KFBRV Ch 17

Malea smirked, casually brushing cookie crumbs from the corners of her mouth.

[Malea] "Oh my, you appeared so suddenly, I made a mistake. I was certain you were still in the dungeon, My Lady."

[Odette] "Shouldn't your first words be an apology?"

Odette let out a sharp, cold laugh at the girl's boldness.

The Head Maid quickly stepped in, her voice dripping with fake concern.

[Dolly] "Now, My Lady, don't make such a scene. It was an honest mistake. The tea is already cold anyway. Are you really going to bully a new maid over nothing? People will call this another one of your tantrums—"

[Odette] "You think the tea is cold... do you?"

She reached for the teapot sitting on the side table. Though it had cooled slightly, steam still rose from the spout. Without a word, she tipped it over Dolly's head.

[Dolly] "Agh! It's hot! My Lady! What do you think you're doing?!"

[Odette] "I made a mistake because I was surprised. I was shocked to find people in a place they don't belong."

The Housekeeper, Courtney, glared at Odette, her eyes wide with shock as she tried to intervene.

[Courtney] "My Lady, watch yourself! Have you forgotten that we are under the Countess' protection? If you continue this behavior, we will tell her everything."

[Odette] "Ah, are you talking about the woman who was locked in her room this morning? Do you think her favor can protect you now? I wonder if your precious protection will ever even leave that room again."

Courtney flinched. She had seen a glimpse of Odette's defiance the day before, but she had assumed the dungeon would have broken the girl's spirit. Instead, Odette seemed stronger.

Odette didn't stop until the very last drop of tea had soaked into Dolly's hair. As the liquid began to drench the bed sheets, Courtney scrambled back to keep her own skirt dry.

[Dolly] "It's too hot! I need cold water!"

[Odette] "It's just tea, Dolly. Don't make a scene. As the Head Maid, you should be setting an example for the new girls."

When she tried to rush off the bed, Odette placed a hand firmly on her shoulder, pinning her down.

[Dolly] "Let go of me! I need to rinse this off!"

[Odette] "An apology comes first. Once you give me a sincere apology that satisfies me, I will let you go."

Odette's grip was light but unwavering. She looked each of the new maids in the eye, her expression unreadable.

[Maid] "H-Head Maid..."

The younger girls looked back and forth between Dolly and Odette, clearly panicked.

Odette wanted them to feel this humiliation deep in their bones. It was the only way to ensure they would never sneak into her room again.

[Odette] "Let's start with you, Malea. You're the one who ruined my dress. And I must say, your impression of me pulling Paula's hair was quite convincing. Perhaps you missed your calling as an actress."

Malea's face went pale. Dolly, fearing for her own skin, suddenly turned on the girl.

[Dolly] "What are you waiting for?! Apologize now! Can't you see this is all your fault for spilling the tea? Tell the Lady you're sorry!"

Dolly's loyalty vanished the moment her own comfort was threatened.

If Dolly and Courtney had worked together, they could have easily forced Odette away. But they had spent all morning brainwashing the new maids, telling them that Odette was a monster who bullied them for no reason.

If they used violence against a noblewoman now, in front of witnesses, it would break the very rules they claimed to follow. A servant touching a noble was the ultimate taboo.

Malea's eyes filled with tears of frustration.

[Malea] "You were the one who suggested we come here, Head Maid! You said you would take responsibility if we got caught! How could you..."

[Dolly] "Be quiet! Just apologize! Do you want me to make your life a misery? You're lucky to even be here, you daughter of a common criminal."

The room went silent as Dolly revealed Malea's secret—that her father had been arrested for dealing in stolen goods.

Malea's expression shifted from shock to pure betrayal. The other new maids looked at Dolly with new eyes, realizing their leader would discard them in a heartbeat.

Malea lowered her head, her voice trembling with shame.

[Malea] "I... I am sorry, My Lady. I will never mock you again."

[Odette] "And?"

[Malea] "I will never enter your room without permission again. I am sorry for my disrespectful behavior."

Following her lead, the other maids dropped to their knees and pressed their foreheads to the floor.

[Maids] "We are sorry, My Lady!"

Odette turned her gaze toward Courtney, the Housekeeper.

[Odette] "And what do you think, Courtney?"

Courtney was used to having her way, relying on the Countess' power to look down on Odette.

[Courtney] "Let Dolly go, My Lady."

[Odette] "Oh, how sad. I thought you and Dolly were friends, but it seems your skin is the only thing you care about. She's in pain, yet you won't even say a simple word to help her."

[Dolly] "My Lady, I was wrong! I won't do it again! Please, just let me go!"

She was desperate now. She looked at Odette with a mixture of hatred and terror.

[Dolly] "Courtney! Just apologize! We were wrong to come in here. The Lady is right!"

Dolly was now screaming at her former friend.

[Odette] "I hope the rest of you are listening."

The room was silent as the maids kept their heads down.

[Odette] "Never step foot in my room again. If you are ever this disrespectful to me again, I will show you what a tantrum really looks like."

When she had been kind, they called her a villain. Now that she was actually acting like one, they were too terrified to speak.

[Dolly] "Courtney, hurry! My Lady, I am so sorry! We were wrong! Please let me go!"

Odette watched the chaos with a calm satisfaction. She had successfully driven a wedge between Malea and the Head Maid.

In her previous life, Dolly had helped Malea become the Countess' favorite; that future was now destroyed.

She had also set a trap. The Housekeeper and Head Maid would surely run to Ferdinand to beg him to release the Countess so they could get revenge. But in doing so, they would prove to Ferdinand that they were loyal only to his mother, marking them as his enemies in his new quest for power.

Courtney finally lowered her head.

[Courtney] "...I apologize, My Lady. We were wrong. We will not enter your room again."

The Housekeeper bowed, followed by the line of kneeling maids.

Odette finally released her grip on Dolly's shoulder.

[Odette] "You may leave."

Dolly scrambled out of the room as if her life depended on it. Odette walked over to Courtney and lightly patted her cheek.

[Odette] "Remember this moment, Courtney. No matter what you think of me, your place is always beneath mine."

Courtney bit her lip, her face red with humiliation.

[Odette] "You can mock me all you want, but at the end of the day, you will still be the one bowing to me."

She turned to the remaining maids.

[Odette] "Clean this mess. Every inch of it. And while you work, I want you to repeat one phrase: 'my Lady, we are sorry. We will never enter your room without permission again. Say it loud enough for the entire mansion to hear."

[Maids] "Yes, My Lady."

Odette wanted the news to spread fast. The more the other servants heard their cries, the more they would fear her. With the Countess locked away and the men at the Palace, no one would come to save them.

[Odette] "Courtney, you will stay and help them clean."

The Housekeeper looked stunned. Asking her to do manual labor was the ultimate insult.

[Odette] "Well? What is your answer?"

[Courtney] "I... I will do it, My Lady."

[Odette] "Malea, come to the kitchen once you've finished crying. I have something to say to you in private."

Malea was still sobbing, her secret exposed and her pride shattered.

Leaving the maids to their chanting, Odette walked toward the kitchen with a cold, determined expression.

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