Chapter 8 – The Bath
After a hectic day, during which most of the staff was thoroughly inspected, with the exception of a select few due to their long-standing service in the mansion, Clare headed to the maids' common bathroom.
As she opened the door, several of them glanced at her sideways, but she ignored this and went to prepare her water bucket.
Despite hours having passed since that accident, Clare could still feel her hands trembling slightly. Some maids, noticing this, believed she was scared and didn't hesitate to mock her.
"What's wrong, Clare? Is it too hard for you to prepare your bath water?"
"I think she doesn't have the strength to do something as basic as that anymore."
"Why don't you call your boyfriend?"
Letting out a sigh, Clare ignored the maids' comments as she continued filling her bucket. Right now, she wasn't in the mood to argue with anyone.
In the mansion, the bathrooms had a rather peculiar water system. In the center of the room was a carefully constructed stone channel, through which a constant and clean flow of water ran.
This channel, fed by an underground source, allowed the maids to fill their buckets without needing to leave the bathroom. Each one would take her bucket and place it under the flow to fill it, then head to the individual cubicles situated along the walls.
Clare, lost in her thoughts, finished filling her bucket and headed to one of the cubicles, trying to ignore the giggles and whispers around her.
'Leo...', Clare thought as she remembered his face.
Despite that beautiful white hair, he didn't hesitate to dirty his hands when he saw she was in danger.
Why?
Why did Leo care about her?
What were the reasons for being so attentive despite never having seen her before?
Despite her limited experience in the outside world, even someone like her knew this was strange. After all, it was normal for people in this mansion to look down on her because...
She didn't even have a family.
'What might Leo's family be like...?', Clare wondered as she continued washing her body.
Several of the employees who worked in this mansion occasionally made references to their relatives. Some commented on how they missed their mother's cooking, their father's habits, and of course, there were those who were quite the opposite.
This, although she never expressed it to anyone, made her feel envious.
Taking advantage of the fact that she was still bathing, Clare let her tears flow along with the water.
Clare noticed how the murmur of voices was fading and the footsteps echoed less and less on the stone floor. The giggles and sarcastic comments vanished, leaving an unsettling silence in their wake.
One by one, the oil lamps were extinguished, plunging the bathroom into complete darkness.
Suddenly, the last flame flickered and went out, leaving Clare in total darkness. Some laughter was heard before the door closed.
Clare's heart skipped a beat, and for an instant, fear took over her. The darkness was dense and absolute, making the space feel even more lonely and oppressive.
Clare swallowed hard and took a deep breath, trying to calm herself. She couldn't afford to lose her composure now. Despite the panic she felt, she forced herself to stay calm.
'This is just a prank...', she told herself to calm down.
With trembling hands but a determined will, she finished washing as quickly as possible, but her movements were clumsy due to the lack of light.
It was then that she remembered something important.
She hadn't grabbed a towel!
Because her head was in the clouds, she had completely forgotten to grab a towel before getting in to bathe.
With some embarrassment, Clare opened the door of her cubicle to look for the place where the staff towels were kept.
Suddenly, the sound of the door opening made Clare's heart race, as she was completely naked, but remembering that this was the girls' bathroom, she turned to continue looking for a towel, so she didn't see the person who was entering.
"Clare?"
The moment she heard that voice, she felt her heart stop.
It was Leo.