Rose? What is she doing here?
Soon their eyes met and—CLANG! The tray in her hand crashed to the floor. Tears streamed down her face as she ran toward Celestira, falling to her knees.
"Your Ladyship… I—I've done an unforgivable crime!"
Sobbing, she cried, "I–I poisoned you… hic! sob!"
---
Flashback
"So, what have you decided?" Celestira asked as she sipped her tea.
"Your Ladyship, I will be your personal maid," Rose said confidently.
Setting her teacup down, Celestira smiled, pleased. "Excellent choice."
Then, with a sly smirk, she added, "I have some work for you."
Rose gulped nervously. "W-what is it, Your Ladyship?"
Celestira took out a thin, transparent bag. "The tea I'm going to have with Alicia next week."
With a dangerous smile, she said, "Go into the kitchen after Alicia's personal maid finishes preparing the tea. Then, throw it away and make a new one."
Holding up the bag filled with white powder, she continued, "Make sure to add all of this into the teapot."
Rose nervously held the bag. "What's in this bag?"
Celestira replied, her tone mysterious, "That's beyond your concern. You may leave now."
With that, Celestira went back to drinking her tea, and Rose quietly left.
---
The memory faded as Rose's sobs filled the room.
"I—I had no idea it was poison! sniffle I should be punished! Waaaaaah!" Rose wailed, bursting into tears.
Celestira awkwardly comforted her. "It's fine. If I had drunk what was originally prepared by Alicia, something darker than death would've awaited me."
Rose felt a chill crawl down her spine at those words, but still nervously asked, "W-worse? What could be worse than that?"
"Leave that to me," Celestira said calmly.
"But last time, Your Ladyship said—"
Rose was immediately kicked out of the room.
"Haaaa… such worry is new to me," Celestira sighed softly.
Walking toward the window, she gazed at the garden outside her room. Tracing her finger along the windowsill, her hand paused—sensing dampness.
Something wet clung to her fingertips, and her heart sank to her stomach.
To be continued…