Ellen stood in the hallway and stared angrily at a paper they had left her.

It wasn’t enough that they had given her a light beating and forced her to stand outside after being stripped to her underwear.

She maybe could have forgiven them a little if it had been that she was allowed to dress again before being forced out, but of course not. Ellen had been standing there, almost nude while they tried to find clues of where Jack could be.

Before those guards left, they handed over a paper to Ellen.

She all of sudden wished to cry. The paper was proof that she had until the next day to leave the house.

After that the town owned the house, until they had paid a fine of thousand gold.

Ellen has really tried her best to create that machine to Jack so they shouldn’t be forced out at the street, yet she still was thrown out like that. Could it be the price she had to pay for creating a horrible machine like that?

Why did this happen?

Why were they searching for Jack, and where were he and Alice? Had they left her to herself and run away? Did they know this would happen? What was really going on?

Ellen turned around when she heard a shocked noise.

Alice had come through the door without her noticing it and was now starring surprised at Ellen, still standing in her underwear.

“What has happened sister?”

Alice looked like she had gotten away from all humiliation that had happened Ellen. Maybe she should give the little “princess” a taste of it?

“We have just lost our home and Jack is wanted for something.” She should have loved to give vent to her anger at Alice, but it wasn’t her fault this had happened.

It felt more like it was Ellen's fault they couldn’t stay in the house, this was the price they had to pay for the horrible machine she created.

Alice stood frozen in shock.

This was probably more than the “princess” could take.

“Alice, can you please make some tea while I get dressed. So can we drink while talking about what we will do now.”

They had to make up some plan to be able to survive, and since Alice was so shocked it was probably best that Ellen took the control. Otherwise no one knew what could happen.

The sisters tried to find out what to do, but couldn’t find any good answers.

Taija came over for a visit after what had felt like an eternity, wondering what they were talking about.

Ellen explained that the guards had searched for Jack, humiliated her and given her a paper that the city took over the house the next day. So they were more or less homeless and was now trying to make up a plan of how they should handle it.

“Then, do you have a plane?”

Ellen looked irritated at Taija. That cheeky question was nothing she wanted to hear now, or ever at all.

She took the silence as an answer.

“What would you like to work as live-in maids in my home?”

She probably meant well with the question, but Ellen couldn’t help to feel that she tried to use their situation.

Without any better alternatives both Alice and Ellen had agreed to Taija's offer. They had packed some clothes and a few other things before they left their now former home.

Ellen knows that it maybe was and probably looked stupid that she carried the prototype with her, but if it wouldn’t end well at Taija's place she could sell some part for money to survive a little while longer.

“Do you want help sister?”

Alice has offered to help her a few times since they left the house, but Ellen had declined the help every time. If even Ellen that probably was stronger then Alice got exhausted to carry it, Alice would most probably collapse and slowly die if she tried.

“Are you moving little miss?”

Ellen recognized the voice after all the times he had helped her.

She stopped up and put the prototype on the ground, starting to talk to him. After a short and simplified version of how they had lost their home he patted her on the head, “Then it’s great that you have someone that helps you and that I have another temporary work offer for you.”

“If I am allowed to borrow her from you, that is.”

He looked at Taija with a smile. Wouldn’t it have been better if he had asked Ellen directly?

Taija cracked a small smile,” It all depends on if I choose to make them my personal maids or the households maids.”

Ellen looked at Alice that looked just a confused as Ellen. It had never been anything said about they becoming her personal maids, not that they were in a position to be picky.

After a little while they decided at which amount Chris would pay Taija to be allowed to borrow Ellen.

“See you tomorrow morning little missy, and I hope you will feel home at madam's place.”

Chris quickly left after giving her which time they should meet at his shop.

Ellen didn’t know if she should be glad or irritated. It was great that Chris asked her to help him with a work, but how should she really feel about that he borrowed her from Taija. Sure she will work for Taija as a maid, but was it the same as if she owned Ellen?

“Shall we buy some food so we can make dinner when we come home?”

Taija looked smiling at them. Either she was hungry or just wanted to taste something made by Alice.

Ellen was sure that it was the latter option, almost enough to be betting money at it.

She hadn’t been mistaken, It was that Taija wished to eat something cooked by Alice. Clearly proven during, for them, unusually dinner.

Every second and third bit she took, she praised Alice some more.

Ellen finds it highly annoying, the food wasn’t that great. Neither was Alice, at least not to be praised that much. By a person that lives in a mansion.

“Miss Halluv, Who are those persons?”

Taija suddenly went silent and looked at a girl that just had come into the kitchen.

“Good afternoon Sain, how has your day off been?”

After a short answer by the girl Taija explained that Sain also was a maid in the mansion.

Just by looking at the ginger hair, tail and ears Ellen made a guess that the girl was partly fox.

“Good afternoon Sain, I am Alice and I will be in your care as a maid from tomorrow and on.”

The false “princess” put on her most polite behaviour.

Ellen followed up, present herself just like she would have to anyone else. Only to be met by irritated glares from both Alice and Sain.

“Please don’t let Ellen talk with Mr Halluv.”

Ellen felt more frustrated, she only did present herself as who she is. It ain’t that bad.

Taija began to giggle, which made it even worse. “Would you like a bite of the food Alice have made?”

Back at the room Ellen's irritation started to calm down.

It wasn’t enough that Alice and Sain complained at Ellen manner, or that Taija had praised Alice too much about the food. No, of course Sain also had to praise the “princess” for the food.

That was far too much to happen under just one day, and it was without taking up that Jack had disappeared. Or that they had lost their home.

“Ellen, you know you have to make sure to hold a better manner when you talk. Right”

She didn’t want to hear more about that from Alice, as if she hadn’t found that out herself already.

Ellen agreed to avoid further talk about it before changing to her nightclothes and joining Alice in the bed.

They could have gotten separated rooms, but Alice begged to share a room with Ellen. Just like it had been since they “found” each other again.

“Sister, You know father's crystals are bad. Don’t you?”

Ellen starred surprised at her sister. Did Alice know what those crystals actually was?

“ I found it out when I asked Jack after hearing about them in the city. Yet I had to finish the machine to make them stronger.”

“Why did you have to finish it?”

Ellen let out a light sigh. “Because it was said that we would be thrown out at the street if I didn’t.”

Alice gave her a hug, “So you finished it for us? I am proud of you Ellen.”

Ellen wished to tell her sister that there was nothing to be proud of, at least not the fact that she made the drug stronger and yet failed to keep them in the house. It was rather something that she would try to hide with all her might.

“You must get up now is you shall help Chris today.”

It was another morning that she wished to curse the “princess”. Why did she have to be a morning person?

Alice had changed into a “working clothes” she got from Sain the day earlier. A dark coloured dress and a white apron to that. She did look something like a maid, which is a fitting position for a high and mighty person like her.

When she was sure her sister was awake she left the room.

Ellen slowly dressed up in her casual clothes and noticed how Alice had put the working clothes in a bag.

She was still taking care of Ellen, even after all that had happened. Even after she had failed her task to make sure they could remain living happily in their old house.

When Ellen walked into the kitchen she noticed that it only was Alice there.

“ Shouldn’t the fox girl help you with the chores?”

“She is, but right now she is waking up Taija.”

It didn’t seem to bother Alice that the fox probably tried to get away from some of the tasks.

After being ordered to start eating before everyone had arrived Ellen began to eat. Thinking if this wasn’t similar to a family father would have it. Eat before everyone else so she could get away to the work and earn money for the family. The only thing that would be off in that thought, was that it should mean that Alice was the family mother. Which not even were possible.

Ellen had almost finished eating when Sain came back, leading a clearly morning tired Taija.

It was hard for her to keep back her laughed. She herself was tired in the morning, but Taija was even worse. Being in need of someone to guide her to the kitchen.

Upon leaving to meet up with Chris at his shop everyone wished her a good working, once again as if she was a family father.

After a quick greeting with Chris, Ellen borrowed a room in the shop to change clothes. She had been lucky that Alice had picked up them up before leaving their home. Even if the little “princess” complained that it needed to get washed.

As if Ellen didn’t know it herself.

Chris explained what their job was and how he had planned it.

The work itself sounded very simple, it was only to change some cogs in a machine. The only thing that could do it complicated was that it was a bigger machine, so it was needed two persons to handle the big gears.

While explaining everything for her she noticed how that walked through both the marketplace and the area that both Sour and Thom had their shops.

At last they reached an area that was filled with a lot of big buildings, most probably factories if Ellen would make a wild guess.

“Is it your first time here?”

It was. She had barely seen anything else than the walkway between her old home, the marketplace, Sour's shop and now recently Taija's mansion.

If it wasn’t because she had decided to start as a cog technician, she would probably not seen anything else then the marketplace besides the house.

They walked through a door to one of the factories and stayed there until a man noticed them, and walked straight to them.

“Do you have any businesses here?”

Chris politely explained that they were the repairmen that would fix a machine. The man nodded to their words while annoyed was written all over his face.

“That`s great, Then can you please start your work instead of standing here. I don’t wish to lose more money.”

The rude and heavily overweight man lead them through the factory and to a machine.

“Here it’s. Now get your work done so we can start to use it again.” He left with those last words.

“Can you feel how the ground is vibrating less and less?”

The man had got out of the reach of hearing and Chris expressed his disliking with a joke.

Ellen could only agree after being met by that horrible manner. That “blob” would need to get his fat rear in gear and do some real work done himself, or at least try to work out and lose half of his weight.

After those short comments Chris gave her a smile, “ Are you ready to work now little missy?”

Before she had a chance to answer, Chris Walked up to the machine and opened a door-like lid and gestured her to follow him in through it.

The inside of the machine looked a lot simpler then she had thought. But of course, the only machines she had seen the inside of was the machine she created for Jack and some from the TV back in the old world before she died. And that was really different from the world she exists in now.

The most important gear they needed to change was one with a big blade, but they should also change the cogs that looked worn out. Of which some locked the big one in place.

Chris expressed his gratitude to Ellen after she stopped him from taking down the smaller cogs.

The stupid bull didn’t even consider marking up which cog that belonged where, so it could have been a pain when it was time to put everything together again. Stupid bull.

Sain expressed an impression that Alice picked up how they wanted to have the cleaning of the house done.

It wasn’t much if different then how she had done back in the other house, so Alice couldn’t help but think that Sain was simply overreacting. But she couldn’t deny that it felt good to be honestly praised for something so basic as cleaning.

It seemed like it had been a good decision to take Taija's offer.

They had once again a home and even some good company. Alice didn’t need to work as hard that she did before and could even take a few breaks together with Sain, that was a lot more talkative than she first had given the impression of.

It also seemed to be good for Ellen. She didn’t lock herself up in the workshop to study, but instead she actually spends some time together with Alice. Maybe it was because of Chris, but she even came home in time to eat dinner together with everyone else.

Not even Taija bothered her too much, at least not while she was cleaning. But of course Taija did leave the mansion a while after breakfast every day and came back in time for the dinner. After the dinner was another story, if she could get hold of Alice that was.

The second day they lived in the mansion Taija left as usually after breakfast, but she came home earlier that day. Drunk, or rather heavily intoxicated.

“Ellen, can you ask how miss Taija is doing?”

They were in the middle of the cleaning when Sain first noticed Taija staggering through the door.

Alice was surprised that she came home that drunk, and just by looking at Sain so was it not common. She put away what she had in her hand and walked over to talk with Taija.

“How are you doing Taija?”

Taija threw herself around her, holding her tight. “I am so glad you are here sweetheart.”

Alice looked back pleading at Sain, that apparently had taken the chance to flee. She must have used Alice to make sure she could escape herself.

“What has happened?”

She felt betrayed by that false fox, but the only thing she could do for now was to find out what was up with Taija. Then she could search up that fox and hug her throat, tight while squishing the air out of her.

It was the first time a grown-up woman hold on to her while sobbing. “I and an important friend took a day off to drink some wine together. But now afterwards I found out how horrible it must look that I am intoxicated in the middle of the day.”

Sure it didn’t look good that she was intoxicated like this, but if someone would see her cry like this. It would be even worse.

“It probably isn’t anything to care so much about since it’s rare.”

The best thing to do was probably to try calming her down, maybe even let her sleep, and talk about it the next day when she was sober.

Alice leaded Taija to her room while still being hugged. It was a slow process, but they finally reached Taija's room.

On their way there Alice saw the betrayal fox again and gave her a hateful glare. When Sain noticed them her ears and tail shot up in the air before she once again retreated, as if her life depended on it.

Next time she got hold of her, Alice really needed to hug her throat.

“It`s wonderful that I have a wife at home that can take care of me.”

No. You don’t have a wife that takes care of your drunk bump, you have a maid that takes cares of a drunk woman. Not that she really cares about Taija being drunk, but more that it’s her responsibility to take care of her.

Alice let out a sigh. Normally when Taija indicated that she was her wife, she holds a playful tone. But she sounded more serious now.

She didn’t pay Taija's comment any attention and helped her to bed so Taija could sleep and sober up. And most important, leaving Alice out of her stupid behaviour.

“Will you still be by my side when my father comes home, no matter what he says?”

She was about to fall asleep and started to cry again, showing clear signs of being afraid.

Was there even a risk that Alice and Ellen would get thrown out when Taija's father came home. They were working to be able to live there. Or rather, she was working and Ellen would start to work so soon she was done helping Chris.

At last Taija got calm enough to fall asleep and Alice left the room. Maybe it could be a good idea to ask Sain about Taija's father, so she had an idea of what could be waiting, before strangling that naughty fox.

Alice did found out that Sain had got both the time to get out and buy ingredients and start to prepare for the dinner while Alice was taking care of Taija. So she could almost forgive her for running away, but only almost.

Upon asking about asking about Taija's father, Mr Halluv, Sain thought it wouldn’t be any problems at all. As long she didn’t let Ellen do the talk.

Alice had already proven herself to be able to work hard and hold a polite attitude, which couldn’t be said about Ellen.

Ellen let out a sigh. She had helped Chris for three days now and everything was going smooth. But she did feel bothered, not by the work but by what Alice had told her.

There was a risk that “Mr Halluv” comes back home soon, and because of that Alice wishes her to behave more polite and lick his “high-class rear”. As if she wasn’t good enough when she acted like herself.

She let out another sigh. To make it all worse so was the now transporting the gear with a blade on it, with horse and waggon. Which gave Ellen quite some time to think.

“what are you thinking about Ellen?”

All her thinking seemed to have caught Chris attention.

“Is it wrong to act like normally if you are a maid.”

Chris didn’t see anything wrong with act normally as a maid, so long the normal behaviour wasn’t rude and really impolite. Of course it also mattered if the maid was employed by the household, or if they were employed by a specific person.

He was quick to point out that he hadn’t seen any behaviour by Ellen that could cause her any problems.

Ellen was satisfied with his answer and it only proved that Alice was overreacting. But of course she might need to think about how she handles that old man.

“I have a friend that works here, he will help us sharpen the gear.”

They had finally stopped, in front of Thom's blacksmith. So he was also a friend of Chris's. For some reason Ellen wasn’t even surprised. She could see Sour, Chris and Thom stick together, especially with that strange sense of humour of theirs.

“I know him, helped me with the task from father.”

Chris let out a light laugher as they started to load off the gear, “I see. Then it’s no need for a presentation.”

It wasn’t any needed at all, Thom recognised her directly when he saw her.

“So you are working for Chris?”

He didn’t seem to suspect that, but of course she didn’t work with him during that time. It hadn’t even been any talk about it, so how could anyone know.

“You needed to do some training last time you were here, so what about you get some training now?”

Thom handled her a tool to sharpen the blade on the gear and expected her to help him.

“She might need some training, she got really tired to only carry out the gear to the waggon.”

Sure she had got really tired when she helped him carry the gear but he could at least try to sugar-coat it at least a little. She wasn’t as fragile and pathetic as other girls but she was still a girl.

Nothing got better since she got exhausted by sharpening the blade. Which made Chris and Thom teasing her even more. With a playful tone of course, but it still only made Ellen hesitate more if she had made the right decision to work as a cog technician.

“Maybe better to let little Ellen get some rest for the day.”

It was about time to stop work for the day when Thom spoke up. Which wouldn’t have been a problem, if he hadn’t chosen to use the chance to make fun of her.

“Agree, she does look tired.” And of course Chris would join in at it too.

If it wouldn’t be that the bull had helped her when she first bought the gears from Sour, she would like to just give him a piece of her mind and then leave.

Chris told Ellen that they could meet at Thom's place the next day. So should they finish it and take it straight to the factory again. All before they parted at Chris's shop.

Ellen let out a sigh while walking back to the mansion, it had felt like the work had been heavier than usual. The men could have a point that she needed to train, even if she didn’t want to agree to it.

She let out another sigh, all other work she could get as a cog technician couldn’t this heavy, right?

Yells could be heard from the mansion when she arrived. It was the “princess” that screamed at someone, and she seemed angrier than she ever heard before. If she even had heard her sister angry before, that was.

“Why do you even think you have permission to tell a father how to treat his dumb daughter?”

“If you shouldn’t have tried to break her, it would have been a different thing. But you tried to shatter your own daughter into pieces.”

Ellen walked in and directly got their absolute attention. It was no way she could back of and keep herself out if it anymore. And just by seeing how angry that old, fat and bald man was. She couldn’t act like she normally did. It would probably only make it all worse.

“I beg for pardon sir, but may I ask what the problem is?” Her own words sounded horrible, but it was a matter of survival right now. If he was Taija's father it meant that he was the person owning the mansion, which also meant that he easily could throw them out at the street.

“Finally, some proper behaviour. In comparison to that little slut's behaviour.”

If Ellen only would have been allowed to beat that fat bowling ball. It was one thing that she thought bad about her sister, but gods may have mercy at the others that did the same.

“I deeply apologise for my sister's behaviour. May I be rude and ask if this will affect our work as maids Taija?”

According to the fat idiot that was the problem itself, his “dumb” daughter hadn’t asked him about employing them. What was wrong with this “person”? Getting angry because his daughter decided herself to employ two maids, was the bowling ball a child?

“Then I wish to apologise both myself and my sister for our wrongdoing.”

Polite Ellen, be polite and don’t take the first possibility you get to beat him. He sure seems to deserve it, but he ain’t worth it.

“Now it really starts to look like something.” He seemed to have calmed down after the apologises and some deep curtsies. Maybe this could be a chance to secure their place as maids there.

Ellen apologised again and gently offered him their services as maids.

Pointing out, especially, that Alice was good at most of the house chores. Which includes that she was more or less a master chef.

She did her best to secure her place thereby pointing out that she was a trainee cog technician, so she could offer some help with that and also most of the other house chores.

The scariest part was that she needed to point out that she for the moment was helping a co-worker, but would start to help out in the mansion when the work was done.

After quite some thinking The man finally broke the silence. “That does sound good. Then if your sister can make an acceptable dinner, you are allowed to stay. But don’t forget that you have to behave, otherwise you have to leave without a second chance.” He glared at Alice when he said the second part.

They really were off to a “good start”, all thanks to that small and bitchy “princess”.

Later in the room Ellen asked Alice what had happened.

According to Alice, so had both Mr Halluv and his maid both unfairly critic toward Alice before they had started to ask what she even did there. Sain had laid up some good words for her and it had seemed to been accepted. But then Taija had arrived back home and said that Alice was one of her personal maids, that was when Mr Halluv had started to scold her until she broke down in tears. That was also the point when Alice started to protect Taija, and it all got out of hand.

Ellen let out a sigh. Alice had proved herself to be a bad girl by going against him instead of taking care of Taija afterwards. It could have got them thrown out at the street if it wasn’t for Ellen. But the fat bowling ball called Halluv did show himself to be a jerk off, so it maybe had been worth it if she had given him a beating.

It had been a really rough day. First, had she been made fun of by both Chris and Thom. Then she has come back to the mansion and been forced to solve a problem so they had a place to stay. And to finish it all of, she had been questioned by Mr Halluv's maid. Which Ellen didn’t even notice during the big conflict. She turned out to be in charge of all the maids. She really did a bad job of showing who was the boss during the conflict, instead she seemed to be enjoying to punish people afterwards. Just like she would do with Alice.

When Ellen asked how bad it would be she said that it wouldn’t be too harsh. Alice had after all shown some regret after Ellen had started to talk to Mr Halluv.

Why had it all got a messy end like this?

Ellen let out yet another sigh, this had been really tiring. All she could do now was to hope that the next day would be better.