"We have reached, ma'am," the driver announces.

The door clicks open, revealing the biggest mansion I have ever seen-no, not just seen; I haven't even dreamt of anything this big or luxurious.

I fail to comprehend if I am being held captive for what I have done or if it's something else.

As I step inside, a scent I've never smelled before overwhelms me. It's inviting yet suffocating, as if masking another scent. I ignore it and follow the lady like a lost puppy.

Soon, I am dismissed and taken to a room. I sit on the bed with its lush mattress. It all feels too good to be true.

For a moment, I wonder if these people conduct sacrificial ceremonies or something similar, and if I am the sacrifice.

Quickly, I push this idea aside when a dainty-looking girl enters the room. She looks my age, and judging by her uniform, she must be a maid.

"Here are your clothes," she stutters nervously.

I get up. "Madam told you to tell me to wash up and come downstairs?"

"Why are you so scared?" I ask gently. "I won't do anything. I come from an even lower status than you. I don't even know why I am here. Why are you so scared of me?"

"The previous girl that came used to beat me," she whispers.

"What? Don't worry, I won't be doing any such things. Well, I don't even know if we'll meet in the future. But my name is Ava."

"Oh, I am Matilda."

"Well, I'll go freshen up."

I enter the bathroom; it's even bigger than the room I used to live in. I quickly wash up, wear the clothes given to me, and hurry downstairs.

I am led to what seems to be a dining hall with a huge table in the middle. The lady is seated at the head of the 16-seat table, and beside her on the right is a man who seems quite angry, as if he's about to explode from anger-though I'm not sure why it's directed towards me. We haven't even met before.

I sit on the left of the lady. She gives me a sophisticated smile that's not too welcoming; it seems calculating.

"Ava, isn't it?" she asks me.

"Yes," I reply calmly.

"Well, I am happy to have you," she says and asks me to eat.

I look at the dining table, finding all sorts of food-many dishes whose names I don't even know. It all smells so appetizing.

Remembering all the past events in my life, tears threaten to spill as I take some food onto my plate and begin to eat. The guy in front of me sighs as if disappointed. Why would he even be disappointed? I'm just eating.

Is the food poisoned?

"Ava, you are chosen to be married to my son Leo."

As I hear these words, all the food I just ate churns in my stomach, threatening to come out.

"Pardon me?" I ask politely.

"Yes, Ava, you heard correctly the first time. You are to be married to my son Leo," she confirms, motioning towards the guy sitting beside her. So this is Leo, I think.

"That's why he was so angry," I realize. Maybe he has a lover. Maybe he doesn't want this marriage. Maybe he is gay. All of these possibilities race through my mind, but I am sure of one thing-he doesn't like me, and so I should avoid him as much as possible.

Then I look towards the old lady, who seems satisfied about something I can't quite pinpoint.

She tells me to think about it and give her an answer by tomorrow morning.

I return to what is supposedly my room for the time being and think about what is happening and how it could even happen. I pinch myself on the way to my room.

My eyes fill with tears, threatening to spill. I reach the room and slam the door shut as soon as I go inside.

I slide down the door with a sigh, and all of today's events come crashing down on me. A sob rips through me, and I start to cry.