4 The Main manor

The moon light seeped through the large glass windows like an uninvited guest, and shone on the two people walking down the hallway. Just beside the glass windows were faded walls that revealed tales of years of the building's existence. Vibrant red eyes were sharp to catch tiny crumbled parts and cracks on the wall. Thick candle melted wax diffuse through the atmosphere like a usual odor as a result of the chandeliers affixed to the vaulted ceiling, and the floor candelabras each by the several glass windows in the long hallway.

As Chaos sauntered down under the guidance of Jane, her eyes briefly looked around her surroundings. She could sense the maid's quick glances and did not want to look weird by looking around as if everything was new to her. Well...it was, but she had to behave in a way that won't arouse suspicions among those who were very close to the original owner of her body.

''Young lady, please be careful during the family dinner.'' Jane said worriedly to her as they neared a large double door.

''Yes Jane.'' Chaos answered back, mustering up her sweet innocent voice. Though in her mind, she thought those words were very useless. With the memories in her head, this family dinner always end up with many manservants, and maids losing their lives. To put it bluntly, there would be a blood bath if her dearest new siblings decided to kill each other.

The fight was always between the first two sons of the Grand duke. Other siblings would only watch from the sidelines with their respective maids and butlers protecting them.

As for the original owner....well, let's just say she always end up lucky in avoiding her death.

''You are almost late.'' Those words welcomed her, after stepping out into the cool breeze of the night. The door closed behind her, and Jane respectfully stood beside another person in the same black and white uniform.

Chaos gave a quick glance to that person, before looking up at the woman staring down at her. This must be the mother of the original owner. The sixth wife of the Grand duke, and the sixth madam of the Langston family.

Chaos recalled the strange changes on her body when the woman mouthed those words on the battle grounds.

'Why is my body so small?' Amid her thoughts, Chaos couldn't help but complain in her heart.

''Greetings mother.'' Chaos acknowledged the woman with curtsy of her own. Her movements were without a flaw. Having the memories of how this was done were very helpful to chaos, and this body that had practiced doing something like this came in very useful. Though, Chaos hated that she was very weak and prone to danger.

''Yes. Greetings child. '' The sixth madam returned, observing Chaos who stood upright and met her gaze. The woman tilted her head a bit to the side, her dull brown eyes fixed on the tiny figure in front of her. ''Your eyes have changed.'' She pointed out, her tone dull and casual like the child in her gaze wasn't her daughter who was sick days ago.

''What do you mean, mother?'' Chaos smiled behaving clueless to her words. She was right not to underestimate people around the original owner. Her memories of this woman were less than she could count. The sixth madam was someone who did not interact with the original owner. So, Chaos expected to be ignored, but it seemed the woman was quite sharp in catching onto something.

''...Nothing. Let's be on our way to the main manor.'' Ending the conversation after a moment of silence, the sixth madam turned her back on Chaos. ''When we get back from the dinner, you must begin the daily dosage of the Nerium flower. Since you've been ingesting tiny fragments of weak poison, it's time for a change. You are already at the age of succession. My reputation of having the weakest successor of the Grand duke must change, Raven. Don't disappoint this mother of yours.'' The sixth madam gave a side-glance before walking ahead to the carriage waiting for them.

Raven was the name of the original owner. Now, it was time for Chaos to bear that name since she was going live in someone's body and interact with the person's family.

''Yes mother.'' Chaos, now Raven kept her innocent smile throughout the spoken words of the sixth madam. She suddenly wondered what the original owner would have done upon hearing these words. Judging from her memories, the latter wouldn't want to agree to ingesting poison. Who would love to take something that would kill them? No one obviously. However, her words fell on deaf ears as this woman would have ignored her pleas and force that maid beside Jane to put the water mixed with poison in her mouth. Raven had seen this happen in her memory, and it was many times.

Even when she stepped outside, this new mother of hers didn't ask about her health. The increase in her poison intake was probably the reason why the woman did not ignore her.

''Young lady, the sixth madam is waiting for you.'' An unfamiliar voice pulled Raven out her thoughts. Her red eyes moved towards the maid that stood near her.

Lily was the name of the maid. The same person that had forced the original owner to take poison under the orders of her mother.

''Thank you, Lily.'' Raven's smile to the maid was so sweet and innocent like a child, though she was one on the outside, but not on the inside. This was also how the original owner would have thanked the maid even after all that had gone between them. The original owner knew Lily was just following her mother's orders, so there was no bad blood between them.

'What a naïve child.'

With that same smile, Raven walked forward to the carriage with its door opened and a coach man waiting for her. Her mother must have stepped inside a while ago.

With the coach man's help, Raven stepped into the carriage. She also ignored the glances of Jane. She had no time to mind the maid.

Raven thought the characters of her new family should be interesting if her new mother behaved this way. She wanted to see if other wives of the Grand duke were exactly like the sixth madam. The memories of the other wives were not much since the original owner hardly interacted them, though one of them seemed to be a bit troublesome.

Once Raven sat down opposite the sixth madam, the door to the carriage shut them inside, and they began to move. Not a word was uttered during the journey as the sixth madam closed her eyes and relaxed her weight on the seat. Her posture made it clear that she did not desire to have a chat with Raven.

Lucky for her, the child in her front was not the same daughter who had always tried to speak with her.

Raven liked the silence in the carriage. She also did not desire to converse with this woman and turned her gaze to the window. She could use this opportunity to look around her new home. Though it was dark, but the night lamps helped her sight.

In a steady speed, and a weirdly comfortable silence, the carriage wheeled all the way to the main manor of the Langston Grand duchy.

''This servant greets sixth madam and fourth young lady.'' As Raven descended the carriage with the help of an unfamiliar footman, lined-up maids and manservants acknowledged herself and her mother, who was out of the carriage.

''Hm.'' The sixth madam only gave a nod. ''Escort the fourth young lady to her siblings. I will be going to meet my sisters and his excellency.''

''As you wish, sixth madam.'' A maid at the front of all servants heeded her mother's order.

Without a word, the sixth madam walked past the lined-up maids and manservants and entered the building. While she had spoken to the servants, Raven only stood behind her with a smile that never left her lips. Staring at the bowing servants in their black and white uniform, Raven showed no sign of surprise. From the memories of the original owner, she understood that she was in an era different from her former life. The restricted way of talking, the use of candles and carriages, the existence of castle-like houses, people used as a maids and manservants, the monarchy and hierarchy of nobility, Polygamous marriage deemed as normal, all this informed Raven that this era was likely to be ancient. None of what she had seen and recalled from the memories of the original owner was found in her former life.

This era was a distant past that was no longer in existence in her former life. The classical or medieval times of man.

''Allow this servant to escort fourth young lady to the dining hall.'' The maid that answered her mother, spoke to her in that same bowing posture.

''Please lead the way, head maid.'' Raven agreed with the same smile. From her memories, this maid was the head of maid of this particular manor.

The main manor of the Langston Grand duchy. It was also the place of the Grand duke, the father of the original owner and her new father.

''As you wish, fourth young lady.'' The head maid finally rose her head, and briefly looked at her before turning sideways with her overlapped hands. Servants staring in the eyes of their masters was against etiquettes in the nobility.

''This way, fourth young lady.''

''Thank you, head maid.'' Still with that smile, Raven followed the head maid into the main manor. Her eyes caught the rigid posture of the servants on both sides. Not a mistake could be seen amongst them. It seemed her father's way of educating his servants was quite strict, though that was not of her concern.

The second Raven stepped on the polished floor of the main manor, her shoulders flinched and a chill traveled down her spine. Moving past the lavish interior of the building, Raven sensed the drastic change of the atmosphere that was different from outside. She felt her skin pricked with many gazes. Raven could not detect the intention behind the unknown gazes but what she felt from them was pure evil, as if they wanted to end her life.

Her sensitivity as a criminal from her former life still remained for her to sense when someone wanted to kill her. This body was also screaming fear. The trembles on her shoulders were increasing and Raven found it hard to control them. It was a bit heavy for her to even lift her feet to continue her steps.

The original owner must have hated coming to the main manor for her body to have this intense reaction. Possibly, it might have been because of this gazes crawling on her skin.

But....

Despite feeling fear for the first time in her life, the smile on Raven's lips was wider than ever. Her mind was filled in ecstasy and anticipation as she wondered how exciting her time in this new family of hers would be in the near future.

Surely, it will be better than her time in prison.

AUTHOR'S NOTES: How are you enjoying the story so far? Please leave a comment down below! See you next week dear readers!