Mary, After The Main Ending

chapter 7- My life was written in the ink of suffering

When you think that fantasy is just an illusion, and that reality is embodied in fantasy, it is here that you strip away your essence and embody a character that isn’t you, and yet it is you.

“Thank you for helping me, while many passed me by without helping me up.”

“It’s alright. The important thing is that you weren’t hurt.”

“You’re such a polite girl.”

I helped her stand and sit in a nearby spot. She was a woman in her fifties, pale, and her skin seemed glued to her bones, as if there wasn’t a single drop of blood in her. I felt pity for her, as she was in a very miserable state.

“My dear, are you heading somewhere?”

She began looking at my travel bag. Since my mother passed away, I had planned to go to a rural place with the money I had left and settle there.

“Yes, I was going on a trip.”

“May I ask you something, if you don’t consider it intrusive? You see, I’m an old woman, and I just wanted to ask.”

She smiled suspiciously, but I didn’t doubt her for a moment.

“Go ahead, ask.”

“Since you helped me, I want to return the favor.”

“You really don’t have to.”

“No, no, it’s my duty to do so. Well, if you have no place to go, since you’re very young and I assume you have no family either, life on the streets isn’t as easy as you might think. So, would you like to come and work with me?”

“What kind of work do you do?”

“I’m the head maid at a house in the capital. If you’re interested, I can make you a maid there. Also, the master is very generous to his servants.”

That smile was still on her face. I wasn’t sure what she was planning or what she was hiding behind her sickly appearance.

“I don’t know how to work in houses.”

“Don’t worry, it’s not hard, just a little work. And since you’re young, you’ll learn. Come on, let’s go now; the bus will leave at any moment.”

She started pulling me by my hand, while I held my bag in the other hand. I neither agreed nor refused—what else was I going to do on the bus now?

“The capital is a beautiful place. You’ll like it, and the master is a very generous and kind man.”

She kept talking about the master non-stop, not letting the word leave her mouth the entire trip as she praised him. I still had no suspicions—what could an old lady do to me?

After three days of sitting in one place, we finally arrived at the capital. My whole body ached. I really missed the cars, trains, and planes from my world. Ugh, will I be stuck here forever?

“Aren’t you feeling well? Your face is covered in sweat.”

“No, I’m just not used to riding buses.”

I turned to look out the window. The doors were huge, and there were guards on both sides, which reminded me of the walls of England and how its guards were spread around.

“Let’s get off now. We’ll need to walk a bit to reach the estate.”

The place was like a market full of people of all shapes and kinds. It was the first time since I came to this world that I saw such a huge crowd. Everyone was dressed in their finest clothes and had the most stunning hairstyles. I kept observing them the entire way.

“It’s because there’s a festival, so the place is packed.”

“A festival for what?”

“A festival to celebrate the peaceful accord with countries outside the continent. People from all over the world come to attend the Emperor’s ball at the palace.”

“Do they hold a dance party?”

“Of course, that’s the main purpose of the celebration.”

A dance party, like in fairy tales. Oh, if only Mom and I could have come here together.

“We’ve arrived.”

A truly massive palace, much larger than the count’s estate. A large iron gate engraved with the family’s crest. I heard that this is how people here identify themselves, unlike my world, where big houses just put their family names near the door. A long path led to a grand palace that could accommodate all the people in the place I used to live.

“Go in and greet the master.”

“Ah, hello, sir. I’m the new maid.”

A man in his forties, with dark circles around his eyes, and a strange appearance—green eyes, blonde hair, most of which had been lost to time. He was short and sharp-tongued.

“Alright, take her to the place she’ll be staying from now on. As for you, I hope we get along well.”

What’s with this? Another smile. Seriously, what the hell is going on in this house? As we walked, I noticed that most of the workers were young girls, small in size. This place is really suspicious.

“Change your clothes quickly and follow me.”

Her tone had changed. What happened to the kind lady I helped? The old woman grabbed my arm tightly, and in a moment, I felt a sharp pain surging through me.

What is happening? I wondered inside.

That weak, peaceful lady, who just moments ago seemed like a ghost from the past, suddenly transformed into something completely different. My heart raced involuntarily, and my mind struggled to understand what was happening around me. She snapped me out of my thoughts, saying:

“This place is not a paradise or a place of rest, do you hear me?”

Her sharp voice was like a slap to my face. I couldn’t even look her in the eyes—they were as cold as ice, devoid of any compassion I had felt earlier. Every word she spoke drowned me in a whirlpool of fear and doubt.

“You’re not allowed to speak at all in the master’s presence.”

“Let go of me, my arm hurts,” I shouted, but even my voice sounded weak, like I was screaming in an empty room where no one could hear me.

She opened her wide eyes and screamed again, “This pain is nothing compared to what awaits you!” My body trembled for a moment. Her words weren’t just a threat, but a promise. A promise of something terrible awaiting me, something I couldn’t even imagine.

The sight was truly terrifying, with that face and her voice. I felt like I was going to faint at any moment.

At that moment, I felt like I was lost in a place that didn’t belong to reality. What had I gotten myself into? I felt fear creeping into the depths of my soul, wrapping around me like an endless darkness. I wasn’t on a journey; I was walking down a path leading me straight to hell.