After giving the girls a brief tour of the residence, Eliza finally began assigning the day's duties. The tasks changed depending on what needed to be done, especially since they were only temporary assistant servants. At any moment, they could be dismissed if they showed laziness or failed to meet expectations.
Stella, Evelyn, and another girl were assigned to dust the rooms, furniture, and windows throughout one section of the mansion. The remaining girls were sent to clean the floors elsewhere.
Both Stella and Evelyn felt somewhat relieved by the assignment. Compared to scrubbing large hallways on their hands and knees, this seemed far more manageable. For their first day, they considered themselves lucky.
Unfortunately, that sense of relief did not last long.
Eliza monitored every detail of their work.
She appeared beside them without warning, criticizing small mistakes, pointing out imperfections, and repeatedly complaining that they were moving too slowly. The third girl received the worst of it, but Stella noticed that the housekeeper did not seem particularly fond of her either. Sharp, evaluating glances followed her throughout the morning despite the fact that she was performing her duties well enough.
The constant supervision made even the simplest task exhausting.
None of them could afford to stop for even a moment to catch their breath.
As the hours passed, frustration became increasingly visible on the third girl's face. Evelyn, however, maintained the same pleasant expression she had worn since the beginning of the day. Stella did much the same.
After all, this was hardly the first time she had worked in such conditions.
Back in her homeland, she had taken more than a few similar jobs, and her experience at the Loran household had proven useful here as well.
Eventually, as noon approached, Eliza finally granted them a short break.
Only long enough to eat lunch.
After that, they were expected to return immediately to work.
The moment they stepped away from the housekeeper's sight, the third girl let out a groan of misery.
"Good heavens! That old woman is unbearable. Honestly, I was a fool for coming here. I thought working in a noble estate would be easier than staying in my village, but it's even worse!"
Evelyn responded with a cheerful smile.
"You need to be patient. It's only the first day. She's watching us closely to make sure we're truly capable."
The girl groaned again, "capable of what? It's not like we're earning a fortune for this. Do you know how much they pay here? Last night I spoke with a servant who has worked in this mansion for years. She said they haven't increased her wages by a single coin since she arrived. Ah... if only I hadn't listened to my cursed aunt."
Both Stella and Evelyn merely smiled in response without becoming too involved in the conversation.
The two of them were focused on entirely different matters.
One was concentrating on her mission.
The other was searching for an opportunity to escape.
After lunch, the three girls returned to work once more. This time, they were assigned to clean the private bathrooms belonging to the members of the Caden family.
Eliza's instructions were simple.
"I want these walls polished so well that I can see my own reflection in them."
The three immediately got to work. Once again, they labored without rest.
The bathrooms alone were larger than some houses Stella had seen before, and the amount of cleaning required was far greater than she had expected.
By the time they finally finished, the afternoon was already nearing its end.
The three girls cleaned their hands and prepared to leave alongside the other servants.
Then, just as they were about to depart, Eliza's voice stopped them.
"You two."
She pointed directly at Stella and Evelyn.
"Stay behind for a moment. I would like to speak with both of you."
For a brief moment, Stella and Evelyn exchanged glances.
Neither of them liked this.
The sudden request to stay behind immediately raised the same question in both their minds.
Had they made a mistake?
Or something about their behavior attracted suspicion?
Eliza wasted no time getting to the point.
"You both did good work today," she said while observing them carefully, "have either of you worked somewhere similar before? I remember Robert telling me that you're simply two orphans from a small town."
Robert was the name Thomas used in the West.
Evelyn answered without hesitation. A polite smile appeared on her face as she slightly lowered her head.
"Lady Trinket, you truly have a sharp eye. In fact, both of us worked on a small farm before coming here. While we were there, we met a former housekeeper. If I remember correctly, she had once served a noble family herself. She was the one who taught us how to work properly."
The explanation flowed naturally from her lips.
There was no visible nervousness, no pause to think, and not the slightest sign of discomfort.
Meanwhile, Stella remained silent.
Rather than speaking, she focused entirely on Eliza's reaction.
The housekeeper's expression remained as stern as ever. No surprise, no suspicion, and no visible indication that she found anything unusual in Evelyn's answer.
After a short pause, Eliza finally nodded.
"I see. So that's how it is."
Her attention shifted away from them.
"You may leave now. I'll see both of you tomorrow."
The two girls immediately bowed respectfully before taking their leave.
Only after they had put some distance between themselves and the housekeeper did either of them relax slightly.
The path toward the servants' quarters led through the rear gardens of the estate. Evening sunlight painted long shadows across the stone walkways, while the last traces of the day's activity slowly faded behind them.
After making certain no one was close enough to overhear, Evelyn finally spoke.
"That woman is a problem. We need to find a solution as soon as possible."
Stella did not answer immediately.
Instead, she simply nodded.
The same conclusion had already formed in her own mind.
Eliza Trinket could easily become an obstacle to her plans as well.
What if the woman noticed something suspicious about her?
What if she began paying closer attention?
Given the housekeeper's personality, that possibility was far from impossible.
"Come on," Evelyn continued, quickening her pace. "We should hurry. If we're lucky, we can spend some time talking with the servants. The more we learn about this place, the better."
Without waiting for a response, she continued forward. Stella followed a step behind, quietly watching her companion.
For some reason, she found herself wondering what exactly was going through Evelyn's mind.