Chapter 25
Duke Rostelle called for a maid. The maid who was summoned, however, went on to slander Irene, and the punishment that returned to her was too harsh for a child to bear.
“Spitting out food disgustingly. Do you still think this is some back alley?”
The punishment was starvation. They had her starve to the point of desperately wanting even tasteless and shriveled food.
And when she was finally allowed to eat again after a long time, she ended up vomiting everything. She realized that the body does not properly accept food as it was too starved.
There was also a day when she wore beautiful clothes for the first time. However, suddenly drenched in dirty water, her clothes were ruined, and Irene became like a drenched rat.
She was the one who suffered all sorts of harm whenever the maids brought something nice.
“How terrible.”
To Burt’s words, Irene said nothing and just looked out the window in the corridor.
Outside was still dyed in grey. No matter how much one pretends to be kind and gentle, it seems the heart cannot be deceived. Her gloomy heart was clearly reflected in the world.
“Then shouldn’t they be punished accordingly?”
“They are being punished.”
“In what way?”
The maids are living comfortably. Burt spoke as if he was displeased, to which Irene faintly smiled and answered.
“When you’re at the bottom, you don’t despair much even when something happens. At some point, it becomes normal.”
She knew from experience.
“But it’s different when you’re happy. Falling from the bottom to the bottom versus falling to the bottom when you’re happy. Which do you think feels more unfortunate?”
Of course, it was the latter. Sliding to the bottom at the happiest moment inflated despair even more. It was something Irene had experienced over and over again.
The heart ached more when caught off guard by false kindness. The feeling of the remaining hope being torn apart was unforgettable even now.
“So, I will make them happy.”
Irene spoke as if making a vow.
“And at the very moment of their greatest happiness, I’ll make sure they miserably crash to the bottom.”
It wasn’t just about the maids. This also applied to her father, Duke Rostelle, and Lexion.
They needed to be a bit more happy. Their hearts had to be so buoyant that they could find joy in even trivial things.
Only then could she deliver her revenge. She could return what she had experienced in kind.
So, Irene forced a smile and played the role of a kind daughter, a gentle master.
‘I don’t feel like it, but.’
She tried to win their hearts by imitating Ramiel, whom she had seen in the past.
“Revenge sure is… made difficult by you.”
“Is it difficult? But what in the world is easy?”
Not even able to die when wanting to. Let alone achieving something easily when faced with such a task.
“There might be easier ways to go about it.”
“So, you oppose it?”
“That’s not what I mean.”
To Burt, it also seemed like the maids needed punishment. How dare they treat the master he serves in such a way.
Even though it was a thing of the past, his brow furrowed automatically at her story.
It felt as if he was getting a glimpse into what had shaped the current Irene. Everyone condemned her without trying to understand who she was.
How much pain she was in, what she wanted, why she did what she did. Because they thought she wasn’t worth it.
Would things have been a bit different if he had known what he knows now back then? Burt thought so for a moment, but then shook his head.
What’s the point of thinking such thoughts now? After all, their relationship was nothing more than an intertwining of duty as a king and momentary entertainment.
Burt had no intention of fully understanding Irene’s emotions. Yes, that had been the case until now.
* * *
The maids’ surroundings improved. Life was already good, but now, elevated to a higher level, it became even more comfortable. It felt as though they had become ladies of a high-ranking noble family.
Waking up in a spacious and clean room, they took a leisurely late breakfast and strolled around. Returning to their room for lunch, delicious desserts awaited them.
After that, they were free to do whatever they wanted.
At first, they were tense, not knowing when they would be ordered to do something, but as these days lengthened, they became accustomed to the comfort.
Mary often warned against letting their guard down, but even she seemed relaxed. It was inevitable given how pleasant their environment had become.
Lani touched the small flowers blooming on a tree and smiled. She was so happy at the moment that she wished every day could be like this.
So, when she heard the words of the apprentice priest that evening, she was somewhat disappointed.
“From now on, you will be serving the saint.”
“Starting when?”
“From tomorrow.”
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