Side Chapter One: Mary's Frustrations

It's been a few months since Lenka has completely changed. She was always a wild child and a constant source of my anger. Not too long ago, she would refuse to get out of bed, refuse to get dressed, and would often sneak out of the manor and cause trouble. I can't count the number of times my Mother scolded me for not keeping an eye on her.

Her father would just laugh it off and then push the work of disciplining her onto me. There were far too many days that I would go to sleep angry and resentful of that child.

Then, one day, it all changed. I don't know what happened to her, but one day, she woke up from a nightmare and just changed. Now, she is trouble in the worst of ways. Just last month, her father let her oversee the food orders. THE FOOD ORDERS, the thing that keeps this entire city alive.

What was that man thinking, not only leaving a child to do this task but Lenka no less. Of course, not a few days into it, she broke one the biggest laws in this, no any kingdom. She refused the king's orders and then told him that they would no longer give the elves supplies for free.

If that wasn't bad enough, she then extorted and blackmailed the king. She told the king that if he didn't pay, she would tell the people that all their hard work goes to the elves for no pay. Then, she claimed that if the citizens knew about this, then they would rebel and burn all of the farms and supplies to the ground.

The worst part about it is that the king agreed to send money for the supplies; he even sent money for some of the previous orders. My Mother has been constantly complaining about it to me, and every time she brings it up with Lenka's father, he just shrugs it off and does nothing. Sometimes, I wish she would return to that wild child; at least during that time, my life wasn't at risk.

Lenka has done it again. I honestly don't know how the king hasn't sent an army here to deal with us. She forced the guards to keep quiet about Kate being the only survivor of the beastkin shipwreck that was heading to THE KING. Then, they made up a story about how Kate was some noble's unwanted, illegitimate child that they had taken.

Of course, without even realizing it, Lenka made up a perfect lie. It's not the first time that her family has taken in an illegitimate child, and considering how many bodies were washing up on shore right after, it makes for an easy-to-believe lie that no one survived.

It annoys me to no end how clever and cunning that child can be. Heck, there are times when I swear she is reading people's minds and knows exactly what will happen and how people will react.

The problem with taking in Kate is that I am going to be the one who has to train and teach Kate. My Mother tried to talk her father out of it, but he refused and said. "If that's what Lenka thinks is best, then I trust her judgment."

Does he not understand that Lenka is trying to get on the king's bad side and get us all killed. Why does he trust that child so much, like she couldn't even read, let alone dress herself, until a few months ago.

"... don't value my subordinates based on status. I value them based on potential..." I constantly repeated those words in my head ever since I heard them. Maybe there is more to that child than I can't see. I can't deny her intelligence and the way she conducts herself. It's almost captivating how she shows no emotions no matter what happens. She could be facing death itself and not even bat an eye, and she always does these crazy things and just acts like it's a normal everyday thing.

There was one time that I thought that I saw her simile, so maybe she is not completely emotionless. It was very brief, perhaps only a second or two when she looked at Kate eating her meal and almost reached out to pet her head.

She seems to be somewhat fond of Kate for some reason. I just hope it's not because of the fact that she looks and even sometimes acts like a pet. I don't really know yet what potential Lenka sees in Kate, but I hope that Kate has the potential to ease that troublesome child.

I really don't want to admit it, but Lenka was right about Kate. Kate is a quick learner and is an excellent help with the chores around the house. She is a very hard worker and is trying hard to learn everything as fast as possible. However, she does have a few flaws that she needs to work on, like the fact that she is terrible at hiding her emotions and tends to be somewhat clumsy.

Her tail starts to wag whenever she is excited, and when she is scared, her tail spikes up. The oddest one of them all is when she is with Lenka, and she has a bizarre mix of emotions. It's like she is excited, honored, scared, and embarrassed all at the same time. That's also where her clumsiness comes in.

She is composed and on task by herself, but around Lenka, she's completely different. Maybe it's because they are around the same age, or maybe she feels that she has a huge debt to her. I don't know anymore; Lenka's odd behavior has clouded my judgment of these things.

Kate's is just acting like a normal child while working under someone who is anything but normal. I do feel bad for Kate, considering that Lenka wants to use her as a personal assistant, whatever that means. I just hope that Lenka doesn't put that poor girl through hell.

I have recently been seeing my mom brew blue rose tea. This is odd because the only one who used to drink it was Lenka's Mother. Did Lenka acquire a taste for it, or is she feeling nostalgic for her Mother? Nope, it couldn't be Lenka; there has to be another reason for it. KATE, that has to be the reason, but why?

Now that I think about it, wasn't Mother questioning me about them the other day. Hmm... I can't remember what she asked, but knowing my Mother, she was probably sticking her nose into something she shouldn't. That's my Mother for you; it's her fault that we are even servants, to begin with.

Oh, right, now I remember her asking what their relationship was like. I just said, "They're fine, I guess." I have no clue what she even meant by the question. Her response was just a simple "I see." Then she had that devious smile she always gives when she's up to no good.

Well, it's not my problem. I'm just glad that Kate is now watching over Lenka, which gives me a lot more free time. With my new free time, I can always check out how Leon is doing... Just as I finished that thought, I could feel my Mother's devious simile behind me. "Where are you going, my precious daughter."