Jason Weiser

It's like how she remembered things from when she was young, with the other girls, before everyone hit a certain age, and conversation became competition and

and the idea of love became a land grab for all the girls who absorbed their parents' values and goals without resistance.

Then, the hand.

Pedro, or Dunya, was sitting at the desk, working on Ren's books, when the maidservant grew silent.

Dunya noticed when she felt the woman's hand find her own, and the maidservant leaned down for...

It was a good dodge, as far as getting out of the way of an unwanted kiss goes.

Danya had perfected that in her youth.

It was a terrible dodge, though, when it came to not embarrassing the kisser and wanting to keep any semblance of the relationship intact.

I've never personally been in that situation myself, but a rejected kiss feels like a coffin nail for a friendship.

As the young maid recovered from the faceplant on the desk, Pedro, or Danya,

explained that it wasn't that they didn't like the maidservant, it's just that the maidservant said no, no, she understood.

She didn't, but Dunya didn't trust her enough to tell her the true reason, so she finished up cleaning the room quicker than anyone in the history of cleaning or rooms and rushed out.

Ren was so disappointed that he couldn't even face Pedro, that Pedro would take his kindness and then abuse his position and authority to demand those sorts of things from his staff.

It was too much.

It made Ren question everything.

If a man like that could be a predator, was anyone truly good?

That was what Donya heard from the enslaved man who came for her.

That's not what happened.

Donya looked him in the eyes.

He sighed.