Hand of the Goddess ✔️

Chapter 5: Sin

 "If you're going to be my maid, you've got to look the part," Cedric said, walking briskly. Nicole runs behind him, trying to keep up. Although his butler was taller than him, Cedric still had a good foot over her. Not to mention that his legs were much longer than hers so she had to walk at double the speed to match his strides.

Following them from behind was the butler. She sensed that he still resented her for stealing Mr. Whiskers's affections, though she couldn't be sure with his expressionless face.

She was lucky that the cat had entered the room during her interrogation. Cedric had looked like he wanted to rip her to shreds, so convinced that the only true thing she told him was a lie. But did he truly believe the rest of her words? She was being escorted throughout the manor, sandwiched between the two demons. It was no different than being trapped in that stairwell, only this time she was stuck between two men rather than two locked doors.

Cedric stops before the maids' living quarters. He knocks on the door with three rapid taps. Immediately, a maid answers. Nicole recognizes her as the same maid that scolded the other maid for the soup she drank the night she arrived at the manor.

"My Lord," the woman said, "what brings you here?"

"Martha, I've brought another young woman for you to train," he said, pushing Nicole forward. "Her name is Sadie and she's very eager to start working."

Martha looks her up and down, frowning. "Her clothes are odd. I've never seen anything like them."

"All the more reason for you to dress her," Cedric said, already turning around. "See to it that she's fit enough to be a maid of this manor. Spare no pains in making sure she does every task perfectly."

"Yes, my Lord," Martha said, curtsying to him. With that, the Lord and his butler left, leaving Nicole with her new boss.

The maid ushers her into the living quarters. "The Lord really is too generous for his own good. Taking on another charity case like you is unnecessary. I already have enough girls to keep the manor in good shape."

"Another charity case?" How many have shown up at Cedric's doorsteps? She was baffled by the demon's kindness. He's probably just a lecherous pervert who enjoys looking at girls in maid outfits.

"Yes," Martha said, digging through a trunk for a uniform. "The Lord has given everyone who has shown up at his doorsteps a job. Runaways, orphans, bastards - the whole pitiful lot. And now he's offering his home to another street urchin."

Nicole scowls, a bit miffed to be called a street urchin. "Were you one of them?"

"One of what?" The maid pulls out her uniform and places the bundle of clothes into Nicole's waiting arms.

"One of the charity cases," she said, looking through the clothes Martha had given her.

Martha whacks her head before giving her a cold stare. "It's not your place to ask those kinds of questions."

"Ow," she said, rubbing the side of her head. "You didn't have to hit me."

"You didn't have to ask that question," Martha retorts. "Now get dressed."

She shoves Nicole into another room, slamming the door behind her. Martha was right. She didn't have to open her big mouth and say that. Now that she thought about it, she sounded like an asshole, prying into Martha's life, especially since Martha was supposed to help her. She wishes she could take back what she said.

She slips into her new uniform, wondering if there was some way she could make it up to Martha. She takes a quick peek into the mirror, examining her reflection. She dons a long-sleeved white collared black dress, with the black skirt reaching to her ankles. She ties a white apron firmly around her waist, completing her look. She tucks her wavy brown hair into a bonnet, successfully stuffing all of her hair in except for that one annoying strand that refuses to obey her fingers. This wasn't a uniform a pervert would make a bunch of girls wear. It was sturdy and practical, meant for cooking and cleaning.