Chapter 45: Something is wrong with madam!

The maid lay in bed, while the mistress, head of the household, was now tending to her body.

How to describe it? It felt like a complete reversal of the natural order.

Yet, recalling the mistress’s demeanor from the previous night, Meiluo found herself utterly bewildered as to why she was acting this way now.

Madam Aida’s movements were efficient and precise.

She would wipe away a stain, dip the cloth into the water to rinse it, wring it dry, and then continue her ministrations.

The water was warm, and Aida’s touch remained gentle, yet firm enough to effectively cleanse away any grime.

By all accounts, given Meiluo’s preconceived notions of nobility, the mistress ought to have been fumbling awkwardly, yet this was clearly not the case.

This woman was no pampered aristocrat.

“Madam, you truly needn’t trouble yourself so.

My body’s current state is merely temporary, and I shall return to normal shortly.

There is no need for you to personally attend to me, as I… I am but a mere maid of the Esber household, a… a servant, Madam, and Miss’s… s*ave.”

“Are you deliberately trying to humiliate me?” Aida sighed, her movements ceasing.

Meiluo blinked, her expression utterly bewildered.

‘No, really, which of us is humiliating the other?’

‘Who was it last night who demanded I address her as ‘Mama’ and ‘Mistress’?’

‘And who was it who insisted I bark ‘Woof, woof, woof’?’

‘Moreover, daring to utter a single human word would earn her a lashing!’

‘How utterly outrageous!’

‘And now she claims I’m the one humiliating her?’

A profound sense of injustice welled up within Meiluo.

As if recalling the night’s own frenzied acts, Aida rubbed her temples, a headache clearly forming.

“My apologies,” she murmured. “Just pretend I never said it.”

With that, she tossed the towel onto Meiluo’s body.

“Since you’ve made your stance clear, once sensation returns to your limbs, go take a bath and freshen up.

Though you’ve already advanced in the first round, this path of knighthood is one of constant growth.

Knightly combat serves not only as a selection but also as a crucible for development.

If you grow complacent and halt your progress after a single victory, then… well, there will be no point in even speaking of revenge.”

Her voice held a note of melancholy.

Meiluo couldn’t fathom Aida’s current mood, just as she couldn’t comprehend why Aida had succumbed to such a frenzy the night before.

Aida rose and departed, pausing only when she reached the doorway.

Without turning, she spoke softly, her back to Meiluo, who lay on the bed as sensation slowly returned to her body.

“You need only ensure that little Meilinna continues to win,” she said. “You needn’t concern yourselves with anything else.”

With that, she pushed the door open and exited.

****

A moment later, Meiluo pushed herself up from the bed, sitting upright.

She stretched her limbs, finding that the lingering numbness had begun to recede.

Still, the gradual return of sensation had left her feeling profoundly uncomfortable for quite some time.

Picking up the towel, she made her way into the bathroom adjoining the mistress’s bedroom to cleanse herself, yet her mind remained fixed on Madam Aida’s peculiar behavior since their return home.

She couldn’t shake the feeling that Madam Aida’s actions, from the wild abandon of last night to the solicitous care of this morning, were deeply unsettling.

While she had gradually come to realize that a tenacious, even obsessive, streak lay hidden within Madam Aida’s personality—a tendency to become extreme, or perhaps already having become extreme, in her pursuit of revenge, though usually well-concealed—such tenacity did not equate to outright madness.

What, then, had truly transpired with the mistress?

After cleansing herself, Meiluo donned a brand-new maid’s uniform, which the mistress had thoughtfully prepared for her earlier.

There was no other option, as her previous uniform had been ruined by the mistress’s scissors the night before.

The mere memory of last night—the chilling sensation of those scissors, inching downward from her collar, or the unsettling touch as they grazed her private areas—sent a profound shiver through Meiluo’s entire body.

Having tended to her body, she slipped into the traditional maid’s uniform.

Its high coverage effectively concealed all the purplish marks that now adorned her skin, leaving not a single trace visible from the outside.

Meiluo shook her head with a resigned sigh.

She then tidied both the mistress’s room and that ominous, secret chamber before finally stepping out the door.

The hour was already late; she needed to find Miss Meilinna and commence their training for the day.

The mistress had been right; they could not afford to be complacent, lest victory elude them entirely.

Yet, before she could even reach Meilinna’s training room, she encountered another maid within the sprawling estate.

It was the head maid, Margaret.

“Good morning, Miss Margaret,” Meiluo greeted, performing a respectful curtsy.

Whether it was due to the mistress’s profound ‘re-education’ from the previous night, Meiluo’s every movement now seemed to align more perfectly with the definition of a ‘subordinate.’

Even Margaret herself couldn’t help but pause in surprise upon seeing her.

For prior to this, Meiluo had never once curtsied when greeting her, and had always addressed her as “Madam Margaret.”

Now, however, she had used the address “Miss.”

This particular address, in a certain sense, inherently conveyed deference—an acknowledgment of a superior status.

“Madam,” by contrast, had always highlighted a relationship of equality or parity.

“Hello, Meiluo,” Margaret responded, though she naturally offered no curtsy in return.

“You… has something happened?” Margaret inquired, a note of caution in her voice.

Meiluo paused, momentarily failing to grasp Margaret’s implication.

Yet, having encountered the head maid, it was an opportune moment to inquire whether anything unusual had transpired within the household over the past couple of days.

“I am quite well, thank you for your concern, Miss Margaret,” Meiluo replied.

“But tell me, has anything… happened to Madam?”

The question was remarkably blunt.

Typically, a maid would not presume to discuss her mistress’s affairs so openly, even in private.

Yet, observing Meiluo pose such a question, Margaret found herself thinking that, despite everything, she was still the same Meiluo.

Indeed, had it not been for the events of the previous night, no one in the Esber household, including Meiluo herself, would have truly regarded her as a mere servant.

Not even Margaret, the head maid, nor old Edward, the butler.

In the eyes of these two long-serving retainers, Meiluo’s position as a maid was merely a formality; her true standing was, in fact, on par with both Meilinna and the mistress.

This was precisely why Meiluo had never truly considered herself a servant; she viewed her relationship with the Esber family as one of mutual utility, a means to achieve their respective ends.

Alas, the events of last night had utterly shattered that perception.

Yet, judging by her demeanor now, it seemed her perception had been shattered, yet not entirely so.

Confronted with Meiluo’s question, Margaret furrowed her brow in thought.

Then, with a hint of hesitation, she began, “Ordinarily, as a household servant, it would be improper for me to casually discuss the head of the family.

However, these past few days, Madam has frequently left early and returned only in the dead of night, invariably in a foul mood, and often bearing the heavy scent of alcohol.

So…”

Meiluo’s brow immediately furrowed.

“Is it business engagements? Or… something else?”

Margaret simply shook her head.

At that precise moment, old Edward, the butler, approached them.

“Madam is the head of this household,” Edward stated, his voice carrying the weight of his years.

“As servants, the will of the family head is paramount.

Thus, neither Margaret nor I have the right to question Madam’s personal affairs, but…”

He paused, and the old man let out a long, weary sigh.

“If it is at all possible, I implore you to speak with Madam.

Even in her pursuit of vengeance, she need not ruin her own body.”

At his words, Meiluo’s heart gave a sudden lurch, and an ominous thought began to take root in her mind.

‘Could it be…’

Just then, the doorbell chimed, and all three simultaneously turned their gazes toward the entrance hall.

“Madam has left again,” Margaret murmured. “It’s around this time every day.”

Meiluo frowned, then saw the old butler turn his gaze upon her.

“I can inform Miss Meilinna on your behalf,” he said. “But Madam… I entrust her to you.”

Meiluo nodded gravely, and without a moment’s hesitation, she turned and gave chase.

Margaret and Edward both wore expressions of profound worry.

“I only hope Miss Meiluo truly can help Madam shoulder some of this burden,” Margaret sighed. “These past few years, Madam has truly endured too much.”

Edward let out another weary sigh.

“If only I were ten years younger… alas.”