Lena leaned her head against the frame of the carriage. She stared absently at the fabric of the carriage's interior in front of her eyes, but it was too close for her to focus any detail. It was a blur of meaningless color.
Anything to avoid looking at Renz.
She sighed heavily, not wanting to let her thoughts go in the direction they were destined to go. She had been avoiding it for days...or maybe it had been weeks? It could have very well been years, for Lena had lost track of time in their travel.
She had slipped into a trance-like state following her banishment from Sterling Manor. She was half-awake during the day, and nearly dead when asleep at night. Lena could not recall much about what she had been doing, what Renz had been doing, where they had gone. She had simply existed, without memory, awareness, or forethought.
"Goddamnit, Lena!"
Lena jumped in alarm, shocked to hear Renz's voice, but more shocked to hear that he was yelling at her. She looked up at him fearfully, and instantly lowered her eyes when she saw that his were filled with fury.
"Lena, please look at me," Renz said, slightly softening his voice. Lena surveyed his tense body before making eye contact with him. She noted the way his large hands were clenching and unclenching in tight fists. He was rapidly bouncing his knee in what appeared to be nervousness.
"Please, Lena," he said again. Lena looked up at him through sad blue eyes, and Renz sighed.
"You can't carry on like this. You haven't spoken a word since we left Sterling's," Renz said. Lena cleared her throat.
"What would you like me to say, sir?" Lena asked. Renz rolled his eyes in irritation.
"There is no need for the formalities, Lena. You're not a maid anymore," Renz replied. Lena frowned.
"What am I then?" she asked quietly, almost speaking to herself. Renz stared at her unwaveringly.
"You're mine."
Lena curled up towards her center and closed her eyes, in order to fight back the tears. The idea of being his terrified her, and she wasn't ready to think about it yet. She needed more time to just be...empty.
She focused on the steady rhythm of the carriage, the sound of her own breathing, until eventually the present disappeared and her mind re-entered the cloud-like state she'd been in for the duration of their travels. She fell into a deep, dreamless sleep, comfortably dissociated.
When Lena awakened, the carriage had stopped moving. She opened her eyes and looked around, surprised to find that it was vacant.
Lena crawled over to the door of the carriage and opened it, immediately wishing she hadn't. She was greeted with an incredible chill that instantly made her shiver.
She exited the carriage with shoulders hunched and arms crossed over her body, in a feeble attempt to keep herself warm. The air was crisp and frigid, and a light rain sprinkled from the rapidly darkening sky.
"Fräulein Lena?" Lena turned towards the speaker, a servant of some sort. He stood rigidly, and appeared to be only a few years older than she, but he had a kind face. Lena smiled slightly, trying to take comfort.
"I'm sorry...I've never been called that before," Lena replied. The man smiled back at her.
"My name is Erich, welcome to Schloss Wolfenbarger," Erich said, motioning to the estate.
Lena's eyes widened in an attempt to absorb the edifice that stood before her, and her mouth opened in an awe-struck gasp. She thought she heard Erich laugh behind her, but she found she didn't care.
Lena had always thought that Sterling Manor was the most beautiful, luxurious estate in the world, because it was the only manor she had ever seen. In comparison to Schloss Wolfenbarger, however, it was severely diminished.
It reminded Lena of pictures of castles and palaces she had seen in books. It was surrounded by an expanse of manicured grass, with a forest of tall trees surrounding that. The structure itself seemed to go on for as far as her eyes could see, and the way it juxtaposed aggressive power with gentle beauty puzzled her quizzically.
"Shall I show you inside?" Erich eventually asked. Lena nodded without looking at him, still staring at the estate in wonder.
She followed Erich up the long curved drive and sets of stairs to the main entrance of the estate. The closer she came, the larger the estate looked. Two servants opened the very tall, intricately carved Baroque-style twin doors, and Lena tentatively entered.
For a moment, she stood in the threshold between the doors and the grand entry room, too nervous and open-mouthed to proceed further. But eventually, she moved forward, and was taken aback by the beauty of the interior.
The grand entry room was circular and open, elaborately decorated with chandeliers, candelabras, tapestries, and highly polished marble flooring. A particularly large, glittering statement chandelier hung in the center, and Lena's eyes tried to follow it to where it started. She had to strain her neck to find the ceiling, and was surprised by the number of floors her vision soon revealed.
The ceiling was painted with a lovely sky scene, a trompe l'oeil that appeared to be between day and night, or perhaps a combination of both. The sky was painted with a variety of blues, oranges, and deep purples, featuring both the moon and the sun, along with stars. There were delicate clouds painted with rich hues that hid some strange winged creatures her vision couldn't reach.
"Shall I show you to your room?" Erich asked. Lena tried to shake away her awe and regain her composure. She lowered her head and nodded, following Erich up the grand staircase that stood at the far end of the entry room.
Lena couldn't help but look over the railing of the third floor hallway down at the grand entry room again, just to stare at that beautiful chandelier from the new angle. Even from her new height, it still seemed massive.
"This way," Erich said, slightly impatient. Lena bolted away from the balcony and ran to reach Erich, who was waiting for her at the end of the hall.
"Your quarters," he said softly, opening the double doors. Lena stepped inside, taken aback by the beauty of the suite.
"This is for me?" Lena asked, surprised. Erich nodded.
"Those were the Master's specific instructions. To the left through those doors there, you'll find your bedroom and dressing rooms. To the right, your bathing room. This here is your lounge," Erich explained.
Lena slowly took in the beauty of the lounge room, which was larger than the entire Crown Suite of Sterling Manor, and easily ten times the size of her sleeping quarters there.
The furniture and decorations were lovely, in soft hues of pale blue, gold, and rose, but what truly captivated Lena was the view from the windows. The furthest wall of the lounge room was entirely made of floor to ceiling windows, and Lena walked over to it to stare at the beautiful sight outside.
