The day stretched quietly after Freya’s departure, leaving Emilia with a strange sense of stillness. She tried to fill her time with small tasks, but her mind kept drifting back to the maid. The same girl who had tried to poison Raymond by slipping something into his coffee. It had been weeks, almost a full month since the incident, and Emilia hadn’t heard a single word about her. The thought settled uncomfortably in her mind. Did Raymond let her go? Or was the maid still here?

The uncertainty gnawed at her. Finally, Emilia made up her mind. She went to the kitchen, gathering a few loaves of bread, a small...