After stepping inside the manor, Elaine immediately discarded Laeticia's incident from her brain and proceeded to her bedchamber. She informed the head maid about Mariam's demotion, then dismissed all the servants. Elaine needed rest. She had not enjoyed a peaceful night since the hideous monster kidnapped her to the Insidious Forest. Nothing else mattered to her wearied body and spirit in the current moment beside a long, uninterrupted slumber.
Three days passed, and Elaine rarely left her room, doing little outside of eating and sleeping. No one from outside visited, including Estella's mother—not that she minded. On the fourth day, Elaine finally came to the dining room for breakfast. While finishing her meal, her mind wandered to the ill-fated mistress.
"How is Miss Laeticia lately?" she suddenly raised the question. It had been over three days. Liviane probably informed Gerard about the mistress' misdeed, making her imprisonment public.
A blanketed silence swept the room, and the servants all stared at the floor. Uneasiness piling on their faces.
Elaine raised a brow. It seems like everyone inside the estate now knows Laeticia's situation. "You there in the middle. Answer my question." She pointed at a random male servant, then bit down on a dessert.
The servant flinched. His entire body fidgeted. He looked toward the head maid for instructions.
"Do you need someone else permission to answer me?" Elaine glanced up from her food, frost clouding her silver eyes. "Am I your master, or is she?"
The servant's knees dropped to the floor. His upper body stretched against its surface. "Pl, please for, forgive m, me, milady. I, I, I did no, not m, mean t, to off, offend y, you," the man stuttered. His head repeatedly slammed into the marble tiles.
The head maid stepped forward, inclining her body. "Please forgive us, milady. His Grace decreed no one shall discuss Miss Laeticia's matter."
Even Gerard? She scowled. Elaine placed the dessert back onto her plate, hand rubbing her hurting forehead. She stared at the fearful, kneeling man. "Get up. You are giving me a headache."
The male servant slowly rose, and a large, reddish bump appeared on his forehead. Though his trembling body straightened, his eyes remained glued to the floor. "For your insubordination, I will demote you a rank and deduct three months' salary from your pay. Return to your position," she ordered. Her gaze then traveled to the head maid. "You will answer me in his place."
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"But milady, His Grace commanded—"
"If my father required an explanation, I will bear the responsibility. However, we are not in a discussion. I am ordering you to report the facts. Do not forget that I am my father's daughter and the future Crown Princess. I am privy to all affairs within the estate." Elaine leaned against the table, chin resting on one palm. Her sharpened gaze panned the room. "My patience is running low, and the succeeding punishments will not stay a simple demotion or pay deduction."
Even though she was the master, most of the servants working in the manor reported to Estella's parents. Elaine knew each servant observed her every movement and communicated to Gerard or Liviane. The situation was another opportunity for her to assert dominance, showing Estella's parents, especially the Duke, she was capable and in control of the manor. Elaine would require Gerard's approval and trust for her positioning in the story. His confidence in her would strengthen her future role in his schemes, not as a puppet but as a participant—thus, following the plot. Though she lacked the information on how the original Estella accomplished this feat, she had no desire to wait around.
How long till someone breaks, I wonder. Elaine's fingers tapped on the table, and the noises they created echoed throughout the soundless walls. She watched the servants' constantly changing expressions, altering between anxiety and dread. However, their lips remained sealed.
After a few minutes, Elaine again picked up her half-eaten dessert, finishing it in a few bites, then patted her mouth with a napkin and stood up. "I will count to five," she announced. "If no one talks, everyone in this room will receive fifty lashes and immediate dismissal from your service." She momentarily paused, then an ethereal smile slipped on her face—eyes gleaming. "Well, only if you are fortunate enough to survive your injuries." Her smile, though beautiful, conveyed only chills to its recipients.
All colors drained from the servants' complexions, their eyes darting between each other while cold sweat drenched their backs. The servants' faces agonized, deciding between two tough choices—risk violating the Duke's order or disobeying Lady Estella. Even if they followed another master's orders in the shadow, the Young Lady was the ruler inside the manor. And the punishments she served were final. The Lady's ruthless reputation within the estate came not from thin air. They all had witnessed her killing before. If she ended their life, no one would come to their rescue.
Elaine began counting, “One…two…three…fou—“
"Miss Laeticia is dead, milady," a maid blurted out, unable to withstand the pressure any longer.
"How and when?"
"She…she hung herself inside the Isolation Tower two days ago."
Suicide? Did she not beg me to save her a couple of days ago? Elaine was suspicious of Laeticia's death but had no evidence to prove otherwise.
"What was her crime?" she pressed.
The young maid opened her mouth, only to shut down immediately in fear upon seeing the head maid staring at her—the dining room again returned to silence.
"You two," Elaine chose two manservants in the corner. "Bring the head maid outside and give her thirty lashes for continued insubordination, then throw her into the dungeon. I shall deal with her later." She was no longer tolerant. Though unsure of who the head maid reported to, keeping an obstructive individual like her around would complicate Elaine's plan. The punishment also served as a warning to the remaining servants inside the room. No one was safe, and they, too, were dispensable.
The head maid's collected facade shattered. She slumped to the floor, head banging against the tiles, pleading for forgiveness. "M, milady, please forgive me. I, I was wrong! I will not do it again! Please have mercy!" However, it was too late for repentance. Elaine had already decided. Her silver eyes watched the head maid's face twist in surprise, panic, and horror as the manservants pulled her away.
After the head maid was out of sight, Elaine's gaze returned to the remaining servants—their countenances were whiter than a ghost. "Let's continue." She curled her lips, displaying an amiable smile. Yet to those before her, the smile was more frightening than any monster they had imagined.