It was already three in the morning when Agnes woke up. She was used to this routine. She would wake up at three, drink coffee while reflecting, watch the strong waves crash on the shore, then take a bath, get ready, and walk alone to the Acosta mansion to do her job.
The Acosta family was always up by five in the morning, and they expected her to be there at once, ready to serve them. Even something as simple as opening the bathroom door and putting on slippers was her responsibility.
In fact, she had long wanted to leave her job, but she couldn't. Where else could she go? It had been three years since her parents died. Both of them had worked for the Acostas, her mother as a maid and her father as a gardener.
Even back then, things were not great between the family and them when they lived in the mansion. The worst of it was Lady Brianna, who resented her because she always outperformed her in class. They were classmates back then.
When her parents died in a boating accident while fishing, an order from Sir. Morris, things got worse. The Acostas' treatment of her grew more unbearable, but she endured it because there was no other choice.
The sun was rising quickly, and she nearly arrived late at the mansion, but thankfully, Uncle Piko, the driver, had given her a ride. She was sure she would be receiving another slap from Lady Brianna for being late.
It was already after four when she got there. She didn't waste any time, heading straight to the kitchen to prepare breakfast for her masters. A simple omelet, fried rice, sandwiches, sausages, water, and three cups of coffee were all she made.
"Agnes, where's my slipper?!" she heard Lady Brianna shout from the second floor, where her bedroom was.
"Just a moment," Agnes replied as she rushed upstairs.
She knocked three times before entering. She turned on the light in Lady Brianna's room and immediately started searching for the missing slipper under the bed. Her skin crawled when she saw that the slipper had been chewed by the dog.
"What the heck?! What happened to my slipper?!"
"I don't know either, Lady Brianna. Maybe Blinky did it," Agnes said, referring to the dog.
"And now you're blaming my dog?!"
Agnes closed her eyes tightly as she received a slap across the face. Just like always, Lady Brianna grabbed her hair, took the slipper from her hand, and tried to force it into her mouth.
Why was she so cruel? Why did she seem to enjoy doing these terrible things to her? It was as if the lady had no sense of compassion or remorse.
"Lady Brianna, l-let me go. I'm begging you!"
"You're a curse, you know that?!"
"Agnes!" The lady stopped when she heard Madame Beattrice calling from downstairs.
"You should be thankful that my Mom is calling you, or else I'd really make you eat this slipper!" The lady shoved the slipper into Agnes' face before storming into the bathroom.
Left alone, Agnes stood silently, crying. When Madame Beattrice called her again, she quickly wiped away her tears and hurried to the couple's bedroom.
The Madame gave her simple instructions—open the windows and fix the bed. Agnes also noticed a white stain on the bed cover, clearly a result of something that happened the night before.
"Looks like you've seen it. Do the laundry after you finish cleaning." The Madame said, and Agnes just nodded.
She worked quickly. After her masters ate, she collected their leftover food and ate it all herself before washing the dishes. She went back to the couple's room to grab the laundry. As she was heading downstairs, she saw Erick entering Miss Acosta's room.
Erick was her boyfriend, and they had been together for a year.
"My love!" Agnes called out to him, catching his attention.
"L-love," Erick said, paling for some unknown reason.
"What are you doing here, love? And why are you going into Lady Brianna's room?"
"We're just going to talk inside." Erick replied nervously.
"About the big restaurant you're going to build?" she asked, smiling.
"Y-yeah."
"So why does it have to be in her room? She has her own office, right?" Agnes asked but Erick turned pale even more.
"Love, I've been feeling neglected lately. You haven't been paying attention to me." she said jokingly, trying to hide her hurt.
"Huh, Agnes, you really are shameless, huh? Do your job first, flirt later, got it?" Lady Brianna suddenly emerged from the room.
"I humbly apologize." Agnes bowed.
"Erick, come here." The lady hugged Erick's arm and pulled him into the room.
Agnes felt a slight frown as she heard the door lock. This wasn't something Lady Brianna usually does. She sighed, feeling that her boyfriend didn't even defend her. She thought, maybe Erick was just busy with the restaurant.
(FASTFORWARD)
It was already six in the evening when Agnes finally waited for Erick. She smiled when he emerged from Lady Brianna's room, but her smile faltered when she noticed his messy hair and the disheveled bow tie and collar of his white shirt.
Erick was clearly surprised when he saw her. He smiled, but it was forced, and his face was pale.
"My love." she said, hugging him tightly.
Agnes couldn't help but notice the lingering scent of Lady Brianna's perfume on him, but she chose not to say anything.
Hand in hand, they left the mansion. But as they got into the car, Erick let go of her hand as he started driving toward her house. If she hadn't asked him to take her home, she would have been walking alone in the dark.
While Erick focused on driving, Agnes smiled to herself, reminiscing about their time together. It had been a long time since she had been left alone like this. Before, Erick would always accompany her, never letting her skip a meal. He'd invite her to his family's house and was always so sweet.
But lately, he had been cold toward her. He had been spending so much time with Lady Brianna, leaving her to wonder if something was changing.
"I'm tired, Agnes." Erick turned his face away when she tried to kiss him.
"Why would you be tired, love? You just talked to my lady earlier, right? But it seemed like a long conversation." she joked, trying to hide her sadness.
"I have to go," he said abruptly, hurrying back to the car and speeding off without saying anything else.
Something was off with Erick. He had changed, and it hurt her. He had been so affectionate before, but now it seemed like he was avoiding her.
But for now, she decided not to focus on that. She trusted Erick, and maybe he was just busy with the restaurant project with Lady Brianna.
"How tiring!" she muttered as she stretched her body.
When she entered her house, she locked the door behind her and was about to sleep when her eyes caught the bracelet she had found the previous day on the beach. She still couldn't believe that mermaids were real.
An hour passed, and still unable to sleep, she decided to step outside for some fresh air. As she was walking, she saw three little kids running, seemingly scared.
She followed them toward the beach and stopped when she heard a strange sound. It sounded like a manatee, but the difference was that this sound seemed to come from a person.
She followed the sound and arrived at a large cave not far from the shore. Thankfully, she had brought her cheap phone and used its light.
"A m-merman!" she whispered in shock when she saw a merman inside the cave.
He couldn't move properly because his arms and tail were tangled in a fishing net, likely the work of the children she had seen earlier.
Her heart ached at the sight. Why would people treat these creatures so cruelly?
Approaching the siren, she cautiously spoke.
"H-hi."
The merman sounds grew louder, and she could see the fear in his eyes. He tried to crawl away, but he couldn't move his body.
"Wait, I won't hurt you," she reassured him, slowly reaching out her hand.
"Trust me." she whispered, placing her palm gently on his scaly cheek.
The merman calmed down. Agnes could see his breathing even out, and the tension in his chest eased. Without thinking, she looked down at his chest. How could anyone be so beautiful? His muscles were well-defined, and he has abs.
Shaking her head, she quickly grabbed a sharp rock to cut through the fishing net trapping the merman.
"Don't move," she said, and he obeyed, holding his breath as she worked.
"Wow, you really understand me." she chuckled, surprised.
This merman is so obedient, so obedient that even his breathing was stopped to avoid moving. He probably wants to die unexpectedly, cause of death: holding his breath.
"Hey, I told you not to move, but I didn't say you shouldn't breathe."
The cute merman looked at him like a child before he started to breathe again. Agnes then began cutting the fishing net that was wrapped around the merman's body. He needed to hurry before those kids came back, and the worst part was, it seemed like they had called someone for help.
It would be bad if they were caught.
"Here they come!"
Agnes' heart raced as she removed the net from the poor merman's body. She clutched her hands under his armpits and tried to pull him back into the sea. Only five steps left, would they make it considering how heavy he was?
Any moment now, people who wanted to see this merman would be arriving.
With a final tug, she freed the merman, and together they managed to move him closer to the sea. She could feel the urgency as people were approaching, drawn by the children's earlier screams.
"You're heavy!" she exclaimed, struggling to pull him toward the water.
Just as they reached the edge, the merman swam away quickly, disappearing into the waves until she could no longer see the mermaid. Just then, the three kids arrived, accompanied by two older men carrying sticks and large ropes.
"Agnes, where's the mermaid that was here earlier?" one of the kids asked her.
"I-I don't know. Was there a mermaid here?!" she pretended to be unaware and shock.
"Damn, what a waste. We could have sold it," grumbled the chubby man, who seemed to be in his 40s.
"Let's go already, this is annoying!" they said as they walked away, shoulders slumped.
For a moment, Agnes searched for the merman she had helped, but her eyes couldn't find anything. She sighed in relief, but she couldn't help but wonder if that was the last time she would ever see him. She decided to head back to her house, which she had forgotten to lock.
Will she ever find that mermaid again?