Chapter 1
The blurry eyesight and hazy surroundings numbed her senses, yet it didn't fail her to feel a certain presence, dangerous and lingering. There was someone else in whatever place she was in right now. A presence akin to a wild animal lurking in the shadows for its prey. She wanted to get away, she had to get away; she thought as she willed her feet to move. A sense of frustration filled her as her feet stayed in place as though an invisible chain nailed her there.
Ruby's body sharply shook as she plunged into excruciating pain like she had never felt before in her life, extending from her neck to other parts, head to toe. As if her soul was being sucked out of her body. In no time, she would probably die.
She opened her mouth, yet no voice came out. For what felt like forever, just as she thought she would draw her last breath, the raging pain in her neck stopped so suddenly, leaving a slightly painful throbbing. In her desperation to sense what was happening, she found a pair of eyes gazing down at her through her blurry eyesight. Scarlett-colored, sharp, and malicious.
Just as the pair of eyes gradually inched closer and closer to her, she jolted awake.
It was a dream. That dream again that haunted her for this past month already, the exact day since she arrived in this mansion.
Ruby never expected that she would be tied and carried away by people in the middle of the night. Even more unbelievable, the culprit who landed her in this situation was no other than her own lover, Daniel Davis.
He was a decent guy and during their relationship, she admitted she also had affection for him. They cared for each other just like other couples and rarely fought. However, all good feelings for that bastard evaporated into thin air the moment she saw him holding the money he got from selling her.
He had been very haughty about that, waving the money in front of her and disrespectfully mouthing a thank you. She wished she had a knife at that time so that she could at least give him a stab or two.
That deceitful and manipulative guy, the five years they had together mean nothing to him. Now, it doesn't matter anymore for her. She still had to fight to survive here.
A nobleman's household had purchased her, for whatever reason they did. The Dukedom of Avalon is a very high-ranking noble household. Initially, she thought that they purchased her because they were looking for lifetime laborers that they didn't need to pay. For slaves, nobles only needed to pay the human traffickers once, and no need for salary for them because they technically owned slaves. Weirdly, she was getting her pay too.
This didn't sit well with her since she found out that most maids here were not slaves like her. It had been unsettling for her, especially the dreams that occasionally haunted her at night, the ones she had been getting only after she stepped into this mansion.
The mansion was big, with a wide garden full of various rare flowers and even a lake. There were two floors; the first floor was for the workers' and guards' bedrooms, kitchen, library, and some other rooms while the second floor was the place exclusively for the mansion's owner. There were a lot of workers and guards here.
She had been thinking about running away from here, but she always had second thoughts. She didn't know the consequences in case she got caught. Besides, her life wasn't that bad here. She never dreamed that she could get the freedom she had right now after that night when she was sold as a slave.
"Ruby? Are you inside?" There was some knocking on the door. "We have to go now or else the head maid will be angry if we arrive late."
It was Selia, a fellow maid. She had been the one assigned to teach Ruby to do her job as a maid here. Unlike her, a slave, Selia actually had her own family. She had applied for a job as a maid in the ducal household.
Everyone in the mansion knew about Ruby's condition. Just like humans' nature, some were good and some were bad in their way of treating her here. Ruby didn't mind much, though she learned to stay vigilant so as not to be too trusting and fall into the same pit again. Selia was a bit different since she was akin to a mentor to her.
"Coming!" Ruby tied her long black hair, walked to the door, and opened it. Her lips curved up as soon as Selia's figure came into sight, despite the slight fatigue from the dream that just occurred. She couldn't help it. The dream just felt too real sometimes that when she woke up she felt every cell in her body still shaking with pain.
"Did you not sleep last night?" Selia noticed Ruby's slightly pale face.
"It was just a bad dream." Ruby shook her head as she locked her door and strolled towards the kitchen with Selia.
The head maid was already present in the kitchen, her gaze directed towards every maid present. Her sharp gaze locked to both Ruby and Selia as soon as they entered the kitchen.
Selia only nodded and went to pick up her usual job, washing the dishes and clothes. It leaves Ruby to hurriedly stand in front of the head maid, waiting for her order. She was still regarded as not competent enough compared to older maids.
Ruby could feel other maids snickering behind her back, probably ridiculing her status as a slave again. She got a salary like other maids, but technically she was still owned by the dukedom. Those who ridiculed her, however, were also new maids like her. She guessed that more experienced maids should be more mature and unlike those childish girls.
"Ruby, deliver the breakfast to Lord Damian's room." The head maid suddenly commanded.
Ruby stilled for a few seconds, fearing her hearing had been wrong. "Pardon…?"
The head maid's stern expression darkened slightly, but she still repeated her order. "Deliver the breakfast to Lord Damian's room. Don't make me repeat for the third time."
She didn't hear it wrong. The head maid really told her to deliver breakfast to Lord Damian, the duke's son. It was just surprising since the job was usually assigned to a more experienced maid. They would do a better job and handle things better so no mistakes occurred.
Ruby was still confused, but she complied. "Yes, Ma'am."
She held the tray with both hands and climbed to the second floor, anxiety crept in her slightly. She had heard about this young nobleman. He wasn't a person with a good temper. She had heard him punishing a lot of maids and firing them before because of a small mistake.
She wouldn't know what would happen to her if she got 'fired', she thought bitterly. Would her corpse lie somewhere the next day?
What felt like forever, Ruby finally arrived on the second floor, in front of the duke's son's room. She had never had a glimpse of the owners of this mansion that lived here, and she didn't know what he looked like. Compared to the duke, his son was present less and his whereabouts were mostly unknown. She found out about this from the gossip of the maids in the kitchen.
Ruby took a deep breath. "My Lord, I am here to deliver your breakfast."
She didn't know how long it took before a deep voice from inside the room finally answered her. "Enter."
"Excuse me, My Lord." She opened the door and entered the room.
The pair of brown eyes landed on the scene that transpired inside the room. Her pupils constricted and the tray fell down, splattering the food all over the floor.
