2 The Mansion and the Maids

[Shelly's POV]

My everyday starts seeing a prepared breakfast by my bed. I don't know who were the individuals doing it. It was as if they are shadows, difficult to catch. At first, I thought I was living with ghosts, but I proved that wrong when I caught a maid cleaning the bathroom. Yet the weird thing is when I fully opened the bathroom door, the maid was gone. Creepy? Of course, but I get used to it as years passed by.

Years? You ask then how many? About 6 years ago, I was nine years old when Mom and Dad decided to ask the owner of this mansion to take care of me. Actually, that owner was one of the person that I saw walking around the mansion recently. It seems like she is the only person that appears before me. I don't know the specific reason why these people hide from me.

One suspicious fact again is that there is no mirror around the mansion. I can't even glance outside because there were no windows. The double door was always locked, I tried kicking it, slamming it just to open it but the owner always catches me. Just so annoying. And I tried opening the door for 2 years while living here. Still, I'm so damned and annoyed whenever I see that owner.

"Shelly? Your bath is ready." A voice stated.

"Owner that's you right?" I asked in reassurance the voice is unfamiliar and I hated it.

"Milady, the bath is ready." Instead of answering my questions the voice just repeated her statement.

"Tch." I clicked my tongue out of annoyance.

"You leave me no choice lady." Her voice turned loud that sent chills down my spines.

BLAG! The sound of the slamming of the door from the outside made me jumped down the bed. I automatically grabbed the nearest object which is the table lamp.

"Don't destroy the door!" I shouted to the person outside.

BLAG!... another slamming sound.

"Forgive me, m'lady." The voice replied. I heard the clinking of keys then the unlocking of the door.

I stared at the person in front of me she is a girl of my age as far as I can tell, but she has this adult aura. She has this short black hair, crimson eyes, and light skin tone. She's wearing a white and black maid outfit with a lighter shade of pink ribbon attached on the outfit's sleeves.

"You could have just opened it using the keys in the first place! Where is my Aunt?" I asked, ignoring the fact that she's a stranger to me.

"I'm a maid. My name is Lhea." Then she bowed like a princess.

"Where is the owner of the mansion?" I asked again, grabbing the lamp on the table.

"I killed her." She said with a smile.

"W-What?!" I was shocked and then threw the lamp at her, but before the lamp can hit her. She caught it with her left hand and place it gently on the table near her.

"Just kidding Shelly, she went out for groceries, my, my, please don't throw random objects. I don't have enough money to pay for that ancient lamp." She stated and sighed.

"What t-the h-heck is hap-happening?" I asked nervously.

She raised an eyebrow as if she didn't understand what I am trying to say, but eventually she smiled as if she already understood.

"You might be wondering that instead of Miss Yurara doing the usual service for you, it was me, maid Lhea doing the job." She said.

I nodded.

"Well she's out and we are free to move around when she's not here." She added.

"Free to move around? We?" I gave her a questioning look.

She did not answer my question and started fixing the sheets of my bed without permission.

"I'm sorry for earlier Milady, please forgive me." Maid Lhea politely apologized.

I'm still not convinced by all of the kindness Lhea is showing. What if she kidnapped Auntie?! Wait...I don't even care if she kidnapped auntie, I hate that person anyway. I know that she's a total fake, acting good and loving when she's by my side but I can still smell the stench of something unexplained from her. I walked towards the door.

"Before I take a bath," I started. She finished fixing the bed and then she walked towards me but not that close, "Can you tell me who you really are?" I asked.

She smiled and walked outside my room and then I followed. She close the door afterwards and bowed.

"Thank you Malady for deciding to take a bath." Lhea stated and bowed.

"You won't answer my question, would you?" I asked in irritation. She didn't respond to my question and I facepalmed.

When I passed in front of her, I was crept out by her atmosphere so I suddenly pushed her to the floor making her lose her balance.

"Itta~." She winced as her elbow hits the door's knob.

"Freak!" I shouted and ran towards the spacious living room.

I hid behind a curtain. I hope my hiding place isn't that obvious. I'm really crept out, can she be the maid at the bathroom? Is she some kind of ghost? But I was able to push her! So many questions is running in my mind that I didn't notice the curtain sliding to the right.

Me: O_O

Another Maid: = _ =

"Who the hell are you?!" I shouted.

"You must be our Master." She coldly stated.

Yep. Judging from her frilly outfit and the soft broom she's holding, she's also a maid but the difference is she has this long brown hair, dark-shaded eyes, and we have the same skin tone.

"M-Master?" I asked.

She nodded.

"Well, you're a weird one." I commented while slowly inching away from her.

She started sweeping the tiles.

"You are so bothersome." She then spoke.

"What me?" I asked her with a skeptical look.

"You should take a bath, don't you waste Lhea-chan's effort." She stated. What the? How did she know I just talked with that black-haired maid?

"Excuse me. Don't you dare tell me what to do, I am your 'Master' after all." I stated and crossed my arms.

She stopped sweeping, she started walking towards me so I was forced to step back and I ended up pinning my body on the wall.

"To answer your question. Yes, I guess you are. Shelly right? Some kind of spoiled brat." she stated coldly as her eyes met mine.

"WAIT WHAT? SPOILED BRAT?" I asked in irritation. I suddenly grab the broom she was holding, which she did not expect for her eyes widened.

"Give that back, I need to finish my job." She ordered.

"Of course, I'll give it to you... Take this!" I swung the broom towards her but she easily dodged it by ducking then she jumped away.

"Stop now." She stated.

"I won't stop until I sweep your feet away!" I shouted. Wait that doesn't sound correct...err whatever.

I swung it to her feet but she dodged it by jumping.

"I don't like childish games." She said in a monotone voice.

I was preparing to strike her for the third time, but she quickly disappeared before me then I felt her presence behind me. I swung behind me, I was too late. She caught my left arm using her right hand then she took the broom using her left hand. She pulled me closer.

"Slow." She stated.

She then release my arm then continue sweeping far away from me then stared at me for a good few seconds, which by the way was very uncomfortable, before walking away.

"I'm not!" I shouted. When I looked at the place where she was standing earlier, she's not there anymore. Scary.

I continued walking in the halls, I'm hungry, maybe I'll take the bath a little later. When I reached the kitchen's door, from outside I can here the sound of clinking utensils, boiling water, the sound of knives tapping a wooden surface and two voices.

I froze. Am I dreaming? Is this another trick, or maybe they could be maids again? I'm really getting scared by maids appearing and disappearing before me now. I decided I would not open the door for my sake. I turned around and started walking away from the kitchen's door but the aroma coming from the food inside is tempting me to enter.

"Miki-san, please hand me the pot of carrots~." A voice stated in a sing-song tone, probably talking to the person named Miki.

"Here you go, Hori-chan." I assumed the person Miki replied.

"Nee, nee Miki-chan. Let's get this dishes ready at the dinner table! Shelly-sama must be hungry now." The unknown voice said.

I gasped. They know me too? Okay, time to leave... maybe I should hide inside one of the rooms here. It's too many for them to find me easily, I will wait until Aunt Yurara arrives. I started stepping backwards but then I bumped into a wall or is it?

"So, Yona-chan is right. You are here all along... I thought I've lost you." I was alarmed by the dark tone of the voice and I quickly formed my hand into a fist. I can tell the aura coming from a monster...a monstrous aura to be exact, that's how I felt, so when I turned around I released a punch to whoever the person was.

"Ow!"

My eyes widened.