“Margaux?” I called out as soon as I entered.

“Yes miss, coming miss.” A voice came from the veranda on the upper floor.

Margaux had excused herself earlier to prepare my room, but I would never have imagined she’d transform a corner of the glass ceiling into an actual veranda. It now had two simple couches, several potted plants, and a small metal table, just large enough for a single person to drink coffee on. The new décor would have been quite nice if not for the tacky patterns on the couches if I was being honest.

“Do you like it miss? I can bring more things up there tomorrow, just tell me what you need.”

Margaux came downstairs and was intensely staring at me, she looked somewhat like a puppy waiting to be praised for bringing back a stick.

“Um, you did a great job, there is no doubt about that…” I spoke as I glanced around the room to find something I could use to change the direction of the conversation. I noticed the bedsheets had been changed, and that some documents had been piled up on my desk.

“I see that you changed the bedsheets as well.”

“Yes miss, the previous ones were clean, but I worried they wouldn’t suit your taste.” The maid replied.

Thankfully Margaux’s taste in bedwear was leagues above her taste in furniture.

“Thank you. I do indeed think that their dark blue colour contrasts well with the auburn wallpaper…” I trailed off. It was getting late, and talking is what I hoped was a good impression of nobility was proving to be really tiring.

Thankfully, Margaux, for all her (interior design) flaws, was a very perceptive girl.

“You seem tired miss, should I leave you to your affairs?”

“Yes, that would be wonderful. Before you go though, could you tell me who brought those papers in?” I said as I pointed towards the desk.

“Emmy, and myself, miss. She made a summary of all the things needing your attention, and the rest is mail that was collected while the estate was vacant. I pre-selected what I believe is of utmost importance, should I bring out the rest of the letters?”

I sigh. I appreciated the enthusiasm, but I couldn’t have things go this way. As annoying as it might be for both Margaux and myself, I need to decide for myself what was and wasn’t spam mail.

“Yes, please be obliged. And going forward, I. want you to bring all the letters at the attention of myself or the estate directly to me unless I specify otherwise for certain senders or topics.”

Margaux nodded and looked at the floor. Surprisingly enough, she wasn’t as upset as I expected her to be.

“Will this be all?” She asked.

“No, you mentioned a kitchen downstairs, does it have access to running water?”

“Yes miss.”

“And is it equipped with crockery?”

“Yes miss. And it has been stocked up with some imperishable goods. Would you like me to prepare something for you?”

“No, not today. Thank you.”

“One last thing-” I looked around the room, hoping to see some sort of switch for the light.

“Are you looking for the activation gem for the protective barrier?”

I suddenly remembered that I indeed could prevent people from entering the studio.

“Yes, that and the light switch.” I answered.

“There is no light switch miss, you are the one controlling it with your mana. Is that not how things worked in Ashkimmer?”

“No, we had to … externally regulate mana flow.” I improvised.

I wanted to ask more about how the lights were meant to work, but I was afraid of exposing myself. Plus, if I was indeed the one to control them, I was sure there was some way I could force them to turn off.

“And about the barrier?”

“Would you like to set it up now?” Margaux seemed to have brightened up again.

I nodded.

“Then please come to the door, if you’ve never done it before, it might be a bit startling, but I’m sure it’s nothing compared to what miss has seen on the battlefield.”

I silently followed my maid to the door and watched as she slid open some secret panel. Under it, embedded in the wood, was a large clear, spherical, crystal. Around it, there was a crude and stylised gravure of a tree. Small, also transparent gems were placed.

“Do you have with you the seal given to you by the Church?” Margaux asked.

I reached for my belt and untied the tassel with the bird depicted on it.

“This one, correct?” I asked, trying to sound confident.

“Yes miss. Now slide it here and place your dominant hand on the gem.”

Margaux pointed towards a barely noticeable slit in one of the branches surrounding the gem. I did as I was told, and just as I approached the little metal rectangle to the carving, the crack lit up with a bright white light and widened up. Since my maid wasn’t saying anything, I assumed this was normal and put my hand over the crystal.

Instantly I felt a sharp jolt of pain in my palm. I had never been electrocuted, but in that moment, I assumed that’s what it felt like. I pulled both my hands away, but somehow managed to control myself enough not to cry out.

“Ha, that was nothing.” I said, trying to seem cool.

“Of course, miss.” Margaux replied with a tone that suggested that she would never mention this incident again.

“Thus, going forward, no one would be able to enter this room without my permission?”

“Precisely miss. This will also apply to me once I leave. But I was hoping you would give me permanent permission to enter, since I am your personal maid.” The girl said, looking away and fiddling with her hands.

“Naturally, if you show me how.” I said with a gentle tone.

I didn’t fully trust her yet, nor did I fully trust anyone in this mansion for that matter, but I knew I would have to heavily rely on someone, and I would rather have that someone be a person who looks and acts nice and harmless.

“We will both have to activate the mana-identifying gem at the same time, so whenever you’re ready miss, let’s put our hands on the crystal.”

I rubbed my left palm and bit down my lip. Was I going to have to go through the same process with the head maid, butler, and any other personnel I’d hire in the future? I also didn’t fail to notice that the gem had changed to a rich indigo colour. One that looked eerily similar to Leticia’s eye colour.

“Alright, shall we do this?” I finally asked.

Margaux and I both reached out our hands and put them over the gem. I was expecting the jolt of pain this time, so I could brace myself for it. This had not been the case for Margaux however, as she yelped, and quickly pulled her hand away.

“Are you alright?” I quickly asked, automatically reaching out towards her in case she’d need help.

“I did not expect it to be so painful, miss.” The girl reluctantly admitted.

I could see small tears form in the corners of her eyes, so I decided to do a trick my parents had taught me.

“May I have your hand?” I asked.

She extended her palm. I could see no visible wound, but I presumed the pain was caused by a short circuit of magical energy (if my very limited experience with electronics was anything to go by). I took her hand into mine and blew on it. I don’t know why that had always worked on me when I was a kid, maybe it was the goofiness factor.

I felt some sort of energy flow through me and towards Margaux. It was hard to put into words, and the feeling went away as soon as it came.

“You didn’t have to use a healing spell on me, miss! Especially since you have so few.” Margaux said before quickly covering her mouth with her hand.

“Not that I don’t feel grateful,…” she attempted to correct her statement, but was clearly at a lack for words.

I shook my head, but couldn’t hold back a smile. She seemed like quite an honest girl, and perhaps I could start trusting her.

“Before you leave, would you mind telling me where you – where my sword was placed?” I asked.

I had parted ways with the weapon when I took my bath, earlier that day, and I hadn’t seen it since.

“Of course, miss. One is by your bed, another two are in your wardrobe, and the rest were put in storage.”

I nodded. I was not aware I had that many swords, nor could I imagine why anyone would want that many of the same item. Unless they were a collector of course, but collectors didn’t hide away their possessions in storage rooms. But knowing that I always had a weapon on hand made me feel a tad safer. Not that I was currently feeling as if I was in danger, it was more a question of having something to fall back on in case something went really, really, wrong.

“Margaux, thank you for your help today, I will see you tomorrow. It seems I have some paperwork to sort through, so I would appreciate if I were not to be disturbed.” I said.

“Then please enjoy your evening, miss.”

Margaux wished me farewell and closed the door behind her as she left.