A month had passed since the arrival of the demon king, now known as Eleuteria Valente, to the mansion. The days went by without major hitches. Brínea, the salamander girl, had adapted perfectly to her role as a maid. The first weeks, while Pipi took charge of her training, had been a real challenge for everyone. Yet, Brínea quickly adapted, demonstrating remarkable agility in learning. Meanwhile, Eleuteria spent long hours with Henry, almost as if she were his wife. They shared moments in the library, immersed in readings and debates, and in the afternoons, they strolled through the garden, although they never ventured beyond the mansion's boundaries.

Beatriz, on the other hand, started experiencing jealousy due to the excessive attention the demon received, although she struggled to keep those feelings locked within her heart. She was aware of the time she had spent searching for her savior, so she understood Eleuteria's desire to spend time with her. Nevertheless, the feeling of being left out saddened her deeply.

With the help of her roommates, María, Pipi, and Brínea, Beatriz finished cleaning the lower right hallway. Then, as was her usual morning routine, she headed towards the balcony of the central wing, near the spiral staircase.

Upon reaching the door, she pulled out a key carefully kept in her skirt and unlocked the entrance. Every maid had a key granting access to any balcony in the house, an essential measure for creatures like them, plant beings that required daily exposure to the sun since it constituted one of their main sources of nourishment. This need justified the existence of so many balconies in the mansion.

Crossing the threshold, she entered the balcony adorned with charming pots brimming with colorful plants. The commotion echoed clearly from the other side, where several of her sisters were engaged in lively conversation.

"Good morning, Sister Beatriz!" greeted a maid with waist-length hair, tied up in two pigtails adorned with several yellow flowers, being the first to notice her presence.

"Good morning, Sister Cristina," responded Beatriz, returning the greeting kindly.

"My apologies for not greeting you earlier, Sister Beatriz," the short-haired young woman adorned with purple flowers apologized, displaying an androgynous appearance.

"It's fine, Sister Amelie," replied Beatriz with a reassuring smile. "I just arrived, don't worry."

The upper central balcony was the meeting point between two balconies on the upper corridors of the second floor, thus becoming the sisters' favorite place to gather and chat while enjoying the sun.

"We were just talking about how that devil woman is always around the master," said Cristina with disdain in her voice. She continued, "I'm so jealous, I wish she'd spend more time with me like she used to."

"Yes, I miss that too. Those morning walks through the garden, watering the flowers and talking with Hen... with the master," she quickly corrected herself, trying to conceal the slip in her expression.

Her two younger sisters had also noticed the situation, but she decided to address it and said to them, "You shouldn't be so selfish. Henry has been looking for her for years; it's understandable that he wants to spend time with his savior," repeating those consoling words, although deep down, she knew they were part of her own illusion.

"But..."

"But nothing. You shouldn't be so inconsiderate. After all, if it weren't for her, we wouldn't be here," she interrupted Amelie sharply.

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"You're right, but I still can't help feeling that she's taking him away from us. Before, I only had to compete with you, Sister Beatriz, but now I have to contend with someone much more complicated, a queen," expressed Cristina, with a dejected tone.

"If we're struggling, I can't even imagine how you must feel, Sister Beatriz," added the androgynous girl, showing concern for Beatriz.

"Don't talk nonsense, I..."

"Yes, we know. You desire it just as much as we do. You don't need to deceive yourself like that," Cristina teased, toying with her pigtails.

"Sister Cristina, I've finished cleaning the bathrooms. What are you talking about?" intervened another sister who joined in on the upper left balcony where Cristina was.

"Sara? I don't want to talk to you. You've even styled your hair like that thieving devil! You've even gotten rid of your beautiful red roses from your hair!" exclaimed Cristina while angrily messing up her sister's hair.

"You're no one to talk! Suddenly, you've taken up reading and all you do is take books from the library," retorted Sara, annoyed, pushing Cristina's hands away, though Cristina was taller than her.

"Speaking of deceiving oneself," murmured Beatriz sarcastically, then added, "I have to go, sisters. See you later for breakfast."

"Goodbye," they all responded in unison.

Beatriz left the balcony, closing it behind her, but she could still hear the commotion continuing outside. Under other circumstances, she might have intervened and reprimanded them, but at that moment, she wasn't in the mood to do so. Instead, the conversation with her sisters made her reflect: she was not different from them now; she had simply been special for having received so much affection from Henry, while the others did not perceive it.

Disheartened by the new feelings threatening to overflow, Beatriz descended the spiral staircase, hoping not to encounter any of her sisters. At that moment, she craved solitude.

She made her way to the library, picked up a book, and placed it on the central table in the living room. The book was titled "The Mannequin" and had been written by her master, Henry Frank. This work was one of her favorite stories; she felt special reading it because it narrated, as a novel, the story of her master when he arrived in this world. Many of the anecdotes he had shared were embedded in different parts of the plot.

She stared at the book cover for several minutes, lost in her thoughts. The drawing of a wooden figure on the cover seemed to come to life and said to her, "Would you like some tea?"

That struck her as extremely odd, but suddenly, a tray with two cups of tea and a large teapot landed on the table next to the book. Beatriz turned to see who the voice belonged to and met her mother's gaze, looking at her with those eyes she knew so well, full of concern.

"Yes, thank you, Mom," she replied, taking the small cup.

Her mother took the steaming teapot and started pouring the tea carefully, so as not to spill a drop on her daughter. Beatriz brought the hot cup to her lips and took a sip.

"It's delicious, my favorite, berries just like the flowers in my hair. Thank you, Mom."

Tears welled up in Beatriz's eyes, and her hand started trembling, spilling a little of the hot tea on her legs. Her mother acted swiftly, snatching the cup from her hands and placing it back on the tray.

"Are you sad about the arrival of the demon king?" asked her mother, settling to her left on the couch.

"Yes, I miss Henry's hugs and kisses so much," she said, sobbing, looking down at the ground, embarrassed that her mother saw her cry.

Her mother gently took her head and laid it on her lap. She began stroking her hair, a shade of green like spring grass, and said tenderly, "You're so strong. You've had to fight those feelings alone. After all, you were very young when you arrived here with me. You couldn't even walk; your legs hadn't developed yet, and you had to be carried in a pot. Besides, your sisters were still seeds when they arrived at the mansion," she said while caressing her hair with her hands.

"Can you tell me how you met the one who stole my heart? Maybe that way, I can get a better idea about him," she asked, turning to look her mother in the eyes.

"Okay, I think you deserve to know. Though you're the first one to ask me about his past. I'm proud that you're so curious," she affectionately pinched her right cheek and continued, "It's a long story, and I still have to finish up in the kitchen."

"Please, Mom..."

"Alright, but I have to call your sisters to take over for me."

"I know who can take care of the kitchen," she said, remembering her three sisters on the balcony.

After her mother asked Cristina, Amelie, and Sara to handle the meal preparation, they went to Beatriz's room, and both sat on the bed.

"What I'm about to tell you is the story of how Eliza met Henry Frank many moons and suns ago..."