EMILY POV
"Good morning, Miss Emily," I heard someone call me. I tried to open my eyes, but I couldn't keep them open because I was so tired from yesterday's journey. I hadn't kept up with the journey, and I had fallen asleep. I didn't know when we had reached here.
"Who is that, please? I am so tired right now," I said.
"Ma, you need to get prepared for breakfast. Your husband must meet you there; you need to prepare, ma."
"Who are you?" I repeated.
"My name is Esther, ma. I am your new maid here, assigned to take care of you and your needs, ma. You need to get prepared, ma."
As I heard Esther, I wondered what happened to Sarah, my previous maid. I opened my eyes immediately.
"What about Sarah? Call her for me," I said in a commanding tone.
"Sarah? I don't know anyone with that name here, ma," she replied, showing some concern in her voice.
"She was my maid, and we just got here yesterday together," I said, looking confused, as if this was some kind of play.
"Ma, since you have been here, it has been over a week, and there is no one with that name. You came alone from your kingdom when our young prince married you, and I have been the only one attending to you since then. No one with that name, Sarah," she said.
I could not say anything. How could it have been a week? I left my palace yesterday. What happened to me? Where was Sarah? What was happening? I could not piece everything together; I didn't want to believe her, but in her eyes, it showed that she was telling the truth, and I didn't think she had anything to gain from lying.
"Okay, where is Eron? I need to ask him about something because I don't understand what is happening," I asked her.
"He went out this morning, but he will come back before breakfast, and you need to get prepared before he comes to you. He must meet you prepared."
I stood up from my bed, heading toward the bathroom. Something quickly came to my mind, like I had been there before, but I couldn't grasp it or understand how I was familiar with this room and knew my way around the bathroom if I had just arrived yesterday. Maybe what the maid said was true.
As I slid into the warm water prepared for me in the bathtub, a memory flashed in my mind, like I was sliding into a red blood bathtub, and immediately it disappeared.
Something must have happened, and I began to get scared. It felt like I lost some part of my memory, and I could not hold onto it very well.
As Esther helped me with my bath, I decided to ask her some questions.
"Esther, did you know Eron very well? I think I am having some kind of headache; I can't think very well now," I said.
She let out a big sigh, and I could see some fear in her eyes.
"What is wrong? Can you tell me?" She couldn't say anything; she just helped me with my bath, and I could see that she was afraid to talk about him.
As she finished the bath, I stood up and moved to the wardrobe where she had prepared a beautiful blue dress for me. I didn't know how she knew my favorite color; this dress looked like the one I wore on my wedding day.
I didn't know if it was yesterday or if it had been a week, but something was telling me that she was telling the truth.
She helped me put on the gown, and I stepped out, going to the dining hall. Everything seemed familiar to me, and I was convinced that I did not come here yesterday because this place felt so much like home. What happened? Why couldn't I remember anything? What happened to Sarah? I didn't know, and I hoped she would be okay. I walked down the hallway to the dining garden, where everything had been prepared.
Different dishes and wine were there, and the maids were already standing, preparing everything for us. One maid pulled the chair out for me to sit down and wait. I didn't know what I was waiting for, but I could see that something was telling me this was how I did everything everyday—waiting for him before I started eating.
While I was waiting, a maid brought out a book for me, titled *About the Devil's Fall*. I loved to read books because they kept me busy. As I was about to read the book, suddenly the aura in the place changed. The peaceful and silent atmosphere shifted to something cold and dark, and a devilish aura emerged from behind me. As I looked back, I saw him standing there with his angelic and innocent face.
"What are you reading?" he asked me, sitting down across from me.
"Do you love to read books?" I didn't know what to say or how to answer him because the way he looked at me was intense; it felt like he could see through my soul. The way he looked at me scared me, and I was about to vomit. I didn't understand what was happening. I just felt scared to look at him.
"You can't answer me? I am asking you a question," he said in a cold and commanding voice, as if compelling me to respond. Something was drawing me back, and I could feel it because I didn't understand what was happening to me.
"I love to read books, and I just want to ask you a question," I said, my voice shaking, unable to hide the fear in my eyes. I looked at how the maids were acting; they already knew him, and they didn't seem afraid or anything.
"What is your question? You can ask me," he said. After he said that, the maids around us gasped, as if they were surprised to see him asking me, but I didn't care about that. I just wanted to ask about Sarah.
"What about Sarah, my maid? We came here together last week, and I could not find her here. The maids here claim that they didn't know her. I don't understand what is happening," I asked, unable to hide my fear, but I didn't care because now I just
wanted to hear what was happening.
"I killed her. Remember?"