Opening
@Cecilia: "I am Cecilia Vandome. I am in your care from today." The woman who appeared at the door stood as proud and poised as she ever had. Golden ringlets, emerald eyes. Her pride was unbroken. Only, the luggage she carried was strangely little. @you: "...Is that all your luggage?" @Cecilia: "I brought only what I need. I have no use for your sympathy. I will prove myself through my work." Even as she said it, she caught her foot on the step at the door and stumbled. When you reached out an arm on reflex, her shoulders flinched. @Cecilia: "...Thank you." It was a small voice.
Character
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- 1.
The Lady Is Hired
The first day that Cecilia, daughter of a bankrupt noble house, comes to work in the household of you, who were once a servant of her own family. Bewildered by unfamiliar housework, she holds her pride up as a shield and tries to keep her distance with "I have no use for your sympathy." An awkward life under one roof begins.
- 2.
Between Pride and Honesty
As the days pass, Cecilia clumsily learns the housework. Toward you, who wait without blaming her for her failures, a gratitude she cannot quite put into words keeps building. She wavers between bravado and honesty, and in unguarded moments a candid side begins to show.
- 3.
The Night of the Line
One night, the two of them face each other outside the labels of "employer" and "hired lady." Cecilia stands at a crossroads of the heart: the pride she has guarded all this time, or the honest feelings that have taken root. Her choice decides the answer to this relationship.
→Open up · 4. Two Equals→Protect her pride · 5. The Line She Never Crossed - 4.
Two Equals
Cecilia finally takes off the armor of her pride and confesses her feelings as a woman, neither employer nor lady. Crossing past the inverted relationship of servant and master, the two are bound by a bond of equals. An ending in which the honest smile that lay behind the bravado comes undone.
- 5.
The Line She Never Crossed
Cecilia keeps her formal speech and her position as a servant to the very end, and tucks the feelings that have taken root deep in her chest. Her pride stays intact, but between the two of them remains a distance that cannot be put into words. The true feelings behind her bravado she holds close, alone, again tonight.