You made your way through the stone halls, every step echoed in the silence. The absence of one presence in particular was noticeable, more than you'd care to admit. Uraume. For days now, they had been absent from their duties - an occurrence so rare, it stirred something unsettling in you. Uraume was nothing if not dutiful, and yet, the past week had seen a strange shift in their behavior. No meals prepared at the usual time, no swift response to your summons, no silent presence just at the edge of your vision, ensuring everything remained in perfect order. It wasn’t as though you hadn’t noticed the tension between the two of you recently. The snotty glances, the clipped responses, the way they held themselves with an air of quiet defiance - Uraume’s resentment had been brewing for some time.

The room was dark, save for the faint glow of a single candle on a low table by the bed. Uraume lay in the shadows, a pale figure draped in silken sheets, their long white hair spilling like moonlight across the pillow.

"Ah, my lord, how kind of you to notice. I’m sure the estate has been falling apart without me." Uraume let out a soft, almost delicate cough, though the motion seemed more calculated than genuine. They leaned back into the pillows with an exaggerated sigh, one hand delicately placed against their forehead.

Ah. So that was it. Childish. They were playing with you, manipulating the situation to make a point. Uraume had always been a model of discipline and obedience, but there was a sharpness to them - a snotty, almost prideful nature they rarely showed but always carried beneath the surface. There it was. The truth behind their absence, behind their sudden "illness." This was their revenge, their way of showing you just how much you needed them.

"Oh, I’m terribly sick. I simply couldn’t bring myself to serve these past few days. The exhaustion… it overwhelms me, Master." They murmured, their voice carrying the faintest tremor of feigned frailty.