14 - Pieces of the Broken Glass Slipper
Shattered Glass Slipper Shards Episode 14
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“Young Lady? Did something happen?”
As I stood with a serious expression, unable to move, Marie asked cautiously in a voice that seemed to crawl.
Ever since she had been severely punished by me, she had been almost completely obedient. In Marie's small head, the afterimage of Seril, who was inside the Capsa, and the bracelet I had temptingly given her must surely remain. That's why she's 'pretending' to genuinely worry about me like this.
I shook my head back and forth and said to her.
“No, nothing. Marie, let's go back now.”
There was no need to trouble myself by imagining events that hadn't happened yet. I could only hope that the man had lips as heavy as a lock.
As I elegantly turned, my dress hem fluttering, I felt a sharp gaze from somewhere, as if it were watching me.
It was impolitely blatant, but it was clearly either Theodore Vitrice or one of his subordinates, so I pretended not to notice and accepted the knight's escort. My fiercely pounding heart seemed to say that my connection with him was not yet over.
Would it be too much of a leap to think that I had met some 'mastermind' whom my past self, by not going out on this day, could not have met, and thus would never have known until death?
However, the man's sly tongue, his somewhat melancholic disposition, and his dark eyes exuding a dangerous aura were too impressive to dismiss as a fleeting encounter.
‘So, if we meet again someday, we won't be able to part with a smile like today.’
As I was led by the knight's hand, before getting into the carriage, I glanced towards the direction of the strong gaze and smirked languidly. Then, I moved my lips as if I were half-mute, silently uttering a single word.
‘Let's meet again next time.’
I don't know if he saw my words, but judging by the loud laughter carried on the wind, it wasn't a complete loss. So, let's call this round a draw.
After buying stationery and returning home, it was soon dinnertime, and Marie became busy. She took off the dress whose hem had become dirty and brought new clothes.
As if my skin might have been damaged by the brief exposure to sunlight, she brought water with jasmine floating in it, and was busy making a whitening cream to smooth my skin.
While being attended to by Marie, I glanced towards the Capsa. The groans coming from inside were getting stronger, as if she were finally coming to her senses.
With Marie's help, I changed my slippers and approached the Capsa, opening the lid slightly. I could see Seril, her face swollen from crying, unable to even open her eyes properly, flailing her hands towards the air.
I called her name softly and gently in a sweet, kind voice.
“Seril, are you awake?”
Perhaps her throat was dry from crying for so long, Seril's parched lips moved, searching for water.
“Ugh… W-water!!”
“Oh, my. You must be thirsty, poor thing. Yes, I should give you water. But before that, there's something you need to say, isn't there?”
But the stubborn Seril kept her lips tightly shut, refusing to give me the answer I wanted.
I watched her and smiled faintly. Yes, this is just like you.
I reached out and gently stroked her swollen cheek, like I was soothing a child. Then, I said in a cheerful voice, like singing a song.
“Yes, yes, that's right. Keep being so stubborn. I'm not upset at all by your actions. Speaking of which, you said you were thirsty?”
I gestured to Marie to bring a cup of water. Then, with a sly smile towards Seril, who was glaring at me through narrowed eyes, I poured the water Marie brought into the Capsa.
“Here's your water. Drink it gratefully, kneeling like a dog.”
Without waiting for a reply, I closed the lid of the Capsa and whispered my final words.
“If you intend to be a dog, bark. Then I'll let you out. Of course, it shouldn't be too late. Before your pretty back becomes a festering mess of bedsores, and your lower half becomes soiled with excrement. It's not difficult. Just bark. Oh, and don't think of using any cheap tricks. If you try to deceive me with half-baked ideas, I will not hesitate to wring your delicate neck.”
She was covered in bruises and had not eaten or drunk for half a day. The cramped interior of the Capsa would also be draining her strength.
If left like this, she would probably not regain consciousness until tomorrow. She didn't even have the strength to wail!
But I had no intention of giving Seril the chance to rest comfortably and recover her strength inside the Capsa. So, I gestured to Marie.
“Marie, I have a request for you.”
“Just say the word.”
“It's not a difficult task.”
“What is it?”
“It's very simple. Just come into my room every two hours and kick this Capsa for ten minutes.”
Marie's face turned pale. Tears welled up in her eyes, and she shook her head.
“Ah, Young Lady. Please, do not make me sin further. How much more will you torment me? Are you not going to forgive me for what happened this morning?”
“What? You call punishing a maid who deceived her mistress a sin? Fine, if you think so, I won't order you.”
Her face lit up at my words. But it was only for a moment before my next words made her face darken like charcoal, filled with despair.
“Instead, I will call for someone. They will scream and gasp for breath like a mad person. They will shout that they found Seril in the Capsa and then faint. Oh, yes. You look like you're wondering what I'm thinking. It's just a very interesting story: you stole my bracelet while I was visiting my mother, and Seril caught you. So, Seril, being brave and righteous, told you she would report it to me, and you, flustered, couldn't overcome your fear, knocked her out with nearby objects, and beat her until she nearly died.”
“M-my goodness. Young Lady!!! How could you say such a thing!!”
“Shhh. Be quiet and listen. In your fear, you beat her mercilessly, and Seril's injuries became worse than you expected. Fearing she might die if left like this, you began to treat Seril with trembling hands. Then, you heard my footsteps. Panicked, you put Seril into the empty Capsa with all your might and pretended not to know, attending to me. Fortunately, I left to buy stationery, unaware of anything. But when you returned home and went to prepare jasmine water to attend to me, the unconscious Seril woke up, and I, hearing her groans, happened to open the Capsa. Horrified, I screamed and called everyone. How is it? How do you feel hearing such an interesting story?”
I looked at Marie, who was gasping for breath as if she were about to faint, with a leisurely gaze.
The reason I could act so outrageously without consequence was entirely due to the immense power of my status as 'Young Lady'.
The fact that I could get away with spouting such absurdities and making unreasonable demands was because I was a daughter of the Bishvarts Family.
Therefore, even if I screamed and gathered people, no one would listen to Marie.
This was because she already had a reputation as a maid who had tried to harm me and was caught. If I added that she tried to steal my jewelry and run away out of fear of being fired, no one would be able to refute it.
Of course, Seril could refute my words, but she, who could barely speak, could only communicate through gestures. This could easily be dismissed as her speaking nonsense because she was not in her right mind.
Most importantly, her adoptive father, who was already angry that a maid tried to deceive his adopted daughter, would surely not be able to look me in the eye if such incidents continued.
And he would try his best to appease me. Hmm, this also seems acceptable?
However, since it was difficult to train a new maid like Marie, I waited patiently with a generous heart, allowing her to make a wise decision.
“Ah, Young Lady, I'll do it. I'll do it, so please don't do such a thing. I was wrong.”
Marie knelt and pleaded. She was genuinely afraid of being kicked out of the mansion. For them, working in a Count's estate, especially attending to the Young Lady, was the highest-paying job.
Could they, who had lived eating soft bread with jam and tea, wearing clothes made of linen and muslin in exchange for serving a noble lady, survive doing menial labor?
I can say with certainty that they could not. It was impossible for those who had lived a life better than commoners to go back to softening hard black bread with saliva and washing clothes in icy water.
Moreover, Marie was a maid specially trained to deal with nobles. Her standards had already risen so high that she could not possibly sleep in a dilapidated bed where rats scurried in the gutters.
Most importantly, for maids like Marie, there was nothing more terrifying than being associated with dishonorable acts and being expelled.
Rumors had such great power that they would be rejected not only by other noble families but even by ordinary shops.
Therefore, from the beginning, there was no choice. I held the reins. Poor Marie. She was nothing more than a delicate butterfly caught in my web.
She would continue to sway on the string until I sucked her bodily fluids dry and discarded her on the floor.
I nodded and helped Marie to her feet. Then, I looked at her, trembling with shaking eyes, and said sternly as a warning.
“Yes, that's right. Never question my orders again. My patience is not very long.”
Marie nodded. She shook her head so violently that it looked like her neck might fall off. Her appearance amused me, and I burst into loud laughter. Then, I kissed her cheek.
“Then, do your best.”
The evening banquet with my adoptive father was quite excellent. The salt-cured pig's tongue was fresh, and the ham cooked in wine was incredibly tender.
Especially the grilled quail skewers seasoned with lemon and butter were an indescribable delicacy; I couldn't help but marvel at the cooking technique that used sage to eliminate the gamey smell of the meat.
The roasted veal pancreas seasoned with eggplant and the meat jelly served with crushed pine nuts were also perfect, and I was very satisfied.
Finally, after finishing with cherries preserved in honey, cheese, and wine, I was barely able to satisfy my hungry stomach. It would have been a much better occasion if not for Roena, who chattered incessantly at me.
Roena couldn't keep her mouth shut throughout the banquet. It seemed she was trying hard to throw various stories at me, having abandoned her perfect dining etiquette somewhere.
Perhaps the excitement of having a new family hadn't subsided, her blush-tinged soft cheeks were very cute and lovely. Her lively, sparkling eyes were fixed on me the entire time.
The topics of conversation were very diverse. Throughout the meal, she discussed various subjects spanning literature, history, and art.
The problem was that most of the topics she brought up were solely within her area of interest, with no consideration for me. Roena seemed to have forgotten that I was a commoner who had not even received a proper education. Otherwise, she would never have steered the conversation to such topics.
What came out of her mouth were stories of very high difficulty, which I would never have known if my past self hadn't studied relentlessly to defeat Roena.
It was only because I already knew everything that I could respond so calmly; otherwise, I would have been unable to answer and would have turned red in the face, feeling ashamed of myself.
I felt deep anger at her attitude of not considering the other person, lost in her own mood. I found his behavior, which would have led him to say with his characteristic awkward expression, 'Ah, sorry. You wouldn't know about this,' if I hadn't been able to answer in time, to be dreadful.
