Elector knocked on the wood with his knuckles. Three dry, quick impacts.
Lilith craned her neck to peek at the lock. Elector's arm crossed her chest.
"Stay back."
Several minutes passed. The shuffle of soft-soled shoes broke the silence of the street. The metal bolt turned with a creak. The heavy door opened inward.
An elderly maid peeked out. A thick wool shawl covered her shoulders against the cold. Her tired eyes widened and the air left her lungs in a white puff. A nervous smile crossed her face.
"Lord Elector. I'm so relieved. Your absence made us think you had abandoned us."
Elector's face did not change expression.
"I'm still very busy. I'm just passing through. I need you to help me with something."
The old woman's smile disappeared. She lowered her gaze to the cobblestones. Her wrinkled fingers clung to the edges of the shawl.
"So that's it... You need help."
Elector entered the house. His boots echoed on the wooden floor. Lilith walked behind him.
The maid raised her head. A slap of dense air hit her face. The stench of putrefaction, old blood, and dead flesh made her nostrils burn.
She spun on her heels. She saw the young woman in the ragged dress pass by. The old woman's eyes opened wide. She stepped into the middle of the hallway, blocking the way.
"Who is she!"
Elector stopped. He turned his neck slowly.
"An assistant. I need her fixed up for the morning."
The woman covered her nose and mouth with her free hand. Her forehead filled with deep wrinkles.
"But who is she? Why? It's so sudden... What are you plotting? What do you have in mind?"
Elector clenched his jaw. The veins in his neck pulsed beneath the skin.
"Do you know the fear we had with this whole noble coup?" the old woman insisted. Her voice trembled, sharp with panic. "And you want me to tend to this stranger?"
"Listen."
Elector stepped forward. He raised his voice, filling the hallway with the echo of his broken authority.
"I don't want complaints. I'm very stressed too. Besides, I'm partly responsible for this government as well. I'm not playing games!"
The woman stepped back. She hunched her shoulders. She lowered her eyes and looked at Lilith with pure repulsion. Without saying another word, she extended a trembling finger pointing toward the back patio. Elector turned and disappeared into the darkness of the house's interior.
Lilith walked outside.
The early morning cold bit her skin through the cuts in her dress. Three younger women emerged from the service rooms. They wrapped themselves in shawls and aprons. They gathered around the old woman in the outer hallway.
"What happened?" one of them whispered, glancing sideways at the visitor. "Why was the lord so angry?"
The old woman fixed her gaze on Lilith. She stood waiting in the center of the patio, motionless like a statue.
"He wouldn't tell me. Just that we should 'fix her up.'"
The young women dispersed. The house came to life in an instant. The oil lamp lights turned on in the kitchens. The fire crackled in the stoves. The clatter of ceramic plates, the dragging of metal buckets, and the running filled the house.
In the center of the cobblestones, they placed half a wooden barrel.
The old woman approached with her arms crossed. Her tone was condescending.
"I'm sorry it's not the best bath. But it's what we have right now. I'll help you."
Lilith said nothing. She raised her arms.
The woman stepped closer to remove her clothes. Her fingers brushed the dirty fabric. She pulled at one of the sleeves.
The dress creaked.
It wasn't the tearing of cloth. Black crusts of coagulated blood glued the linen directly to Lilith's pale skin. The maid pulled harder. The rasping sound of dried blood detaching made the old woman's stomach turn. The stench of death wafted off in waves. It wasn't the young woman's blood.
The dress fell to the damp ground. Lilith stepped into the barrel.
The icy water covered her to the waist.
The maid took a coarse rag and a bowl. She began to scrub the hair.
Her movements began slowly, procedurally. The crystalline water was tinged dark brown and rust red almost immediately. The woman's breathing quickened.
Her fingers dug into Lilith's scalp. She rubbed harder. Her nails scraped the skin. The tension in her arms increased with each second, driven by nerves.
Lilith tilted her head. She pulled away from the rough hands. The black water splashed the tiles.
"Woman," said Lilith. "Do you have something against me?"
The maid stopped her hands in the air. She fixed her gaze directly on the young woman's eyes.
"Who are you?" Her fists clenched at her sides. "What relation do you have with Lord Elector?"
Lilith rested her elbows on the edge of the wooden barrel.
"Hmm? It's nothing to fear. What do you think I have to do with him?"
The old woman stepped forward.
"Don't play dumb."
Her voice hissed in the cold air.
"The lord never gets involved with people of such low class. Someone who is even incapable of caring for her hygiene."
The maid looked at the water tinged with coagulated blood.
"Did you blackmail him with something? Did he owe you a debt? Or perhaps... he wants to sleep with you?"
Lilith blinked.
A foolish smile drew itself on her lips. She showed her white teeth.
The woman's face flushed. The red tinged her cheeks and neck with humiliation.
Lilith spoke.
"I don't think we'll see each other after today. Just keep in mind that I won't touch him that way."