“Are you crazy?! I haven’t run off anywhere. I’ve been staying right here in this villa, behaving properly. I haven’t gone anywhere!”
How could Flora accept such an order?
Her plan was to use this opportunity to let Lin Ke gain merit.
Even if Lin Ke couldn’t gain merit, at least the unnecessary arrangements could be canceled.
But Moriyara didn’t follow the script at all.
Instead, she brazenly provoked and trampled on Flora’s principles, forcing her to do what she despised most.
Forcing her to cross a boundary that was set in stone from the very beginning?
What a joke!
“That’s right. So I have no intention of punishing you, but Lin Ke did fail in her duties. She’s my guard, assigned to manage the servants of this villa.”
Moriyara’s reaction left her quite satisfied; the cruel noblewoman’s smile deepened on her face.
“To create such a commotion, and the villa’s power system just happened to malfunction at the same time, my most loyal subordinate causing this kind of trouble must have been due to severe negligence. That’s a serious dereliction of duty.
Making mistakes means punishment; that’s an indisputable truth.
You’re the owner of this villa, and she failed in her responsibility to protect you.
You’d rather sneak out at night to eat than give her orders—doesn’t that mean you dislike her attitude during the day?”
She spoke as she looked at Lin Ke with an indifferent voice, as if summoning a dog.
“Lin Ke, come here.”
The kneeling maid immediately rose and walked over to Moriyara’s side.
Moriyara reached out her left hand, pinched Lin Ke’s chin, forcing her face close to Flora’s, who was already sitting at the dining table with wide eyes.
“When a mistress dislikes her servant, the answer is to hit them. Fulfilling the mistress’s needs and emotional demands is their job. Her whole family has sold themselves to our Delan household. If she doesn’t perform well, as long as she’s not beaten to death, any treatment is legal under the Empire’s law.
What is there for you to worry about?
Just treat her like a disobedient guard dog that bites.”
“You… I…”
Flora wanted to curse Moriyara.
She wanted to beat the person who spoke such words hard, to resist and criticize this blatant violation of human rights.
But reason told her that would be disadvantageous.
Lin Ke’s eyes were calm like still water, completely mismatched with the panicked expression on her face.
They told Flora not to act rashly.
What should she do?
All her plans and resistance meant nothing in front of this native noblewoman from another world.
Like a court jester performing to win her smile, it only brought suffocation and helplessness.
But if she did nothing and let Moriyara control her rhythm and will, she would soon become the woman’s expected version of her—abandoning her original pursuits, becoming a part of this world’s filthy, rotten side.
[Damn it.]
She was tongue-tied, her mind in chaos.
Silence was something she couldn’t afford.
“Moriyara, enough, stop this…”
A voice brought a slight easing to the dreadful atmosphere.
The fourth person present finally spoke.
“Some things are unavoidable, like sudden disasters. An organized, premeditated attack without casualties or major losses means Miss Lin Ke did quite well.”
Elka spoke softly.
As a member of Emerald Heart, she was also a master of this villa, naturally holding authority over Lin Ke’s disposition.
“And then?”
Moriyara didn’t release her grip, her voice barely changed, and she didn’t look at Elka.
“I couldn’t even handle that chaos in time, let alone Miss Lin Ke. Didn’t you say you want to respect Flora and train her to become the core of Emerald Heart? Being kind to servants isn’t a bad thing either.”
“Sometimes, I really want to give you a few blows, tsk.”
Lin Ke collapsed onto the floor.
Moriyara shrugged and looked at Elka.
“So what do you suggest? Someone has to take responsibility for what happened tonight. If Flora had really been taken away, I wouldn’t dare guarantee what I might do. A few lashes are nothing; among us nobles, that’s mild.”
Elka shifted her gaze to Flora, who was staring vacantly downward.
By stopping Moriyara, she hoped to gain more favor and trust.
What she had to do next was simple.
“If you want her to become a qualified noble, then let her decide how to deal with Miss Lin Ke. Punishment or forgiveness—it’s her choice.”
“Flora?”
Moriyara called to the stunned girl, who slowly raised her eyes toward the two women.
Her gaze bore no obvious hatred or gratitude—only a blankness they couldn’t understand.
[One plays the bad cop, one the good cop. If I make a choice, what comes next? Will you respect it? The answer has always been no. If I say no, next time you’ll only be harsher.]
Then, she smiled.
Moriyara and Elka were both shocked by her sudden smile.
Because it was a kind of bright, dazzling smile they had never seen before.
Though it was a smile, it radiated no warmth—only thick falseness.
This was a smile that the old Fros would never have.
It fit their expectation of Fros’s transformation, but looked very strange.
“Punish me.”
That was Flora’s choice.
“What?”
Moriyara snapped back to reality, frowning.
“I said, since you want me to punish her, then it should be me who is punished. I was disobedient, hiding myself with magic and thinking of escaping. When that failed, I pretended to sneak into the dining room to steal cake. I’m the one who deserves punishment the most.
Everyone has things to do, and if you don’t do them well, you get punished.
Lin Ke did what she had to, and you all did your part.
That means I’m the bad child who didn’t do what I should.
So punish me.
After you do, I’ll obediently stay in my room, Sister Moriyara.”
Flora spoke clearly and at a steady pace.
In the deathly silent dining room, her clear words seemed long, and the others only understood the meaning after she finished.
At that moment, Flora herself didn’t realize the new effect of the “healing” magic had spontaneously activated.
The pain and gloomy emotions she carried radiated out, affecting the three who saw her fake smile and heard her forced obedience.
“You… called me… what?”
Moriyara asked blankly, trying to confirm the title she just heard.
“Sister Moriyara, don’t you like being called that?”
Flora’s eyes lacked expression as she looked at the silver-haired woman in front of her.
[Am I a substitute for one of your family members? Or someone else?]
She wondered silently.
“No… no, that’s not the case. Hmm, punish you? I’m glad you didn’t run away. Why punish you? Just leave it be…”
Moriyara said, then stood up.
She felt her composure slipping and hurriedly left the dining room.
Elka came to her senses, even more shocked by the scene, but quickly regained her composure and stepped forward with concern.
“Well, Flora, I’m really glad you’re okay. I didn’t expect…”
“Thank you for helping me, Elka. Ahaha… Next time, think about protecting yourself first. I don’t want you to get hurt or troubled.”
Flora interrupted before she could finish, flashing a smile.
Then she turned to Lin Ke. “I’m sorry for causing you trouble.”
Elka opened her mouth but looked dazed, not knowing what else to say.
“Miss Flora…”
Looking at the girl before her, Lin Ke felt a swirl of mixed emotions.
She too felt something indescribable.
Premium Chapter
Login to buy access to this Chapter.