At five in the morning, Stella woke up and prepared herself to start work.
The early light filtered faintly through the window, giving the room a quiet and still atmosphere that contrasted with the responsibilities waiting for her outside.
"I hope I can get along with her, otherwise I will lose this room and end up on the street."
Although she was still angry about what had happened yesterday with Adam, she felt a certain sense of gratitude toward him. The feeling was complicated, somewhere between annoyance and reluctant acknowledgment.
"This sounds like an apology for his behavior."
She thought that she should gather more information about this family. The more she knew, the easier it would be to move carefully within this place.
"That child will wake up in two hours. I have to take this opportunity. I need to at least know their names."
Despite having met them, she only knew two names.
She already knew who could help her with that, no one but the maid Carla.
She left the room and stepped into the corridor, which was already active despite the early hour.
The floor was clean, and the faint sound of footsteps echoed in the distance as servants moved between tasks.
She went to the kitchen, looking for Carla, but found only a few male servants there. The kitchen was spacious and well-organized, with utensils neatly arranged and a faint smell of early preparations in the air.
She asked them about Carla, saying that she needed her for something.
They told her that she was working in the back garden that day, so she quickly went to look for her there.
After some searching in the large, well-maintained garden, where trimmed hedges and stone paths stretched in neat and organized lines, she finally found her.
The place felt calm, almost isolated from the rest of the mansion.
As soon as she saw her, Carla smiled and greeted her,
"Hello, Miss. How are you today?"
"She must be glad I didn't tell anyone about our conversation yesterday."
Stella replied with a smile,
"I am fine, thank you."
Without any introduction, Stella asked her to continue yesterday's conversation.
"What?"
Carla's confused expression quickly turned into anxiety.
"Oh, I'm really bad at starting conversations."
She had always been like that, she didn't like to think too much about choosing the right words. But in a place like this, that was necessary, and she was aware of it.
Still, she preferred to behave this way with Carla to observe her reaction.
"Come on, I want to know more about the family, and the servants as well."
Carla refused,
"This can't be. It's forbidden by the rules here."
"Don't joke with me. What rules? Do you even know who you're talking to right now? Me and the rules are like two parallel lines," Stella though.
She kept pressing her until Carla finally gave in, and after followed Stella back to the room and told her everything she wanted to know.
The grandparents were named Andrew and Isabel, and the eldest grandson was named Liam. He was the heir to the family and held an important position in the eastern capital, with close ties to the authority of the region.
Everyone described him as handsome, respectful, and of good character.
As for the second grandson, Adam, he was responsible for part of the family's business. He was known for being quiet and reserved.
There was also the only granddaughter, Annie, who was described as a calm and silent child.
"That's good… now I can figure out who might be useful to me."
Stella began thinking about how to improve her situation further.
She placed her fingers on her chin and sank into deep thought, while Carla remained there, watching her with curiosity, unsure of what to make of her behavior.
After a moment, Stella noticed her and quickly thanked her for the information, then led her out of the room.
She looked at the clock and saw that it was almost seven.
"The time for work has come."
Stella went straight to Annie's room.
The corridor leading there was quieter than the others, with less movement and a more controlled atmosphere, as if that part of the mansion followed stricter order.
She was already awake, sitting with her grandmother and a maid.
Stella greeted her,
"Good morning, Madam."
"Here you are, just in time. Good."
The old woman was known for her gentle and respectful nature, along with her natural elegance despite her age. Her posture remained steady, and her presence alone seemed enough to control the room.
Her granddaughter sat beside her on the sofa, holding her hand, silently observing Stella. Her gaze was calm but distant, as if she was measuring her without showing it openly.
Her grandmother smiled and said,
"Now you should get to know each other better."
Then she turned to Stella,
"Miss Alina, please take care of her."
"Of course, it's my duty, Madam."
After everyone left the room, the two remained alone.
The silence that followed felt heavier than expected.
"I should try to get along with her. It's not too difficult. I've taken care of Jean before."
She smiled and said,
"Good morning, Miss Annie. How are you today? If you would like to..."
Annie interrupted her, saying,
"There's no need to make that face at me, pretending you're a caring and considerate person."
"What?"