Seven is on standby near the mansion's gates along with his fellow bodyguards.

It's nearly late in the afternoon. The sun is going to set in just a couple of hours, but both the house's master and mistress are still nowhere in sight. By now, at least, the place is a lot less hectic than earlier.

​​

Gertrude's sudden appearance in the residence had flipped everyone over in nonplus.

Usually, someone from the maids or other houseworkers would at least inform the guards of any family member's oncoming arrival, but nothing like that happened this time. It's even almost as if it's been kept as a secret on purpose.

It's not just Gertrude's surprising appearance, though. What took the whole cake was the frenzied search for their missing mistress. With how frantic everybody was, they looked like they're trying to hunt down a wild beast who had escaped from its cage, especially the head maid.

Maids and menservants alike - they all went out to look for Cassidy. Yet in the end, they failed to find even a single trace.

While having this train of thoughts, Seven hears his phone ringing in his pocket. He then takes it out and answers the call, already aware of who it's going to be.

"Good afternoon again, Ma'am Cassidy," he greeted with a formal tone.

"Hey there, Seven! How's it going?" his mistress answered from the other side of the line.

"Coast is clear, Ma'am. The Madam had left half an hour ago. The security guards also did as you told them earlier. Nobody figured out that you went out of the mansion, though I think that they're about to do it now regardless of what the guards said."

"I see, I see... I'm on my way. Thanks for being on lookout. I know I can depend on you guys."

"No problem, Ma'am."

Still on her motorcycle, Cassidy puts back her phone in the inner pocket of her jacket and starts driving again.

She is now on her way home from the mall. By the time she called, she's only a few blocks away from the mansion.

"Good thing I've got Seven and the others. I was kinda hesitant to drag them into this, but I really needed someone to tell me if Maleficent's still there or not. Luckily, I exchanged phone numbers and emails with them before we went home earlier... And now we're buddies~!"

Indeed, it's a good thing that she has people to rely on somehow.

She's not sure why Seven and her other bodyguards would accept and follow her so easily like that. Gertrude clearly has more power than her in this household, after all. But then again, it could be that they're just really that nice and had keen eyes in choosing the right people they'd be siding with.

"We're mainly working for Ma'am Cassidy, not the Madam," was what her bodyguards told her earlier when she asked for their help and disclosed the fact that they'd be going against her mother-in-law's orders if they accepted.

"Those bodyguards... Yeah, gotta keep 'em," Cassidy firmly thought with a comically dead serious expression.

Soon enough, her afternoon joyride is over.

She eventually arrived at the mansion and was welcomed by her bodyguards. They seem really surprised to see her hair color - perhaps, it's the most notable reaction she saw on them so far.

They were quite supportive of her and even threw praises on how good she looked in it, though they're still wearing their trademark aloof expressions the whole time.

As for her treat to the two security guards who kept their mouths shut until the end, she bought them tons of snacks and different kinds of board games, including UNO cards, Monopoly, Chess and Scrabble. They were taken aback by this, clearly confused as for why they'd be receiving things that're mostly played by youngsters.

"You two are on the night shift too, right? Gotta be boring without doing anything to pass time with. I noticed that you're playing cards last time. You might wanna try other tabletop games if you already grew tried of that," Cassidy told the security guards a bit sheepishly, wondering if having them play these was too childish of her.

For a moment, they only continued staring at her silently, surprise written all over their faces. That's until their eyes turned sparkly all of the sudden - admiring her as if she's a saintess, a transcendental being, a beautiful goddess.

"How very thoughtful of you, Ma'am!" chirped one of the guards.

"We never thought we'd be noticed like that. Really, you're really kind, Ma'am!" seconded his partner.

"You even cared about our sanity during our night shifts. It's really so boring that we're gonna lose our minds."

"Thanks for the games, Ma'am! We'll play them well!"

"Oh, but we promise to keep doing our jobs, of course."

At their dramatic expression of gratitude, Cassidy only lets out an awkward laughter.

She didn't expect that her treat would get such an ebullient reception. At first, she did think of giving them something that most adults would like, but since she herself was young at heart, she considered those board games as more than passable.

"You're welcome. Thanks again guys," Cassidy chimed in with a smile before eventually bidding them goodbye and heading back to the mansion.

As soon as she gets there, she notices that the place seems to be stuffy and too quiet.

It's like the dreary ambiance that one would find after a storm came and swept over the place. It's giving her the impression that she made more troubles than she thought she did. Nevertheless, the thought amuses her to a certain degree.

With a scheming smile on her face, her pair of half-lidded eyes glinting mischievously, Cassidy stands tall in front of the mansion before starting to make her stride inside.

Almost instantly, the maids who're working nearby were thrown off guard. They all begin to stir around at her sudden entrance - most are apparently astonished by her new look.

"Ma'am Cassidy...?!"

"It's Ma'am Cassidy! She's back!"

"Did she... dye her hair?"

"Was she in a salon all along?"

"I almost did not recognize her."

"How gorgeous~ Red looks great on her."

"Quit your yapping, everyone! Get Cecile now!"

Cassidy feels like guffawing at that very moment.

They all look very flustered, though they're only bringing panic on themselves. It's not like she's going to run away again or something. With them surrounding her like this as she walks further inside, it will be impossible to escape.

Yet in every step Cassidy takes, the whole scenario is beginning to change dramatically. Rather than wary of her escaping once more, they appear like they're on guard - as if they're witnessing a wild beast that is going to gobble them up in any given second.

Now, Cassidy feels like she's the representative of the fire nation who's going to attack their fortress, which kind of goes well with her fiery crimson red hair flowing behind her.

"Ma'am Cassidy..."

And alas, their chief commander has come.

Cecile is now standing on top of the staircase, glaring down at her with a belligerent look on her face. She looks like the mistress of the house more than her, especially with that condescending poise on.

"The Madam was waiting for you for almost an hour."

As the head maid vehemently said that like a low and scornful growl, her expression gets even darker. It seems like she's really holding it in. She appears as if she might blow up and erupt like a volcano once her buttons are pushed even for the slightest bit.

Cassidy stays silent for a moment, returning her fierce gaze with an apathetic one.

She just continues exchanging penetrating looks with her - taking time to examine the contour of her very presence all the while. Now that she's close to showing her true colors, she realizes one certain thing about her. It's probably something that has always been there even way back before she lost her memories.

Much like what Cecile is clearly doing now, she's looking down on Cassidy.

The way she glowers is similar to how one will look at the lowest human being in the world. This woman is seeing her as a worthless individual, a mere rag mistakenly turned into royalty, a shameless parasite in the family, and a person who doesn't deserve everything she has now.

"Well, I'll let her have her way..." Cassidy quietly mused to herself before lifting her chin up and spreading a smug smile.

"After all, this is the last time she'll be standing up there. I wonder what kind of expression she'll make once I drag her down~"

Cecile may have the backing of two of the most powerful figures in this household. People could trust her loyalty and competence for all they wanted. She could also pretend like this for as long as she desired to.

As for Cassidy, though, the woman before her now is nothing but an oblivious pawn that she's going to use as her first stepping stone to break free from the oppressive chains of this family.