Solitary Lady

Chapter 6

* * *

That was a terrible dream.

When I opened my eyes, the morning sunshine was peering in through the curtains. The clock pointed to 6:45. I lay in bed and stared up at the ceiling for a moment before getting up. I had woken up early, maybe because I had slept early last night, or maybe because it had been my habit for such a long time.

I sat on my bed and thought about what to do from now on. If I wanted to gain more power, I’d have to stay in Inoaden for a while. Judging from my past experience, I would soon have the opportunity to have my Power awaken a second time. Then it would be nice to finish what I could not in my former life.

I spent some time organizing the thoughts in my head when I suddenly heard footsteps approaching my door. It was time for a maid to come and wake me.

Whoosh!

“Wake up, miss!”

As expected, someone opened my door and entered without even asking for my permission. She also shouted at me with an ear-splitting voice. It was a maid in her uniform. Of course, her actions were unbelievably rude for a maid. As people always say, if you give someone an inch, they’ll take a mile.

I had been a pushover who did not say anything harsh to the staff, so her actions were only natural. She was my personal maid, yet she wasn’t to be seen anywhere yesterday and only appeared this morning. I was sure she would still act this way toward me after what happened in the garden because my father had strictly ordered the witnesses to keep quiet. He was not acknowledging me as the heir, so the staff must have decided that there had been some kind of misunderstanding. The strange attitude that the staff saw from me in the dining hall wasn’t enough to make them treat me differently.

“Oh, you’re awake today.”

The maid flinched slightly in surprise at the sight of me sitting on my bed, but she brushed it off quickly.

“Well, all you do is laze around every day, though I suppose it’s possible you wake up early every once in a while,” she quietly muttered as if talking to herself, but her words weren’t hard to miss since she had intended for me to hear her.

She walked past my bed and drew the curtains, looking irritated. Bright light flowed into my room. Of course, moving past me without even a greeting was a very impolite thing to do, but she did not seem the least bit concerned. She tied up the curtains while continuing to mutter to herself. As she turned away from the window, she hesitated for a moment. I had been watching her quietly when our eyes met.

“You...” When I slowly began to talk, she flinched a little. “Shut your mouth and bring me water to wash my face.”

I could imagine what my face looked like, even without looking in the mirror. I had become more and more pessimistic and cold over my many repeated lives. Now, I was certain it showed on my face as well. I would seem quite the opposite of how I had been until yesterday.

“Were you talking to me just now?” she said blankly.

“Is there anyone else besides you here?” I replied.

The maid opened and closed her mouth. I spoke to her again, “Do not make me repeat myself.”

My voice was not particularly filled with emotion, but she recoiled as if she had read the warning hidden beneath my words. She walked away hesitantly, sensing something was strange but unable to pinpoint what it was. I guessed she was startled since I had never spoken to her that way before. If it were the old me, I would have apologized for troubling her.

The maid returned a moment later with a hint of annoyance on her face. She must have felt irritated by my unexpected response after the shock had worn off while fetching my water.

“Here, wash up. And here is your towel.”

She placed down the glass bowl roughly in front of me. The water sloshed and spilled out of the bowl, drenching the edges of my sleeping gown. After practically throwing the towel at me as well, she stood in front of me with her arms crossed.

I watched her for a moment and looked down. Dipping my hands in the water, an icy chill ran up my fingers. This was no surprise. I was used to such treatment, and I did not care if I washed my face with cold water. However, I did not feel like doing that now.

“Ahh!” The maid screamed as I grabbed the bowl and threw it on the floor. The water splashed all over the carpet, drenching her feet and the hem of her dress.

“Miss, what have you done?”

“May,” I replied, using her name this time.

She had always looked down on me. Seeing as that had never faltered throughout my seven lives, one could praise her for her unchanging character.

“How long have you worked here?”

She looked at me with raised eyebrows, likely wondering whether I had lost my mind. Since I was watching her calmly after asking my question, she seemed taken aback.

“I-it’ll be a year in two more months...”

My personal maids had always changed frequently. Everyone knew how I was treated in the House of Inoaden, so none of the maids wanted to serve me. Perhaps that was why May, the new maid, had ended up getting the position.

“I cannot believe you do not even know how to get the temperature right. Is there a problem with the head maid who taught you, or was it my late stepmother’s fault for hiring a head maid who does not know how to educate the other maids? Or is it both?”

May flinched at my words.

“A maid who acts so shamelessly after bringing cold water to her lady. Unbelievable.”

May seemed to be feeling anxious because of my strange behavior. She clenched her mouth shut and stared at me in confusion.

“Who would even take your side if I kick you out after a beating?”

I began talking realistically, and May’s eyes widened in surprise. Aside from the words I just uttered, me being the one to say them was probably unexpected as well.

“If you have not worked here a full year, you will not be able to get a recommendation when searching for another job. No family would take in a maid who was kicked out disgracefully.”

“M-my lady,” May stuttered as I hinted at dismissing her.

“But that will only be the case if I let you out unscathed. Searching for another job would only be possible if your body is intact,” I continued.

She drew back a little at my threat. She must have realized that I was fully capable of dismissing her in the worst possible way. Sure, I was looked down on by everyone in the House, but dismissing one maid if I wanted to was not difficult. If I were to summon someone to torture her and chase her out after, no one had the power to actually stop me.

“You might think that I am bluffing,” I said.

My father and brother could certainly scold and criticize me for it, but they would not go out of their way for a mere maid.

“You might think I am only threatening you with empty words,” I continued in a calm voice, as May’s shoulders began to tremble, “and I am sure I looked like a weak and foolish master to you until now, so your actions are understandable.”

How could they not be? I had been overly cautious with May, to the extent that one would not be able to tell who was the maid and who was the master. It would, of course, be difficult to accept my sudden change of attitude after all this time.

I looked straight into May’s eyes and warned her in a low voice.

“However, you should know that the person in front of you now is completely different from the one you knew up until yesterday.”

May probably had no clue what I was talking about. It was impossible for her to know that I had changed over seven lives. I could say that myself until yesterday morning and myself after that were two completely different people.

“I am your master who can punish your insolent tongue and hands however I want.”

My tone was calm and composed, but my words were sincere. As if she had felt it as well, May’s eyes quivered with fear. Frankly, I had already scolded the staff and ruthlessly kicked them out in my previous lives.

“I have already forgiven you twice today,” I stated.

However, I only stopped because I did not want to waste my time and energy on such meaningless things.

No matter how wicked the staff was to me, they were never much of a threat, and my life had never changed because of them, either positively or negatively. Moreover, I learned that treating the staff harshly by abusing my power over them did not really make me feel any better.

“There won’t be a third time.”

This warning was sufficient. She wouldn’t be around that long anyway.

“So go fetch my water,” I ordered, glancing down at the glass bowl on the carpet.