Scarlet Lily Bond - Volume 1 - Chapter Pr

Prologue: Beneath the Ashen Clouds 

The first thing Rosa did every day following her morning preparations was check what the sky looked like. 

Once again, like so many mornings before, she found it covered in ashen clouds and black soot. 

—How unfortunate. Another day goes by with the sun hidden. 

This was the third day in a row of cloudy weather. All she wanted was to see the sun. Just one look at it would've been enough. In this town of dirty sky, unreliable gas lights, and gloomy people, the sun alone brought light into the darkness. In all of her twenty years upon this earth, Rosa had not once witnessed the sight of a clear sky. The black smog that constantly loomed above the city made sure of that. Up until just recently, she hadn't even been able to open the window lest the suffocating gas pour inside her room. 

Year after year, the chimneys of the nearby factories kept spouting out more and more of those deadly fumes. It'd been like that for as long as Rosa could remember. Her mother had been one of the quickly increasing number of people who'd ended up succumbing to them and losing their life as a result. 

That was why, if nothing else, she at least wanted to keep the inside of the house free from trash. To have it ready for her return at all times. 

Cleanliness was the pride of Rosa—Rosa the servant. 

"Alright! I have another day in front of me." 

Rosa had barely finished psyching herself up when her daily ritual was interrupted by the sounds of horse hooves and wagon wheels coming from outside. Dropping everything she'd been doing, the woman quickly rushed over to the front door. She'd not been expecting her to be back so soon. She was glad to see her, of course, but that didn't make the timing any less awkward. Just how early in the morning must she have begun heading here? 

"Welcome back, Mistress Iris!" 

She opened the door at the perfect moment to catch sight of her mistress stepping down from the wagon. As if greeting her back, the woman turned to look at her with a smile on her face. She had a certain elegance to her expression, and Rosa would've been lying if she said it didn't spark something inside her. In this city of ash and darkness, this woman—Iris Summerand—alone caused her to feel that way. Her bright, red hair tied behind her head, her slightly droopy eyes, her petite yet dignified figure, they were all very much to Rosa's liking. She let the woman pass by her, and right as the door closed shut behind them, the two exchanged a kiss. Their hands found their way onto each other's hips, and their bodies pressed tightly together. 

"Hehe. I'm home, my dear Rosa..." 

In a manner brimming with confidence, the woman proceeded to touch Rosa's body all over. All she could do was shiver as her breasts continued being groped. 

"M-Mistress? It's still so early in the morning..." 

"I don't care what time it is. I want you now." 

"But... Mh... Mmhh..." 

Rosa's attempt at protest was cut short as her mistress's lips sealed her mouth shut. The apron dress she had on was quite open near the chest region, and simply by pulling down on it, the other woman was able to effortlessly expose her massive breasts. Rosa only had herself to blame for this; she hated the tightness of a corset, and instead chose to wear a long sash in its place. With her chest now bare, Iris next shifted her attention to Rosa's nipples, leaving her to mewl like a kitten as she buried her face into the woman's neck. 

"You were so against it, but look at you now. How adorable..." 

"Mmh..." 

Rosa's cheeks were practically burning at this point. This wasn't at all how she acted normally. Her uncharacteristically brown hair and sharp eyes came off as intimidating to most, to a point where even Iris often said that she looked like a wolf. Coupled with her height, she was a frightening figure to be sure. The sort of expression she had on her face now, though, only her mistress knew of. 

"Be a good girl and stay still while I make love to you..." 

The way she was sucking on Rosa's breasts was sure to leave them covered in red markings come tomorrow. 

All she'd wanted to do was clean up the house, and yet, it didn't seem like her mistress had any intention of letting her do so. 

She was Iris's maid—her property. 

Brushing away the tiny hand of the person who'd reached for it first, Rosa grabbed the last remaining can of beans off the store's shelf. While a rude thing to do for sure, she didn't really care, for Iris was waiting for her outside. 

"Ah!" the other person gasped, clearly shocked by her rudeness. It turned out that Rosa had stolen the beans from a little girl. While she'd figured as much based on the size of her hand, looking at her now, the girl seemed even younger than she'd initially expected. Was she running an errand, perhaps? Her basket certainly seemed to indicate such; it was so heavy and packed full of different foodstuffs that the girl could barely walk straight holding it. 

"I... I was going to take that one..." 

Seemingly not intimidated at all by the woman so much taller than herself, the tiny girl still continued to reach for the can. Rosa didn't say anything back to her. Instead, she simply lifted the thing beyond her reach. 

"Sob..." 

Tears had begun forming in the corners of the girl's eyes. She really did look as if she might start crying any second now. This proved to be too much for even Rosa to take, and soon, she smacked her lips before slowly handing the can to the girl. Sure, the pantry back home was as good as empty, but Rosa figured that they could at least make it through today with what they had left. Once again ignoring the girl, she quickly turned around and began heading towards the register. 

"How awfully mean of you. Your mistress isn't watching, is she?" 

"Just shut up and hand over the change already." 

This needless comment earned the man behind the counter a fierce leer. Looking like he didn't really care, he simply shrugged his shoulders before giving Rosa the money she'd asked for. Barely had the coins left his hand when the woman turned around and walked away. 

"I apologize for the delay, Mistress Iris! Shall we get going then?" 

These polite and energetic words were aimed at Iris who'd been waiting for her just outside the door. At times like these, Rosa often found herself having to pay extra attention to make sure she didn't end up talking to her like she would to a commoner. The woman was her mistress, and it was beyond important that she address her as such. 

"That took you less time than expected. Very well then. Let us get going." 

"Roger!" 

The smile on Iris's face was just as refined as usual. Her dress, though slightly on the plain side, was tailored extremely well, and definitely caused her to stand out. Rosa couldn't help but feel a bit proud standing next to her like the faithful servant she was. 

There was only one reason why Iris had come with her to do shopping: It gave the two the perfect excuse to go on a secret date. In this world where young ladies were expected to marry a gentleman, their relationship unfortunately had to be kept a secret. Years ago, Rosa had nearly been run over by a wagon when her life was miraculously saved by Iris. This had acted as the impetus for her to start working under her. From there, it'd been but a hop, skip, and a jump to where they were currently. 

Before meeting Iris, Rosa had never known that a woman's body could feel so good. 

It was currently early afternoon, and the two now found themselves slowly walking down the streets of the city. There were people coming and going from whichever direction, as well as horse-drawn carriages pushing through said crowds. Despite the air quality being, frankly speaking, terrible, it would've been a lie to say that the city wasn't full of life regardless. This city was one of the most advanced centres of industry not just in the country, but in the entire world. Sure, there were also housing areas for workers that were effectively labour camps, and the sky was also covered in deadly fumes year-round, but putting it that way didn't sound nearly as nice, did it now? 

"You quite surprised me this morning. I wasn't expecting you to return nearly as early." 

"Ah, yes. I was dying to see you. That is why I hurried back as fast as I could." 

"R-Really? I... I'm honoured to hear that." 

Rosa found herself drawing the shopping basket she was holding right up to her body. Her mistress really could say the most embarrassing things sometimes. Was it really that fun for the woman to toy with her? Like usual, her fingers and her tongue were not her only instruments of torment—her words were included as well. 

Iris worked as a governess—a type of private tutor—for the son of a certain aristocrat family. Her occupation often forced her to leave home for extended periods of time, during which Rosa would take care of the house. She made especially sure to keep the bed in perfect condition at all times. Why? Because as soon as the woman returned, it was going to end up in a complete disarray. 

Iris's house was located just behind the bridge built over the large river splitting the town in two halves. Seeing it with her own eyes caused the idea of time alone with her mistress to become real in Rosa's mind, and before she knew it, she'd found herself filled with the irresistible desire to dash forward. 

"Hey! Out of the way, asshole!" 

These fluffy feelings were hit by a large dose of reality when all of a sudden, a carriage passed Rosa just inches away. Shocked, she leapt backwards with the grocery basket still in hand, slamming against the bridge's railing behind her. There were nothing but reckless drivers in this city, it seemed. Good thing she'd taken to walking by the side of the road, or else things might have gone a whole lot worse for her. 

"Are you alright, Rosa?" 

"Yes, I am... What is wrong with the drivers around here!?" 

Rosa shot a furious leer at the back of the carriage. It said a lot about how angry she was that her regular voice had ended up slipping out. 

"I was so shocked. I thought you might fall into the river." 

Really? Not wanting to cause her mistress any additional worry, Rosa quickly pulled herself away from the railing. The fact that she'd been trying to protect the groceries at the same time had placed her in quite the awkward position, and so, she could definitely see why the woman would've thought that. Flustered, Rosa proceeded to shake her head from side to side. 

"There is no need to worry! I hardly came close to falling off the bridge!" 

"Perhaps, but it was still quite dangerous, no? Get too close to the water, and the stone monsters will catch you for sure." 

"Mistress, please. Those things only exist for parents to scare their children..." 

Rosa was more than familiar with this topic. It was one of those things Iris liked bringing up from nowhere. 

Stone monsters played a prominent part in a lot of fairy tales around these parts. 

—A long time ago, monsters made of stone appeared in the kingdom. As the name suggests, their skin was as hard as rock, so hard that no arrow or sword could pierce it. They treated people like we treat cows and pigs, causing great suffering to all. Witnessing this cruelty, God focused the light of the sun and poured it over the creatures. With their skin burnt by the light, the monsters of stone were forced to flee into the oceans and the rivers. Being made of stone, they quickly sunk beneath the waves, and remain stuck there to this day. And yet, even now, they still seek to hurt people. Deep underwater, they lurk. Steer away from bodies of water lest you become their next victim.— 

Rosa too had heard these same stories from her mother countless times when she was a girl. She'd been scared senseless of the monsters back then, to a point where she could barely look at a river without bursting into tears. The stories turned out to be quite effective at what they were designed for, that being making sure young children who'd yet to learn how to swim didn't accidentally drown themselves. Iris's belief in them couldn't possibly be sincere, could it? 

"Good grief... I was certain it'd work on you. The children at the manor bought it completely." 

"I'm sure you know I'm older than them." 

"Not by that much, you're not." 

Iris's casual remark earned a soft smile from Rosa, and with that, the two once again began walking. Every day with her was like this one, both calm and relaxing. It was what Rosa had dreamed of her entire life. Having been born in the slums—or what they were more often called, the Crow's Nest—Iris represented something brand new to her. A home. A place where she could feel safe. 

The two had barely made their way back to the house when Rosa noticed the same carriage from earlier parked in front of it. She turned to look at her mistress standing next to her, but before she could open her mouth, a well-dressed gentleman stepped outside. Seeing him, the woman immediately left her side. 

"My! I wasn't expecting you quite this soon." 

Iris ran up to the gentleman, and soon enough, the two were wrapped in each other's soft embrace. Rosa made a conscious effort not to listen to what they were talking about. The man, as she knew well, was the head of an up-and-coming family of aristocrats who'd made their fortune running one of the biggest factories around. He often came to the city from his estate located on the countryside to visit Iris. 

It was quite common for the private tutors of noble children to live with the family who they were working for. As to why Iris's employer did not practise this tradition, well, that was simply for the sake of keeping up appearances. 

It hadn't been that long since the man's previous wife had passed away, and as such, bringing in a new woman to live at his manor would put him in quite the awkward position. People were awfully quick to come to all sorts of conclusions, Iris had explained to her. 

Rosa couldn't help but wonder, was that really how things had gone? You see, the gentleman in question had actually begun coming here while his wife had still been alive. This of course was not something she'd ever dare to speak out loud. 

Iris was a woman of many lovers. One of them the manager of a hugely profitable factory, another her personal maid, both of whom she was very intimate with. And yet, Rosa still couldn't bring herself to bear a grudge against the woman. 

"Go make us some tea, Rosa. I assume you know what brand he likes?" 

"Right away, Mistress Iris!" 

Just like that, Rosa closed off her heart and assumed the role of an ordinary servant. Leaving the two to talk by themselves, she returned inside and began working in silence. Moving her hands like she was a machine of some kind helped pass the time without any unnecessary thoughts entering her mind, she'd found. 

Many times Iris had assured her that she was just as precious to her as the man was. And yet, the relationship between the two was not something she could tell him about. The way she conducted herself before him was clearly unlike her usual self, too. It truly pained Rosa's soul to see the woman she knew to be both cool and smart act like some stupid whore just to please him. 

Till night came and the gentleman left, Rosa would have no choice but to continue suppressing those feelings of hers—and at the same time, killing a part of herself. 

"Say, would you like to go see the ocean?" 

Rosa had been in the process of falling asleep when this sudden proposition pulled her wide awake. She turned around only to find Iris looking all proud of herself on the bed next to her. Her expression made it seem as if she'd just handed the other woman a present or something. It was currently the night of the same day. The gentleman had barely left when Iris had already begun whispering words of love into Rosa's ear. She'd then embraced her. Rosa was well aware that she was simply being used, and yet, like usual, she still let the woman have her way with her. All negative feelings she might have experienced were instantly wiped away when she woke up the following morning and saw the adorable face her mistress made while asleep. 

"The... ocean?" 

"Correct. You've never seen it before, right?" 

"I'm honoured you still remember that after all this time..." 

It was something Rosa had inadvertently blurted out a long, long time ago. Usually, she made a conscious effort not to speak much about herself. It was partly because she'd not had many opportunities to talk to other people growing up, and also because she'd done things for the sake of survival she'd rather forget about. Her family had always been very poor, and as such, though the ocean was mere hours away by horse, not once had she visited it herself. She could still remember her mother always complaining how merely three generations ago, their family too had been part of the aristocracy. Not that she had any clue how accurate that actually was. 

"So, what do you say? I hear that the air over on the western shores is very clean." 

"I think that sounds lovely." 

Rosa couldn't help but smile. Right away, old memories from her childhood came rushing to her. She'd never visited the ocean, no, but she had seen pictures of it. 

In her childhood, Rosa had once sneaked inside an arts gallery. Mind you, it wasn't the paintings that had interested her. Rather, the building had looked so grand she figured that there might be something worth stealing inside. She'd rummaged through the entire second floor, but sadly, had only found junk. 

Disappointed, she'd taken the stairs down to the exhibition floor, and it'd been there that the ocean had greeted her. 

Light blue sky covered in white clouds and not black fumes, warm-looking sand bathing in the light of the sun, azure ocean spreading as far as the eye could see without any bounds. The wonderful and stunning scenery portrayed by the painting had caused young Rosa to completely forget what she'd come there to do in the first place. 

She'd ended up being caught by the guards as a result, and though the punishment she'd received had been horribly painful, she did not have any regrets. Ever since then, the scene of the ocean had remained burned into Rosa's mind. The knowledge that such beautiful things could exist in the world had been a huge help in getting her to push through the hardest parts of her life. 

Rosa had since gotten some opportunities to leave the city and go see the ocean in person, but she'd elected not to do so. Why? Because she was scared. Scared that reality could not match the image she'd built up in her head. Were it to turn out that the ocean was just as filthy as the city, that would be the equivalent of losing a treasure she held dear. 

"Hehe. I figured you'd be interested." 

However, as long as Iris was there with her, she would definitely not be disappointed. Convincing herself of this, Rosa once again began smiling. Her mistress did the same. 

"I better let Mister **** know too." 

It was in that moment that all signs of joy disappeared from Rosa's face. 

"Umm... What do you mean, exactly?" 

"You see, Mister **** and I have planned a trip to the ocean with his family. I thought the only thing that could make it better was if you were there too." 

Was she being serious right now? Rosa gave Iris a desperate stare, as if begging her to start laughing and tell her this was all some sort of a big joke. It wouldn't have been funny of course, not one bit, but even a mean-spirited joke was preferable to the alternative. Just what sort of a face was she supposed to make while she stood there watching from the sidelines as Iris and her company enjoyed themselves? 

"If I may ask... Why would I be invited to come?" 

Rosa made sure to be very careful in the way she chose her words. Paying little mind to this, Iris stated back the following: 

"I am going to marry Mister **** soon. When I do, I want you to move to his house with me as his new maid. We ought to introduce you to him before that happens, wouldn't you agree?" 

"I cannot!" 

No longer was Rosa able to keep her voice down. Half-naked, she sat up and jumped off the bed. Everything about this had been set up in a way that was as convenient as possible for Iris. Rosa's needs and wants had not been taken into consideration in the slightest. No way could she simply shut up and go along with it. 

She'd always been aware that the two getting married was only a matter of time. This had never bothered her. As she well knew, Iris wished to get married too. It wasn't like Rosa could blame her; the man was quite well off, after all. There was also the fact that for as long as she remained unmarried, the society around them would always hold certain prejudices against her. 

Rosa had already made her mind about quitting her job when the time came. She simply did not have it in her to watch from the sidelines as Iris and the man lived together. Even a life of solitude was preferable to her. The woman, however, did not seem to understand her thought process. 

"Why? You will earn much more money than you do currently. And you'll get to sleep in a way nicer bed. Listen, Rosa. You are a wonderful maid. I wouldn't want anyone else looking after my new husband." 

"I don't want this!" 

"Ah, yes. I see what the issue is now. Worry not, my girl. I assure you that this marriage is not going to do anything to affect our relationship. You're just as precious to me as he is." 

Rosa did not say anything back, choosing instead to stare at her mistress in silence. There was no point in continuing this conversation any further, she felt. 

Choosing the man while simultaneously trying to also keep Rosa by her side was just about the most shameless thing she'd ever witnessed. How had she expected her to react? By falling on her knees and thanking her repeatedly as tears flowed down her cheeks? 

Rosa of course did no such thing. What she did do was turn her back to the woman. 

"Hmm? Where are you going?" 

"...I'm taking the rest of the day off. I suggest you hire someone more gullible next time." 

"Right..." 

A distinct sense of coldness could now be heard in Iris's voice. She could be very tolerant, but only towards those who acted according to her wishes. 

"Wait. I will remain here till the trip to the ocean. If you're willing to hear one last request from me, could I ask you to look after the house till then?" 

Rosa took her hand off the doorknob. After a moment of silence, she slowly opened her mouth. 

"I suppose that is doable. Alright. I will continue working till you return home. After that... we will say goodbye." 

"Good. Now, get back here. The morning is still hours away." 

This time, Rosa paid little mind to the woman's words. Without as much as a reply, she opened the room and marched outside. She spent the rest of the night not on a bed, but on the cold kitchen floor. She'd experienced much worse in her childhood, sure, but that did little to help her get any sleep that night. 

Rosa ended up keeping her word. Even after her mistress left to visit the ocean, she still continued taking care of the house. Slowly and carefully, she went through every last corner, burning the image of them into her mind. She did not want to forget the place. However, the bed she found herself unable to use; her nights from then on were all spent on the kitchen floor. 

It was currently the evening of the last day Rosa had promised to work for Iris. Having already finished her duties, she'd been dozing off in the living room when all of a sudden, a knock on the door pulled her wide awake. 

Was it Iris? Had she come home earlier than expected? Rosa rushed to the door and opened it. 

"Rosalind Winterveil, I presume?" 

"Err... Yes, that is me." 

"Good." 

The person standing behind the door turned out not to be her master, but a police officer. Something about the way the man was conducting himself came off as very arrogant to her. He'd also called Rosa by her full name, which she really did not enjoy. "Rosalind". How silly was that? Only nobles were meant to have names that long, she felt. Then again, that was likely the reason why her mother had chosen it for her in the first place—to commemorate their family's former glory. This, of course, did not stop Rosa from going by a shortened version. 

"May I come inside? I have written permission from the master of the house." 

The man pulled out from his pocket a letter containing Iris's signature. As for the now-broken wax seal, that bore the crest of her new husband. 

"Right this way, please." 

Though hesitant to do so, Rosa had little choice but to let the officer inside. This all felt so wrong. Something was going on, and she did not know what. Well, whatever it was, it didn't have anything to do with her, right? That was what she wanted to believe, at least. She tried telling the officer that she'd be leaving the house for a bit, but much to her surprise, the man did not allow that. Instead, he told her to wait in the living room. It was there that it all began dawning on Rosa. This was not good. It definitely wasn't. She knew she had to do something, and yet, her body refused to listen. 

"What's the meaning of this?" 

All she could do now was tap her finger against the desk while staring at the bedroom door the officer had disappeared through. Of all days, why this one? Why the day before she'd leave the house for good? 

"Ah, yes. Exactly as the letter said", the man stated as he at last returned. In his hand, he was holding a ring. Rosa immediately recognized it to be one of Iris's favourites. 

"How are you planning on explaining this one, you damned thief?" 

"Excuse me?" 

"Stop playing dumb. This ring was found among your personal belongings." 

In an instant, all blood was drained from Rosa's face. She could feel her heart pounding like never before. 

"How dare you! I would never do such a thing! Never!" 

"Really? How come your employer is accusing you of betraying her then?" 

The officer proceeded to flap the letter in front of him. Rosa quickly snatched the piece of paper from his hands, earning herself a mean-spirited grin. 

"A maid who can read? Colour me shocked." 

"Just shut up..." 

Like many of things in her life, teaching herself to read was something she'd done for Iris's sake. She'd figured she couldn't afford to remain a complete philistine lest she not be allowed to stand by her side. That, and she'd also wanted her to praise her—which the woman had done. 

—"With great shame in my heart, I hereby proclaim my maid a coward and a thief. I have all the reason in the world to suspect that she has taken many valuable items from my house when I haven't been looking, including but not limited to jewellery and pieces of silverware."— 

Rosa could not believe what she was reading. This could mean one thing, and one thing only; Iris had betrayed her. 

"Dammit! Dammit with you, Iris!" 

She leapt up from her chair. Immediately, the officer took a step towards her. Her head was fuming, and yet, one by one, the pieces kept falling in place. 

—Iris wishes to get rid of her potentially harmful lover before her marriage. 

—She figured there was a good chance I'd expose our relationship to her husband as an act of revenge. 

—As long as I'm thrown into prison before that, there won't be anything for her to worry about. 

—This can't be true. I don't believe it. 

—I still loved you... 

"Stop struggling and come with me." 

"No!" 

Rosa picked up a nearby chair and hurled it at the officer. This caused the man to flinch, earning her just enough time to reach the door. 

"Come back here!" 

All she could do now was run. There was no other choice. How many years had it been since she was last chased by the police? Rosa had been so relieved knowing that she would no longer have to do this after Iris took her under her wing, but as it turned out, that had sadly been too good to be true. 

"Stop right there! I said stop!" 

Rosa paid no attention to the man's shouting as she continued running. Where was she heading? Nowhere. There was not a single person anywhere in the city who she could turn to for help. Her lungs were empty. Her legs hurt. And yet, she kept on running regardless. She knew that once she was caught, then that was it for her. No one was going to listen to her. No one would believe that the accusations against her were false. 

"Thief! Someone, catch the thief!" 

The man's yells had enticed quite the crowd to run after Iris. She had a quick look over her shoulder, only to see that other officers had now joined the chase too. It was on the bridge—the same one she and Iris had crossed a few days earlier—that they finally caught up to her. 

With her hands gripping the railing, Rosa gasped for air. A semi-circle had formed around her consisting of both policemen as well as curious onlookers. All of them thought of her as a criminal. 

"You will regret wasting our time, girl!" 

The men slowly approached her from all sides. It was clear that this time, they would not allow her to escape. Rosa took this opportunity to gather what remained of her strength. She placed one of her feet on the railing, followed by the other. 

Loud whispers could be heard all around her. The people had a pretty good idea of what was going to happen next. The police did too, and they quickly picked up the pace. All Rosa had to offer them was a cold stare. 

"Stop this foolish act at once! You will not get away alive!" 

"I'm not trying to..." 

With that, Rosa spread her arms wide open. 

Iris had betrayed her. She'd lost the one place she could call home. All that she was left with now was rage. 

She'd gone out of her way to honour her last request, and this was how the woman chose to reward her. 

The whispers of the onlookers quickly took on the form of screams. 

Leaning backwards, Rosa tossed herself into the river. 

The last thing she saw was the black, filthy evening sky above her. 

In the next instant, she'd already disappeared beneath the surface. 

The water was far too dirty for her to see anything. She didn't even know which way was up. Bubbles floated out from her mouth and nose as water rushed in to replace the air. 

Not even trying to fight back, Rosa kept on sinking deeper and deeper. Deeper and deeper...