It was a cold Ursus winter.
In 1059, personality 042 was placed into her body.
She was left at the doorstep of an Elafia couple in Duke Koschei's territory.
The baby's cries woke the couple; the husband, puzzled, opened the door and looked down, following the sound.
It was a baby girl, wrapped in cloth, crying loudly.
And this couple happened to decide to adopt this child.
Her mother carried her back inside, sat by the fire, gently patted her back, and softly lulled her to sleep.
They did not see the human-like gaze in the infant's eyes before she fell asleep.
12 Years Later
Spring 1071
"Yelena, what do you want to do when you grow up?"
The woman, with slightly graying temples, looked at the Elafia girl sitting across from her at the dinner table and asked with a smile.
Yelena, that was her name.
Yelena slowly stirred the thick soup in front of her and innocently replied, "I want to do the same thing as Mama."
"Oh?" The woman was a little puzzled. "But Mama used to be a servant in the Duke's Mansion."
She brought the soup in her bowl to her mouth, swallowed, and then said, "I see Papa is busy every day, and I want to help him. And Mama, you can also give me some experience!"
"You child, it's not that great in the Duke's Mansion. Our family isn't that poor; you worry too much all the time."
Yelena's mother mumbled, straightening her collar. "Hurry up and go to school, don't be late and make the teacher anxious."
"Okay!" Yelena jumped off the chair, grabbed her things, and ran out. "Goodbye, Mama, I love you!"
"I love you too, remember to come home early for dinner."
Her mother shouted, instructing her.
"I know!" Yelena happily ran off.
The house became quiet.
Her mother sat on the chair, mending Yelena's old clothes.
After a long while, she got up, pulled out her old uniform from her time at the Duke's Mansion, and dusted it off.
She thought to herself for a while, then put it back.
In the evening, little Yelena, exhausted, had already fallen into a deep sleep.
And her father, a minor government clerk, only returned now.
He opened the door, and the wind and snow rushed into the house; he quickly closed the door and looked towards the only candle lit in the living room.
His mother was sitting on a chair by the candle, and seeing him come home, she went to greet him.
"Valery, how's work?" she asked, as usual.
"Not so good, Agata."
Valery looked troubled, slumped in his chair, staring blankly at the candlelight on the table.
"I wanted to stay in my position a bit longer, but they said I'm about to retire and shouldn't be bothering with it anymore."
He rubbed his hands together, looking very anxious.
"Never mind us, what about little Yelena? She's still so young; I can't bear to see her suffer with us."
Agata looked worriedly towards little Yelena's room.
At the same time
Yelena heard the commotion outside.
She quickly got out of bed, wanting to open the door to greet her father.
She walked to her room door and heard her mother's voice.
Curiously, she pressed her ear against the door, carefully listening to the conversation outside.
"Five years, Agata, I can at most cling to my position for five more years."
Valery stood up and resolutely told his beloved, "We must ensure little Yelena can survive on her own."
"She said she wanted to be a maid..." Her mother hesitated.
"Then I'll recommend her to the Duke's Mansion; at least she can be guaranteed a living."
Her father said, "I'll swallow my pride and get her in."
"...Okay, I'll teach her!" Her mother quickly added.
The next morning
Little Yelena woke up early and opened the door.
The candle on the table was only half-burnt, and her mother, Agata, was sitting in her usual chair, holding her old clothes, measuring something.
Yelena had seen this maid's uniform more than once.
Before, when her father wasn't so busy, she would see her mother leave very early every day and only return after she had already fallen asleep.
When she was ten, she saw this uniform in the closet and wished her mother would take it out to show her; her mother couldn't refuse her.
That was the first time the uniform was fully displayed before her eyes: old, yet clean.
"Perhaps this is the path it spoke of."
She guessed at the time, thinking of her suddenly busy father, her mother lighting lamps at night, and from then on, she resolved to live for this family.
Yelena walked over to her mother, her gaze following downwards.
"Mama, you've taken out this dress again?" Yelena asked, pretending to be very interested.
"This... Yelena, didn't you say yesterday that you wanted to be a maid like me?" Her tone sounded very relaxed, as if she was fulfilling a girl's innocent wish. "Then I'll help my lovely little Yelena get used to it in advance."
"Really? Hehe, thank you, Mama!" The girl, upon receiving an affirmative answer, excitedly hugged her mother.
"Oh, really, all right, Yelena, go wash your face quickly."
"Okay—"
Yelena happily ran off.
Agata tidied up the table, staring blankly at the clothes in her hand.
After a long while, she softly sighed and continued with her measurements.
In 1073, our little Yelena began to learn etiquette with her mother.