You cannot marry the Duke (1)

"Alessandra, this is your new maid, Sally Winters. I have come to help you with your morning tasks," Sally said after knocking on the door. Her nerves were the highest they could be and her hand shook from fear, but as the butler said, this was better than working for Kate or being fired. 

"Alessandra-"

"Did you refer to Kate by her name when you worked as her personal maid?" Alessandra questioned as she opened her door. She was curious to know who was calling her name until she remembered she asked for a maid. "Am I not worthy of having a proper title?"

"That's…" Sally bowed her head out of shame and to avoid looking at Alessandra's cursed face.

Alessandra stepped to the side to give space for Sally. "Come inside."

She knew it wasn't going to be easy to get anyone to be by her side without thinking of the rumors. Alessandra didn't understand why people truly believed looking at her face would make anyone become cursed and then die shortly.

Alessandra closed the door behind Sally to avoid anyone listening to their conversation. "Are you going to continue staring at the floor? I don't think there's anything interesting about it. If there is, please tell me."

Alessandra looked down at the floor to find what was so interesting for Sally to stare there instead of looking up. "Are you afraid to meet my eyes, Sally? That would make it really hard for you to work for me. I don't need someone who will be scared of me. You can return to Kate-"

"Wait!" Sally exclaimed. Working for Kate again was something she could not do. "Are you truly not cursed?"

"Are you cursed?" Alessandra threw the question back to Sally. "How do I know I won't be cursed if I look at your face? There are rumors that if someone stays too close to you their house will fall just like your one did."

"That is false!" Sally yelled defensively. "I don't know where you heard such a thing. My family's misfortune was caused by bad decisions and there is nothing cursed about us. Where did you hear this?"

"I made it up just now," Alessandra walked to her window to look out at the workers hurrying off to their jobs. "However, if I keep mentioning this lie it will keep spreading to everyone and surely they'll believe it."

"You cannot do that. It will ruin my life more than it already is," Sally did not want Alessandra to do this. "Isn't that too much of a punishment because I didn't look you in the eye? It's just that-"

"You, like many others, believed the lies passed around about me. I've heard guests telling my father that if the entire town believes I am cursed it must be true. People in this town love gossip and rather than finding the truth, they'd rather believe a lie. I am not cursed, but if you do not believe me, please leave. I have no plans to keep someone who is afraid of me."

Sally stood still, contemplating her options. Kate was the devil trapped in a young girl's body, but there were many rumors surrounding Alessandra. The only saving grace for Alessandra would be Edgar and once they are wed, everyone will change what they say about her to be on the duke's good side.

"I apologize for my earlier behavior. Please give me the chance to make it up to you," Sally lifted her head to look at Alessandra by the window. An opportunity presented itself for her to work for a future duchess which meant she had to overcome her fear of getting cursed by Alessandra.

"Very well. Showing you my face will be your first test," Alessandra grinned as a faint gasp from Sally was heard. The girl was too easy to scare, which would be a bad thing in the future.

Alessandra needed people by her to help maneuver around people who would start showing up in front of her once her engagement to the duke was announced. There will be new enemies, people looking to use her, and those wishing to be her friend. She needed an extra person to help her keep an eye on these people.

"If that is what you want," Sally played with her nails to calm her nerves. No one knew what the other side of Alessandra's face looked like. The half you could see was certainly beautiful, but the other half hidden away behind the mask outshined what could be seen.

Everyone feared what they would see if Alesandra were to ever remove her mask. Some people claimed there would be a mark from the devil or maybe her face had melted away.

"You passed," Alessandra walked past Sally to the corner where she had her things packed up for when the duke would arrive tomorrow.

"But I didn't see your face."

"I was only teasing you. Kind of expected you to run but your determination to never work for Kate again is keeping you motivated," Alessandra said. "You know I picked you because of what happened in Kate's bedroom yesterday. I saw the look on your face while Kate lay there helpless."

"You picked me because you know I don't like Kate. Am I only here to tell you Kate's secrets or be the one to get revenge on her in your place?" Sally did not want to get involved in either of those things.

If Kate were to ever find out Sally told Alessandra her secrets, Kate would do everything she could to ruin Sally.

"No. I picked you because I know you wouldn't willingly run back to Kate to tell her everything I am doing because you fear her. You'll have to avoid her since you witnessed me throwing shit on her," Alessandra knew Kate well enough to know she would be out for blood when it came to Sally.

Kate did not like being embarrassed and all those who witnessed the embarrassment would be on her list.

"I don't want anyone by my side who will hang around Kate. When I leave here, I want nothing to do with Kate. If I ever find out you secretly met with her, I will not keep you," Alessandra did not want to concern herself with Kate when she was no longer living here.

The moment she stepped foot out the door to go live with the duke, her ties to Kate and Katrina would be severed. It would only be her father she wanted to get back at for abandoning her all these years.

"I will never go back by her side. I promise. Working under Kate made me feel like an animal. She kept belittling and hitting me even when I did not make a mistake. I will tell you one thing since you saved me. Kate no longer seems worried about you being engaged to the duke which is odd considering how much she is obsessed with him," Sally revealed.

One moment Kate had been visibly upset about the engagement but then, she kept smiling as if something good happened.

"Kate isn't the type to sit by while others take what she thinks belongs to her and the baroness gives her daughter whatever she wants. I am always meant to be near Kate and when she was supposed to dig the grave for your kitten, the baron and baroness went to speak with her," Sally figured this information would be useful since this all happened right after the duke left.

Alessandra was glad Sally mentioned this. She found it weird her family had not once come to convince her to turn down the duke's proposal. Other than their dislike of her roaming the house as she pleased, they all seemed awfully calm. "They talked about something while I wasn't around. They must have a plan to break my engagement to the duke but I have no idea what it is."

Alessandra had an unsettling feeling concerning the last day she would be with her family. "It might be a good idea to avoid them for now. Sally, bring enough food and drink to last the both of us through this day," she gave Sally her first task.

Alessandra preferred to hide away in her room than to walk around, expecting her family to not do anything foolish when it was possible they would.

"Yes, my lady," Sally replied before hurrying off to do as she was told.

Alessandra placed her hand on her chest trying to calm down her body to get rid of what she was feeling. She hoped Edgar had someone watching her home just in case her family might try to get rid of her. "Please let this one day go by smoothly."

When Sally returned with the food and drinks, the door would be locked until the duke arrived.