Katharina felt the cool of the marble seeping through her soles, evoking a sense of foreboding for the coming performance she was about to put on.

  The foyer felt like a grand stage, Lian and she puppets, R?fna the puppet master.

  She had been working towards this moment for two months, though she had only been truly aware for the last two weeks. She had certainly come a long way, but would it be enough to satisfy the Master, or would her fate be sealed today? It was a matter of minutes before the verdict fell.

  Then it echoed through the halls.

  "Master Ravnsund has made his arrival!"

  As the large door opened, the golden morning light spilled blindingly in. At first, only Master Ravnsund was there, but as he stepped into view, another silhouette appeared at his side. With it came what could only be described as an overwhelming, all-piercing sense of power that dominated the room, which emanated from the unknown figure.

  She had never felt such a breathtaking and simultaneously menacing sensation before. Yet somehow it felt familiar, like maybe she had felt it, but she wasn't aware then.

  When the long flowing hair of the blond man settled in the still air of the foyer, it somehow did not surprise her in the least that such an aura would come from him.

  No, not from him, but from a large red gemstone that hung gaudily from his left ear. It was captivating, not because of the striking color and size, but rather because of the energy that seemed to be concentrated within.

  Then the realization hit that before her stood not only her master but also the 'Prince'. Suddenly, the stakes of her performance felt much higher, as now the rules of the situation had changed.

  The pressure from the power that now filled the room, along with the presence of an unexpected visitor, left her dumbfounded. Even though the training had been immaculate and gone over every possible scenario, Katharina's gaze was sneaking up to get some reassurance from Madam R?fna.

  But there, she was met with the back of a proud woman who stood straight and followed protocol as though it was written in her DNA.

  A soft squeeze of her hand calmed her, as Lian whispered.

  "That's him, the man with yellow hair. You must bow to him first."

  As the two important men approached her, her most hated companion also kicked into gear, confirming Lian's advice.

  It also helped her tune out the aura pressing in from all sides, enabling her to get her bearings and compose herself.

  First, she bowed before the 'Prince', then before the Master.

  Surprisingly, she heard herself speak the right words, at the right time. Maybe it was the rigorous etiquette lessons, maybe just the brand. Either way, the first act had successfully played out.

  As R?fna had instructed, she let her aura flow, letting the little wells open and doing her best to imagine being welcoming, convincing, and overall something the master would be pleased with.

  She could feel the warmth in the air around her as the aura appeared, but she couldn't tell if her embodiment of perfection and demure was coming across.

  Then Master Ravnsund spoke, and she felt the brand letting up, allowing her to rise from her bow.

  As she stood there before these two men in their matching outfits, she realized that they, too, were just boys. Sure, they were rich and powerful, and probably older than her.

  But behind all the glamour and hierarchical norms, they looked to be somewhere in their early to mid-twenties. Anyone she knew at home around that age was all still figuring out who they were and how to be an adult. No one is better than anyone else, even if it may look so at first glance.

  And yet for some reason, this world had deemed these two more worthy and allowed them to command her very being.

  Here she stood, almost trembling before their oppressive power, having to prove her worth, prove that she could be sold for a good price.

  There was an exchange between Madam R?fna and the master, all while Katharina just felt the boring eyes of the 'Prince' judging her all the way from her skin to her core.

  "... now speak, girl." R?fna's sudden que came as a surprise. But this was no time for questions, and she just followed the script.

  "It is my pleasure to serve the Master."

  The answer was well pronounced and correct, but the Master did not seem entirely convinced.

  "That is good to hear. Now, can you say ???????∞Ω more ?∞???????∞Ω, 木?? ????ψχ? what teas can I be served?"

  "With pleasure, would the master like to have Hibiscus Bloom, Marigold Brew, or a simple milk tea?"

  A pleased smile was forming on Master Ravnsund's face, but a bit more convincing was needed.

  "Good, ??? ????? the manor, can you tell me ??? ????? the gardens?"

  R?fna clearly knew the Master all too well; she had perfectly predicted the types of questions he would pose to test Katharina.

  "The manor has several wonderful flower gardens and orchards. And this time of year, the apple orchards are filled with fruit. Would the Master care for a stroll?" She barely heard the words; they came naturally like the lyrics of a song she knew so well she had forgotten what it said.

  That was her best trick, and if this wasn't enough, she would be screwed.

  But thankfully, Master Ravnsund nodded in approval. He looked over at the blond man, who seemed suspiciously deep in thought, clearly not listening to a word that had been said, and then back to Katharina, a smirk forming on his face.

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  "That was all, you girls can leave now."

  With that, R?fna had dismissed them.

  Soon Katharina found herself back at today's task: helping out in the kitchen. To that end, she ran across the courtyard on her way to fetch some of those plentiful apples from the orchard.

  Whenever the Master or another important guest came to visit, the manor would become a culinary center, offering fine dining. Of course, there was still only the bland grey mush on the menu for her and the other enslaved.

  Katharina felt a wave of melancholy wash over her, triggered by the simple act of remembering food from her old life. Maybe it was easier to keep her thoughts quiet and focus on the task at hand.

  She was already at the orchard. From a stack of woven baskets, she picked one with a good handle and a reasonable size. Then she climbed the nearest ladder leaning against a crooked apple tree.

  The labor was menial but not strenuous, exactly the kind of work that made it easy to appease the brand. And after the excitement in the foyer, Katharina was longing for a quiet moment.

  But unfortunately, her quiet didn't last long.

  Katharina felt the certain tingle that she had come to associate with aura, and she knew immediately who was approaching.

  When they had bowed before the Master and the 'Prince', it had been impossible not to be drawn toward the large red gemstone earring he wore. Had the others been able to feel the aura in it? Had Lian? And if so, were they not infatuated by its pull?

  She couldn't remember if he had worn it the other times they had crossed paths, after all, back then she couldn't feel the aura that now seemed to flow from so many places.

  //Even if that spear hadn't hit her, it had certainly changed something in her.

  Looking over her shoulder, she confirmed the approaching figure was that of the 'Prince', but he was walking alone.

  Here she had thought the rest of her day would be easy, but no. Of course, picking apples would have to turn into a strenuous exercise in self-control.

  And so she let herself disappear, become as insignificant as the branches she was leaning on. Katharina carefully observed as the 'Prince' made his way through the orchard. He was staying on the path; soon, he would be past, and she would be able to relax again.

  She stayed hidden in the branches like a bird of prey hiding from a gluttonous panther, scanning the forest floor.

  With her aura turned completely off, the effects of the gemstone he wore were dulled. It really did seem like aura sensed aura.

  The beast was halfway through the orchard now, and in a few steps, he would be the closest to her. Katharina held her breath, frozen in place. His steps slowed, and he came to a complete stop, only his platinum hair flowing in the light breeze.

  The 'Prince' was looking, searching for something. At first, Katharina thought he might be looking for her, but there was no way he knew she was here, right?

  To her relief, he turned his back to her and walked to a crooked apple tree next to the path.

  For a while, he picked at the ground beside the tree. There was nothing on the ground from what Katharina could tell; there was nothing for him to find.

  Then, as though his intention for coming into the orchard had always been to do so, he lowered himself to the roots of the tree, settling there with deliberate ease.

  But the 'Prince' looked rather comfortable leaning against the lumpy tree. Without hesitation, his gaze found Katharina as though he had known from the very beginning that she was standing there among the branches.

  There was a certain aloofness about the way he seemingly allowed himself to own every space he entered, even an open orchard like this.

  There was nothing she could do except keep up the act of a good servant who only has aura before her Master, the basket slowly filling with plump red apples, growing heavier, making it difficult to hold the image of being small and auraless harder by the apple.

  Now and then, Katharina would steal glances in the direction of the 'Prince', not that she needed to do so to know he was still there; his presence and the prickling aura from the gemstone were far too alarming not to notice. Every time she did so, she would find his gaze resting comfortably on her, following her hands as she picked.

  He sat too far from her for him to clearly want something, yet his attention was squarely and solely on her. Was she supposed to come to him and offer her service? The brand told her to keep picking. And any discomfort Katharina felt was really all in her head; her shoulder was calm, the 'Prince' was just sitting there, seemingly enjoying the autumn breeze and the sight of her doing a day's work.

  Katharina was getting fed up with the ridiculous situation, her up in a tree being watched like a bird studied by an ornithologist, slowly losing her mind trying to keep her aura in check. There had to be a way to make him go away; maybe he was just waiting for her to come down, so he could ask for whatever it was he wanted. She mustered the courage to break the silence and chose the most evenly red and perfectly ripe fruit from her basket and held it out toward him. Finally, she raised her voice.

  "Would his highness like an apple?"

  The apple in her outstretched hand just sat there, with no answer to whether it was wanted or not. Katharina dared to look directly at the 'Prince', but he was just standing there, baffled and speechless.

  But the brand hadn't warned her that she was about to misbehave, and it was still not punishing her, which testified to the fact that she hadn't done anything wrong.

  His face finally composed itself back to his aloof demeanor, and a smile played at the corner of his lips.

  "An apple would delight me."

  Katharina was about to toss him the apple when the 'Prince' strode over. He stopped right below her ladder, reaching his hand up to retrieve his snack. Everything about this encounter was so casual, a complete one-eighty from the display in the foyer. She let it fall the small distance between them, and he caught it easily. For a moment, he paused as he placed the savory fruit against his closed lips and took in the sweet scent, before biting into the crisp surface. A pleased hum sounded from him as he looked up at Katharina, an approving nod letting her know the apple was satisfactory.

  Then, without as much as a thank you, he turned to continue on this way. Katharina felt envy growing in her as she watched him leisurely stroll out of the orchard.

  "You're welcome," Katharina whispered bitterly under her breath, knowing very well that she would not get to have even a single bit of apple. She found herself annoyed at this man, whom she barely knew; he was slowly coming to represent all that was unfair about this world. At the same time, he intrigued her; he always managed to show up in the most consequential moments of her life in this world. He had been there during the branding, when she was brought into the manor, and now that she had proven her worth. She got the feeling that he enjoyed observing her.

  As Leopold walked from the orchard, the sweetness of the apple lingered, crisp and tart against his tongue.

  He tossed the gnawed heart of fruit to a pair of birds twittering on the edge of a trough. She had looked like a little bird perched atop that ladder. If not for her thoughts as unintelligible as bird song that had sounded through the orchard, he would not have noticed her.

  He was pleased with his own false assumption; she had so perfectly suppressed her aura that it could only have been intentional when she let it flow alluringly around her this morning.

  At first, he had gone without any particular reason; the sight of her hair had simply given him an inclination that this might bring some amusement. But the way her mind fluttered about reacting to his every move had made him want to stay. It turned out that not understanding the thoughts of those around him was rather liberating.

  He mused on how she had squirmed to keep quiet in the tree crown. Until she had finally folded. He had obviously not foreseen it coming, and it had taken him by surprise.

  He liked his finger; the sweet taste of the apple remained.