The atmosphere in the dining hall suddenly felt different tonight.
Several female workers who usually refused even to glance at Mireya were now fighting for seats beside her. False smiles were etched across their faces.
“Mireya, if Madam or Mrs. needs any additional servants later, please mention my name, all right?” one of them said in an overly sweet voice.
The others quickly joined in, competing to act friendly. But Mireya felt no happiness at all. Quite the opposite—her chest felt tight. She wanted to cry. Why was fate, cruel from the very beginning, now pressing her even harder into a corner she could not escape?
“Mireya, are you finished?”
Molly’s voice made the other workers immediately get up and move away. The woman stood beside Mireya’s table.
“Mr. Ethan is waiting for you. Go with him at once,” Molly said, her voice much gentler than usual.
Mireya nodded slowly. Whether she wanted to or not, she had to go to the main residence of the Eisenwald family.
Molly escorted her outside to meet Ethan. Mireya’s steps felt heavy all the way, while Molly moved closer and whispered a warning.
“Remember this well, Mireya. I’ve treated you very well all this time. So don’t you dare tell the Eisenwald head servant anything unnecessary.” She paused briefly, then continued in a cold voice, “Or your family out in the hinterlands won’t be able to eat. They’ll slowly starve to death.”
Mireya bit her lip hard. She only nodded, not daring to answer.
In the courtyard, a luxurious black car was waiting. Mr. Ethan stood beside it. As soon as he saw Mireya approach, Ethan opened the car door for her.
“Please get in, Miss.”
Mireya gave a slight bow before getting into the car.
“Thank you for escorting her,” Ethan said politely to Molly.
Molly answered with a perfectly pleasant smile. “You’re welcome, sir.”
The car door closed. The vehicle moved steadily, passing through dark roads bordered first by fruit plantations, then vegetable fields, before entering a dense forest. The shadows of the closely packed trees hemmed in her view until they gradually gave way to a silent, chilly pine forest.
When enormous iron gates appeared in the distance, Mireya’s breath caught. As soon as the car began entering the grounds, she lowered her head and closed her eyes.
She did not want to see Eisenwald’s main courtyard—the place where she had once knelt in the rain, clutching her hope that her father would be forgiven, a hope that had never been answered.
The faces behind those windows had been far too lofty to lower their gazes toward a murderer’s family. And Mireya did not entirely blame them. Who would reach out a hand to blood deemed filthy?
But the car did not head toward that courtyard after all. Instead, it drove away from Madam Elizabeth’s residence.
Mireya slowly opened her eyes. Garden lights welcomed her with a soft gleam. A fountain sparkled like living crystal. Eisenwald’s legendary greenhouse looked like a paradise standing on earth, followed by an expansive garden that seemed to have no end.
It was all too beautiful. Too far removed from her life beneath the mountain, in the hinterlands.
The car finally stopped in front of a magnificent residence. Ethan got out first, then turned toward her.
“You will be educated here, Miss Mireya,” he said firmly but measuredly. “This is to prepare you before you meet Madam Elizabeth and Mrs. Shirley at the dinner reception three days from now.”
Mireya nodded slowly.
“I hope you can adapt well,” Ethan continued. “Madam dislikes carelessness, no matter how minor.”
Mireya’s nod grew more resolute, though her chest felt tight.
Ethan walked away afterward.
A female servant was waiting on the terrace, standing straight and composed.
“Welcome, Miss. Please follow me.”
Without saying much, the servant led Mireya into the residence. Its corridors were silent, lined with thick carpets and bordered by towering walls.
They stopped in front of a room. The door opened slowly. A middle-aged woman was waiting inside. She stood straight, her expression calm yet commanding. Her gaze was sharp, like someone accustomed to judging people with a single glance.
“Welcome to the Eisenwald residence, Miss,” she said in a gentle but firm voice. “Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Huan. You may call me Mrs. Huan. I am the head female servant of this residence.” She paused briefly, then continued, “Please introduce yourself.”