>>Corvina
Days went by quietly. It was decided that I would visit the palace to meet Lyal twice a month. It was the same as last time and I agreed.
I was looking out the open window enjoying the breeze when there was a knock on the door, right as the clock struck noon.
It was the busiest time in the mansion so I wondered who was there.
"Come in," I answered and the door opened.
I turned to look expecting to be Tracy or Hael but it was neither. There is never going to be a day when my father or brother come to visit me, so who was this woman?
"My Lady," The plain looking maid with twin braids bowed as a greeting. She looked awfully familiar for some reason but I couldn't put my finger on it, not at first.
"Come closer," I told her as I turned my body in her direction while I kept sitting on the chair.
"Yes," She was a bit chubby and when she got closer and the sunlight hit her face, I saw she had a lot of freckles. Something pinches at the nerves in my brain.
I know her, but from where?
"Why are you here?" I asked.
Her expressions turned serious, "My lady I came to you before too,"
"Hmm?"
"When I told you about Hael sleeping with a maid," She kept her head down as she nervously fiddled with her fingers, "I was the one who told you about it the very first time it happened."
It suddenly hit me.
It was like a flood of memories that came back to me as I kept my eyes on her
"Nancy," I called her name and she looked at me in surprise.
"Yes!" Her face lit up while my heart fell. Looking at her brought back unpleasant memories back. Memories that made me remember what an awful person I was in the past.
Light palpitations of my heart got louder and I started feeling a sense of suffocation.
"Nancy," I remembered something else, "What proof did you bring along when you came to report Hael the first time?"
She was surprised at my question, and then her gaze fell again, "Uh-" She got nervous, "I saw him, My lady," My chest squeezed as I felt anxious.
"Anything else?"
"W-well," She stuttered as I recalled that indeed when she came running to me that day, that was all she said, that she saw Hael sleeping around with another maid. If I recall correctly, her face was tear stained but I paid her no attention.
"Right,"
I remember I went crazy and nothing else mattered to me, not even her condition which should have been a sign enough. I stomped my way to the library where Hael was working and I yelled at him.
'Hael!' He looked at me in shock, 'How dare you sleep with someone!!'
'I, what?' He was confused about my words. I don't think he even got what I was saying right away.
I put my mana in the gemstone as soon as I accused him of adultery to hurt him and he fell to the ground panting. I was so furious, I didn't even listen to him. I was so immature, I didn't even doubt anything. Because even if I paid no attention to Nancy, I should have paid attention to Hael's reaction.
I was head over heels for him and in that obsession and in the abusive 'love' game, I gave him so much pain
....
Everyone in this house did...
"So, why are you here today?" I asked
"I wanted to tell you that Tracy isn't lying," She had her hands nervously clamped in front of her, "I saw it, I saw him and Tracy in the kitchen the other night."
Ah... The other night.
I saw that too,
"You saw him assaulting her?" My feelings grew more stern by the second, "Or did you see them sleeping together?" I asked this question solely to confirm the fact what Nancy was.
There was a small pause, "...I saw him assault her."
And she proved to be a liar.
"Nancy," This bitch manipulated me all along! Considering how plain she looks, I can tell she's insecure. Did she try to come onto Hael and he rejected her? So she came and lied to me. It must have been too much for to get rejected and she chose to get back at him. She didn't even wash her face and came to me and I was such an idiot back then.
My insecurity always caused me to believe everything anyone said about Hael, especially the bad things.
!!!
And along with that realization came another realization.
So many of the maids wanted to sleep with Hael because of his looks but if I think about it now, he must have started after I punished him for the first time.
Because I didn't listen to him!
My eyes went wide as the memories came back to me. I blamed it on him and to get back at me he started sleeping around... Or maybe it was something more... Maybe he did it to avoid trouble. Or maybe it was both.
That's why he stopped after I showed no reaction to seeing him bang Tracy...
God...
The conversation of the maids made its way to my memory.
''I thought my time would come,'
'Same here,'
'He barely just started and then he stopped.'
'I know right! Only a few maids got to sleep with Hael.'
'Isn't he afraid that someone would tell the lady and get him in trouble?''
Ah,
So that's what it was.
There must have been someone threatening him to sleep with her, otherwise they'll tell me he slept with someone!
There was anger boiling inside of me. All of this was my fault to begin with.
I pursed my lips and looked at Nancy
And the person who was the mastermind behind this all was most likely Nancy. Because she was the person who always came to me to tell on Hael.
Oh Nancy, you cunning little bitch. I doubt Hael slept with her even after all this, that's why she kept going. The only difference was, after the first time, she actually brought back proof.
"Would you like to work for me as my personal maid?" I asked her,
"Yes?" She looked surprised at first, then her face lit up, "Yes!!"
"Good," I nodded at her, "You start from tomorrow." Only someone worse than Tracy would want to work for me.
"Understood,"
"You may leave," I gestured to her and she bowed and left.
***
I guess it's around this time all the maid started swooning over his looks. The bullying changed from the maid... They wanted to sleep with him. I didn't notice it in my past life.... But I guess the males of the house were jealous of him... So that's why he was still getting bullied
I sat in my room, thinking over things when someone knocked on the door
"Come in," I straightened up as Tracy entered the room.
"You called, My Lady," Her eyes were already down today along with her hands tied in front of her
"I heard you said Hael assaulted you,"
"Yes," Today of all days, she didn't dare look into my eyes.
"I see," I nodded, "You're fired." I did not have the energy for playing around, so I went straight to business.
"What?" Her eyes went wide and she looked at me in horror. Right behind her Hael entered the room as well. He was holding a tray of salad and he put it down on the table near the room.
"You're fired, you can leave," I turned and looked out of the window, "I've already appointed someone else in your place."
"WHAT!?" She was ready to scream when I raised my hand to stop her.
"Leave," I glanced at the other person in the room, "Take her out, Hael,"
"As you wish," He smiled and grabbed her from the back and pulled her out.
"Hey!! You can't do this to me!!!" She started yelling but I ignored her and looked out the window to enjoy the weather, "Hey!! You'll regret this!!!"
Her voice faded in the distance as she got dragged away while I, on the other hand, felt so exhausted, it felt like someone was draining my soul.