KFBRV Ch 3
- Jan 14
- 6 min read
Updated: Feb 5
When Odette cut her off, Paula was momentarily speechless.
Of course she is. Until yesterday, I would have been desperate to stay on the good side of the woman who enjoyed my mother's favor.
How much pleasure had Paula derived from tormenting a noble lady and reigning over her?
Understanding the depths of the maid's inferiority complex, a natural, mocking laugh escaped Odette's lips.
[Paula] "How dare you speak to me—"
[Odette] "If you intend to provide 'discipline,' you ought to set an example. How do you expect to teach anything when you lack the most basic courtesy of knocking?"
At her sharp remark, Paula's face twisted.
[Odette] "Furthermore, look at yourself. Your emotions are written all over your face, Paula."
[Paula] "...My Lady."
[Odette] "What could I possibly learn from a disciplinary maid who cannot even maintain her composure? You've allowed your base instincts to show."
Abandoning the high-pitched, childlike tone that Ferdinand preferred, a refined, powerful, and natural voice flowed from her.
By ceasing her desperate craving for love, so much had changed. More than just her voice and manner of speaking, her entire perspective had shifted. The Paula she once feared now seemed utterly pathetic and insignificant.
[Odette] "Or did you come here to teach me how to behave with such insolent disregard for one's station, Paula?"
At her cold mockery, Paula's face turned a violent shade of crimson.
W-what is this?
Paula was bewildered. It was because Odette appeared, in every sense, like a perfect noblewoman. It wasn't merely her flawless etiquette; Paula and the senior servants had always mocked Odette's perfect behavior because they knew it wasn't born of noble grace, but of fear and abuse.
The Countess had often taken pleasure in finding fault with obscure rules in etiquette books, using them as an excuse to threaten Odette with being cast out before "graciously" taking her back. Odette's desperate, obsessive adherence to those rules had always looked stubborn and ridiculous—a compulsion born of sheer terror.
But today, though her movements were the same, they carried the weight of a ruler that Paula struggled to remain calm.
She is just Odette.
The maid was certain that as soon as she mentioned the Countess, the girl would come crawling back.
[Paula] "If you continue to act this arrogantly, I shall report everything to the Madam!"
Odette only smiled softly, yet she exuded a cold, noble pressure that felt as though it could crush Paula where she stood.
And what is with that voice?
It was elegant, like a flute, possessing a quality that could enchant anyone who heard it.
Paula trembled slightly. It felt as though she was witnessing the very ideal of a noble voice she had always tried—and failed—to imitate.
[Paula] "My Lady, kneel this instant. You were confined to this attic as punishment for faking an illness during your injection yesterday! Have you forgotten the Master's orders?"
Paula could not back down. She sensed instinctively that if she lost ground now, she would never be able to dominate Odette again.
I am the one who truly belongs in a position like hers...! How dare this orphan girl!
If she lost this, how was she to vent her long-standing resentment? The moments where she felt superior to Odette were the only highlights of her life.
[Paula] "Have you forgotten your lowly birth? Perhaps I should suggest to the Madam that she revoke your adoption immediately."
She was determined to ensure the girl never defied her again. Her blood boiled with resolve. Dropping her pretenses of refined speech, she snarled at Odette.
It was then that a sharp crack echoed through the room. A cold hand struck her cheek with stinging force.
[Paula] "W-what is the meaning of—"
She gasped. Odette's strike was far sharper than she had expected. It was a strength one would never anticipate from such thin arms. Her vision blurred for a moment; the blow had been delivered with expert precision.
[Odette] "You lack manners, Paula. If I were to learn etiquette from the likes of you, I would be the laughingstock of high society."
While Paula was dazed and her grip weakened, Odette snatched the horsewhip from the maid's hand. The movement was fluid and graceful, yet so swift it was impossible to block—much like the slick trick of a master cutpurse.
How can her hands be that fast?
While Paula stared stupidly at those magically quick movements, the horsewhip came down across her back.
[Paula] "Aaaakh!"
She collapsed to the floor instantly, reeling from a level of pain she had never experienced in her life.
[Odette] "Didn't you always say it? That there is nothing better than a horsewhip for correcting one's habits."
H-how can it hurt this much?
For twelve years, she had only used the whip on Odette; she had never been on the receiving end. The pain was beyond anything she could have imagined. Her body shook violently, and her will to fight evaporated.
[Odette] "Kneel. Today, it seems I must be the one to discipline you."
Had those teal eyes always been this frigid?
Paula, who couldn't even compose herself after a single strike, scrambled to her knees. Cold sweat poured down her face at the thought of feeling that agony again. Her mind was filled with a humiliated rage that made her want to strike back, but the raw pain forced her body into submission.
[Odette] "A maid who threatens her own master... it seems it is you who requires an education."
With a graceful motion, Odette raised the whip and brought it down on Paula's back once more.
[Paula] "Aaaaaah!"
Though she had only been struck twice, she trembled and broke into tears.
[Paula] "M-My Lady..."
[Odette] "Don't forget to count the strikes aloud. That is how one learns to reflect on their mistakes, isn't it?"
She spoke in a low, soft voice, perfectly mimicking Paula's own habitual taunts.
I'll tell the Madam... she won't let this go. You think I'll just let this humiliation slide?
Paula, relying on the Countess' favor, gritted her teeth. But the overwhelming pain of the whip was enough to scatter her resolve to the wind.
[Paula] "Thr-three! Hic!"
She clenched her teeth as she felt her palms grow damp against the floor.
Odette looked down at Paula with glacial eyes after the maid fainted following a mere five strikes.
To lose consciousness from such a meager effort... how pathetic.
Compared to what Odette had endured, the intensity of these blows wasn't even half of what she had once suffered. Unlike her own skin, which would bleed after only three strikes, Paula's skin wasn't even swollen yet.
And yet, you screamed at my younger self, telling me that thirty strikes were the bare minimum.
When she had sobbed in pain, Paula had added dozens more, claiming she was merely exaggerating. The woman was monstrously cruel to others, yet ridiculously indulgent toward herself.
If I had enough time, I would have waited for her to wake up to finish her "education" properly...
Unfortunately, she was short on time.
Now that Paula has lost consciousness, it will take a bit longer for word of this to reach my mother.
As she lay slumped on the floor, Paula seemed to fit in perfectly with the grime of the attic. Perhaps it was for some suspicious reason that this girl had always received treatment far too grand for a mere maid.
[Odette] "You've wasted my precious time."
She whispered to the unconscious girl before turning to leave the room. She did not forget to lock the attic door from the outside, ensuring her prisoner remained exactly where she belonged.
[Odette] "My time is not as cheap as yours."
With that, she made her way toward her original destination.
Odette left the attic and headed toward her own room. It was on the second floor—a small chamber attached to Ferdinand's bedroom. It was situated much like a room for a royal mistress, tucked beside the Emperor's chambers.
[Countess] "Do you think a mother doesn't know her own son? Of course, I realized long ago that he harbors lust for you as you grow. Why do you sound... offended? For someone like you, shouldn't it be an honor?"
Her voice, mocking Odette in the cell, echoed in her mind. She spoke as if to flaunt that the Albrecht family viewed her as nothing more than Ferdinand's toy.
[Countess] "Insolent girl. To think you don't know your place after being adopted as a plaything for Ferdinand."
What on earth had to be inside a person's head to raise such a beastly son? It was agonizing to think she had spent her entire life trying to become family with such people.
With a stoned cold face, she gripped the handle of her door. As she did, a figure inside the room turned to face her.
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