María stared at the small trunk where she kept her clothes, holding her half-folded nightgown in her hands. Her mind couldn’t fully process what had happened during the day.

  Above all, she couldn’t understand why Aria had ordered her to accompany her to buy a dress.

  “This doesn’t make any sense…” María murmured softly as she laid the nightgown on her bed and sat at the edge of the mattress.

  “Why would she want me to go with her…?”

  For a while, María let her thoughts drift aimlessly. Then, almost unintentionally, a fleeting idea passed through her mind:

  ‘What if Aria is planning an escape?’

  The mere thought made María sit up abruptly.

  “What nonsense!” María scolded herself, feeling her rational side reprimanding her.

  Yet, the idea lingered stubbornly in her mind.

  ‘An escape… an escape… but from what?’, María wondered, since nothing alarming had happened during this time.

  She could even say that she loved her job right now, with all the raises Esmeria kept giving her month after month.

  Leaving a job like this made no sense!

  Not when she was so close to buying her own property, living in peace, and staying away from everyone!

  María began to bounce lightly on the bed in excitement.

  ‘Calm down, calm down…’, she repeated to herself.

  Elizabeth and Esmeria always kept a close eye on Aria, but they hadn’t harmed her—or anyone, really.

  Moreover, María clearly remembered what Aria had said before her separation became nearly official:

  “Elizabeth and Esmeria won’t harm you.”

  Aria’s voice in her memory sounded so sure that María couldn’t help but laugh softly at her own paranoia.

  “An escape… how ridiculous,” María muttered, a crooked smile appearing on her lips as she recalled their past escape attempt.

  Then another, funnier thought crossed her mind.

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  Hugo.

  Old Hugo and his shameless hints about making her his apprentice started flooding her thoughts now.

  ◇◆◇

  “María, come here for a second,” Hugo said one afternoon while handing her some seeds for the garden.

  María, busy tending the plants, looked up with a tired smile.

  “Huh? What is it?”

  Hugo scratched his beard and pointed to a withered flower she hadn’t noticed.

  “This… is a disaster,” Hugo said in a serious tone. “But with the right knowledge of magic, you could revive this plant in seconds.”

  María frowned.

  “But I don’t have the time to learn advanced spells…”

  “And whose fault is that? Not mine! Do you know how many times I’ve offered to teach you? You’re like a rock ignoring the rain.”

  “I can’t quit this job! You know that, right?”

  “The vampires said they wouldn’t harm you as long as you kept your mouth shut. What are you afraid of?”

  Although María knew Hugo had a point, the truth was…

  She was making ‘a lot’ of money!

  A lot of money for doing very little—except on the days when Aria worked with Hugo on her research.

  Hugo looked at María with a small smile and let out a long sigh.

  “Honestly, kid… the day you realize what you’re missing, you’ll come crawling to me. I can see it already.”

  ◇◆◇

  María put a hand over her face, still laughing softly, picturing herself as a rock in the rain.

  The idea of studying magic under Hugo’s guidance seemed absurd. Yet, for some reason, the old wizard never stopped insisting.

  In the end, María let out a heavy sigh and lay back on the bed, staring at the ceiling again. The room was quiet and dark, illuminated only by the soft moonlight filtering through the window.

  “Stop thinking about it,” María scolded herself softly. “I just need to sleep… yes, sleep and keep this income flowing until I reach the perfect retirement…”

  María closed her eyes and snuggled into the sheets, trying to clear her mind.

  But… nothing.

  She simply couldn’t sleep!

  ‘Damn it!’, María thought, realizing her mind was still stubbornly stuck on those topics.

  ‘Why does Hugo want me as his apprentice…?’

  ‘Do I really have talent if I fail even the most basic spells?’

  ‘I need more vacations…’

  ‘What is Aria thinking? Does she have a plan?’

  ‘How’s everyone at the mansion doing…?’

  ‘I hope my parents are okay…’

  Knock, knock, knock.

  The sound made her heart jump in her chest.

  “What…?” María murmured, opening her eyes slightly. Still exhausted, she decided to turn over and keep resting.

  Knock, knock, knock.

  The sound repeated, and María swallowed, her skin prickling.

  For a moment, she considered ignoring it, but the knocking came again, a bit louder this time.

  “Coming… I’m coming…” María said with a trembling voice.

  She got out of bed, adjusted her nightgown, and approached the door slowly. She opened it cautiously, only to find herself face-to-face with Elizabeth.

  The vampire looked at her with a frown, arms crossed, and an expression of clear irritation.

  “What the hell is wrong with you?” Elizabeth asked, scanning her from head to toe with her eyes. “Lady Aria is waiting for you. Did you forget you’re going out?”

  “G-Going out?” María stammered, still half-asleep and confused.

  Elizabeth huffed and rolled her eyes in exasperation.

  “Of course, going out! How can you be this slow?”

  María opened her mouth to apologize, but Elizabeth was already turning around.

  “Hurry up and get changed,” Elizabeth said without looking back. “I don’t understand why Lady Aria wants to go out with you when you’re such a mess…”

  María watched as Elizabeth walked away down the hallway, muttering under her breath.

  María closed the door with a sigh and leaned against it.

  “I don’t want to go…”

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