Agnes paused from wiping the glass windows when she caught sight of the beautiful view outside. The waves gently lapped against the sea, yet from where she stood, she could clearly hear each crash of the waves—a melody to her ears.
She silently gazed at the sea as the sun began to set. It was such a beautiful sight that she couldn't help but stare and get lost in thought.
"Hey, Agnes! Why are you just standing there?" She was startled by the angry voice of her master.
Her hands, still holding the rag, began to tremble as she turned to face Lady Brianna Acosta, who was glaring at her fiercely. Agnes swallowed hard when the woman crossed her arms, clearly furious based on her expression alone.
This was what Agnes always tried to avoid, making Lady Brianna angry. When she had accidentally spilled her bag before, the woman slapped her hard—twice—and withheld her meals from morning until night. The truth was, the Acosta family was abusive toward her.
They treated her like a slave.
"I'm talking to you, Agnes!"
"I'm sorry, Lady Brianna. It won't happen again."
"It really won't happen again if I do this to you!" she shouted, storming toward Agnes.
She was terrified when Lady Brianna grabbed her hair and dragged her toward a bucket of dirty water. What came next, Agnes hadn't anticipated—her face was shoved into the filthy water. Had Lady Brianna's mother, Madame Biattrice, not arrived, she might've drowned.
"What are you doing, Brianna?" her mother asked, taking the cigarette from her lips.
"My boyfriend broke up with me so I'm in a bad mood, Mom. Then I saw her just standing there, daydreaming, and it made me even angrier!" Brianna shot Agnes a nasty look.
"Let her be, Brianna. Daydreaming's free, so let her enjoy it. It won't get her anywhere." Madame Beattrice laughed.
"Why did you even hire her? She's useless and a freeloader. All she does is daydream and stare off into space." Lady Brianna rolled her eyes and walked away.
Agnes glanced at Madame Beattrice, who had short, curly hair and a woolen scarf around her neck—probably made from bear fur. The woman raised an eyebrow at her, so Agnes lowered her head and let her walk off.
She began cleaning up the spilled water on the floor.
Agnes had endured the Acosta family's abuse for three years, but she never got used to how cruel they were. It wasn't just Lady Brianna; even her parents were abusive. They hurt her whenever they lost in gambling, denied her food, and sometimes locked her in the basement to sleep there overnight.
She had her own house, gifted by the Acosta couple. They refused to let her sleep in the mansion because, in their eyes, a poor girl like her didn't belong there. So, they had a small wooden house built near the shore just for her.
Despite all the mistreatment, Agnes remained thankful to them because they still gave her food and paid her three hundred pesos a week, enough for her to manage.
"Ugh! Agnes, get over here!" Lady Brianna's angry voice rang out again.
She took a deep breath before heading to the second floor where Lady Brianna's room was. She knocked three times before entering, and to her surprise, Lady Brianna hurled a lampshade at her face, causing her nose to bleed.
"L-lady Brianna, do you need anything?"
"Didn't I tell you to clean the bathroom?!"
"I f-forgot, I'm sorry." She bowed repeatedly in apology.
"You're such a nuisance! Go clean the bathroom—now!"
"But Lady Brianna my work for today is d-done, and I might get h-home late."
It was true. The mansion was surrounded by large homes, and most people in town were influential and involved in shady dealings. She feared walking home alone at night since her house was quite far.
"Oh. Are you saying that you don't want to?"
Her chest tightened when Lady Brianna once again grabbed her hair and dragged her into the bathroom. Agnes's eyes widened when she was forced to kneel in front of the toilet bowl, her face being shoved toward it.
"No, please. Lady Brianna!" she begged, but the woman didn't seem to hear.
"This is what you deserve! I should dunk your face into the toilet water so you'll learn your lesson!"
"Please stop!"
Just as Lady Brianna was about to dunk her head in, they were interrupted by Madame Beattrice rushing in with their high-breed dog in her arms.
"What now, Mom?" Lady Brianna asked in irritation, finally letting go of Agnes's hair.
"People are saying they found a dead mermaid on the shore!"
The news was enough to stop both of them in their tracks.
"What? What kind of nonsense is that?"
"Well, that's what I heard from the townspeople."
"But aren't they real?"
"We'll find out once we join your father at the beach—come on!"
They scrambled out of the bathroom, so Agnes got up and washed her face. She had forgotten that she'd been submerged in the filthy floor water earlier.
"Agnes!" Madame Beattrice called from downstairs.
"Yes, Madame?" Agnes rushed out of the room.
"Come with us—I need a hand."
She immediately said "yes" and hurried down the stairs. She almost missed the car if she hadn't run faster. She couldn't wait to see the so-called mermaid.
Could such a creature truly exist, or was it just make-believe?
(FASTFORWARD)
The crowd at the beach was in disbelief as they stared at the lifeless mermaid lying on the sand. Agnes was one of those who couldn't believe what she was seeing.
Mermaids were real!
In front of her lay a mermaid whose face and neck appeared burned—likely from another blast of dynamite used for illegal fishing. Still, Agnes could tell the mermaid had been beautiful, with a well-shaped figure and a large chest covered by thick scales. Her tail was navy blue, slightly shimmering in the light.
Agnes took in every detail: the mermaid had many fins—on her arms, below her elbows, on her back, and the sides of her tail. Her ears were slightly pointed, and there were three slits behind them—gills, perhaps. The webbing between her lifeless fingers was thin but noticeable.
"What should we do with her?" an old man asked.
"Let the public know! We can make money from this!" said an old woman.
"That's not right! Tourists will flood our town, and many will try to capture more of her kind to experiment on or sell!" Agnes protested.
"Shut your mouth, Agnes. You don't have a say in this—you're just a maid so know your place!" Lady Brianna snapped at her.
"She's right, Brianna. She has a point. We can't let others take the glory when this town belongs to us—so the mermaids are ours too!" Lady Brianna's father, Sir. Morris, grinned wickedly.
Agnes shook her head, sensing trouble brewing.
"Then what do we do with this creature, Dad?"
"We'll send her to private experts in exchange for a huge payment."
No one dared to object. Sir Morris was the most powerful man in town, revered by other wealthy clans.
They waited hours until the man that Sir. Morris had called arrived to collect the mermaid's body. Agnes was surprised when Sir. Morris suddenly pulled her aside, accompanied by his wife and daughter.
"Listen carefully, Agnes," he began.
"You're the one closest to the sea, so we know you're the key to the fame and money we want!"
"W-what do you mean, Sir Morris?"
"If you see another mermaid, you tell us immediately." his wife cut in.
"What are you planning to do with them?"
"Simple. Sell them to experts who want to experiment on them—or to buyers who'll pay well. I should prepare for the auction and bidding now." They laughed maniacally.
Agnes would never get used to how twisted this family was.
"Agnes, do you understand what my father said? Or are you going to act dumb again like always?" Lady Brianna raised an eyebrow at her.
"I understand."
The whole family started laughing. They were laughing as they walked away. She just agreed, even though it went against her feelings and she felt pity for the mermaid that died because of the illegal activities of people. If only no more strange creatures would show up to them so this wouldn't happen again.
She sighed as she returned to the place where the lifeless mermaid had been lying earlier. Her brow furrowed when she saw a bracelet that seemed to be made of real pearls; it was surely the mermaid's.
She was about to turn around and head home, which was nearby, when her gaze shifted to the ocean. She noticed a man, half of his body submerged in the water. Amazing, he's in the middle of the sea, but he's not even drowning.
She shrugged, it was too dark to make out the man clearly. She was about to look away when she saw him dive beneath the surface, her eyes widened as the long navy-blue tail peeked out slightly.
'Another mermaid? A merman?