María could barely stand by the time she reached her room. Every muscle in her body ached with exhaustion, her arms heavy as if she’d hauled sacks of wheat for hours.

‘Curse you, Hugo…’ she thought bitterly.

María had no idea what disaster had struck the library, but when she arrived, every book had been torn from its shelf and piled chaotically on the floor. Worse, some ancient tomes had crumpled pages, while others lay carelessly tossed, their covers dented.

‘Did he let a wild animal in here?’ she wondered. Hugo hadn’t explained a thing—just barked orders for her to clean it up. And she’d obeyed, resigned.

If not for the library golem, she’d still be there. But even after finishing, her stomach growling fiercely, she raced to the dining hall only to find…

The kitchen was closed.

So María settled for the lone plate left on the table: cold bread, goat cheese, and a congealed barley stew with chunks of turnip and carrot. A thin layer of hardened fat coated the surface, but she didn’t complain. She ate slowly, mechanically, too tired to care about the taste.

By the end, sleep was her only priority.

‘Stop overthinking…’ she told herself, shutting down her thoughts.

The candle she’d left burning before leaving cast a faint glow over her sparse room. A thin mattress on a wooden bedframe, a small iron candlestick on a desk, and a trunk at the foot of the bed holding her clothes. In one corner, a rickety shelf held a few borrowed books—mostly from the same library she’d just tidied.

Rubbing her eyes, María dragged herself to the bed, too exhausted to even remove her shoes. She collapsed onto the mattress, face buried in the pillow.

“Finally…,” she whispered, relief flooding her voice.

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But just as her body relaxed, a cold, sharp voice sliced through the silence.

“María.”

She froze. A shiver raced down her spine, her breath catching. Fingers clenched the blanket.

She wasn’t alone.

Heart pounding, she turned her head slowly. A figure stood by the door.

Esmeria.

Though Esmeria wore Aria’s form again, María knew instantly it wasn’t the girl.

María swallowed, her throat dry. “Wh-what do you want?” she asked, straining to sound calm despite the tremor in her voice.

Esmeria didn’t answer immediately. She stared, unmoving, as if weighing María’s worth.

The silence stretched, thick with tension.

Finally, Esmeria stepped forward and held out her hand.

“Take these.”

María glanced down. In Esmeria’s palm lay a pair of small red earrings, their surfaces etched with an odd golden symbol.

María frowned. “What…?”

Before she could finish, Esmeria cut in, tone steely.

“Elizabeth and I will be away for five days. We cannot watch over Miss Aria during that time. Ensure she wears these.”

María cautiously picked up the earrings. They were light but cold, as if forged from metal that repelled warmth.

“What do they do?” she asked, brow furrowed.

Esmeria’s gaze sharpened, deliberating. After a pause, her lips twitched faintly.

“That’s none of your concern. Just make sure she wears them.”

María shivered at her icy tone.

“I don’t enjoy working with humans,” Esmeria added, voice flat, “but I trust you’ll care for Miss Aria properly in our absence.”

María bit back a scowl. Esmeria’s condescension grated, but she couldn’t deny her priority was Aria.

With a resigned sigh, she nodded. “I’ll do my best.”

Esmeria lingered, seeming satisfied yet hesitant. Then, quietly, she added:

“If you encounter trouble with other humans… tell me.”

María blinked. “What?”

But Esmeria was already turning away.

“Just remember my words.”

With that, she vanished into the dark hallway.

María sat alone, clutching the earrings, her mind buzzing with questions. What had Esmeria meant? But exhaustion dragged at her, and as soon as she lay back, sleep swallowed her whole.

◇◆◇

Dawn arrived with a thunderous roar.

“MARÍA!”

The shout shook the mansion, jolting María awake. She bolted upright, eyes bleary.

“Wh-what…?”

Her heart raced, mind still fogged. But she didn’t need clarity to know who’d yelled.

Hugo.

She groaned, dragging her hands down her face.

“Damn it… This early already?”

She wanted to collapse back into bed, but delaying would only summon Hugo in person—and that would be worse. Grudgingly, she scrambled to get ready.

Whatever awaited, her morning had clearly already gone sideways.