"You are only a worker here, right? What is your name?" Lilynn asked the young woman.
"Quin", she answered quietly.
"Who hurt you?"
Quin looked towards the stone building again.
"Our mistress, Lady Urla. I know it looks bad, but I deserved it. I messed up sewing one of these clothes, and I wasted the precious materials of Lady Urla."
Looking at the stone building's window, Lilynn wanted to find out more about this mistress. Her job was anything but to mind a stranger's businesses, she knew that well. But how could she leave such a young woman behind with those bruises? Something sinister was behind all of this. Something she was familiar with.
"Lead me to her," she commanded Quin, who hesitated. "If she decides to hurt you in front of my eyes, I will make sure that will be her very last act."
"Please, do not hurt our lady! She is very generous!", Quin said. Her behavior started to frustrate Lilynn, who decided to simply walk to the stone building. She will deal with this mistress herself. Upon opening the heavy door, she was in a spacious room full of other young girls, all dressed up like Quin.
The room had many tables with sewing equipment and textiles on top. There was also a staircase leading up to other rooms, perhaps with more workers. At every table was a girl sitting, sewing a piece of clothing. When Lilynn charged in, they all looked at her. They must
"So, I assume you all work here for Lady Urla."
The girls were confused, but a few of them started to nod. Soon the whole room confirmed that they were indeed her workers.
It all started to become clear in Lilynn's eyes. This was a place that she has never been to, but knew so well.
Because all of this in front of her was a mirror of her previous life.
Now, she just had to get her hands on this mistress.
"Where is she? Where is your mistress?"
"Here. What is going on here?"
Another person entered the room. A short, plump lady walked in front of Lilynn from upstairs. Golden jewellery glowed on her wrists and fingers, with an animal fur scarf around her neck that by itself must have been the price of Erwand's entire alchemy items. She took an unamused look at Lilynn.
"Who is this? I hope not a customer, because if she is here to get a refund for torn clothing, you are all going to be responsible for that!"
The girls were whispering to each other in the background.
"Do not listen to these stupid girls. Tell me your problem and I will make sure they fix it," Urla explained to Lilynn with a forced smile.
"I do not need your services. I am here to ask you some questions."
"Ah. Go on. Make it short."
The mistress' attitude got on Lilynn's nerves very quick. Perhaps Urla could not read the room at all, but she did not register Lilynn as a potential threat coming to his manufacturing house uninvited. Maybe Lilynn could just chop off her head with a quick slash.
But she just looked in her eyes and said:
"As I see you are a company owner here. You are the one making orders for these girls, making them work all day for only a few rusty coins. I assume only five silver a week. Is that true?"
Mistress Urla bit her lips.
"Yes, something along those lines. But if they work harder for me and make more clothes, they get extra. You see, I reward their diligence. They should be thankful, but they are whispering behind my back again!"
Urla's suddenly raised voice scared the girls, who were no longer talking, but sitting in silence.
"You see how disobedient they are. I can't just let them be, I am their leader here."
"That is where you are wrong."
Lilynn walked to the first girl closest to her, grabbed her arm, and rolled her sleeves up.
The view she got was just what she expected. The girl had the same big bruises all over it, continuing towards the rest of her body.
"You did this. You work these girls night and day, expecting perfection from them, all of this for only a few dirty coins," Lilynn declared in a loud voice to let the whole room hear it. "What's worse, you are hitting them regularly. I know your type. I know how people like you act against those who barely get to live from one day to another. I was once also a girl like them, accepting my pain because I had no other choice. But people like you are the reason they are suffering. As I suffered. Because you choose to hit them like animals. To you, they are nothing. You disgust me. You deserve nothing but pain."
Mistress Urla was listening and slowly backing up to one of the corners.
"You... how dare you talk like that..."
Lilynn also stepped closer. She got the hood off her head.
The mistress' eyes told that she was suddenly afraid.
"I will be the one to punish you, Urla. You shall remember in hell that the Demoness of Vengeance came for you."
Lilynn's voice was cold and deep, like a frozen pit echoing. She could feel her own eyes burning with hatred. Her right arm became a blade again.
The mistress in the corner was panicking, but Lilynn was now closer to the door, cutting off any nearby escape routes. Urla was stammering something, and then she kneeled down. She was begging for mercy.
"Please, don't..."
Lilynn did not care. She could hear the screams of the girls in the background terrified of what they were seeing, but she did not want to stop. Her demon self wanted death.
"Stop!"
Someone out of nowhere held onto Lilynn's right leg. It was Quin. She was on the ground grabbing Lilynn's right leg with her two arms.
"Please, do not kill her! Without her, we have nothing!" she cried.
Lilynn's mind somewhat cleared. She looked around, exploring the faces of the girls. None of them wanted the mistress dead, even with knowing how evil she was. Even with knowing that if she lives on, she will continue to hurt them. The monster they saw was not the mistress, but Lilynn.
She felt confused. Was this not what they wanted? Was this not the justice the Demoness wanted?
They were all in the same boat as the old Lilynn was. These girls needed the money. If she ends the life of this scum lady, they will find a job provided by an equally sinister wealthy person.
Then killing Urla would mean nothing.
She looked at the kneeling mistress with a different view.
"Look at me, evil scum."
The lady looked up with teary eyes.
"These girls need your money. I decided to let you be in this world, but only on my terms. Do. You. Understand?"
Urla nodded her head very fast, while her whole body was shaking.
"Good. Now, here are the rules. You will never ever hurt them again, not even with words. If that happens, you are dead. You will also not overwork them. If you do, you are dead. And you will also give them more money for each clothing. If you don't... you know the rest."
"Yes.. yes! Of course, my lady! I promise I will never do anything you forbid in front of me!"
That was pretty easy, Lilynn thought. A bit too easy. Except she had no idea how she could make sure the mistress would keep those promises.