Not sure yet

I felt much better today. I kept my uniform on, just under my noble clothes. I hadn’t tried this before, and I found myself, well, not more comfortable, but something. Like, the extra clothing was still suffocating, but the way the blue cloth pressed against my skin, it provided a certain comfort that made it easier.

I sat down in front of Mother at the breakfast table. It was easier to just function in general now that I had even some relief.

“My my, you are looking well,” Mother said.

“Thank you,” I replied, as I took tea. “You look to be in good spirits as well.”

“Martha had introduced some new cooking technique’s yesterday, it was quite novel. Shame you missed it, but want her to see use more such methods in the future,” she said.

Oh, crude. That isn’t good. Hmm. No, things were clear. Mother would assume I am trying to learn or do servant work if I were to attempt to see her. Hmm.

“Mother, the servant Helina, I found her service to be useful, I would like her to serve me exclusively, if that is permissible,” I said. I turned my head and looked at Samantha. Come on. Take the bait dear sister.

“And by what right do you declare first pick?” Samantha asserted.

“Sisters,” Katherine said looking down. “You shouldn’t fight.”

I put my hand on my cheek. “I don’t mind. So, elder sister. I do remember you used to give me such a difficult time in chess. Perhaps we can settle this matter with a game? It is true I have been out of practice for years. Maybe this might be too easy a challenge for you? Hmm, but I think it is the battlefield I would like to fight on, if you’d be so kind?”

She twitched her lip a bit. As I thought, Samantha, the eldest, but also the laziest. It was easy for me to assert control of her, that is why back in the day, I was going to get the role of head of house, before Master. To think, I thought looking at Lydia, that was the fate I was to look forward to? I shook my head to banish such an unpleasant thought away.

Samanth eventually waved her hand. “Philine, get the chess set.”

I asked Helina to give me a pen and few sheets of paper myself. I needed to work fast while our game was being played. I lined two pieces of paper one over other and began sketching. I was doing a rather simple portrait of Samantha and Philine behind her. I had to pause occasionally to make moves on the game. But it was a relatively simple sketch to do like this.

The real purpose was the other sheet, I was writing the recipes from yesterday but one additional one. Martha was a good cook, I trusted in her. She merely needed the information.

“Check,” I said as I moved my rook. I had pinned her rock now. She could tell but bit her nail as her anxiety grew.

She moved her king and I took her rook, and after that, her knight. “Check.”

“Grr,” she growled.

Hmm, how had I let it take me so long to realize? I thought. Mother smiling, she knew what was happening. Katherine too shy to challenge Samantha. And zero of the four daughters having been married, a bad look for any noble family. Lydia didn’t count, after all, she was the new head and it was clear at a glance she was under Mother’s strings.

Marrying me to Ozgood would lite a fire for Samantha to beat me, she was always so easily motivated. And with those two marriages, Katherine would be easy enough, at that point it would be more about showing all of them. Lydia’s children would likely be born. Mother would raise them, control Lydia and in effect have all the power but none of the blame.

“Checkmate,” I said as I placed my knight on the edge, striking at her stuck king.

Samantha grumbled. “Best two of three!”

I giggled and handled the notepad to Helina. It had clear instructions for her to give the recipe to Martha. I then presented the picture to Samantha. “Have I captured your likeness? What would you bet?” I showed a devious smile. Intentionally. I wanted her to catch it. To think she realized that beating her was easy.

“No no,” she said looking away. “I spoke in haste, you have bested me, and it would be unsporting to try and deny your win.”

For a brief moment, I felt like the headmaid I really was. I felt strong, and as if the other clothes on me were more akin to hiding. A snake in the grass they couldn’t see. But, that would be the wrong look. So I frowned a smidge, to give the impression I wanted to play more. “Are you sure? Hmm, I don’t mind playing a couple more.”

“No, no, consider my claim to Helina to be over,” she said.

I smiled. “I thank you.”

Hmm. Master. You wouldn’t like this. Would you? For a moment, I felt like I could feel his hand, almost like an embrace against my breast. I shivered for a moment.

“Celeste,” Mother said. “Are you okay?”

“Hmm, yes, quite alright,” I said. “Just lost in thought a moment. Actually, perhaps I used up more energy than I thought. Would it be okay if I had my breakfast in my room?”

She nodded. Helina followed me. That victory would be step one in a much more important chess battle, but before I could really proceed, I needed to understand. What was it I was trying to accomplish? I should think about this before the mental fog of arousal gets any worse.