At Your Service || 𝕝𝕖𝕧𝕚 𝕩 𝕡𝕝𝕦𝕤 𝕤𝕚𝕫𝕖 𝕙𝕚𝕤𝕡𝕒𝕟𝕚𝕔 𝕠𝕔

Chapter Five

I began to sweat as I drug the wicker basket of sheets and blankets down to the kitchen. With each thud of the basket hitting the stone stairs, I grunted, my back aching with each tug.

Dealing with the heavy load made me wish I was back home with my mother. If she was here, I would have apologized for ever fussing about doing our laundry. I would have rather been doing that.

There was only one place to clean these sheets and that was the kitchen. Problem was the only place to dry was on the roof. There wasn't much space anywhere else.

When I got to the kitchen, I did my usual routine: steel bucket full of water and soap, wash board close by, sheets soaking in the warm suds.

I took off my apron, unbuttoning my dirndl down to my waist and taking off my blouse, only leaving my slip on to cover my chest. Thankfully the kitchen was dimly lit with candles and the one open window, barely letting sun shine through, that way no one could see my breast through the thin fabric of the slip.

I kneeled down, sweating over tattered sheets and scrubbing them over the washboard although they never seemed to get clean enough. As I scrubbed, sweat beaded over my brow, the saltiness stinging my eyes.

"Shit" I muttered, trying to wipe my eye on my forearm,

"Oh!" I heard a gasp from behind me

A slender person, who had brown hair and wearing glasses, stood over me, a chilling look upon their face, even though it was a smile. Their hair was brown, pulled up yet seemed unwashed.

"You must be the new handmaid" they almost squealed with excitement, their expression changing quickly.

Rather odd.

"Yes, I am" I blinked, my hands still submerged under the sizzling bubbles, my eye still burning from sweat, looking up at this odd creature

"I'm Hange Zoë" they said reaching out their hand

"Um" I murmured with a giggle, pulling a hand out with a splash, suds dripping down to my elbow "Probably don't want to shake this"

"Ahh" they screamed, yet with almost child like excitement "you don't have to shake my hand, just let me know your name"

"Mariana DelToro"

"DelToro?" they whispered "wasn't your family on the brink of extinction. I heard stories of the DelToro's"

"Most false I can assure" I sighed, turning back to my work, hoping this stranger would leave me alone

Before I could even have the chance to ignore their next question, Hange crouched down beside me with speed

"Is it true the DelToro's are invisible to Titans? I heard they can also kill huge deer with their bare hands"

"Most of that is fables" I sighed, looking down into the steel bucket, not wanting to think of my family

"Some say the DelToros are children of Titans" they uttered in a strange tone

I darted a look from the side of my eye. That weird expression of theirs was back.

"Is that true?" They whispered, leaning in so close, I could feel their breath graze across my cheek

"No" I turned to make eye contact, my lips only inches away from theirs "We're not spawns of Titans"

I was so close, their lips only centimeters from mine. I could kiss them if I wanted to. They are cute, in an oddball sort of way

"AAUGGHHH" they groaned, grabbing onto their hair and falling backwards onto the ground "I was hoping it was true"