Privacy

Bath time had ended, and as Aria had told Maria they needed to return to the room, she complied, and they both went back.

Upon entering the door, Maria immediately noticed that the sheets had been changed and the mess they had left was cleaned up.

Aria, on the other hand, fixed her gaze on the food that had been placed on the wooden table.

Soup!

There were two bowls of soup, and without a second thought, Aria went, grabbed hers, and sat on the bed to eat it slowly, blowing on each spoonful to avoid burning her mouth.

Maria inspected the room and, indeed, it was spotless.

Who had cleaned it?

This question shattered when Maria saw how Aria was dirtying the bed while eating.

Goodbye, perfect cleanliness.

Maria lamented, but as her stomach growled, she grabbed her soup and sat on the bed, just like Aria, to eat.

While they were eating, a doubt came to Maria's mind, so she asked:

"Why are we eating here?"

"Because the dining room disgusts me," Aria replied while taking another sip of her soup.

Disgust?

Maria thought the reason was because they were prisoners, but given Aria's relaxed attitude… it seemed to be a whim of hers.

Aria was certainly a strange child, but thanks to her, Maria had stayed alive even though they were in a… strange situation.

What were the vampires after?

From everything that had happened before, it seemed that they obeyed Elizabeth, and Elizabeth obeyed and took care of Aria.

So… what role was she going to have in all this?

If an instructor was coming tomorrow and Elizabeth was going to be serving Aria… where did she fit into all this?

"Aria…," said Maria as she lowered her spoon.

Aria focused on her, but out of the corner of her eye, Maria noticed she hadn't even finished half of her food.

"What's going to happen to me?" Maria asked, trying not to sound worried, but she certainly was afraid.

She could still remember the way Elizabeth had looked at her when she thought she was kidnapping Aria.

The way she finished off that bear…

How frightening…

"Nothing," Aria replied after swallowing and then continued eating.

Nothing?

What does that mean, nothing?

"Uh… could you repeat what you just said?"

"I said nothing. Nothing is going to happen to you," Aria replied before putting the spoon in her mouth.

How could nothing happen to her?

Was she that irrelevant…?

Maria didn't know whether to feel relieved or underestimated.

After a few seconds, Maria regained her composure and asked:

"Aria, could you… specify more about nothing happening to me…?"

Aria, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world, answered:

"You will continue to be my maid and you will be with me at all times."

"I see," Maria responded automatically, but upon analyzing Aria's last statement...

To be with Aria… at all times…?

"Hey, Aria"

"What?" Aria asked, furrowing her brow.

Why wouldn't she let her eat in peace?

"What do you mean I have to be with you at all times?"

"That. You have to be with me at all times."

"But it's impossible for us to be together at all times!" Maria replied, upset, since it seemed Aria didn't understand her point.

Didn't she know about privacy?

That's when Maria remembered that Aria was still a child, unlike her who was already 16 years old.

Aria didn't care about being helped with her needs!

It was impossible for Aria to understand.

She still didn't grasp the concept of shame.

"Why?" Aria asked, puzzled.

Maria, blushing at the thought of how to explain that topic, opted for another argument to try to convince Aria:

"Because we can't sleep together!"

"But we just did that," Aria replied immediately.

Damn!

She had forgotten!

Out of ideas, Maria said:

"We can't bathe together! Because…"

"And what did we do a few minutes ago?" Aria asked before Maria could continue developing her argument.

How was Aria so good at counter-arguing?

Maria, out of options and very embarrassed, said:

"Yes, but… I mean going to the bathroom alone to do… to pee…"

She had said it…

She had said it!

Maria wanted to die of embarrassment right then and there, but she hoped that would be enough to convince Aria that they couldn't always be together.

She was already an adult, not a child!

"And why didn't you do it after I did?" Aria asked, puzzled, thus defeating Maria, as she didn't know what else to say.

Besides…

She was too desperate to go to the bathroom to think of anything else.