"No, please!" the woman begged the two men as they dragged her out. Like them, she worked as a maid, but her uniform was different. As she was placed on the ground, she sobbed. Everyone gave up eating in order to witness the unexpected outburst.
"Peasants!" a woman exclaimed as she walked in, her face displaying anger. She had dark eyes and blonde hair. She was certainly beautiful. Her personality, however, was hateful.
"This will serve as a lesson for all of you," she uttered before snatching a horse whip from one of the men and grinning at the sobbing woman on the ground. Everyone was eager to find out what she had done.
"Show them all, Ryan!" she yelled angrily, making everyone in the hall cringe. The man called Ryan, nodded courteously, and tossed something to the ground. It dawned on them that it was a tiny jewelry box.
"Oh no!" exclaimed a maid next to Lana. Lana was still perplexed by the entire situation. She looked at her colleagues' faces and saw that some had neutral expressions on them, while others had pathetic ones.
"Now, you little bitch, tell them what you did," the lady said in a calm but dangerous voice. Lana winced at her intense anger as she did everything in her power to project toughness.
"I-I was cleaning Miss Fiona's room. I-I saw this j-jewelry box, and i was immediately attracted to it. When I picked it up, I saw that it was filled with pricey diamond jewels. So I took it." The maid sobbed as she spoke.
"No bastard, tell them you stole it." Fiona cut her off, giving the maid a slap on the cheek.
"I stole it," she cried, this time louder. Lana gave the girl a pitying little glance. However, stealing from a house where you work is strictly prohibited. Fiona ordered the men to nudge her in close, then lifted the horsewhip to give her a whipping. Everyone in the hall recoiled as her screams echoed through, as if they were experiencing her pain as well.
"I apologize, Miss. I did it only to help my mom. She is terribly ill and in need of money for her surgery. I didn't mean to please forgive me." She cried while lying flat on the floor. Lana, who was an emotional type of person, felt tears rolling down her cheeks. When it comes to family, she doesn't joke with their affairs.
"Everyone, tell me the most important duty rule." Fiona asked, her eyes filled with rage. Probably enjoying the fact that everyone was afraid of her. She also delighted in torturing others. Lana was still trying to figure out who she was in this house; she suspected she might be their boss's girlfriend or wife.
"Please tell me who she is." Lana questioned the maid next to her. With a smile on her plump, red cheeks, she turned to face Lana. "Miss Fiona is our master's younger sister." Surprisingly calm and courteous, she replied. Since their initial impression of her was one of hatred, she had anticipated a harsh response from them.
"What makes her act in this way? It is just jewelry." Lana mumbled under her breath as Fiona mercilessly flogged the helpless maid.
"It is more than just jewelry. She claimed it was a diamond, and you know how expensive diamonds are." She responded.
"I understand what you are trying to say. She pleaded that she would use it in exchange for money to pay for her mother's surgery. I understand that stealing is wrong, but she can be punished in a different way." Lana commented, causing the red-haired maid to laugh.
"I understand why you said that; you are still new. I have not seen your face before. I am Judy, and I know you are Lana. Miss Fiona is doing the least she can to punish someone who has offended her." Judy said, leaving Gwen and Lana, who were listening, stunned.
"What do you mean by that, Judy?" Lana asked.
"The highest punishment she had for a maid was torturing him or her to death. She is ruthless, like our master." She whispered the final sentence, seeing the shocked expressions on their faces.
"That is brutal!" Lana whispered, her gaze fixed on the girl, who had been severely beaten until she was seriously injured. Lana lost the ability to look, and as a result, she started to dislike Fiona.
"Take her away, Ryan, and confine her to the dungeon until I decide otherwise. Since your mother's foolish daughter chose to steal from me, I am doing this on her behalf, as she may be joining her ancestors." Half of them were shocked as she walked out of the hall after speaking pompously.
"I hope I am not sent to clean her room one day." Lana softly murmured. And realizing that their mealtime was almost over, she ate what was left in her bowl quickly and went to the kitchen area to wash it.
"I need to be in his room." The thought of him made her stomach turn. She said goodbye to Gwen and made her way to Axel's room, exactly as Jane had described it.
She noticed that his enormous door was still closed and that a maid was approaching. Like the maid who was mistreated by Fiona, she wore a different uniform. "Who are you, and what are you doing here?" she asked bitterly.
"I am being assigned by the master to clean his room." Lana replied softly, watching the lady's irritated expression.
"Give me the cleaning supplies!" the maid demanded. Lana was taken aback when someone demanded that she clean the room she was supposed to clean.
"But I was personally assigned by the master to clean his room, and I do not want to go against that order." Lana spoke in a professional tone, attempting to irritate the girl.
"Give it!" she frowned and kissed her teeth before dragging the cleaning tools away from Lana.
"Leave!" she exclaimed rashly. Lana was taken aback by the lady's behavior. After witnessing Fiona and the maid's conspiracy, she was terrified that the master would do it to her.
"But I do not want to be punished, please." Lana glanced pleadingly at the maid and whispered. Observing Lana's continued scrutiny of her appearance and body, she smirked.
"You won't be punished. I am Kate, Master's personal maid, and he will not hurt you. I am just assuming. Get lost!" She laughed, making Lana frown as she walked into the room.
"Wow!" she exclaimed loudly, exiting the hallway to a staircase that led to more hallways. Since she could no longer object to her current situation in life, she joined the other ladies in cleaning.
…..
Axel was still in the room when Kate entered. He was working on some paperwork while lounging on his couch. When she realized how attractive he was, she flushed. "Good morning, master," she smiled, lowering her gaze to the floor. As usual, he did not respond and only gave her a look.
"I do not remember calling you the last time. What are you doing here?" His icy question caused her heart to race. She used the cleaning tools as a kind of support, holding them tightly.
"Sir, I am here to clean. I noticed a new maid trying to clean up your room. So, I took it from her. She told me you asked her to clean, and I knew she was lying because you—" She swore and looked up to see the look of rage on Axel's face. As the day went on, she became more and more aware of his attractiveness, which made her stomach dance.
His calm voice sank, sending shivers down her spine as he said, "Repeat the last part you just said."
"She said you asked her to clean."
"So you defiled my order, huh? I asked someone to clean, and instead of asking me, you." He advanced on her and sent her hurtling to the floor with a punch.
"I am sorry, Master; I swear it is not my intention. Please, I will call her back." She cried, clutching the side of her face, which he punched. He had hit her before; generally, it had happened when she attempted to cross her tiny boundaries. He was doing his sister a favor by keeping Kate alive because they were close, and Fiona loved her company.
"Well, since you are here, I would like you to tidy up not only my rooms but also all of the rooms along the hallway." Her eyes widened when she heard this. All of the rooms along the hallways were intended to be cleaned by a team of ten.
When she realized how much trouble she had just gotten herself into, tears welled up in her eyes. She got up and observed him return to his seat to carry on with his work.
….
"Lana, please come here," Jane said softly as she discovered her in the kitchen doorway, chatting with Gwen. She walked away from Gwen and toward Jane, who was wearing a sour expression.
"I want you to go serve breakfast to the master." Jane said, and she felt her heart leave her mouth. She had no idea why she was scared; her body trembled, and her lungs tightened, making it difficult for her to breathe.
"B-but I thought he had a personal maid." She said this while holding her chest, feeling a small amount of pain.
"Yes, but she is being punished for disobedience." You are supposed to clean the master's room, but since you let Kate do it, I would like you to serve him breakfast. Other maids are busy, and I see you are the only one not working right now." Jane gave a small smile, and Lana realized that what she had said made sense. Even Gwen was occupied cleaning the kitchen, so she was the only one who was not working at the moment.
"Lana, you have got to accept it. Just follow the instructions. When you arrive, knock on his door and enter only when he tells you to. And then tell him why you are there; avoid looking at his face because, as I previously stated, he despises it." Lana gulped down her saliva, feeling her forehead sweat.
She received the food and proceeded to the bedroom. She tried her best to hold the food while softly knocking on the door, but at first she got no response. Once again, she knocked, and that deep, smooth voice ushered her inside.
She inhaled deeply before opening the door. She discovered no one in the room.
"I thought I heard his voice." she whispered. She was astounded to see how enormous and exquisite his room was. It had gold and black paint on it. She chose to place the food tray where she saw a table and a couch with a golden hue.
She turned around and ran into something hard. She gasped when she noticed Axel's frowning face looking deep into hers.