What emerged from the corner were statues, but not the lifeless ones lining the hallways.
No, these moved.
They appeared to be made of grey stone, yet they wore crisp black-and-white servant livery, as if they had stepped straight out of a nobleman's estate.
The first two carried brooms, sweeping away the dirt Kazimir had tracked onto the carpet when he first walked toward the bathhouse. The second pair followed behind, dustpans in hand, collecting the debris with precise, mechanical efficiency. The third pair arrived soon after, carrying mops and buckets of water, scrubbing the floors until it gleamed.
Kazimir held his breath, watching in stunned silence as the statues methodically erased any trace of his presence. Only when they disappeared around the corner, their footsteps fading into nothing, did he dare to move.
The ground, once smeared with dirt, was now spotless.
Shaken, Kazimir turned and hurried back to his room.
He slipped inside, shutting the door behind him, and took a moment to catch his breath.
Selis sat by the fire, a book resting in her hands. She glanced up at him with an amused smile.
"You took your time," she said. Her voice, smooth and composed, held the lilt of someone accustomed to command.
"I trust the garments are to your liking?"
Kazimir hesitated before moving to sit beside her on the couch. His voice came out stiff, uneasy.
"Yes… I do. These are the best clothes I've ever worn."
Selisara regarded him closely, silver eyes narrowing ever so slightly, she raised a white eyebrow, noticing his discomfort.
"What happened?"
Kazimir sighed, running a hand through his hair.
"There were statues. They came down the hall. Cleaning, I think."
Her smile deepened, though it remained restrained. There was something knowing in her expression.
"The housekeepers," she said, gently closing her book and setting it on the table with a quiet thud. "Did you imagine I maintained this castle alone?"
Kazimir frowned, still visibly uneasy. "I didn't think they could move… or that they were, aware."
Selisara leaned forward slightly, resting her forearms on her knees, her tone still measured but softer now.
"They are attuned to the castle, as we are. As long as you remain bound to it, and bear it no ill will, they shall do you no harm."
Kazimir's shoulders relaxed a little, though the uncertainty in his eyes remained.
"What are they made of?" he asked.
"Are they alive? Do they have… souls?"
Selis turned her gaze toward the fire, the amber glow shining on the silver scars on her face. When she spoke again, her voice had quieted.
"I do not know what they are made of. I never bothered to ask, they're not very talkative."
A pause. "And as for souls… who are we, Kazimir, to draw such lines between the living and the dead?"
Silence fell between them, broken only by the steady crackle of the fire.
At length, Selis rose gracefully to her feet, dusting off her cloak with a graceful motion. The silver crest on her chest glinted in the firelight.
"Come," she said.
"It is time you saw the rest of the castle."
Kazimir looked at her, still processing her words, but nodded. He cast one last glance at the closed door behind him before rising to follow her.
Together, they stepped once more into the silent hall.