The morning came far too early. Katharina had barely slept a wink. All the new information floated around, making a mess of her mind.

  But nothing could be done; the brand demanded her presence at breakfast. And if she was quick, she would have the time to squeeze a bit more information out of Lian while they ate their mush.

  A clean pair of brown dresses had replaced the dance uniforms from yesterday, and as they walked to the mess hall, Katharina found the fabric especially itchy, as if she had somehow gotten it crinkled under the bodice piece.

  Right before they entered the mess hall, Katharina stopped. If she wanted to fix this scratchy mess, now was probably her last opportunity.

  "Lian, you can go. I-e... be right there."

  And so Lian went on ahead to start breakfast, while Katharina remained a moment to vigorously tug on the skirt of her dress, in an attempt to uncrinkle the unruliness under the bodice.

  She didn't get more than one good tug in before the brand bit her, and Katharina was forced to accept the itch as good enough and join Lian.

  But to her even greater displeasure, the morning was only getting worse. Lian stood pinned between two large guards, who normally belonged in the field. And not long after she had made her entrance, all three turned to look at her. The guards each wore foreboding expressions, and Lian looked visibly mortified, shaking her head lightly as if to tell Katharina not to come in. But it was already too late.

  The guards were over her in an instant. They seized her shoulders.

  "There you are! Madam R?fna has called for you."

  Normally, the brand would let you know where you were and when you were wanted. This time, for some reason, it was bad enough that she was being taken by force.

  Suddenly, the little hairpin that had clattered to the floor in the middle of last night's conversation came to mind.

  While they dragged her through the corridors of the manor, Katharina felt her thoughts spinning out. Every possible punishment ran through her head, each more terrifying than the last, until it was her very life that flashed before her eyes.

  They stopped before a door Katharina had never entered, but the hallway was familiar.

  After waiting for a few moments without knocking, a clear "Enter!" came from the other side of the door.

  One of the guards pulled open the door while the other tossed her over the threshold, and it was slammed behind her.

  She now found herself in a lavish room, smaller and less decorated than Master Ravnsund's office. Tapestries covered the walls where neatly carved cabinets did not. Across from where she stood was a large desk, and there sat her lawmaker, judge, and executioner, all embodied in one person.

  Madam R?fna.

  She didn't spare a thought for the accused; she was scribbling away, letting a large feather pen glide across the document in front of her.

  The brand commandeered Katharina toward a small chair in the corner of the room. Katharina wanted to look around, but her body was stiff, not a single movement left to her devices. Every fiber in her body was focused on that chair, which she picked up and brought to sit across from Madam R?fna.

  Then she sat.

  Waited.

  Feared.

  "What do ???° ナ?χχ °???" R?fna's pen was still gliding across the paper undisturbed; she didn't look up, but her voice sounded neither angry nor accusatory.

  "Huh? I'm sorry?..."

  "When anyone ?? ????Ω?? to the Manor, ??? 木 ???? ???∞Ω I ?χ??°? ?? is ask their name."

  At first, Katharina was confused, but then she remembered. On her very first night here, Madam R?fna had met them in the foyer. She had asked everyone a question, but back then, Katharina hadn't known what it was and wasn't able to answer.

  "What is your name?"

  She wanted to give a fake name, but the brand told her that would be a horrible idea.

  "Katharina, Madam."

  R?fna lifted her chin, scrutinising Katharina with her hawk eyes. "Good..." But she didn't dare be sassy to Madam R?fna.

  "Do you know why you are here, Katharina?"

  If the hunch that she was the one who had snitched on the conversation from last night, Katharina knew she was here for some punishment.

  If this were somehow unrelated, it felt like it could be almost anything.

  Either way, she wasn't about to rat on herself and just politely shook her head, as taught in Madam R?fna's lessons.

  "So, Katharina." R?fna finally looked up, even sitting, her frame was elegant and stern. "I hear Lian has been teaching you proper Empirian."

  It wasn't a question yet, Katharina felt urged to answer.

  But she hesitated for a moment, simmering in the realisation that this woman knew all their names, didn't care to call them anything other than 'girl' or 'you there'.

  "Yes, Madam."

  This whole situation was cryptic. If this was about what had happened yesterday, why was Madam R?fna drawing out the conversation instead of just punishing her?

  Then the Madam put down her pen by neatly placing it in the carved holder.

  And let the document gently settle at the top of a stack to her right. Before getting up. Her mannerisms were meticulous, slow. Stringing Katharina along in torturous anticipation.

  Then the Madam walked in her long, elegant strides to the window.

  "I take ψ???? in running this manor."

  Her eyes were watching the bustling people outside, like a lioness admiring her kingdom. Then she turned and met Katharina's with a heaviness she had never seen on Madam R?fna's face before.

  "Do you know what that is? ψ?????"

  It was a rhetorical question, as the next moment, R?fna's voice was laced with aura as she spoke the word again.

  "Pride."

  A wave of images flashed through Katharina's mind as she heard the word. They were images that all represented what Madam R?fna associated with 'Pride'. To be praised by the Master. To sell a girl at a record-breaking price. To be allowed to participate in events solely meant for nobility. The images were plentiful, but to Katharina, they all seemed a little twisted, for any prideful moment R?fna had known was an underlying implication of the approval of the Masters.

  The vibrations in the air settled, and so did the images, leaving behind an understanding between the two that could only be described as a common goal to appease Master Ravsund in the pursuit of self-preservation.

  The tall, prideful woman, who stood in the place of what moments ago had been a caricature of a cruel teacher.

  But it wasn't long before Madam R?fna fell back into her role and approached Katharina with precision.

  "I have called you to my ????° today."

  "??ナ???? I cannot take pride in you."

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  "??χ?????∞Ω you to the Master Ravnsund as you are ???χ? be an ? 木木?∞??, and ???? we must ??ナ ?? 木° this."

  Katharina hadn't understood most of that, but it hadn't sounded like it was about her use of aura or voice. In fact, R?fna didn't sound angry; she sounded determined. And the look on her face was that of her in teaching mode, exactly like when correcting bad posture.

  "A Master wants you, but his ?木木?? is nothing short of a ??ナΦ??°."

  R?fna was drifting into a long spiel; this was not uncommon in their lessons, but it was far from what Katharina had expected as she was dragged here. She was cautiously beginning to hope whoever had been there last night wasn't a snitch after all.

  "Unless you are ???? to speak ψ??ψ??χ°, the Master will take this ?木木??."

  She had started pacing in her long strides back and forth clearly; this was a personal issue in Madam R?fna's eyes. A threat to her pride.

  "The χ??????? one, Lian, has taught you some. But Master Ravnsund will be here in a 木???∞?Ω??."

  Katharina was listening intently to all the information that was being handed to her.

  "Which is why I have ??ナ???? to ??? you in your χ???∞?∞Ω." R?fna looked over at Katharina and realized some of her intention might have flown over her head. "I- will- help- you."

  This was no punishment; this was Madam R?fna showing a new side of herself. Was she truly meaning to help Katharina? She wanted to ask and dig deeper now that this goldmine of information was opening up, but the brand kept her lips sealed. Instead, R?fna was closing in.

  "Another thing, girl. I have ∞???ナ?? you use aura now..."

  She grabbed her firmly by the shoulder, as if to hold her in place, but the brand was already nailing her to the spot. The air around her felt practically as solid and impenetrable as concrete.

  R?fna's tall figure bent down, engulfing Katharina in her presence. With her lips right by Katharina's ear, she let an aura-borne whisper sing.

  "Let me give you some advice; you should excel, but not so much that you catch the eye of some eccentric master."

  She pulled back enough for their eyes to meet, and a faint shimmer of sweat had formed on her upper lip, hinting at the strain she put into giving this little piece of advice.

  The grip loosened, and so did the burn on her shoulder. Katharina fell back into the chair, realizing that she had been tiptoeing, hovering right above the seat. Right before Madam R?fna sat back down, she said her last piece.

  "The master is ?????∞Ω ? χ?? on you, and so you should be Ω????木?χ ???? ???? ?ψψ????∞??° has come to you."

  Madam R?fna returned to her document, meticulously dipping the feather in fresh ink, as if Katharina had never been there.

  Katharina felt that she was no longer welcome, and the brand steered her out the door. From behind her sounded Madam R?fna's voice.

  "I shall see you here again tonight after supper."

  And with that, Katharina found herself walking mechanically toward the music room.

  That evening, like clockwork, Katharina was back in R?fna's office, just as it had been ordered.

  "Stand straight, girl."

  Madam R?fna's eyes were scrutinizing every inch of Katharina, a "Where's Waldo?" search for flaws in her posture. It felt just like the very first lesson in smiling. But this time Katharina knew how to naturally fall into the position she had been taught. And she did so reflexively, unable to defy.

  The downwards curve that had been on Madam R?fna's lips turned into a straight line, the highest praise Katharina ever got, not downright disapproval. The Madam's eyes left Katharina to wander the room, as her usual hawk-like circling began, in long strides.

  "What makes a good servant?"

  At first, Katharina thought the question was rhetorical, but when no follow-up came, she scrambled to find an answer.

  "A good... servant-e? They have... good smile."

  "Wrong!" A singing slap followed, ending Katharina's feeble attempt.

  "There is only one thing you should answer when that question is presented to you." While healing the bruise before it could form, Madam R?fna continued. "A good servant is a Mirror. And what do mirrors do?"

  She knew the answer to this all too well; they heard it every week.

  "Mirrors reflect their master's desires." The words sounded so pretty and melodic in R?fna's deep voice. "Come now, say it with me."

  Katharina heard herself speak the words with R?fna.

  "Mirrors reflect their master's desires.

  Mirrors do not speak.

  Mirrors do not think.

  Mirrors do not want.

  Mirrors that crack are thrown away."

  The mantra, as always, left a foul taste in her mouth; she wanted to spit and wash it out with soap.

  The message hidden within those lines whispered only one thing: she was going to be erased before she could ever be a proper 'servarnt'.

  "When do good servants speak?"

  If she were to believe what the mantra told her, the answer was simple, but that seemed a little too easy.

  "A good servant-e do not speak."

  "Wrong!" The whistling sound of the hand flying toward Katharina's cheek came as no surprise.

  "A good servant speaks when their master desires it." The golden shimmer's gentleness was absurd in the midst of this brutal quiz.

  "When a Master asks you to speak, you should answer, 'Would the master like to hear a ψ????'"

  Katharina was half in disbelief that there was a correct answer to this question, and half consumed with understanding where Madam R?fna was going with all this. And a 'what-now'? A 'ψ???'?

  "If the master wants a ψ???, you should ??ナ ??? one, the four ?????∞? are usually a good choice."

  Madam R?fna had pulled a little book from one of the shelves and was flipping through the pages. Until she settled on a page somewhere in the latter end of the book.

  "Here we are, Hostra.

  Say it with me, girl."

  "Red χ??木° ??∞?∞Ω."

  "??? of Ω?χ??∞ ???∞ to ???ψ."

  "In Hostra, 木?χχ ???Ω∞?."

  Her ears were tuned in to the flowing syllables from R?fna; there was a certain rhythm to this 'Hostra', not much different from the mantra, yet somehow it didn't evoke the same bitter feeling of obedience. She had no idea of the meaning, but she could imitate the sound.

  The words were pretty, and the rhythm made it easier to remember, like lyrics or a poem. 'Hostra' sat heavy on her tongue, like a chestnut roasted too long - bitter at the edges, sweet if she didn’t breathe.

  Katharina barely managed the words, but the brand guided her to sound out the syllables. It was crude, but it worked.

  "Good." Madam R?fna looked thoughtful for a moment before she spoke again. "Are you χ???????, girl?"

  Katharina had no idea if this was the next item on the quiz or if this was just some practical information she had to give. With her long finger, Madam R?fna jabbed at the page.

  "Can- you- ?????"

  Technically, Katharina could read English and other languages, but somehow she thought it unlikely that she would recognize even a single symbol on that page.

  "No, Madam." She shook her head politely as she had been taught.

  Madam R?fna snapped the book shut with one hand and muttered something to herself before returning it to the shelf.

  "What does a good servant want?"

  "A good servant-e do not want."

  But Madam R?fna still stood at the shelf, too far to reach. So instead, she let her silent accomplice do the dirty work. And a seething pain that made Katharina grit her teeth flared up; the prolonged punishment of the brand was much worse than the harsh but fast slaps Madam R?fna dealt herself.

  "Wrong, a good servant wants to obey their Master."

  This time, there was no bruise to heal, so Madam R?fna moved along with whatever this was.

  "When the Master asks what you want, you should instead answer, 'I want nothing but the Master's approval. How may I serve, my Master?'"

  Katharina felt cheated. Deep down, she had an inclination that no matter what she had said, even if she had been dead on, Madam R?fna would have found a way to punish her. There was a faint sense that if she knew, she would have to take action against Katharina. But that would be the same as admitting she had taught them incorrectly, and couldn't keep them in check, and that would be a bigger failure in Madam R?fna's prideful eyes.

  Katharina had fallen silent in her contemplation, but a growing impatience on Madam R?fna's face told her it was high time she parroted back the words.

  "I want nothing but the Master's approval. How may I serve, my Master?"

  A nod of approval let her know she had made it in time.

  "What makes a good servant?" Madam R?fna was quick to continue, and she recommenced her pacing.

  For a moment, Katharina prepared for the next punishment before she realized she had already heard this question. Without much further thought, she blurted out the mantra in hopes that she had understood what R?fna wanted from her.

  "Good, when do good servants speak?"

  Again, Katharina had just been told the answer, but this one was trickier. The mantra or poem that came after was brand new, and she had already forgotten what it sounded like. A slap was due, but after Madam R?fna patiently repeated the words with her, until they flowed naturally from Katharina's lips.

  They went on like this for a while, now and then, the Madam would pose a new question, where Katharina was guaranteed to answer incorrectly, and follow it up with an exact response. Sometimes they were simple; other times, a poem-like mantra would follow.

  Katharina was starting to get an idea of what R?fna was teaching her. It was a method of survival. There was no way she could naturally learn everything she needed before Master Ravnsund's arrival, so instead she was learning a script. Simple, polite idioms that didn't mean anything but could fool most if played in the right order.

  She didn't even have to understand them herself.

  When about an hour of getting slapped in the face, corrected, and made to repeat Madam R?fna's exact words was over, she was sent to bed with the dreadful promise that they would see each other again tomorrow, same time, same deal.

  And so they did for the next week. All while Katharina was still scrubbing away in the manor, and getting tickled with Furrow-Brows's suspicious duster. And in little moments left to herself, she was slowly figuring out how to bend her aura to her will, though much more covertly than before.

  By the third night, her cheek stung constantly with the phantom pain of the bruises that should have been. By the fifth, she barely needed to be slapped before parroting the lines back. By the eighth, R?fna had started counting down to Master Ravnsund's arrival.

  "The Master will be here in one week; you had better do your best, girl."

  They rehearsed the ever-growing list of lines, which now included everything from poetry to what sort of tea flavors the master would like to drink. And by the end of the evening, R?fna seemed almost proud of the progress she had managed to bring out in Katharina. But her tutelage was far from over.

  “Tomorrow, same hour.”

  Tomorrow night, she would return. By then, her smile would hold, her answers would land, and her cheek would be left untouched, a good servant - at least on the surface.