“Get them,” as I was walking silently towards the men I feel someone’s warmth over my hand, warning me to put down the knife.

“Daniel!?” my eyes widen in shock once I see him standing behind me, preventing me from taking another step.

‘What the...!’ I tried to hide my frustration, ‘Did they follow me!?’

While I was trying to piece everything together, a swarm of guards appear out of the blue and surround the men, subduing them in the blink of an eye. Millicia wasn’t paying attention as her body kept on protecting the young boy, covering it from any leftover danger.

“That was easier than I expected,” Aldrich appears beside me while holding a bright red notebook, noticing his presence, Daniel quickly lets go of me. As the aide began to scribble some words, the general approached the trio, glaring at them coldly.

‘Don’t get involved,’ I walk towards Millicia before kneeling beside her, ‘This doesn’t concern you.’

“Milli...” I swallow my words once I see a pool of red vivid blood surrounding the boy’s injured head.

‘Oh... I see...’ the poor maid kept on sobbing over and over, screaming all her sorrows internally,  ‘Well this is quite the opportunity, isn’t it?’

“Should we take them to questioning?” Aldrich asks Daniel while they both observed the men closely.

 “Yes, take them to the dungeon and place them in separate cel... Lady Ophelia!” he finally notices how close I’d gotten to the filthy pigs.

“H-How could you...!?” I yell at the top of my lungs as tears begin to gather just to fall down a couple of seconds later, “He was just a little boy!”

“What are you talking about!?” the elder man questions, confused with my words.

“Is it not enough to abuse the weak... You have to go as far as killing to fulfill your greed!?” my hand covers my mouth, allowing my sobbing sounds to become muffled while tears rolled down my face, “Look at what you’ve done!”

“Lady Ophelia...” Aldrich approaches me and covers me with his cloak gently, “Proven that is the case, they will be punished accordingly.”

The aide glances over at the corpse of the young boy and displays a pained expression. He was clearly frustrated that a life had been lost in this situation.

“Please escort the ladies back and help with whatever they might need,” he promptly assigned us a handful of guards.

“Thank you...” I comment in a low tone right before crossing eyes with Daniel who was looking at me coldly once again.

 

✽✼✽✼✽✼✽

 

“Welcome home master!” Jade and some of my maids were waiting by the front gate for our arrival. By the glances they were trading, it was clear they were not satisfied with my actions.

‘I see...’ they wondered why I was going to such lengths to help a mere maid, especially the one that had been previously charged with my murder attempt. They most likely thought I was giving her special treatment and the truth is, I was.

Millicia was not a mere maid. She was courageous and blinded by loyalty thus, being the perfect puppet, obedient yet smart.

“Ivy, place the boy in Millicia’s room,” I declare as I take off the cloak from my shoulders and hand it over to Olivia.

“Was your trip pleasant milady?” she immediately asks with a naive smile on her lips. She was trying to, unquestionably, get on my good side.

“Very much so,” as she was about to speak, my feet turn and I face Jade, who escorts me to my room, “Meet me in my chambers in half an hour.”

Millicia’s body shudders but she ends up nodding before leaving with Ivy to help her sick brother.

 

As we walked down the halls long and luxurious halls, questions kept on traveling through my mind.

‘Who would...’ Charlie’s situation was the worst-case scenario, ‘Save him...?’

When I said I intended to help her brother, I wasn’t lying. I indeed wished to improve his health but it was impossible since I had no idea where he was.

My soul was already conformed with the fact that the young boy would be nothing more but a rotten corpse, yet, much to my surprise, he was extremely sickly but alive.

‘Shit...’ I thought about using her brother’s death as a further motivator to deepen her loyalty towards me, ‘Of course, he had to live...’

 

“You’re dismissed,” I state after entering the room and, obeying my command, all the maids leave.

Jade kneels as I sit down on the wooden chair in front of my desk.

“It seems as if we have a dirty rat among us...” I notice that the order of the papers on my desk was wrong. The letters I had received were also out of place as if someone had purposedly snuck in to get some precious information.

‘Who could it be...?’ I frown while examining the table thoroughly. No other clue was left in sight.

Since I was a noble lady, men butlers, or servants couldn’t enter my chambers without my presence or permission but the story was different for the maids.

My mind instantly remembers Ivy and Olivia, the two maids who are nothing alike but share something in common: the day they began to serve under me. I quickly assumed the Duke was behind this but then I was reminded of Mace’s words.

‘There are more eyes and ears...’ if his words are right then this estate is no longer controlled by Edgar Wharton.

Of course, that was the worst-case scenario but, even then, one must always maintain their options open.

 

“Did you find anything regarding the kid?” Jade had remained quiet, almost as if he was scared to speak.

“Laurien is definitely working for someone,” hesitantly, he continues, “But I don’t think he is a threat master.”

‘It seems as if my gut was right once again...’ I painfully chuckle, ‘Who would use a kid...!?’

“Did he do this?” I pick up the unordered papers and the platinum-haired man shakes his head, denying one of my many theories, “Observe him for now, I want to know who he is reporting to.”

“As you wish master,” Jade gets up and walks out of the room, leaving me alone with my own thoughts.

 

“Ah... I’m mad...” frustration began to gather as I saw everything turning into shambles.

When I went through another time loop I decided I would control these pigs like the trash they are but it seems as if I’m the one who is always being controlled.

‘Is this God’s will!?’ I clench the papers within my fists and grit my teeth.

“Fuck!” inevitably, I yell, angered at this situation.

Nothing ever goes how I want it to go. My plans always seem to be ruined and new obstacles keep on approaching me over and over again, no matter what I do.

‘All I want is to do nothing...’ I just wished to live peacefully until I died again but it seems as if that is too much to ask to this disgusting self-proclaimed God, ‘Why do you keep bringing me troubles!?’

 

“Milady, Millicia is here,” Alphy’s voice was heard on the other side of the door.

‘Already?’ I let out a sigh understanding I didn’t have enough time to settle my thoughts.

“Let her in,” as the large wooden object opens I sit on one of the chairs in the middle of the room, “Millicia...”

Her eyes looked frustrated and conflicted, wondering to whom she had truly sworn her loyalty. It is understandable though since after what happened, how couldn’t she?

 

✽✼✽✼✽✼✽

 

「Several hours earlier 」

Millicia was tending to her brother when suddenly, a man was pushed inside the house, breaking down the weak wooden door and injuring himself slightly.

“Ah... Shit...!” he yells loudly right before seeing the young girl hold her brother in her arms frightened, “Hey! Guys!”

His voice echoed through the street and soon, two other men appeared and approached her.

“You’re kinda cute, girl...” their breath smelled like they had swallowed a whole well of beer and other alcoholic beverages.

She groans, displeased while grabbing on tighter onto Charlie.

“Come with us while we are asking nicely,” the third man finally speaks. He was older than the other two and, by watching their movements, the leader of the pack.

The girl shakes her head repeatedly but it was no use. The men forcefully grab her arms, making her brother fall onto the hay before removing her from the house.

Millicia groaned and yelled but the streets were empty, with no soul in sight.

“Milly!?” a young boy, no older than six appears. Seeing the situation, he instantly runs towards one of the men, pushing him onto the floor, “Let her go!”

“You slut!” the man laying down yells at the top of his lungs, displaying his anger vigorously, not towards the rascal but her.

“...!” the kid was a friend of her brother that, whenever he could, would visit and play with him. Millicia knew his face, she had seen him several times before.

‘Go away...!’ she wanted to tell him since it was clear this situation would end in one’s demise.

“Come on!” he grabs her hand and pushes her, forcing her to run alongside him. Unfortunately, they reached a street filled with wooden boxes, and with no way out, it was a dead-end, “I’ll protect you, Milly! Run when I tell you alright!?”

“You have to pay the compensation fee for hurting my pal here...” the older man declares with a grin on his face before speaking brutally loud, “Give us your money!”

Millicia thought she was faster, she thought she could grab him and prevent him from lashing onto the trio of full-grown man but she was wrong. As her hands missed his clothing, the kid ran but this time he was simply pushed back strongly onto the floor, hitting on several wooden boxes that followed the rules of gravity, shattering when touched the dirt.

Seeing a pool of blood form below the boxes, she quickly removes them just to see the young boy, unconscious.

‘No... God... Please...!’ the red viscous substance continued to spread, showing no way of stopping and, in the middle of all this horror, Millicia screams at the top of her lungs before laying her torso on top of his small body.

She was desperate. She didn’t know what she would tell Charlie when he woke up if he woke up. She didn’t know what she would tell the boy’s parents if she ever met them. All she know is that she needed a miracle.

‘Milady..! Please...!’ her hopes were now that Ophelia would appear. She, who had saved her from execution was now her messiah, the angel that had been brought down to this land to help her.

“What might the problem here be?” a sense of relief embraces her once her master appears, she thought that everything would be alright but this was only a temporary thought. The kid’s body was turning colder and panic settled in again.

‘No please..!’ she thought as despair began to cloud her judgment, ‘Don’t die!’

“This doesn’t concern you,” one of the men says, proudly.

 

Suddenly, the sound of swords clashing and armor moving is heard but, even then, Millicia continued to be in this overwhelming spiral of horror and guilt.

“Milli...!” Ophelia was standing next to her. The maid groans in a pitiful attempt to beg for help as tears kept on rolling down her face.

‘Please...!’ her pitiful eyes were looking up to Ophelia, whose face was darkened by the contrast of the sun. An unusual thin grin appeared in her master’s lips for a glimpse of a moment, making the mentally broken maid unsure of her own vision.

“Milly, listen to me, we can’t save this boy,” she whispers after kneeling beside her with a concerned look in her eyes, “He has lost too much blood... We can only ease his pain.”

Ophelia’s hands travel through the kid’s face, caressing it softly as if he was nothing more than a porcelain doll. Her expression appeared to be sad and conflicted but something didn’t sit well with Millicia.

‘Did I just imagine it...?’ confusion began to grow in her mind as she was unsure of what she had witnessed.

“Please, there’s no other way...” Ophelia’s words were sharp like a sword yet gentle as the subtle Blistering breeze.

‘No...! I don’t want to...! What will I...!’ tears began to gather once again on the maid’s face as she buried her head on the kid’s chest. Her hands grabbed his cheap and dirty shirt strongly, not wanting to accept this new reality.

“Milly...” understanding this wasn’t leading anywhere, Ophelia takes the lead and begins petting her back gently but she is quickly shaken off. At this point, it was clear that this woman was in denial.

‘I can’t...! I won’t... I will save him... I will...!’ Millicia’s eyes travel to the guards who were ignoring this situation altogether. A sudden realization came upon her, ‘Are those pigs more important than him!?’

Anger began to unfold inside her deepest thoughts and, without realizing it, she slowly lifts her torso, making the boy’s temperature decrease.

‘How can they...!?’ her knuckles begin turning white but then a worrying sound was heard, making her attention shift back at the young boy. His breathing was unsteady as sweat fell down his pores and, suddenly, a red viscous and slightly tick substance began to drop out of his mouth.

“Milly!” Ophelia’s voice wakes the maid from her fearful eyes that were crying again, blurring his vision from the true horrid sight that was in front of her. Her fingers gripped his shirt even strongly as her head shook uncontrollably.

‘No... No...!’ she couldn’t bring herself to make such an important decision, she just couldn’t do it.

Unexpectedly, Ophelia grabs her arms forcefully, making Millicia’s eyes widen in shock. Her crystal blue eyes exhibited her confidence as a king in the middle of a war.

“He won’t make it!” Ophelia pressured her, however, Milly averted her eyes in guilt, “Look at him!”

‘I’m sorry... I’m so sorry...’ her eyes find the boy’s body once again as blood continued to be pumped out with each breath, ‘I...!’

Millicia knew he wouldn’t make it. Millicia knew he was in pain. Millicia knew she needed to help him. Understanding there was nothing more to be done, the maid reluctantly puts her hands close to her chest, grabbing each other tightly. Her breathing was unsteady as her mind find the strength to prepare itself for the outcome of her decision.

Without a second thought, Ophelia picked up a piece of wood from some of the boxes that were previously broken and stabbed it in the kid's heart. A small splurt is heard and a large red stain begins to taint the sharp object.

Finally, everything grows quiet. Blood continued to turn dirt into mud but the harsh breathing from the young boy was gone, just like his soul in this land. 

Millicia was shocked. Her master’s eyes were cold as if she had done this a million times as if Ophelia had no sense of guilt.

‘It’s like she is...’ scared, the maid bites her bottom lip before averting her eyes. Around her were the guards who were completely focused on the trio, ‘No one saw it... No one cares...!’

She couldn’t understand how a bunch of drunkards were more important than saving a life. Maybe, if they had called a doctor the outcome would be different... Maybe if they gave a damn about commoners as they do to nobles, he wouldn’t have to die.

“You did your best, I’m proud of you,” Millicia’s head moves away when Ophelia’s hand was about to pat it. Her feelings were clouded with confliction: a part of her despised the noblewoman standing before her, the other part was thankful for her existence, and the last part was scared of the real nature of her master.

‘Did I made a mistake...!?’ her hands trembled as Ophelia frowned before getting up and heading towards the guards, ‘Did I swore to follow a monster...!?’

She didn’t know if this was fear if this was anger, but once thing Millicia knew for sure. Ophelia was a puzzling human being that made her instincts in disarray.

 

✽✼✽✼✽✼✽

 

「 Back to the Present  」

“You seem like you have something to say,” I stretch my arm, telling her to sit in the chair in front of me.

Reluctantly, she obeys but continues to avert my glare. Her mind was probably filled with insecurities and anxiety, not understanding how I could be such a cold-hearted person.

“I’m not a monster Millicia,” a sigh leaves my body, “That boy... There was nothing more we could have done... I’m not an angel that can help everyone, I’m just...”

With this pitiful display of victimization, I grab the maid's attention. Her eyes were now observing me, attempting to understand my actions.

‘Good,’ I think while scratching my head, pretending to be troubled.

“I know you think I could’ve saved him but I couldn’t,” finally, I straighten my composure and speak confidently, “The blood he lost was too much even for an adult... Do you understand?”

Millicia’s hands grab her maid uniform tightly as tears begin to flow down her face. Understanding the state of the situation, I get up and approach her. Her eyes widen in surprise once I lower my body and hug her tightly.

“It’s alright... You did everything you could, there was nothing else you could’ve done,” I pat her head softly as her tears continued to wet my dress and her sobbing became louder, “You did well Milly, I’m sure he will never forget it...”

‘Yes Millicia, lean on me more... Depend on me more...’ as her soul succumbed into relieving her sins, I grinned, satisfied on how this disgrace had turned into an opportunity that had fortified her loyalty towards me.