novelzi Chapter 16
Chapter 16
The basement level of Blackwood Manor. The etiquette room.
We’d been dragged here after our brawl in the dining room’s preparation room, with no time to come up with an excuse.
Presently, all four of us were kneeling on the floor, listening to Head Maid Melissa’s lecture.
Well, it’s more accurate to say that we were forced to listen.
“Wh-what.... what’s all the fuss about?!!!”
The head maid, with vocal cords that sounded like they had been flamed by a dragon, lectured other maids and I.
With her hair pulled back in a bun, she lectured us in a high-pitched voice that could have echoed throughout the mansion.
We, the lowly maids, had no choice but to listen to her sermon, and there was no escape.
“You are all disappointments as ladies and as maids!”
I don’t know her exact age, but she was probably in her mid-40s or early 50s.
The reason why I don’t is because there was no official information. Even if I had played over 2000 hours of Luminor Academy in my previous life, I couldn’t possibly know something that the company hadn’t revealed.
“Lilith! Are you listening to me?!!!”
“Yes, ma’am, I’m sorry!”
Wow, shit. I thought I felt my heart drop for a second.
You don’t yell in my ear just because I was distracted.
At this point, I’m just grateful that Melissa wasn’t the main character.
If her voice had been added to the game, I’m sure there would have been more than a few people who would have been startled during gameplay.
After yelling at me to get my attention, the maid returned her gaze to the four of us and continued her loud sermon.
The sermon, which started with the basic posture of a lady, continued tirelessly for an hour.
‘Oh, my legs hurt....’
I’d been kneeling for an hour already; my calves were cramping and my whole body was tingling.
Luckily, the garlic odor in my mouth was gone after I’d discreetly used Clean.
If I’d had to sit in that position for an hour while enduring a biochemical attack I caused on myself, I’m sure I would have lost my mind much earlier.
“...As maids of the Blackwoods, we must always remain calm, noble, and steadfast in our duties....”
Melissa continued her sermon for another 30 minutes, then scanned each of our faces one last time.
As if to confirm that we were listening, she began to call each of us by name.
“Ariana Lawrence.”
“Yes.”
“Alicia Hayes.”
“Yes.”
“Catherine Lane.”
“.......Yes.”
“Lilith Rosewood.”
“...Uh, yes....”
“All of you will sweep the floors of the hallways of the first floor of the mansion and clean the stables for a month.”
Oh, no. I’m fucked.
As if the three days of kitchen help I’d already had weren’t enough to kill me...
Apparently, sweeping the ENTIRE first-floor hallway floor wasn’t enough, and now I have to clean the stables?
Not to mention, I’ll have to do that with those two bitches, Ariana and Alicia?
I was dazed by the transfer of duties that no one in their right mind would accept.
Just as I was about to offer my opinion on the changes, Ariana interrupted me and stuck her snout in.
“Excuse me, Head Maid Melis-....”
“Head Maid Melissa. Please reconsider this personnel move and disciplinary action.”
Made a move, but she’s one fast bitch.
If I interrupted Ariana again and spoke, it would only make the head maid’s impression of me worse, so I lowered my hand and kept quiet.
After all, I had already done enough persuasion... not intimidation... on her earlier today.
“Uh...I....”
“What?”
“I-I don’t agree with Ariana...ma’am.”
“Is it fair to say, then, that you’re arguing that Lilith has been faithful in her duties?”
“Yes, ma’am... W-Well, rather, Lilith.... d-did what us three were supposed to do.... b-because she did everything....”
Despite her fragile nature, she somehow defended me and didn’t fall for Ariana’s seduction.
I’m glad I didn’t end up being outnumbered three to one in a popularity contest.
I apologize, Catherine, for calling you a stupid maid who pisses in front of her juniors. It was all in my head, but I apologize anyway.
I’m glad she somehow found the courage to speak up, and that she was spared the worst that could have happened.
Now it was my turn to save her somehow.
Well, it’s more like pulling her out of a sinking ship.
“Then there’s a disagreement since Ariana’s and Catherine’s claims are contradictory.”
“Catherine is merely lying out of sympathy for Miss Lilith, Head Maid!”
“No, Head Maid. Senior Catherine is correct, and I can elaborate further on that.”
“...Go on, Lilith.”
Lilith’s right to speak was somehow secured by Catherine’s refusal to agree with Ariana.
It was a precious opportunity, and I had to capitalize on it.
I had to prove my innocence, and most importantly, I had to get to the part where Ariana had gotten off on the wrong foot.
“Every single day since the day I was transferred, I’ve been at work at 4 a.m. to trim the vegetables, and from that time until 6 a.m., the other seniors didn’t show up to work, but merely left me to do the work... not to do it themselves.”
“When you say seniors, do you mean including Catherine?”
“Yes. I’m not lying about that fact.”
I deliberately looked at Ariana to emphasize the word ‘lying’, and then went straight to the defense, this time to save Catherine alone.
“Senior Ariana and Senior Alicia are the ones who made me go to work at 4 a.m. alone. Catherine is weak-minded, so she had no choice but to agree with them. In fact, she came to work an hour earlier than the others this morning to help me with my work, even apologizing to me for overworking me so far.”
“Is that true, Catherine?”
“Yes, it is.... Head Maid Melissa.”
She didn’t lie.
Catherine indeed came in earlier than usual to help me in the kitchen, and she did apologize for overworking me.
Of course, the reality wasn’t as simple as I’d just described it.
“In line with that, I’m accusing Senior Ariana and Senior Alicia of unjust dereliction of duty.”
“For that remark, can you take responsibility?”
“Yes. Also, I would like to request that Senior Catherine, who was injured while shielding me from Senior Ariana’s unwarranted violence, be held accountable for my statement as well.”
“Hmph.”
Head Maid Melissa alternated her looks between Catherine, Ariana, Alicia, and me.
After looking at each of the four of us once, she nodded once and opened her mouth.
“If one of the claims is true and the other is false, then I’m afraid we can’t decide on the level of discipline to be imposed at the moment.”
“....What?”
“Head Maid Melissa, Miss Lilith is lying....”
“So we’ll continue the disciplinary process on this matter after dinner, and the four of you should return with evidence or witnesses to corroborate your statements.”
“...Evidence or witnesses?”
“If you don’t have any, you’re welcome to come back as is. However, if one of you has more solid evidence or witnesses to back up your claims than the other, we’ll adjust the discipline accordingly.”
“.......”
“.......”
...Ariana... I didn’t think a little punching of that bitch would get this serious.
At this rate, that bitch is dragging my meal prep operation to the brink of destruction.
It was at that moment that I realized that at least one of us was going to be severely punished.