Thief

    I had no other choice but to do as what she was telling me. She’s now the Mistress of the mansion since Lord Minir is not here so I must, therefore, follow her orders. She asked the other servants to get a bucket filled of water, a mop, a dustpan, some cloths and other cleanings tools I can use. I followed her to her chamber, walking behind her silently. 

“Do my clothes and jewels first. Then after that, you can now clean the floor…while we eat our lunch.” 

I thought she left when I began folding some of her clothes while hanging the laces on the wardrobe. A loud shuttering sound on the marble floor broke me out of my focus. I turned around only to find a broken vase on the floor. 

“I’m sorry. It was an accident…” 

I smiled, “It’s okay…I’ll just clean this up…” 

Lady Catherine smiled wider, “Then you might as well clean this up too.” 

I thought she was referring somewhere really dirty. She went up to her desk and began pouring beads on the floor. A gasp escaped from me as I watched her pour another container of white powder on the floor, some oil on the chairs and the bed. She became aggresive enough to rip off the pillows and scatter the feathers around. 

I was left in complete awe of what she just did. I feel like I became a fool in front of her, standing with wide eyes and parted lips, shocked at what she just did to her things. After violently making everything dirty, she flipper her hair and smiled at me warmly. 

“I’ll start cleaning right away, Lady Catherine…” 

She nodded as she retreated her steps to the door. Lady Catherine stopped by the door frame, looking back at me with her belittling eyes. 

“A servant will come here later on with a box. There’s a jewel inside it so make sure to put it carefully in my bed. Got it, Solcetur Borromeo?” 

    

    I nodded. She added a few words, " Also, can you take the jewel out of the box and keep it in your room? It's the only way I can think of to keep it safe. Thank you. " 

I sighed while dusting off the feathers on the cabinet. It took me forever to finally clean the whole chamber. Why does this place had to be this dirty anyway? My hand felt so numb that I accidentally dropped the empty bucket on the floor. 

I shook my head, disappointed at my own way of dealing with things. Calming myself while trying to breathe in and out longer makes everything way more worse. I don’t understand why I am feeling down out of nowhere. I feel like I am making a fool out of myself. 

I gulped, trying to stop the tears from flowing. The burst of emotiions made me feel like I do not deserve any of this at all. I know what she’s trying to do but I am a coward. I can’t stand up for myself. I just don’t have the courage to do it. 

I closed my eyes, trying to feel my own breathing. This was the only way for me to calm down. But the more I tried to put myself on a balance, the more the scale betray me. 

“Calm down. Calm down…” 

Finally, at this very moment, I feel like I am breathing into the air, floating like a balloon in an empty space. I feel so light, so open. A sigh and a loud thud from things around me startled me. When my eyes opened, most of the things except my bed were misplaced. 

What just happened? I walked around the chamber to figure out what had happened but I dismissed the mystery and began placing everything back to where it was. What a long day. 

A knock interrupted me from what I was currently doing. I went over to the door, wishing that it wasn’t Lady Catherine. I can’t handle any more trash in this room. 

I opened the door and found a servant holding a black box, smiling at me with her curious eyes as if she was trying to decipher my presence in this place. 

“Lady Catherine told me to put this in her chamber.” 

I smiled, “Oh, it’s fine. T–thank you. I’ll just put it inside.” 

She nodded, shaking her head lightly because I know the suspicion that was rising in her nerves will end up making a lot of ideas on why I was her. I closed the door behind us and took a deep breathe.

I placed the box on the center of the bed and left in silence, not wanting to look back anymore. Carrying the jewel in my hand, I let it slip into my pocket. I still remember how she instructed before she left to keep it safe until she wants it back. 

    

     The buckets and other cleaning tools felt heavy in my arms so I made sure to take a turn to the kitchen. I had no idea where to put all these things so I have to find Gerber or Atlas to ask them where to keep it. 

“My, my, my,” Gerber saw me from a distance and ran up to me. The worry in her eyes are immeasurable. 

“I–I cleaned up…” 

She looked at me, suspecting what I just said, “Your chamber? But it’s already clean?” 

I shook my head and smiled despite the tiredness that is visible in my face. 

“Not my room. Lady Catherine’s room…”

She looked at me, mixed emotions of anger and shock was written all over her round face. 

“Poor child. That evil witch! Let’s just go back to your room first. Didn’t you remember what Lord Minir told you? Take no orders from everyone except from him. Good gracious! I shouldn’t have left you in the library alone! My goodness! I must find Alta at once and tell her this!” 

Gerber took me to my room, and ordered me to not go out unless she approves me to go. I almost forgot to check the clock. When I did, I sighed upon finding out the time. The sun is already out, sinking on the mountainous borders on the west. 

I got up to terrace, wanting to close the double doors. But I stopped from pulling both of the doors. The fireflies are flying outside in the sunset as if they were series of small light bulbs or stars, twinkling on the twilight. 

They were flying towards me and I couldn’t help but smile. It’s beautiful. I want to cry! Oh, gosh! I waved my hand and they moved towards the direction of where I was waving. The fireflies were in sync with movements. 

“Wow…Is this…even possible?” 

The fireflies’ light died when I heard loud inaudible voices outside my door, approaching it in a hurry. I was about to check it when the door flew open, revealing a very frustrated Lady Catherine. She pointed her fingers at me while the other hand wiped down her streaming tears, the mascara’s black ink scattered under her eyes. 

“You stole my jewel!”