Rale's POV
Hello, I'm Rale. I was an orphan on the streets. I struggled; this world was very harsh, where the weak are meant to be bullied by the strong. And there are three types of strong people: those with status, those with money, and those with physical strength.
I had none of these. I thought I would die in the streets, but when my hopes were lost, I was saved by a person who took pity on me. She took me with her, gave me new clothes, and offered me a job in the palace, which so many people yearned for.
Her status was the head maid of the royal palace. Claire—the one I always saw as my idol, my big sister, and even had a crush on. She always had the straight face and domineer of a perfect maid. But once, I saw little Princess Lyanna come crying, saying that she had a nightmare. Big Sis Claire hugged her, saying that she would always be there to protect her.
That was the first time I saw Big Sis Claire smile. I didn't want to be weak; I wanted to repay her, but I didn't know how.
At that time, Isola approached me. She told me the only way to help Big Sis was by helping Lyanna succeed to the throne. I was given a mission: to make the prince's life a living hell. I was afraid at first but agreed when I realized this was the only way I could help Big Sis.
After that, Madam Isola put a seal on me, saying it was a truth seal, and that I would always speak the truth to Isola. I didn't think much of it, as it is normal to place a truth seal to avoid betrayal. She assured me that if things went wrong, Isola would save me.
The job was to scare and poison Prince Zarok on a regular basis.
At first, I was scared, but when I beat Zarok and he didn't retaliate, I became more daring. This was the first time I bullied someone above my status, and I began to enjoy it.
But things began to change with Prince Zarok. He started giving off an aura that could scare people. The change was 180 degrees, so I began to suspect he had been taken over by a demon. I decided to report it to Madam. Should I stop giving poison? No! I have to do something for Big Sis, and if I stop now, Big Sis will be disappointed in me. I, Rale, who has been brainwashed by Isola, think nothing will happen to me as long as I have Empress Isola as my backer. Even in the original story, when Zarok found out about the poisoning, I ran back to the capital and framed Zarok of attacking her. And with Isola's help, I succeeded.
But now, I wrote a letter to Madam Isola. Isola always warned me not to use her name while writing the letter, so I was careful. I poisoned his meal again, but after some time, Knight Elvin suddenly barged into my room.
Back to the Present
Rale slowly opened her eyes to find herself tied to a chair, blood dripping from the corner of her mouth. Her hazy eyes swept across the room, which was dark. "Where am I?" she wondered. Then suddenly, Elvin walked in front of her. "You're in the basement of the main building." Rale was shocked. "What are you doing?"
"Rale, we have enough evidence to prove that you are a spy sent by the Vermilion Empire," Elvin said without showing any emotion.
Hearing this, Rale was dumbfounded. 'I'm a spy sent by the Vermilion Empire? Since when? I always thought I was under Madam Isola,' she thought. Then she realized there was a misunderstanding.
"We caught the pigeon with the letter you sent," Elvin spoke.
Hearing this, Rale's eyes widened in horror. "This is bad! The message didn't reach Madam Isola. I have to stall for time before Madam realizes something is wrong." Rale became cautious, fully alert, because her next words could determine whether she lives or dies.
"Haha," Rale suddenly let out a laugh. "You say I am a spy, but did you know that the prince has been taken over by a demon? As the person closest to the prince, I can tell the difference," she said with a smug look, knowing that if Elvin suspected and investigated, she could buy time until Isola sent someone from the palace to rescue her. And if Prince Zarok was taken over by a demon, even better. She could get rid of him through Elvin and claim the credit.
Elvin remained emotionless. He landed a punch to Rale's abdomen, and she spat out blood. If it were before, Elvin might have believed her, but now he had seen His Highness using divine magic and thought that this woman was still playing tricks on him.
"Elvin, leave the rest to me." Hearing this, he quickly calmed down. This was His Highness's voice. Zarok entered the room and ordered Elvin to go outside. Elvin was reluctant, fearing Rale might hurt His Highness, but he agreed.
Zarok turned towards Rale. "I won't interrogate you because I know who sent you. It's Isola, right?"
"If you know, aren't you afraid of the consequences?" Rale said in an exasperated tone.
"Hahahaha," Zarok just laughed. "Consequences? She should be afraid of me. And if you're thinking your Madam will save you, dream on. The seal she placed on you was a master-servant seal, which she can use to dispose of you." Hearing this, she panicked. She didn't want to die; she had to meet her Big Sis. "No, you're lying!"
Zarok: "Do you think I look like I'm lying?"
Rale was scared. She didn't want to die, but it was a fact that she believed in Isola, and now she had been used. Panic, horror, and disbelief were all over her face.
"Even if I die, I won't let go of you, bastard! It's all your fault. If only you didn't exist, Big Sis and Lyanna would have lived peacefully. Lyanna would have become the Empress without any problem. You are the villain in our lives," Rale said, only to annoy Zarok.
"Yes, I am a villain! And this villain will soon get rid of Claire and unite you all in hell," Zarok said, unmoved. He is not the protagonist of a typical novel, committing misdeeds with a mask of justice. He admits he is a villain. Then he turned back and left the basement.
"No, no, please don't do anything to Big Sis. I will do anything, but please don't harm Big Sis!" Rale was screaming in agony. She could see Zarok wasn't joking. She didn't want anything to happen to Big Sis, but Zarok didn't care.
Zarok could kill Rale, but he didn't because he wanted to confirm one thing. According to the master-servant seal, if the master dies, the servant dies along with them. So he wants to see whether the poison works on Isola or not.