So, I finally get around to uploading the first chapter: D I don't want to say any more ... except: have fun reading!

Chapter 1:the first day

While her eyes scrutinized the exact reflection a few centimeters in front of her, her hands tried to tie up the annoying hair so that it would not hinder her with the work ahead. Sighing, she rightly pulled the dark blue dress that was part of the housemaid's uniform and tied the knot of her apron. Her gaze wandered down her likeness - she looked disguised. A uniform of this kind, in her opinion, was out of date. With all her might Charlotte tried to pull the corners of her mouth up, but even the best attempt looked stiff and tense. After a few attempts, she turned her body in the direction of the room door and took a step in that direction. However, her targeted movement stopped and she put her hand on her stomach. It was her first day at the Phantomhive house, and her nervousness grew because she couldn't afford to make mistakes. The brown-haired took a deep breath and finally left her assigned room.
A long corridor lay at her feet. A red carpet had been rolled out over the red parquet floor. The walls were high and painted white. Charlotte moved forward with steady steps until, after a few yards, she finally reached the wide staircase. Her hand grasped the ornate railing that asked for safety as she went down. Carefully she went step by step until she finally reached the ground floor.
Her attention turned to the many other employees. They all ran across the room, the panic and stress written on their faces. Some of them held various objects in their hands, others tried to quickly find the room to be cleaned with brooms and buckets.

"Oh Miss Summster. Honor us at last.", A mocking voice got through to Charlie and pulled her back into the harsh reality, so that she was startled slightly and inwardly searched for the right words. The black butler held a small gold pocket watch in his white gloves, and his red eyes followed the thin pointer intently.
"I'm sorry. I-" She didn't get to say any more, as he closed the little piece of jewelry and put it back in the safe pocket, he ran his free left hand through his jet-black hair and looked up at her. A gentle smile formed on his lips. That smile again - the same one she'd seen at the important interview. Again it didn't look artificial or forced, but it didn't look honest either. "In order to adequately punish your delay, you are cleaning the entrance hall tonight, but first ...", with an elegant gesture, he motioned for Charlotte to follow him.Without waiting for them, he left his location and walked between the hectic employees, past the heavy entrance door - he turned right and disappeared into a corridor directly next to it. Reluctantly, the brown-haired woman tried to keep up with the man in front of her, but it was difficult for her to counter the oncoming cleaners and gardeners, as they paid less attention to her, a simple housemaid, than to the black butler. She too arrived late in the dark corridor and stopped. An uneasy feeling ran through her body, but she clenched her hands into fists to defy the fear and not give in to it. She screwed up her eyelids and recognized the dark silhouette, which she followed with hasty forward movements to catch up the separating meters.
Everything was surrounded by the eating shadows, the ground gave way to the weight of the two people and began to make creaking noises after every step. A few seconds passed when Sebastian suddenly stopped. Charlotte found it difficult not to cause a collision with this sudden movement. She didn't recognize the expressions on his pale face, but she sensed that he had that smile on his face again - almost as if it would amuse him, her awkwardness. His hand grasped the old doorknob and opened a heavy door, but as soon as it was opened a crack the pleasant light of many candles came towards it. She peered into the room with a curious look.
It was a kind of kitchen, but quite old and modern appliances such as microwave, refrigerator and other kitchen utensils, as one would expect in everyday life and in any normal kitchen. The light of lit candles was the only means to drive away annoying shadows, because the pane of the single window was so dirty that no ray of sunlight could penetrate.
"When you've done the washing up, Miss Summster ..." as he gave the speech, Charlotte couldn't take her eyes off his face. It looked scary in the yellowish light, but there was also something attractive about it. Only when he pointed to the left corner of the room did her eyes widen suddenly. It was a small sink, but plates were piled around it. Only now did she realize that this was her assigned task. A task that she had to cope with without modern help, such as a dishwasher. "When you are done with that, then you can continue with your punishment. That would be all for the day.", He pulled the gold-plated watch out of his pocket again to be one step ahead of the times. With these cold words he gave her one last look before he turned around and disappeared into the black nothing, while he closed the door behind him. There was still a lot to do and his young master didn’t like to be kept waiting.She stood in front of the tower made of dishes in disbelief. But despite the unusually high number, Charlie wasn't sure whether this job would take her half a day. Sighing, she stepped towards the dirty pile. The entire room seemed constricting to her, plus the dull candlelight, despite this early hour. Timidly she stretched her entire body to reach the top plate. Her fingertips felt over the expensive porcelain and carefully pushed it to the palm of the hand so that it could bring the necessary grip to bring the piece down. After she had it securely in one hand, she turned the tap with the other and saw how the clear liquid came out of the metal and dripped into the designated sink. With an uncertain expression on her face, she began the apparently simplest activity and took an ordinary cleaning rag - the only utensil that was here - then she began to carefully remove food scraps from plate by plate and carefully clean them.
The minutes went by that she stood alone in the small kitchen and did the dishes in silence, but just when half seemed to be done, one after the other tore open the door senselessly and disturbed the quite pleasant quiet. They all brought dirty dishes, cups and plates, which were placed next to the brown-haired woman so that the mountain of work should not lose its volume. But Charlott took everything without objection, but always dared a quick glance at the window. Despite the stubborn dirt she tried to get an estimated overview of the time, but each new result did not bring her the desired answer.

Suddenly two men entered the room. Charlie turned her attention to the two of them, but she immediately resumed washing up, listening to the harsh sounds of the two. Their tormented voices complained about the stern hand of the black butler, who always kept a watchful eye for every job.
"I tell you, the rumors about this villa are true! All of this is not right. It's haunted here. In addition, I don't like the way this butler is.", The older, who was employed as a gardener before the uniform , leaned his left hand against the wooden table and shifted his weight back so that he took the place on the empty chair, completely exhausted. Shaking his head, the other sat down on the shabby stool and looked at his friend with an expression of disbelief. "Better be quiet. After all, we owe it to the young gentleman that we have work. It can be so scary here," he replied, not being confused by the predictions.
Charlotte overheard the entire conversation, she too had heard of such rumors, but was not deterred from applying to work as a housemaid, because she needed the money.After the unusually strenuous work was done, she dried her soaked hands with the white fabric of her apron and left the kitchen relieved. With tired steps she stepped onto the old floor of the black corridor and followed the light. After a few meters, this led them to the huge entrance hall. Only now did she notice how high this majestic room actually was. There were slender marble pillars on the walls. The stone staircase led to the first floor, and soft, red carpet was spread over the steps, which reached up to the massive gate that served as the entrance. Various decorations were provided with gold leaf and a wide chandelier served as an ornate frame for numerous candles that brought the necessary light.
Overwhelmed by the size and height, Charlotte gave in to the feeling and stood in the middle of the hall. Everything around her was dominated by silence, no one was to be seen. No hectic faces, no inconsiderate people, nobody. It was a moment of calm. A pleasant smile formed on her lips and she closed her eyelids.
Suddenly she felt a slight pressure on her shoulder. Immediately she opened her eyes and winced reflexively, trying to suppress the fearful sound that crept up her throat.
"You look like you've seen a ghost." Again it was that voice, this mocking and at the same time friendly-sounding voice. The sound echoed across the great room. Immediately she straightened up and scratched the back of her head in embarrassment without noticing the delicate red sheen on her cheeks. But before she could struggle for the right words, a bucket filled with soapy water and an old rag were pressed into her hands. Overwhelmed by this hasty action, she looked at her counterpart with mixed feelings. "Your punishment." Was the only thing she got in response to the questioning look. He smiled again and raised his index finger as if to admonish her. With a nod, Charlotte gave the sign she had understood and put the bucket and cleaning rag on the stone floor. Exhausted, she dropped to her knees and picked up the piece of cloth. The black-haired man watched