A few steps from her stood a man tall, his presence intimidating. His red, stern eyes critically scanning her from head to toe with unsettling precision.
'When did he get behind me?' Camelia thought in shock, her heartbeat quickening.
Her gaze drifted toward the closed door. She distinctly recalled leaving it slightly ajar after entering. Her eyes darted back to the man.
'Had he closed it so silently that she hadn't even noticed?'
She gulped, small threads of sweat forming along her temples as her pulse raced. Instinctively, she took a small step back, the movement subtle but trembling, like that of a frightened prey caught under a predator's gaze.
Perhaps her fear was justifiable, considering the fact that she had just walked into the man's house without being invited in, and she could sense the hostility coming from him.
This time, it was a different kind of hostility, not like the one she was constantly getting from the other pack members.
Her slight retreat only seemed to vex the vampire in front of her.
"Stop moving," Lucas commanded sharply, his deep voice cutting through the air like a blade. The sound of authority in it immediately stilled her.
"Who are you?" he asked, his tone calm, eyes scanning her.
Though Camelia heard his question clearly, she couldn't fully register what he was asking. Her mind went blank, and she simply stared at him like a lost fool, frozen.
The lack of response from the girl only irritated Lucas further. His expression darkened, and his voice dropped lower.
"Have you lost your ability to speak," he said in a dangerous tone, "Or shall I detach and reattach your tongue?"
It wasn't a question.
Camelia's body stiffened, and she quickly snapped out of her daze, shaking her head in panic.
"Alpha Caden sent me," she blurted out hastily. "I'm supposed to be a new help... well, frankly, I'm not really sure what my job description is. It all happened so fast. I was walking around this nice morning, and then there was this particular bird I saw. I once heard that it was a wishing bird, though I'm not sure how true that story is, but...."
She had unknowingly begun to ramble about rubbish, her nervousness spilling out in a flood of words about the bird she'd seen earlier that morning.
A deep frown settled on Lucas's face, fine lines appearing on his forehead. He couldn't understand why the girl in front of him was suddenly talking about birds of all things.
And she mentioned that Alpha Caden sent her, but the girl didn't smell like a werewolf. He was certain of that. Lucas was not aware Alpha Caden had humans living here.
"Please, shut up," Lucas said with a long sigh, rubbing the bridge of his nose.
He was already having a bad morning, he didn't have time to deal with this.
"Sorry," Camelia muttered quickly, immediately going silent.
"Follow me. I'll show you to the servants' quarters," Lucas said curtly as he brushed past her, heading toward the stairs with quiet, confident strides.
Camelia hesitated for a second, then quickly followed after him, picking up her pace to keep up, though she kept a cautious distance between them. Her eyes stayed fixed on his back as they ascended the stairs to the second floor and took a left turn into the dim hallway.
Lucas glanced at the girl behind him from over his shoulder, his expression unreadable. He contemplated asking her directly if she was human, but decided against it for now.
On the other hand, Camelia's mind wandered, wondering about the possibility of running into the other vampire who had rescued and treated her.
They finally came to a stop in front of a wooden door, and Lucas knocked twice, the sound echoing faintly down the hall.
"I'll be there in a second," a woman's voice called out from inside.
While they waited, Camelia took the chance to quietly observe her surroundings.
There were only three doors along the hallway, meaning just three rooms in this section. The corridor had a slightly gloomy vibe, the grey paint on the walls looked faded and old, in stark contrast to the bright white painting in the sitting room downstairs.
The door finally creaked open, and Camelia's attention was drawn to the brunette woman standing there.
"She will be working here during the day, so get her settled in," Lucas instructed firmly.
"Yes, Master Lucas," the woman replied with a polite nod of affirmation.
Lucas gave Camelia one last fleeting glance, his red eyes unreadable, before walking away down the hall and disappearing around the corner.
"Come right in," the brunette woman said warmly, widening the door and gesturing for her to enter.
Camelia stepped into the room, her gaze moving slowly around as she walked toward the center and came to a halt.
The room wasn't overly spacious, but it was comfortably sized, simple, and tidy. It had a faint scent of lavender as a result of the recently used lavender sitting on a drawer.
The woman gently closed the door behind her and walked over to Camelia with a kind smile.
"I'm Greta, the head maid," she introduced herself politely, her tone soft, in an attempt to make the girl in front of her relax. "What's your name?"
"I'm Camelia," she replied.
Camelia was surprised to learn that the woman before her was the head maid, considering how young she looked. She couldn't have been more than twenty-five, yet she was in charge of things.
"Did Master Lucas tell you anything about the job?" Greta asked.
Camelia shook her head. "No, he did not."
"Oh, I see," Greta murmured thoughtfully, crossing her arms as she pondered for a moment.
"You will be in charge of cleaning all the rooms in the house. Can you do that?" she asked.
Camelia nodded.
"Sure. That wouldn't be a problem at all. These hands can clean," she said, raising her palms with a nervous smile.
Greta's gaze drifted over Camelia's outfit, her expression mildly disapproving.
"You'll have to change into something else," she said , shaking her head lightly. "One moment."
She disappeared into the closet and returned shortly after, holding a freshly laundered maid's uniform. Her smile brightened as she handed it over to Camelia.
"Since Master Lucas didn't tell me anything about your arrival today beforehand, I didn't have time to properly iron it, and it may be a bit short," Greta explained apologetically.
"It's fine," Camelia said quickly. "I can iron it myself and I'm sure the length won't be an issue."
"Okay then," Greta said with a nod of approval. "I'll show you to the laundry room. Follow me."
She walked over to the door and opened it, leading Camelia out of the room.