“Mother…”
The moment she opened the door, Ilous sensed something was wrong. Although Madam Vanessa was still sitting in the study with her back to her, her body was trembling uncontrollably. It was as if Ilous’s instincts were screaming at her.
They were warning her that a far more severe punishment was coming.
“You’re here…”
Madam Vanessa didn’t even look up. She simply sat there, seemingly focused on processing some documents.
“Come here. Stand before me.”
Hearing this, Ilous tried to walk forward, only to realize that her legs had gone numb without her noticing. The atmosphere in the room was suffocating.
She forced herself to move. When she finally stood before Madam Vanessa, the woman’s pen paused for a beat before she lifted her head.
“Ilous, I’ve heard some reports from the other maids recently. Your performance among them has been quite… interesting.”
‘What does she mean?’ Ilous froze, her mind racing. Thinking back over the past few days, she hadn’t done anything wrong except for sneaking out last night to buy that necklace.
‘Is she onto the fact that I spent my money? That shouldn’t be possible, right?’
While Ilous was still debating whether she should confess, Madam Vanessa spoke again.
“I heard you’ve taken a liking to a certain maid lately? Let’s see, her name is Eliana.”
Glancing at the letter in her hand, Madam Vanessa’s expression turned frost cold. The chill radiating from her made Ilous shudder.
“You actually forgave her for spilling the spices on my behalf? For a lowly servant? You know, Ilous, I loathe that sort of thing more than anything.”
So that was it. It seemed the ones who had snitched were those two maids—the tall one and the short one.
Ilous had a sudden realization. She opened her mouth to explain, but before she could utter a single word, Madam Vanessa cut her off.
“I know what you want to say. You’re here to plead for her, aren’t you?”
‘Plead for that demon? As if!’
Ilous couldn’t help but groan internally at her mother’s words.
She had only wanted to report the reality of workplace bullying. As for pleading for Eliana? That was pure fantasy. Not only was she not pleading, but she was actually thrilled that Eliana was being punished!
It would be best if they used the most brutal, agonizing punishment on Eliana to pay that bastard demon back for always bullying her.
“Hmph. I’ll have someone give that lowly servant fifty lashes later.”
‘Fifty lashes? Hehe, serves her right!’ Ilous was initially gloating, but then her brow furrowed as a thought occurred to her.
‘Wait. That girl is severely ill. If they drag her out and whip her fifty times, can her body actually take it? If… if she gets pushed too far and decides to stop pretending, I’ll definitely end up as her next meal!’
‘These people can die if they want, but don’t drag me down with you!’
Ilous’s heart tightened, and the words tumbled out of her mouth in a panic.
“Wait a moment!”
Madam Vanessa’s pen stopped. Her sharp gaze pierced through Ilous like an icicle.
“What? You still want to plead for her?”
“No… that’s not it!”
Ilous quickly lowered her head, her brain working at high speed. How could she keep Eliana from being punished?
“Mother, haven’t you been negotiating for the Spice Business lately? Eliana might be a bit foolish, but she has a natural talent for identifying the scents of different spices. Besides, she’s… she’s very observant. She was the one who served you tea last time.”
The young girl looked up, cautiously observing Madam Vanessa’s expression.
“If you punish her now, she definitely won’t be able to work. Why not… let her make up for her mistake by contributing to the family trade? It won’t be too late to punish her once the business is concluded.”
The study fell into a heavy silence. Madam Vanessa leaned back slowly against her chair, her fingertips tapping on the desk. Ilous could hear the frantic drumming of her own heart.
Another moment that would decide her fate.
“You’ve actually learned to consider the family’s interests.”
Madam Vanessa’s voice was devoid of emotion.
“She is spared. But how shall we handle your overstepping? Who gave you permission to exercise the right of forgiveness in my place?”
Ilous bit her lower lip.
“I was wrong, Mother. I am willing to accept any punishment. I only hope you will consider my proposal.”
‘Damn it, I never thought I’d see the day where I’d plead for a bastard like Eliana. But as long as she doesn’t get triggered, anything is fine.’
Another suffocating silence followed.
“Very well.”
Madam Vanessa finally spoke.
“Eliana’s punishment is suspended. In addition to serving you, she will work in the Spice Storehouse until the trade is finalized. As for you…”
She opened a drawer and took out a Brass Key.
“The Confessional Room in the deepest part of the basement. You know what to do. Three days.”
Ilous’s heart sank. That was a windowless stone room—cold, dark, and damp, containing nothing but a single, frozen Goddess Statue.
It was absolutely not a place meant for humans. Even so, Ilous breathed a sigh of relief. Eliana hadn’t been provoked, so her life was safe for now.
“Yes, Mother.”
She took the key with trembling hands.
***
After night fell, she gripped the key and walked toward the depths of the mansion. The chill of the cellar seeped into her very marrow. When the iron door at the furthest end creaked open, the smell of mold rushed out to meet her.
The Confessional Room was barely ten feet square, a cramped and tiny space.
The stone walls were carved with prayers of repentance. The Goddess Statue held a pair of scales, her eyes blindfolded.
Ilous knelt on the freezing stone floor and placed the key at the statue’s feet.
The iron door slammed shut behind her, and darkness swallowed everything. Only a tiny, weak sliver of light managed to seep through the gap under the door.
“Sigh, the miserable times begin.”
The girl sighed and shifted into a more comfortable sitting position.
Time flowed like thick sludge in the silence. Ilous hugged her arms tightly. The cold was causing her to lose sensation in her limbs. In her daze, she thought she heard extremely light footsteps stopping outside the door.
“Miss.”
It was Eliana’s voice, muffled by the thick iron door.
Ilous snapped awake instantly.
“What are you doing here?! Is your illness cured?”
“Of course I’m better. I’m here to bring you a blanket.”
Eliana’s voice sounded full of energy, completely different from how she had been that morning.
Soon, a thick wool blanket was stuffed through the gap under the door.
“And this.”
A small paper parcel slid in after it. Ilous felt around for it and opened it to find several pieces of honey gingerbread.
“I heard you ended up here today because you helped me, Miss. So, I wanted to give you something in return.”
‘The best return would be you not eating me,’ Ilous thought absurdly.
“Oh, right, Miss! You haven’t heard, have you? Something big just happened in the manor! Something huge.”
Eliana lowered her voice, acting mysterious.
“What is it?”
“Someone in the manor has died…”
“What?!”