Chains of the Heart

Chapter 2

Anya winced as she carefully rolled the sleeves of her simple linen blouse over her fresh wounds, each sting a reminder of the weight she carried — not just the heavy pails or endless scrubbing, but the very debt that had chained her to this estate. She stood by the washbasins in the servants' quarters, trying her best to keep silent as she cleaned linens well into the evening.

The other servants moved quietly, each burdened by Ivan’s oppressive expectations. One among them was Yelena a soft-spoken woman with a heart as warm as Anya's, paused beside her, hands red and chafed from scrubbing.

"Anya, you mustn't push yourself so hard," Yelena whispered, her voice laden with concern. "He doesn’t care. He doesn’t see us as people."

Anya gave her a soft smile. “I know. But what else is there to do?”

The two shared a brief, bittersweet silence, each knowing the other’s pain yet helpless to lift the burdens they carried.

From his study overlooking the grounds, Ivan could see the dim lights flickering in the servants’ quarters. He took another sip of his brandy, letting the bitter warmth roll over his tongue. It was his routine — a quiet hour to survey the kingdom he had created, to revel in the solitude he fiercely guarded.

But a lingering irritation nagged at him tonight. He had noticed the girl, Anya, more than once over the past few days. Despite her faults, there was a strange resilience to her, a silent defiance even as she obeyed every command. He saw it in her eyes — an indomitable spirit that refused to be extinguished, a reminder of something...human.

“What nonsense,” he muttered to himself, dismissing the thought as quickly as it had come. She was a servant, after all — a child of debtors. Whatever spark she had was of no concern to him.