Chapter 43: Adjust education, omitting 10,000 words

Merlo bowed slightly, then straightened up, beginning to recount in meticulous detail the events that had transpired before and after the competition.

As she listened, however, Aida’s gaze grew increasingly peculiar.

It was as if Merlo wasn’t truly recounting a story, but rather delivering a sterile battle report to a superior officer.

Her narration, it could be said, lacked any charm, merely listing, item by item, what had happened and who had been defeated, which caused Aida to press a hand to her forehead in exasperation.

“Uh, Madam, are you feeling unwell?” Merlo asked with genuine concern, utterly oblivious to any impropriety as she watched Aida sigh and press her hand to her forehead.

Aida waved a hand, and just as she was about to speak, a sudden realization struck her.

She had almost forgotten that Merlo had, in fact, been a warrior—or rather, a soldier—until only half a month prior.

The Radiant Knight was merely an honorary title, bearing certain symbolic significance; Merlo herself had simply been a vanguard soldier on the front lines.

She wasn’t even a general; at most, she had been a mere squad leader.

Thus, Merlo had frequently been required to report battle outcomes to her superiors.

In essence, it was always “a great victory in this battle,” repeated over and over again.

Therefore, she naturally had no idea how to make a “story” sound engaging or compelling.

“Never mind, I understand now,” Aida said, casting aside her jumbled thoughts and steering the conversation back on track. “It seems Melina has done quite well.”

Merlo nodded in agreement. “Yes, Madam, the Young Lady has been very diligent.”

Aida, however, looked at Merlo with a sense of gratification. “But all of this is thanks to you; without you, Melina would not have been able to achieve these things.”

Merlo paused, startled, but did not agree with Aida’s assessment.

“Although I did provide some assistance to the Young Lady,” Merlo said, “I also caused her to bear a burden she should not have had to.”

She thought of something and asked tentatively, “Madam, I can bear the entirety of the Kiss of Thorns for the Young Lady, but she does not agree. So, might the contract be altered to an equal contract? That way, once the Kiss of Thorns is activated, I can proactively bear all of the pain myself.”

As she listened to Merlo’s inquiry, Aida’s expression gradually darkened.

“Merlo, do you… have no selfish motives?”

“Eh?” Merlo was stunned, gazing at Aida with a hint of shock, having not expected her to ask such a question.

“I… I was saved by Madam when I was at my most helpless,” Merlo stammered. “It was Madam who granted me a second life, and Madam who was willing to help me achieve my revenge. Furthermore, the Young Lady has been very kind to me…”

Aida waved her hand dismissively. “I am not asking you about these things. I am merely asking you: do you have no selfish motives in doing this? When I asked you to form a master-servant contract, was there truly not a single trace of dissatisfaction in your heart?”

“I…” Merlo opened her mouth, but no words came out.

“Answer me,” Aida’s voice grew stern.

“I… I was just surprised,” Merlo stammered. “I thought…”

“You thought that you and I were partners, that we could peacefully and happily complete the great task of revenge, and finally, live happily ever after as a family, isn’t that right?”

“Uh…”

“Kneel!”

A chilling reprimand cut through the air, and in the next second, Merlo felt an overwhelming pressure from deep within her very soul instantly descend, forcing her knees to buckle and bringing her to the ground.

Merlo stared at Aida in shock, her eyes filled with both astonishment and profound confusion.

What shocked her was how Madam Aida could command her through the contract.

What confused her was why Madam Aida would do such a thing.

“Madam…”

“Silence!”

Merlo wanted to defend herself, but under yet another command, her mouth clamped shut, utterly unable to utter a single sound.

She knelt on the ground, watching Aida rise imperiously and look down at her from above.

“Merlo, you yourself said it: that I granted you a second life,” Aida stated, her voice devoid of warmth. “Do you not understand then that this means your life is mine, to use as I please? Even if… I found you displeasing and wished you dead, you would have to obediently die.”

Merlo’s mind went utterly blank at that moment; she could no longer comprehend why things had escalated to this point.

Why was Madam Aida, standing before her, so utterly unfamiliar?

Was this still the Madam who, though somewhat strict, was actually quite gentle?

“You seem to have something to say.”

“But I do not wish to hear you speak right now, so… you cannot speak, do you understand?”

Aida stood up and sighed. “It seems you still haven’t truly shed your old way of thinking,” she said. “You haven’t truly realized the change in your identity.”

She took something out of a desk drawer, and Merlo’s eyes widened instantly upon seeing it!

“You are no longer the Radiant Knight,” Aida declared. “You are merely a humble maid of the Espel household. Even if Espel has fallen into decline, it remains a noble house, and I am the Countess.”

“On the surface, you maintain a submissive attitude, yet your heart still belongs to the invincible Radiant Knight.”

Holding the object, Aida approached Merlo.

She gazed directly into Merlo’s eyes. “What I need is not a partner,” Aida stated. “I merely need a sharp sword, a sword capable of piercing the hearts of my enemies, and this sword does not need to possess its own thoughts. Do you understand what I mean?”

Her hands encircled Merlo’s neck, wrapping the object she held around it once, and then locking it into place.

It… was a red collar, with a chain connected to it, held firmly in Aida’s hand.

“Now, you may speak, house s*ave.”

With permission granted, Merlo finally felt the restriction on her mouth lift.

She looked at Aida with a lost expression. “Madam, have I done something wrong?”

Aida’s hand, gripping the chain, trembled ever so slightly.

Immediately afterward, she gave a sharp tug on the chain, pulling Merlo directly to the ground.

Then, she proceeded to drag Merlo towards her bedroom in this manner.

“I have already made myself quite clear,” Aida stated. “Your only mistake was having your own thoughts. And now, I intend to crush those naive thoughts of yours. Crawl over here!”

Another command, yet it brought Merlo immeasurable humiliation.

She could only use her hands and feet, following behind Aida, crawling forward, compelled by the pull of the chain.

She had once been the youngest titled knight, a genius Spirit Master revered by all.

She had once dominated battlefields, unrivaled beneath the False Gods!

Yet now, she crawled forward like a dog.

She suddenly understood why Madam would do this.

The humiliation she felt at this moment was precisely the reason Madam was humiliating her so.

She… had actually never truly considered herself a maid.

In the eyes of nobles, a maid was merely a servant.

Yet she had naively believed that “maid” was merely an external identity, that both the maid etiquette she had practiced and her attitude and address towards Melina and Aida were simply to allow her to quickly embody the role, like an actress.

Perhaps Melina did not see it that way, but Aida…

Only now did she understand that while Aida could be kind to her, could jest with her, she was, ultimately, a noble, a Countess.

No matter how illustrious the Radiant Knight’s military achievements, her status remained that of a commoner.

Not to mention her current self, Merlo, was not even a commoner anymore.

She was a maid of Espel, and a wanted criminal of the Alliance.

To use her, this sword, inherently meant bearing the highly probable troubles that would arise because of her.

The bedroom door closed, and under the dim light, Aida sat on the edge of the bed.

Still holding the chain in her hand, she gave it a gentle tug, pulling Merlo before her.

“From now on,” Aida declared, “your head shall only rest at my feet.”