The energy in the room had shifted, all the maids stopped their tasks as they stared at Loraine who had returned from her errand. Her clothes were tattered, but at the same time strangely clean, like the gashes and torn fabric being a sort of fashion statement.

Needless to say, they were very confused, shocked, and appalled all at once.

"Whatever," Loraine rolled her eyes, choosing to ignore the maids as she walked past them, carrying the heavy grocery bag as she moved through the halls. Hushed whispers followed her as she walked, some mocking her appearance, and other questioning the strange calm that followed her as she walked.

The air felt different, and the other maids were starting to notice it.

"Was she attacked?" A maid asked, curious as they surveyed her clothing.

"Loraine? Attacked, ha! No way. If Loraine were really attacked, the poor girl wouldn’t have the means to defend herself."

"But look at her clothes...they look ruined!"

"I suppose your right, the girl probably just slipped and tore them that way."

"I doubt anyone’s clothes would be in that bad of a condition simply because they fell...."

"Well whatever it’s was, I’ll treat it like a good thing."

Many theories were being passed around by the maids, with some finding satisfaction in seeing the girl in such a state. Loraine didn’t really care, as if it were her a while ago, she probably still would’ve tried to befriend the maids, but she realized that some people were just better left alone.

"Flowers can’t grow in tethered soil after all..." Loraine muttered under her breath with a small chuckle, a small smile adorning her lips.

As she moved through the halls of the mansion, she caught sight of Margret talking to Alice, taking in a deep breath as she cautiously approached the two women. She had been preparing herself mentally for the confrontation with Margret, she just hoped that she wasn’t too late to arrive back and get punished for it.

’I already know the answer...why even bother at this point?’ She thought, displeased as Margret turned her head in her direction, her eyes flickering with anger before widening in surprise, taking in the disheveled appearance of Loraine as the young maiden walked towards them.

"Loraine...." Margret spoke up, her voice carrying more shock than anger as she looked her up and down. "What the hell happened to you?" She inquired, but Loraine cut her off, handing her the bag of groceries.

"It doesn’t matter, in the end I got what I needed to get." Loraine replied calmly, the indifference in her tone causing a flicker of surprise to be seen inside Margret and Alice’s eyes, visibly taken aback.

Did Loraine just try talking back to her?

’Uh oh,’ Alice thought with a mischevious grin, giggling under her breath as she glanced over at Margret, seeing the old woman’s features contord with visible anger. Out of all the maid’s, Marget didn’t tolerate such blatant, vulgar casual tone, especially coming from someone of Loraine’s background.

"Listen up here you-!" Margret was about to lash out at Loraine, summoning a broom stick as the tool appeared in her hand, her fist tightening around the stick almost painfully as she threatened to beat Loraine again, this time determined to end the poor girl’s life.

"Margret please," Alice cooed, her voice soft and sweet as she gently held the head maid back, acting all sweet and compassionate as she calmed her down. "We mustn’t waste our energy on someone like her, I mean....just look at her, don’t you think she’s already endured enough? And what about our incoming guests, shouldn’t we be preparing for their arrival as well?" She asked, her words finally getting through to Margret.

Margret visibly calmed down after hearing Alice’s words, the thought of their guests arriving immediately snapping her back to reality as she realized that they still had a lot to prepare for.

"You’re right, I don’t have to waste on your useless self." Margret clicked her tongue, the broom in her hand vanishing as she started to walk away from Loraine. "Let’s go Alice, we’ve got work to do." She said.

"I’ll be right there shortly!" Alice called out after her, watching Margret walk off as she still felt some of the heat of the old lady’s wrath. For someone as old as her, she was surprisingly tough, and even Alice didn’t want to be put against the brunt of it all.

"Heh, and just where did you crawl out from, hm?" Alice turned to Loraine with a small smug smile tugging at her lips, a delighted giggle tearing from her throat. Loraine seemed indifferent to her snarky comment however, already turning around to leave and head back to her room.

’I don’t have time for this-!’ Her thoughts were interrupted as she felt Alice grab onto her wrist, stopping her from leaving, her grip surprisingly tight and firm as she stared fiercely into Loraine’s eyes.

"Not so fast, where do you think you’re headed off to?" Alice asked, insulted at the carefree attitude she was suddenly embodying. Seriously, who on earth did she think she is?

"To my room, not that it concerns you." Loraine replied coldly, her voice lacking the compassion and weakness it used to carry as she pulled her arm free from Alice’s grip, the response shocking Alice as she wasn’t expecting her to pull away with such strength.

"Wait a minute, you owe me just now," Alice said, trying to regain her composure as she pulled her arm back to her side, "I saved you from Margret’s wrath, don’t you think you owe me something in return? I could’ve easily let her beat you into the ground if I so felt like it."

"No," Loraine replied coldly, "I don’t owe you anything. It’s your loss for trying to help me in the first place." She said, giving Alice one last glance as she took her leave and walked towards her room, her steps carrying a new kind of energy as she strided with elegance, the sight completely baffling Alice as she watched her leave.

’Wh...what the hell was that just now?’ She thought, a small shiver running down her spine.

’Those eyes...they never looked so...cold before..’

’Something’s wrong...I can feel it.’