The hallways of the mansion were quiet, too quiet, as the maid hurried down them, her steps echoing through the empty space. Her heart pounded in her chest, and fear gripped her throat. She had done what she was told, but now, now everything felt wrong. She could still hear Aurora’s voice, demanding answers. Who sent you?
The maid had been too scared to lie. She had been too scared to refuse. She had been too scared to think about what would happen when Aurora learned the truth. She knew Lily would not be happy. No, Lily would be furious.
What have I done?
She reached the door to Lily’s chambers and hesitated before knocking. She took a deep breath, wiped the sweat off her palms, and knocked three times, each tap seeming louder than the last.
“Enter,” came Lily’s cold voice from within.
The maid slowly pushed the door open and stepped inside. Lily was sitting at her vanity, brushing her hair, her face carefully blank. But when she saw the maid, her eyes narrowed, a flicker of suspicion crossing her face.
“Did you do as I said?” Lily asked, her voice smooth but tight, as if she already knew something was wrong.
The maid swallowed hard, tears welling up in her eyes. She knelt down in front of Lily, her hands shaking. “I’m sorry, Lady Lily. I~I made a mistake,” she choked out, her voice trembling with fear. “I… I told her. I told her the truth.”
Lily’s hand stopped mid-brush. Her face went cold, her eyes turning hard as stone.
“You told her?” she repeated, her voice barely above a whisper. “You told Aurora the truth?”
The maid nodded, her eyes brimming with tears. “I didn’t mean to! She was going to drink the tea. I… I just couldn’t let her. I didn’t want her to die…”
Lily stood up suddenly, her chair scraping harshly against the floor. She took a few steps toward the maid, her expression darkening with every passing second.
“You told her everything,” Lily hissed. “You told her about me, didn’t you? You told her who was behind the poisoning, didn’t you?”
The maid’s breath hitched as Lily’s anger pressed down on her like a heavy weight. She couldn’t bear to look Lily in the eyes. She just couldn’t. The guilt was suffocating.
“I-I’m sorry, Lady Lily,” the maid whimpered, her voice small and broken. “I didn’t mean to! I was scared. She asked me who sent me, and I~I couldn’t lie anymore. I couldn’t…”
Lily’s eyes were filled with fury now. She took a step back, pacing for a moment, her fingers curling into fists at her sides.
“I trusted you,” she snapped, her voice rising. “I trusted you to do one thing, and now you’ve ruined everything.”
The maid’s body trembled, tears flowing freely down her cheeks. “Please… Please forgive me,” she begged, her voice barely a whisper. “I didn’t mean to hurt you. I was just scared of what she might do. I didn’t want to lose my job, my place here.”
She placed her hands together in front of her, pleading. “Please, Lady Lily, forgive me. I didn’t mean to ruin your plans. I swear… I swear I didn’t want to tell her. It just… it just slipped out. I didn’t know what to do…”
Lily stood still, staring at the maid for what felt like an eternity. The silence between them was thick, suffocating. The maid’s sobs were the only sound breaking the stillness.
Finally, Lily spoke, her voice cold as ice. “You didn’t think,” she said, her words sharp, cutting through the air. “You didn’t think about what would happen if you told her. Do you know what this means? Do you understand what you’ve done?”
The maid nodded desperately, unable to stop crying. “I understand, Lady Lily. I do. I’m so sorry. I’ll do anything to make it right. Anything, please.”
Lily’s eyes flicked toward the maid, her gaze narrowing. For a long moment, she said nothing, her lips pressed tightly together, as if considering something. The maid held her breath, her heart racing as she waited for Lily’s next words.
“Anything?” Lily’s voice was low now, a dangerous edge to it.
The maid nodded frantically. “Yes! Yes, anything! Please, Lady Lily, I’ll do whatever it takes to fix this.”
Lily stepped forward slowly, closing the distance between them. She reached down, grabbing the maid’s chin and forcing her to look up at her. The maid could barely breathe under Lily’s gaze, her whole body trembling with fear.
“You made a very big mistake,” Lily whispered, her voice almost sweet, but there was a venomous undertone. “But perhaps there is a way for you to fix it. Perhaps you can still be of use to me.”
The maid’s eyes widened in surprise, her sobs slowing as she dared to hope. “You’ll forgive me?” she whispered.
Lily’s lips curled into a cold smile. “Not yet. But you can still prove your loyalty to me. You can prove that you’re worth my forgiveness.”
The maid blinked, confused. “How?”
Lily’s eyes gleamed with a wicked light. She lowered her voice to a near whisper, her words filled with a chilling calm.
“You will take care of Aurora,” she said softly. “You will make sure she never speaks of this again. You will make sure she is… silenced, one way or another.”
The maid’s eyes filled with fear. “Silenced? But how”
Lily pressed a finger to her lips, silencing the maid’s question. “Do not question me,” she said coldly. “You will do what needs to be done. No more mistakes. You will make sure Aurora understands the consequences of crossing me. If you do this for me, I may just forgive you. But fail me again, and there will be no second chance.”
The maid was paralyzed with terror, her mind racing. She had never imagined things would come to this. She had only wanted to be safe, to keep her position, but now… now she was trapped. Trapped by her own mistake.
“But… but she’ll tell Damian,” the maid said, her voice shaky. “Damian will never forgive me.”
Lily’s smile widened, her eyes glinting with malice. “Damian? Oh, he won’t need to know. Not if you do it right. And if you do it well enough, you might just earn a place by my side again. You’ll be the one he trusts, not her.”
The maid’s heart pounded in her chest as she weighed the options in her mind. Was this the right choice? Could she do what Lily wanted? Could she go through with it without losing everything?
She nodded, her voice trembling. “I’ll do it. I’ll do whatever it takes. Just… please don’t make me pay for my mistake.”
Lily gave a slight nod, her face still cold. “Good. Go, then. Make sure Aurora never forgets her place.”
The maid stood up slowly, her hands still shaking, but she felt a new determination rising inside her. She would do as Lily asked. She had no choice. There was no turning back now.
She turned to leave, but before she reached the door, she paused and looked back at Lily, who was now sitting calmly, her back straight as she continued brushing her hair.
“Thank you,” the maid whispered, though her voice was barely audible.
Lily didn’t even glance up. “Don’t thank me yet. Just make sure Aurora learns her lesson.”
The maid nodded one last time and left the room, her mind spinning, her heart heavy with the knowledge of what she had agreed to do.