' when she saw her, to the point of letting the blankets in her hands fall.

“Miss!” 

Talih looked at herself and then back at the young servant girl, sensing that something was wrong with her.

"What's wrong? Doesn't the dress fit well?" she asked hesitantly.

The maid's face was flushed, and upon hearing Talih's question, she laughed:

“Of course not, on the contrary, you look absolutely beautiful!”

Now it was Talih's turn to feel embarrassed by the comment; the young woman nervously rubbed her hands while suppressing a smile.

"I'm so glad to hear that, thank you." She sighed, finally smiling, receiving a smile in return from the maid.

“By the way, miss, I'm Ophelia. Mrs. Leni has placed me at your disposal to serve you in the best way possible," she introduced herself formally, bowing, "Therefore, I feel it is time for you to have your breakfast."

Ophelia punctuated her speech as she tidied the beds and their blankets, then she escorted Talih into the hallway, just as she had done in the bathroom.

Talih stood in the hallway, staring at the closed door, blinking a few times, then looked around: The hallway, lined with dark wooden planks, was decorated with beautifully carved oak boiseries, with somber sconces casting a dim light. As Talih wandered aimlessly down the long hallway, she saw some very beautiful paintings, and a part of her longed to investigate the painting techniques used by the artists. And as her eyes scanned the hallway, it seemed to have been swallowed more and more by darkness. The sunlight seemed forbidden from entering through the few windows… However, the young woman thought that she couldn't just jump to conclusions, and besides, she was just a guest; she couldn't go around judging other people's architectural tastes. Talih looked around, trying to find something that would indicate the direction she should go, since one detail that Ophelia forgot was that Talih didn't know the house.

And remembering the maid, the girl had noticed that Ophelia kept to herself in the shadows, as if fleeing from the sun while they were in the room. Talih wanted to ignore these scandalous accusations, and the distraction promptly came along with the pleasant and cozy scent of the dining room.

The young guest entered the room somewhat excited but, conversely, completely famished. Leni, the housekeeper, noticed the young woman's arrival and promptly approached Talih to help her settle into her place.

“Good morning, miss. Did you sleep well?”

“Good morning, Mrs. Leni, I slept very well, thank you. And you? I hope I haven't caused any trouble.”

Leni knew the girl communicated well, given her condition, but she was taken aback to hear her responding like one of the noblewomen. The older woman simply smiled and replied:

"Miss, you didn't cause any problems at all; in fact, we are very pleased with your presence. I'm glad you asked, and yes, I rested very well. Now, I need to ask you, Miss, did Ophelia cause you any discomfort?"

“Not at all! I really liked her. And this dress is wonderful, thank you so much.”

Talih smiled casually as she walked alongside the housekeeper to the table.

“And your injuries, miss?”

“Ah, I feel much better now, I feel like I can take the bandages off later.”

After she took her seat, Leni was surprised by her perfect posture. Still close to her seat, Leni said only one thing before stepping aside to let her eat.

“I am relieved to hear that, and I already imagined that this dress would look admirable on you, however, I must admit that it is truly splendid. You possess a distinctive beauty that is recognizable from afar.”

And once again Talih felt embarrassed; she was completely unaccustomed to compliments, but still, she gladly accepted them in her heart and smiled to herself as she gazed sometimes at her lap, sometimes at the plate in front of her.

Talih looked confused at the lavish table until she decided to choose something not too grand; she didn't want to be impolite. So she simply chose a brioche and a slice of cake, and soon after, a beautiful and ornate teacup came into view.

The girl was still excited and hungry until she reached a dilemma when she looked at the plates, where the real problem wasn't the cutlery placed to her right and left.

Talih mentally thanked her favorite writer, M.V. Abravontia, for always adding one or another rule of etiquette to further enhance the mystery in the story's plot, from which she drew much of her mannerisms and vocabulary. The young woman took a deep breath and, tightening the hem of her dress, tried to ignore the curious glances directed at her; soon her hand went to the left side of the plate, taking a dessert fork. Still a little hesitant, she cut a small piece of cake and brought it to her mouth, keeping her eyes on the plate in front of her.

The sound of shoes on the wooden floor announced the departure of the last maid, leaving the young woman alone. The last piece of cake went down with a sweet taste, but it soon turned bitter. She sipped her tea, and staring at her reflection in the cup, distorted by the steam, she pondered the loneliness she felt at the table. A feeling that awakened a memory that, like a ghost, lingered around her.

A simple round table set only with sugar biscuits and a glass of warm milk, the rocking of the sea making the boat an island, and next to her at the table was a tall, strong male figure, enjoying breakfast with her. The fisherman, the one who simply became her nest when she didn't even have a leaf to shelter under.

Talih's eyes darted away, and the tightness in her chest burned slowly, as if she were taking the heat from the cup for herself. She hated the idea of ​​having left without telling him. Was he still waiting for her on the boat? Or had he already forgotten her? But Talih had no choice; they knew the route she took to get to the boat. If she didn't change course… she would die.

The girl didn't realize she had been staring at the cup for several minutes until Leni's soft voice called her.

“Is something wrong, Miss?”

For a few brief seconds, Talih saw the fisherman's figure in the housekeeper, who as quickly as it had come, was gone, leaving only the bitter taste of someone she knows she will never see again.

"No… no." Talih tried to find words to push those memories away, and after failing, decided to simply put the cup down on the table and change the subject. "It's just… It's a little lonely, isn't the Lord coming to eat?"

Despite the sadness, nothing more could be done; she escaped and managed to survive, and that's what matters. And the fisherman would surely be happy for her.

"The Lord usually has his meals in his office, miss; he doesn't tend to leave it very often."

Talih replied with a slight 'ah', a hint of disappointment in her voice; she wouldn't want to have all her meals alone.

"I'd like to thank him sometime; he saved my life. You saved my life," she confessed with a smile, her shoulders slowly slumping afterward, her posture conveying a sense of lightness.

"Miss... I'm very touched by your gratitude. I'm sure you'll be able to thank him in person very soon. " Leni's smile was warm, almost maternal. "Well, Ophelia made the mistake of letting you come alone when you don't yet know the house… How about a tour of the place? If you wish, of course.”

Talih's face lit up, and nodding, she finished her tea, wiped her mouth, and stood up, invigorated and nourished.

Leni laughed to herself, charmed by the girl's innocence.

“Miss, allow me to show you around the residence”

“With pleasure!”