Chapter 059. Punishment
Creak-
At the unpleasant sound of the wooden floor creaking, Deborah’s heart sank as she moved stealthily.
“Ugh… what’s that…?”
Hanna’s irritated, whiny voice, as if half-asleep, came through.
“Oh, you’re awake…?”
“…Where’ve you been?”
Rubbing her sleepy eyes, Hanna sat up and frowned at Deborah, who was standing in an awkward position.
She seemed suspicious, wondering where Deborah could have gone at this early hour.
“Just… I couldn’t sleep, so… uh, I took a walk in the hallway…”
Hoping her voice wasn’t trembling or her smile too awkward, Deborah’s heart began to pound heavily.
They say only those who’ve lied before can lie well—this was not something she could do twice.
Fortunately, it didn’t seem to raise much suspicion, as Hanna yawned loudly and flopped back onto the bed.
“I’m going back to sleep… you should get some rest too. There’s still time left.”
“Oh, yeah. Sure.”
Seeing Hanna pull the covers over herself to sleep, Deborah let out a sigh of relief.
As Hanna said, there was still some time before the wake-up call.
Perhaps because the tension had eased, or because her body felt heavy, a sudden wave of drowsiness washed over her.
‘Maybe… I’ll lie down for a bit and get up?’
Deborah hesitated briefly before walking to the bed and lying down.
Perhaps because it had been empty all night, the chilly temperature of the bed felt like it was freezing her entire body.
Maybe that’s why the warmth of that embrace from earlier came to mind unbidden.
But even that thought was swallowed by the overwhelming drowsiness that pulled her consciousness under—
* * *
Haa-
In the end, she stopped again after just a few minutes.
How many times had this happened already?
Deborah set aside the cloth she was using to wipe the floor and gently tapped her stiff lower back with her hands.
Not that it was ever easy, but today felt particularly grueling.
It was only the fourth room, yet it felt as though she had already completed a full day’s work.
She knew the reason well.
The aftermath of last night—no, the passion that had continued until the early hours of the morning…
Not only was her entire body sore with muscle pain, but there were places too embarrassing to mention that ached and stung.
Of course, she hadn’t been unprepared for it, but the aftereffects of this first experience were far more exhausting and painful than she had anticipated.
“…”
Though the pain that surged every few minutes was overwhelming, the irony was that it also brought a strange sense of relief.
Relief that last night hadn’t been a dream.
It was a slightly different experience from what she had expected.
Even if Deborah was inexperienced in such matters, it didn’t mean she was completely ignorant.
From the stories told by the women who handled cleaning or meals at the orphanage, and from the secretive whispers of Elfengrin’s young maids, she had heard that a woman’s first night with a man was quite difficult.
They said there wasn’t a man who would carefully consider the pain felt by the woman during the night, but if you endured it a few times, there would come a moment when it started to feel good.
Though the details varied slightly among their giggles, most of their stories were quite similar.
So, Deborah had thought the same when she steeled herself and followed him to his bedroom last night.
It would be a bit tough.
But what Deborah experienced last night was entirely different from what she had heard.
He didn’t rush and patiently waited until Deborah was ready, without pause.
His rough breathing, the hot warmth felt against her bare skin, and even the bulging veins visible near his neck.
She couldn’t help but notice how he endured each moment with superhuman patience.
Perhaps that’s why.
Though the initial moments were so painful she could hardly breathe, even that wasn’t such a bad memory.
[ “Shh… it’s okay, we’ll take it slowly…” ]
Even in that precarious state felt within her body, he kept reassuring her not to be scared, endlessly stroking her damp forehead.
Those moments piled up in Deborah’s heart like soft snowflakes, covering it gently.
She could feel her body opening up naturally without effort, and it was a time filled entirely with the pleasant sensations he gave her from start to finish.
“Haa…”
Recalling the man trembling finely within her, exhaling hot breaths at the end, heat rushed to her neck in an instant.
“Crazy…”
To think that she, who knew nothing until yesterday, was recalling such an embarrassing scene in broad daylight—
She truly felt like she had gone completely mad.
“Get it together!”
Deborah slapped her cheeks a couple of times and gripped the dry cloth again.
The moment she bent down and stretched her arm forward—
Click.
The sound of the door opening made her head turn naturally.
“Oh, there you are.”
The person peeking through the opened door was one of the head maids who always followed Lady Charlotte.
Why would someone like her be here? That question was quickly answered by the next words.
“Lady Charlotte is looking for you.”
At those words, as if recalling the commotion from yesterday, Deborah’s eyes shook greatly once.
* * *
“Come in.”
Not long after the knock, Lady Charlotte’s voice came from inside.
Deborah instinctively swallowed dryly and finally pulled the door handle.
The first thing that caught her eye upon entering was the people sitting on the sofa.
It was the same spot where she had received a letter from Teacher Helena not long ago.
The difference this time was that the person sitting across from Lady Charlotte wasn’t her.
“Come sit here.”
Deborah glanced at the spot at the far end that the lady indicated and then went to sit there.
The three people already seated there glared at Deborah as if they could kill her.
Of course, they subtly lowered their heads so Lady Charlotte, seated in front, wouldn’t notice.
In any case, with Deborah taking her seat, all the key figures from yesterday’s commotion were now gathered in one place.
‘So that’s why…’
It was absurd to say, but even though it had happened just yesterday, she had completely forgotten about it until a moment ago.
Perhaps because a much bigger personal event had unfolded afterward.
“How shocked and appalled I was by yesterday’s incident, I’ve already said enough about that yesterday—”
At the stern tone, everyone’s faces froze with tension.
Of course, it wasn’t something that would be simply overlooked.
Even if Lady Charlotte had been the only one to witness that outrageous scene, it would have warranted severe punishment, but Duke Cheister was there too.
Since they caused such a disturbance in the presence of the mansion’s master, it had become an issue that couldn’t be quietly swept under the rug by Lady Charlotte alone.
It was as clear as day that a severe disciplinary action would be imposed to set an example.
“I called you here today because the punishment for yesterday’s incident has been decided, and I’ve gathered you all.”
At the word “punishment,” the shoulders of the three people sitting beside her flinched momentarily.
Though it wasn’t clear what it would be, Deborah herself couldn’t be entirely free from this punishment either.
Strictly speaking, she was a victim, but from the perspective above, who knew how it would be seen.
Of course, it couldn’t be helped, but she had also been worried because she was the only one excluded when the other three were summoned yesterday…
“First, Ludmilla, Molly, Sarah. As of today, your duties will be changed to scullery maids, and your wages will be reduced by 30% for three months.”
At the stern announcement, the expressions of the three changed drastically.
They had avoided being sacked, but scullery maids… it was the lowest rank among maids.
“S-Scullery maids, my lady? H-How… I’d rather have my wages cut further—”
The others likely felt the same, but for Ludmilla, being told to do the scullery maid work she had so despised and looked down on was a punishment no different from being sacked.
At Ludmilla’s pale-faced protest, Lady Charlotte’s impassive face suddenly turned sharp.
“If anyone wishes to be sacked, speak now.”
The chilling expression, like a cold gust of wind, froze the surrounding air.
“Sacked.”
In the world of maids, that word carried a slightly more complex meaning than a simple contract termination.
Like most servants, but especially in the maid profession, when seeking new employment, a letter of recommendation from the previous workplace was absolutely necessary.
Since maids are closely involved in their employer’s daily life, the reason for a previous dismissal was considered important.
In Ruvyk, where there was an abundance of maids, no one would bother hiring a problematic one.
This meant that a single phrase in a recommendation letter was a critical key determining whether a maid could continue working.
Knowing this, everyone’s faces turned deathly pale at Lady Charlotte’s mention of “sacked.”
But Lady Charlotte’s anger toward the three didn’t subside easily.
“You should be grateful that such an incident, which would warrant immediate dismissal, has been reduced to this, thanks entirely to the Duke’s consideration!”
Her booming, furious voice echoed loudly in the square room.
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By Anna 💓
