BTEE 22

Chapter 22

“Why are you still standing there?! What is this?! Were you trying to ruin my look on purpose?!”

Seren Rothes’s furious shout made the maids, who had been helping her dress, flinch and scurry backward.

When her mood was foul, the best thing to do was to keep one’s head down and not answer back.

If one was unlucky, they might end up like the previous maid—thrown out after losing a leg.

“If you have eyes, use them! Do you really call this dressing me up?!”

“We’re sorry, my lady.”

“Sorry? Is that all? What good are eyes if you use them like that? You’d be better off without them!”

Her outfit was flawless—without a single flaw or excess—yet her words made the maids tremble.

Having a leg cut off might actually have been preferable; at least one could still find sitting work.
But losing one’s eyesight… that would make it nearly impossible to find any employment again.

It was not easy for a commoner to become a maid in a noble household. The pay was far higher than other jobs, so competition was fierce.

Among all noble families, the Rothes Marquisate was known for offering the highest wages.
That was because so many maids fled—unable to endure the temperament of the Marquis’s daughter.

The maids who remained here were mostly those who had large families depending on them.
So no matter how harshly they were treated, they could not afford to get injured badly enough to lose their ability to work.

When Seren’s gaze swept over them, they all lowered their heads, doing their best to avoid eye contact.

“You. Come here.”

The maid she called for wanted to deny it, to pretend Seren wasn’t looking at her—but she couldn’t.
Those golden eyes were fixed right on her.

“Y-yes, my lady…”

The maid hesitantly stepped forward.
The others felt both relief that it wasn’t them, and dread for the unlucky girl who had been chosen.

She was Joan, the youngest of all the Rothes household maids.

In this place where one could be dismissed without warning, no one formed friendships.
If you got too close to someone, they’d be gone before long anyway.

Those who were expelled suffered terribly, but those who remained suffered too.

When news spread that a former colleague had taken her own life after being unable to find work due to the injuries she’d received here, despair had settled deep in their hearts.

It wasn’t pity that overwhelmed them—it was fear that they’d meet the same fate someday.

So they all agreed silently not to grow attached to one another.
But that unspoken rule had started to crack ever since Joan arrived.

The youngest maid called all the others “sisters” and followed them around brightly.
Even when they tried to stay cold and distant, she would just smile sweetly and approach again.

It was impossible to dislike her.

Even the most hardened among them found themselves wishing that at least Joan could be spared from harm.

They’d even secretly helped her cover up her small mistakes from Seren’s eyes.

But then—

“Didn’t you hear me? When I call, you should come right away! Why are you moving like a slug?! Are you looking down on me?!”

Seren seized Joan’s cheeks in one hand and lifted her face roughly.

Her grip wasn’t that strong, but it was more than enough to redden the soft cheeks of the thirteen-year-old girl.

An adult woman’s strength easily overpowered a child’s.
And besides, since Seren was the young lady she served, Joan couldn’t even think of pushing her away.

Joan trembled violently, her face full of fear.

“N-no, my lady…”

“How dare you look at me straight in the eyes?!”

“Hii—!”

“Bring me the branding iron.”

“M-my lady…”

“Did you not hear me? Or do you want me to use the branding iron on your eyes instead?!”

Seren’s voice rose, her eyes flashing. The maid who had been addressed flinched—but didn’t move.

She couldn’t. She couldn’t bring an iron that would be used to burn Joan’s eyes.

Her face went pale. What should she do? What could she do?

If she followed the order, Joan would go blind. But if she didn’t, she herself would be in danger.

“Are you deaf?!”

The angry shout rang out again. The maid squeezed her eyes shut.

Please… someone help us.

And then—someone’s shadow fell across her.

“Enough, Lady Rothes.”

Startled, Seren’s head snapped to the side, looking for the owner of the hand that had grabbed her wrist.

When she saw who it was, irritation drained from her face, replaced by shock.

“L-Lady Icart…? What brings you here?”

“Mind your manners. Her Majesty is watching.”

“H-her Majesty…?”

Seren’s grip on Joan slackened. From behind Lady Icart, the red-haired Empress Cassielope stepped forward, and Seren hastily bowed.

“Y-your Majesty the Empress.”

Keeping her face hidden in her deep bow, Seren bit her lip hard.

Why is the Empress here?

Her father, Marquis Rothes, her mother, and even her brothers—all were away.
The only member of House Rothes currently in the mansion was herself.

Why now, of all times…

The timing couldn’t have been worse. Seren’s face twisted with distress.

At that moment, one of the maids—the same one who had been ordered to fetch the branding iron—rushed forward, fell to her knees, and bowed deeply.

“Your Majesty the Emperor…!”

Even though she had just heard Seren call her “Empress,” the moment the maid saw the red hair, she instinctively addressed her as Emperor.

She didn’t have the presence of mind to correct herself. Her voice trembled with desperation.

“Your Majesty, please! Please help us! Joan—she’s only thirteen this year! She’s far too young to lose her sight! If punishment must be dealt, then please—”

“Then what?”

“Please let me take her place! I’ll take the punishment instead—just, please, have mercy and spare the child!”

Even at a glance, the Empress’s aura was overwhelming. The maid dared not lift her head.

But she said everything she needed to say.

In her heart, there was one firm belief—if it’s Her Majesty, she will help.

She had never met Cassielope Clemence in person, but everyone in the Empire knew how deeply she cared for her people.

Anyone who had lived under her rule knew it.

“Raise your head.”

The voice that came was gentle—so gentle that the maid hesitated before lifting her gaze slightly.

Then she saw the Empress’s outstretched hand.

Is… is she asking me to take it?

The maid froze. She had been warned countless times never to touch a noble, let alone royalty.

But before she could react, that soft, warm hand closed around hers and helped her to her feet.

“Th… thank you…”

The maid stared blankly at Cassielope, overwhelmed. The Empress gave her a gentle smile.

“You have a good person by your side.”

Cassielope’s affectionate gaze shifted toward Joan.

“I’d like a word with you,” she then said—her voice no longer gentle, but sharp and cold.

Though this mansion belonged to Seren Rothes, Cassielope moved through it as though it were her own.

When they reached the drawing room, the Empress looked back at Seren.

“When I call, come quickly. Unlike you, I don’t have time to waste.”

“…”

“Or perhaps you just think I’m easy to trifle with?”

The words were familiar—eerily familiar.

They were the very same words Seren had just hurled at her maids.

Her face twisted, just slightly.

“…No, Your Majesty.”