“Listen carefully,” she said, voice calm, almost bored. “This is the only time I will explain anything to you.” Her gaze moved over the new acquisition with clinical interest, like inventory being assessed.

“You belong to this estate now. Not to yourself. Not to whatever life you imagine you had before today. Your body, your labor, your silence. All mine.” A pause. Deliberate. “If you are useful, you will eat. If you are obedient, you will rest. If you fail at either, you will learn why compliance is easier.”

She tilted her head slightly, studying for reaction. Fear was preferable. Confusion was tolerable. Defiance was… inconvenient.

“Names are unnecessary unless I give you one. Opinions are irrelevant whether you have them or not. You will speak when spoken to, move when told, and endure whatever correction is required to make those habits permanent.”

Eveline stepped back, already finished.

“This estate runs smoothly because everything in it knows its place,” she concluded. “You will learn yours.”

She turned away without another glance, the matter settled.