Ch 5: A Happy Family

The negative side of being in a new place for people is that they cannot often sleep. That had never been the case for Layla.

Despite the everyday struggle of adjusting to a new place, Layla possessed a rare gift. Her hectic schedule and sleep-deprived body had honed her brain so she could drift off to sleep at any given moment or place.

In return, the barest noises usually woke her up. So, it was a warning sign when she did not feel Mary's presence until the maid pulled her covers up.

"Rise and shine, Miss! It is a new day, and I must prepare you for your first appearance before your soon-to-be brothers and sisters."

Mary's footsteps made no sound when she walked, and the grace in her steps could only be achieved after years of practice.

Only Layla, with her unique awareness, could discern the truth. To the untrained eye, Mary might appear as just another maid, blending into the background.

To Layla's trained eyes, Mary's moments looked crafted to make her fit the image of an 'ideal maid'—someone good enough to stand out but not enough to leave a lasting impression.

Her brown hair and eyes make her look rather ordinary compared to the other 'more striking' maids Layla had seen when the Duke brought her here.

"Miss Layla, are you thinking about something? You went quiet all of a sudden. Is there anything I can help you with?"

The maid asked with a smile on her face.

But the happy expression on her face did not fool Layla. She could read the expression behind the maid's smile.

"I was wondering this before, but Mary is rather pretty…but in a more 'ordinary' way than before, right? Your face has no make-up, but something about you just stands out. Don't you think so as well?"

Layla asked, noticing how Mary tensed just a little bit.

The young female's words had gotten to the maid, which likely meant she was on point.

'I should not push the maid more. The temperature fell as soon as I spoke to Mary about my suspicion. I should keep my head down for the time being.'

"Young miss has good eyes. Eh, to be called pretty by such a cute girl feels good! I promise I will serve the young miss well."

The maid promised, but something about her promise felt chilling to Layla. She tried hard not to show it on her face, but she was sure that her expression gave something away to Mary, causing the maid to look satisfied.

"Now, shall we head down? The other children must be waiting for us. Waiting for the new kid on their first day before eating is tradition. But on any other day, you must secure your food yourself, alright?"

Mary asked as she smiled at Layla. But there was indeed more to her words than meet the eyes.

Layla grabbed the offered hand to her, but she did not keep her guard down. Doing so would be suicide, and Layla had no intention of dying.

...

"Hey, is that the person-"

"Her hair-"

"So, she must be one of those 'special ones'-"

"Silver hair? She won't survive long-"

The gossiping kids tried to speak softly. But maybe they could not keep their voices down because they were kids.

Layla could see thirteen seats at the table, indicating that there were thirteen people in this house (including her and excluding the staff)

The oldest child in front of her looked eighteen, while she was the youngest at six. All the other children sat across the table according to their age.

"Everyone, this is Miss Layla, and she will join you all today. You need to be ten to join this place, but the Duke made an exception for Miss Layla. Please, treat her with respect."

May introduced Layla to the table in her cheerful voice. But instead of making the others become friendly with her, Layla made them her enemies.

Those hostile eyes that had been looking at Layla with curiosity before suddenly turned cold. But Mary's hand and smile remained the same.

"Now, don't be so cold to our newest member, kids! Remember, you are all like brothers and sisters here. You need to stick together if you want to survive."

The maid spoke once more, and no other maid contradicted her.

Layla noticed how most maids clenched their fists as they held their tongues back. It was clear that there was a hierarchy among the maids in this place, and Mary likely landed somewhere at the top.

'To think that the Duke gave me such an important asset. Does he believe in me that much…no, does he distrust me that much? I am sure he placed Mary at my side to keep an eye on me.'

Layla Lockhart had been a formidable force in the ordinal work, but this was not ordinal work, and Layla was not the original villainess.

She was sure that she had also acted differently from the original story. But things still followed the same path for her character.

'I wonder how much I would have to interfere to make a dent in the original story. And even if I do make a dent, would I even know about it? I don't know that much about this story to begin with.'

Layla's feelings conflicted with her thoughts, but she did not let anything show on her face. Instead, she looked bravely at the people in front of her.

Finally, the oldest kid in the room stood up. He had a gentle look, but Layla did not believe in him.

"Hello, our newest and youngest sister. I am Henry, the oldest child in this place, and I am the one you can rely on if you need anything. Why don't you come and put it down beside me today? We can forget the established hierarchy now and enjoy being a harmonious family."

Henry extended his hand toward Layla with a smile, but she could tell that the man was anything but happy.