Episode 36
“P-Please, Head Maid… I-I’m begging you… sob…”
After Eliano gave the order, Miller had returned from the bathroom and told them to hit harder. Lavender felt like her world was collapsing. Even if it was under the lady’s orders, she couldn’t help but hate the maids who were mercilessly slapping her.
“You say you don’t know what you did? That makes it worse.”
Eliano came out of her bath and sat in a comfy armchair. Miller quickly covered her with a blanket, and a few maids began drying her hair—more carefully than ever. Eliano looked into Lavender’s eyes, full of anger and resentment, and clicked her tongue.
“You still haven’t come to your senses. Take her away.”
A strong maid dragged Lavender back into the bathroom. She was thrown onto the wet floor with a sharp scream. Cold water was poured over her body.
“Cold water might help her think clearly.”
At Eliano’s command, the maids began pouring icy water over Lavender’s head. When she tried to run, she was beaten. Watching from the side, Jane looked like she wanted to disappear. Inside the bathroom, Lavender screamed and begged for her life. Eliano let out a quiet sigh.
“If someone hears this, they’ll think I’m trying to kill her… Don’t you think so, Jane?”
Jane trembled and bowed her head. She had no idea what Lavender had done wrong either. All she could do was pray Lavender would remember and confess soon.
“M-My lady… I don’t know what Lavender did, but… Could you please… forgive her? I know I’m out of line… I’m sorry…”
Jane fell to the floor and pleaded. Eliano tapped her fingers on the letters laid out on the table.
“Raise your head, Jane. I don’t like it when people avoid my eyes during a conversation.”
Jane looked up and met Eliano’s eyes. Her tearful eyes were shaking.
“Kind Jane… do you feel sorry for Lavender? You could’ve been in her place, you know…”
“W-What…?”
Eliano had originally planned to have Jane and Lavender face each other and slap each other instead. The other maids had nothing to do with this and their swollen hands made her feel pity.
“W-What do you mean…? D-Did I do something wrong too…?”
“If you had, you’d be in there right now.”
Eliano had recently asked Miller how the letters ended up in her hands.
Even after Pamela was dismissed, the condition of the mail was strange. Some days, all letters arrived properly. Other times, love letters and invitations from noblemen went missing—only those. It was clearly her father’s work. So she questioned Miller closely.
— After Pamela was dismissed, the butler handed the letters to Lavender. Since your orders, I’ve been receiving them and passing them to Lavender and Jane.
At first, Eliano thought the filtering happened with the butler. But when she visited him in person, he looked confused and was just about to give the letters to the Head Maid. His expression was sincere. Even after warning him, the letter problems continued.
There was only one explanation left.
Her father had already turned her maids against her.
Eliano felt a cold chill in her blood. So her younger body wasn’t just physically weaker—it had dulled her instincts too. She’d completely misjudged the people around her.
If Jane hadn’t visited her in secret that night and confessed what her father had ordered, she would’ve been punished just like Lavender.
— My lady, the Duke summoned me and Lavender together. Lavender told me not to say a word, but…
Jane had felt sorry for Eliano, whose father watched her every move. She herself had once run away from overly strict parents and knew how suffocating it was. Worse, she had served a young noble who ended up taking his own life because of his mother’s obsession.
After that, Jane left that family and came to serve at the Rosana estate. Compared to her old mistress, the Duke was even stricter.
Jane feared Eliano would end up like that young man. And when she found out it was her father’s obsession, and not her mother’s, it felt even more dangerous. That’s why she gave Eliano a quiet warning. She was even willing to help her escape.
That small kindness saved her from sharing Lavender’s fate.
Back then, Eliano had held Jane’s hands and thanked her. She’d tried to give her a jewel, but Jane had refused.
— I didn’t tell you this because I wanted a reward, my lady… I just wanted you to be a little freer… I’m sorry if I overstepped.
Eliano’s face had been too dark to read that day.
Because of that, Jane had no idea what had earned Lavender her lady’s fury now.
When Eliano stood up, the armchair was moved closer to the bathroom. She leaned back and looked down at Lavender. Her green eyes were cold, and her face looked bored. Miller, who had seen noblewomen hand out punishments, thought Eliano was even scarier than a duchess ordering a public whipping.
In her past life, Eliano had often tracked down spies in the Empress’s palace. She even threw bloodied maids and servants at her husband the Emperor to warn him. Some servants had their nails pulled out for betraying their masters. Compared to that, this was child’s play.
She only wondered when it would end. Torture was a necessary evil, but it did ruin one’s peace of mind.
Eliano preferred to make her enemies confess themselves. That way, they often admitted to more than she ever imagined. But she doubted even pulling out Lavender’s nails would help—Lavender didn’t even know what she’d done wrong. Eliano sighed.
Then she gave her a hint.
“Lavender, why did you touch my mail?”
Soaked and shaking, Lavender’s eyes went wide. Even the other maids’ faces changed. Touching the lady’s mail… no wonder she was furious.
Lavender should be thankful she wasn’t being whipped. If it were the Duke, she would’ve been executed. This was mercy. As the other maids silently judged her, Lavender shook like a leaf and clutched her hands together.
“N-Never again… I won’t touch… sob… your mail again, my lady… I-I was wrong…”
“That’s it?”
“H-Huh…?”
At Eliano’s glance, a strong maid grabbed Lavender’s hair and began dragging her toward the bathtub. This time, she pulled harder—clearly believing Lavender deserved it.
Lavender’s head was shoved deep into the freezing cold bath. It had been refilled with icy water just for this. She trembled at how cruel her lady could be—and then she swallowed water. Her eyes stung, her nose burned, and she couldn’t breathe. As she flailed her arms in panic, Eliano said,
“What are you doing? Hold her tight. She might hit her head on the bottom and die.”
The maids quickly held Lavender down.
“Lift her.”
Lavender’s head was pulled out. She coughed, choking, and gasped for air.
“Put her back in.”
At Eliano’s calm voice, Lavender’s head went in again. This repeated again and again. As it did, Eliano wore a tired expression.
“Lavender, why did you do it?”
“T-The…”
Lavender trembled, struggling to speak. Eliano clicked her tongue and ordered her back into the water. Lavender’s face filled with fear—
—and disappeared under the surface again. No matter how much she wanted to speak, nothing came out underwater. The repeated near-drowning pushed her to the edge.
“Lavender, are you ready to talk now?”
Eliano’s voice was soft—so gentle it felt merciful. As if she’d forgive her if she just admitted her crime.
“M-My lady, I-I’m so sor—”
Eliano sighed and looked annoyed. Lavender’s head was shoved under again. Just before she lost consciousness, she was pulled out.
Now tired of waiting, Eliano grabbed Lavender’s hair herself. Lavender’s head tilted back, forcing her to meet Eliano’s cold, piercing gaze.
Lavender thought she might die—not from lack of breath, but from fear. That look… it was the same one Eliano had when she strangled Pamela. Lavender hiccupped in terror.
“I don’t want to hear ‘I’m sorry.’ I want to know why you did it. Why is that so hard to understand, hmm?”
This time, Eliano shoved her head underwater herself. Jane rushed to help hold Lavender down—if Eliano got hurt, Jane knew she’d be dead.
“Help me!”
Jane’s shout made the other maids join in to pin Lavender down.
When Lavender finally stopped struggling, Eliano pulled her up and slapped her face hard. The ring scratched her cheek, but Lavender didn’t move. After a few more slaps, her eyelids fluttered.
“Ugh…”
Lavender slowly regained consciousness—and wished she hadn’t. Dying would’ve been less painful.
“Why did you do it? If you don’t answer right now… I really will kill you.”
And with her last bit of strength, Lavender finally screamed.
