TBPV 10

Chapter 10

…With a loud crashing sound, the box in front of me went flying helplessly away.

“Found you, you little rat.”

“…Gasp!”

A rough hand grabbed me and lifted me up.

Held by the scruff of my neck, my body dangled in midair!

“Ah!”

With one sharp flick from the large maid, my body spun 180 degrees.

Round and round.

“Get out here, you little rat.”

In an instant, I was kicked out of the basement.

Bang—

The door slammed tightly shut behind me.

My back hit the door hard with a thud from their shove.

“I’m not a rat, I’m Coco!”

A group of tall, strong maids glared down at me.

“How did she sneak into the basement?”

“We were guarding the entrance the whole time.”

“Go and fetch Lady Mary. We need to discuss what to do with this brat.”

I puffed out my lips, remembering how they had squeezed my shoulder.

My vision swam, and it felt like my feet were slowly sinking into a swamp.

My fur bristled. I swallowed hard and stared back at them boldly.

“I just came to get my squishy toy! What’s it to you?”

“…Ha. What did you say? A squishy toy?”

The moment I finished speaking—

With a tiny rolling sound, a mouse from far away tossed the squishy toy toward me.

I grabbed it tightly in my hands.

“This bone-shaped toy!”

“Why would you be looking for that here—”

And then, as if the words “bone-shaped toy” were some kind of switch—

Boom!

The entire corridor shook violently, and the sharp sound of footsteps echoed down the stairs.

Then my older sister appeared, holding a small lantern, her expression terrifying.

“What are all of you doing here?”

The reason I wasn’t scared of those maids!

My sister had told me I could freely explore the mansion. And if I found my toy, I was to shout, “Bone-shaped toy!”

‘Then no matter where I am, I’ll come get you!’ she had said.

Startled, the maids’ grip slipped, and I landed safely on the floor with a soft thump.

‘She never goes into the moss-covered basement where the account books are hidden.’

So if I found the ledger and gave it to her, that would be enough.

I stuck my tongue out at the flustered maids.

Then I ran toward the door where my sister stood waiting.

“Guess what? A mouse went through a really amazing secret passage!”

“…Did it?”

“So I curled myself into a little ball and rolled all the way to the basement!”

There was only one reason I lured my sister here—she must have wanted the toy I’d hidden in the mansion.

“And while picking up my toy, I found a very, very suspicious book!”

“A suspicious book?”

“Yes! It says embezz… embezz… something like that!”

That’s right. It was an embezzlement ledger.

Objective evidence that could drive away the wicked maids—friends of my sister’s stepmother, Lucrezia.

I straightened my shoulders proudly and grinned.

My sister accepted the squishy toy carefully, but took the ledger casually.

“…We’ll discuss this later.”

“Okaaay!”

“And as for you maids—”

Her voice turned cold, like a death sentence being pronounced.

“Follow me outside. All of you.”

“Is it fun? Gathering in the basement every night to scheme?”

“That’s…”

“You didn’t think I wouldn’t know, did you?”

“….”

The head maid, Mary, bit her lip tightly.

Chloe never entered the moss-covered stone basement.

So they had boldly used it as their hideout.

It was true they had plotted there to siphon off the budget.

‘But why now? She never paid attention before.’

Head Maid Mary grew even more flustered, unable to read Chloe’s intentions.

“You shouldn’t have crossed the line.”

Chloe waved the embezzlement ledger Coco had handed her.

“Embezzlement.”

“….”

“You kept quite thorough records.”

The head maid, silent until now, curled her trembling lips inward and muttered,

“May I ask why you’ve suddenly decided to make an issue of this? You were already aware of the embezzlement.”

“How insolent, to question your master.”

Truthfully, Chloe had never cared about the maids’ activities. She had only been waiting for Coco’s toy to be found by the child.

But…

She recalled Coco’s bruised shoulder.

The way her small body had been shoved roughly.

“I overlooked it once, and now you’ve grown bold.”

If she left it alone, it would surely become more troublesome. Better to drive them out now, no matter how bothersome it was.

The head maid bowed her head.

“…Understood. I will withdraw and return to my original employer.”

Confident in her backing, she remained calm.

“Surely dismissal is not the end, after being caught in misconduct.”

“As you know, full authority over punishing the head maids of each annex belongs to Duchess Lucrezia Ardos. As Her Grace is currently away at the temple, that authority rests with her proxy, Lady Theresia. Therefore, I will receive punishment directly from Her Grace or Lady Theresia.”

“Is that so?”

Chloe seized the head maid’s wrist as she tried to leave.

“You must not have memorized the family law properly.”

“That can’t be.”

“Family Law Article 1, Clause 10, Supplementary Provision. It states: ‘Due to the unique nature of the family, supernatural abilities may be used to individually punish servants.’”

Chloe tightened her grip on the maid’s wrist and whispered,

“For your insolence before me, I will take your sight.”

The moment she finished speaking, darkness swallowed the head maid and the other maids.

“In this dark basement.”

“W-what is this—?!”

“In this cold darkness where you cannot see, struggle until tomorrow morning.”

Just like someone who was once imprisoned underground.

Chloe maintained her haughty gaze, hiding the trembling in her fingertips.

“A-Aaaah!”

“L-Lady Chloe, th-this is—!”

The head maid collapsed, groping helplessly across the floor.

She was trapped in a nightmare within the darkness.

“I—I can’t see… S-save me!”

“M-monster…!”

“H-hic—please, s-save us…!”

Some began hearing things in their blindness. Others suffered terrifying hallucinations.

Their frantic twisting to avoid unseen attacks was almost laughable.

She had properly dealt with Lucrezia and Theresia’s lackeys.

With evidence in hand, she might even be able to leave a crack in the reputation of that mother and daughter.

Chloe flipped through the embezzlement ledger indifferently.

‘Annoying, but I’ll have to hire new maids.’

Competent ones. Not connected to Theresia. Ones who wouldn’t cause trouble.

For the first time in a long while, she felt slightly refreshed.

But as Chloe turned to leave, she staggered.

In her mind surfaced the side effect of dark magic—delusion.

“Our Coco, how are your little feet so pretty?”

“Mmph! Mmph!”

“Oh? Did you bring me a flower? For your sister to see?”

“Mmph!”

“You’re such a good baby. The prettiest in the whole world. Aren’t you?”

For the first time in a very long while, Chloe smiled softly.

It felt as though Coco’s warmth lingered at her fingertips.

But the warmth lasted only a moment. It vanished in an instant, replaced by bone-chilling pain.

A side effect of using dark magic beyond her limits.

It forced her to relive happy memories over and over—

And when those memories faded, unbearable pain would follow.

But…

‘What is this?’

Chloe opened her eyes.

It didn’t hurt anymore.

The side effect had ended strangely quickly.

‘What on earth caused that?’