Reborn As His Sacrifice

 Beatris

"The last time he came, two maids disappeared."

 My hand stopped mid-polish.

 The cloth pressed against the wood, but I wasn't moving it anymore. My fingers tightened slowly, the fabric bunching in my grip as I leaned just a little closer, pretending to keep working.

 "You're lying," another maid said, her voice thin, like she didn't even believe her own words.

 "I'm not," the first insisted. "Ask anyone who was here last year. They said the girls offended him. The next morning, they were gone. They didn't pack. They didn't take their money. They just... weren't there anymore."

 Something cold slid down my spine.

 My fingers moved again, but now I was pressing too hard, the cloth dragging roughly against the polished surface.

 Gone?

 How does someone just disappear?

 "Quickly, everyone! We're expecting an important guest today!"

 Mrs. Helen's voice cut through everything, sharp enough to make me flinch. I straightened immediately, my heart skipping as the other maids scattered around me.

 "Everything must be perfect! I don't want a single mistake!"

 But even as we moved, the whispers didn't stop. They just... lowered.

 Like whatever they were talking about wasn't meant to be heard too loudly.

 I turned to Diana, who had come up beside me with a tray of folded cloth.

 "Who are they talking about?" I asked quietly.

 She looked at me, then leaned closer. "You don't know?"

 I shook my head. "I wasn't here the last time."

 "Me neither," she said, letting out a small breath. "I joined a few weeks before you did."

 That made my chest tighten slightly.

 "So... you don't know if it's true?"

 "I don't," she admitted. Then her eyes shifted toward the older maids.

 "But look at them."

 I followed her gaze.

 Their movements were stiff, too stiff.

 Like they were holding themselves back from doing something wrong.

 Like one mistake could cost them everything.

 My stomach turned.

 "That's not normal," I murmured.

 Diana didn't respond immediately.

 "I've heard things, though," she said after a moment. I looked at her quickly.

 "What things?"

 A faint smile touched her lips, but it didn't reach her eyes.

 "They say he's very handsome."

 I blinked.

 "That's what everyone's scared of?"

 She gave a quiet huff.

 "No," she said softly. "That's just what they say first."

 An hour later, the entire house felt tighter.

 Like the walls themselves were waiting.

 Mrs. Helen appeared at the end of the corridor.

 "He'll be here any minute. Everyone to the entrance. Now."

 My hands felt colder as I walked, We lined up in two rows.

 I stood beside Diana, my chin lowered, my eyes fixed on the floor. All I could see were stone tiles, my own shoes and the edge of my dress.

 And then a car arrived. 

 I didn't look up, but I heard it, the quiet roll, the stop, the door opening. Then footsteps followed, Slow and controlled.

 Each step hit the floor like it carried weight,not just sound

 A shadow stretched toward me, It stopped right in front of me, my breath caught. He was too close. I could smell something from him, not perfume, not anything warm, Something colder and sharp, like metal.

 My chest tightened, my heart slamming hard enough to make me feel it in my throat. A drop of sweat slid down my temple, tracing slowly down my face before falling, the silence stretched too long. Five seconds, Ten.

 It felt like the air was disappearing. Like I was being watched, being studied. The pressure of him standing right there, staring at me while I looked at the floor, became so unbearable that I met his pair of gray eyes instinctively. His face, I got lost in it, but the rumors were true. I've never seen someone so handsome, but his jaw was clamped so tight that I could see the muscle twitching in his cheek. He was staring at me with a look I couldn't describe. I knew I should look away, but for a moment, I was stuck. 

 I quickly snapped my eyes back to the floor, my face heating up after realizing that I had stared too long. I almost started to apologize, but I stopped myself just in time. We weren't allowed to speak unless he spoke first. He didn't say anything. He turned on his heel and walked away, his footsteps loud and heavy as he headed for the stairs. 

 Only after he was gone did I let out a long, shaky breath. All around me, the other maids did the same. "What did you do?" an older maid hissed, grabbing my arm. "Why did he stop to look at you like that?" "Will anything happen to me?" I asked, my hands shaking and my eyes stung with fear. "You stared at him. You aren't supposed to look at him," she said, shaking her head. "You'd better hope he doesn't remember your face."

 Minutes later, I stood in Mrs. Helen's office.

 She didn't look up.

 "Do you have any idea what you've done?"

 I stayed silent, because I didn't.

 "Mr. De Vere does not tolerate mistakes," she continued. "And you met his eyes."

 "I didn't mean to," I said quickly, my hands tightening together. "I'm sorry, ma'am."

 "Being sorry doesn't fix it."

 She shut the book with a sharp thud.

 I flinched.

 "Tomorrow morning at dawn, you will go to his private suite. Alone. You will clean it. And you will apologize."

 My stomach dropped.

 "If he accepts, you stay."

 She pause.

 "If he doesn't... you leave."

 My chest tightened.

 Leave?

 I had nowhere else to go.

 "Yes, ma'am," I whispered.

 "And Beatris," she added quietly, "do not look him in the eye again."

 I left the office and found Diana waiting for me. "What happened?" she asked. "I have to clean his room tomorrow morning." Diana's eyes went wide. "In his private quarters? Alone?"

 I nodded and walked to the maids quarters.

 I lay on my bed and stared at the ceiling. I thought about the gray eyes and the tight set of his jaw. I didn't know what he was thinking when he looked at me, but I prayed the situation would not get worse.

NOTE: This book is a slow burn gothic dark romance filled with mystery, hidden secrets, obsession, and emotional tension 😈

The earlier chapters focus more on the mysteries surrounding Crimson Hill and Alexander himself, while the darker romantic elements begin to unfold more deeply from around Chapter 20 onward 🔥

So stay with me, little doves… the deeper Beatris falls into Crimson Hill, the darker the story becomes 🩸