The girl gently laid Aria on the bed and tucked her in carefully so as not to wake her. Then, motioning for Elizabeth to follow her silently, they both left the room.

'What does Esmeria want?' Elizabeth wondered, confused.

The moment the door closed, Elizabeth felt a strong pull downwards and her neck was grasped by Esmeria's hands.

She was strong.

Had it not been for her resilience, her neck would have shattered instantly.

“What happened?” Elizabeth asked with difficulty.

Esmeria remained silent while continuing to strangle Elizabeth.

Gradually, Elizabeth began to run out of air, but she did not fight against Esmeria.

Just when it seemed that Elizabeth was about to lose consciousness, Esmeria let go and she nearly fell face-first to the floor if not for bracing herself with her forearms at the last moment.

“Haven't you drunk any blood?” Esmeria asked in a cold tone.

“I haven’t been able to...” Elizabeth replied, doing her best to catch her breath.

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“Why?”

“Miss Aria... said she didn't like foolish people, so I went to study in the library before coming here.”

Esmeria paused for a few seconds, reflecting to see if she could understand Elizabeth's point.

'I see why the queen sent me...' Esmeria thought as she crouched down to look Elizabeth in the face.

“Did something happen?” Elizabeth asked, confused.

“Maria.”

When Esmeria mentioned that name, she immediately noticed Elizabeth frown.

“How much do you know about her?”

“Lucia told me she came from a family of merchants. I didn’t pay much attention at first since she had gone on vacation when I arrived, but...”

“But?”

“Do you remember what Miss Aria did in the kitchen?”

“Of course. And I remember very well that you did nothing when Miss Aria was about to fall. Are you aware of what could happen to you if I tell the queen about this?”

“I deeply regret my incompetence, Esmeria. I will accept any punishment,” Elizabeth declared as she lowered her head.

Letting out a sigh, Esmeria said:

“I'll overlook it just this once, since thanks to you there weren't many setbacks when switching the servants to our side. You are a good negotiator.”

“I appreciate your compliments.”

Shifting from side to side while still crouched, Esmeria asked:

“What's with Maria?”

“She's strange...” Elizabeth declared with some annoyance.

“Why?” Esmeria inquired curiously.

What could a human do that would make Elizabeth consider her strange?

“I don’t know.”

Silence.

For several seconds, Esmeria and Elizabeth remained silent.

'Has this fool's brain broken?' Esmeria wondered as she stood up, sensing someone approaching.

Their steps were slow, even somewhat clumsy.

Focusing her gaze in the direction from which the steps were coming, she saw her.

It was her.

Maria was slowly approaching the place where they were.