Hilise's POV
(What an unpleasant dream.)
It was already morning when I opened my eyes. The sunlight was leaking through the curtain gaps.
The clock showed that it was already 6:45 am. I lay still for a moment and stared at the ceiling. Then I sat up.
Whether it was because I went to bed early last night, or because it had been a habit for a long time, I woke up on my own at this hour.
I remained seated on my bed and thought about what to do in the future. I need to stay in the Inoaden estate for some time to gain more strength.
Based on my experiences from my previous lives, staying here will let me achieve the second awakening faster.
Then it would be okay for me to do things I've never done in my past lives.
How long has it been since I last organized my thoughts like this? Suddenly, the sound of footsteps caught my ears.
Ah, I was lost in thoughts that I didn't realize it was already time for the maid to wake me up.
**BAM!
"M'lady, wake up!"
As expected, she opened the door and entered without my permission.
In addition to the cold morning breeze, the maid would come to wake me up every morning.
Naturally, for a servant, her actions were impudent.
As the old saying goes, people stretch their legs when they see a place to lie down.
I was a pushover who couldn't say a word to the servants ever since I was a child.
I stared at the maid who had not shown herself to me yesterday.
Acting like this even after what happened in the garden yesterday, and despite being a witness to how I acted towards my father last night, it seems that she wasn't intimidated at all.
Father did not recognize me as his successor, so the servants dismissed what they saw yesterday as an illusion.
My strange behavior in the dining room would not be enough to change the servants' behavior towards me either.
"Oh, you're already awake?"
The maid was surprised at the sight of me sitting on the bed.
In her eyes, I'm just an immature lady.
"I spend my time doing nothing each day, so I always wake up early without difficulties."
I murmured to myself. It was a normal thing for me to talk to myself, whether someone is listening or not.
**Rustle Rustle
She strode across the room, walking in front of me, to the window and roughly pulled the curtains apart.
The sunlight then poured into the room. However, it was impertinent of her to just walk in front of my face without greeting me.
Yet she did not seem to care at all.
While grumbling, the maid bounded the curtains and turned around.
Immediately after that, her body, which turned to face me, faltered momentarily.
It happened when she caught me staring at her, silently observing her behavior.
"...You."
The maid's shoulders jerked up as the word left my mouth.
"You're too noisy. Stop grumbling and go get some water to wash my face with."
I could imagine how my face looked without looking at the mirror.
I suddenly turned into a cold and indifferent person.
I'm sure my facial expression looks the same.
Surely, my expression must be very different from yesterday, before my eighth life.
"Are you talking to me?"
"Is there anyone else here other than you?"
The maid pursed her lips. I spoke again.
"Don't make me say it twice."
She was surprised to hear the hidden warning in my emotionless voice.
The maid seemed to think that there's something wrong with me, but she just walked away slowly.
It was the first time I ordered her in that manner so I felt a little embarrassed.
If I had been my old self, I would've apologized for bothering her.
The maid who had left my room returned after a while.
Irritation was visible on her face.
She must've been taken aback by my unexpected demeanor at first and went to get the washroom without complaint. But now, she seems to have absorbed what happened earlier.
"Now wash up. Here's the towel."
She roughly placed the washbasin in front of me.
Some water escaped from it and soaked the hem of my nightgown.
The maid tossed the towel to me. She then folded her arms and stood next to me.
I stared at her for a moment before lowering my gaze. The ice cold water touched my fingers when I dipped my hand into the washbasin.
It wasn't anything new.
I'm already used to it. Nothing would change if I don't wash my face with cold water.
But I don't really want to do it right now.
**Grab!
**Throw!
“Kyaa!”
I picked up the washbasin and threw it on the floor.
The water soaked the carpet while some sprayed on the maid's feet and skirt.
"M'lady, what are you doing?!"
"May, you-"
The maid's name is May.
She's a maid who looks down on me.
It's amazing how everything is so consistent. She had been my maid who held contempt against me for my past seven lives.
"How long have you been working in the mansion?"
Her eyes that stared at me seemed to ask, 'Are you crazy?'
But when my face remained calm, her expression turned into embarrassment.
"It will be t-two months from now..."
My maids are being replaced often.
There was no maid who wanted to serve me because everyone knew what my position in Inoaden was.
May started to serve me when she was still new to this job.
"It's a serious problem when you can't even set the water temperature correctly. Is there something wrong with the maid who taught you? Or is there something wrong with that maid's perception that she thought you're qualified to serve? Or is she not good at teaching her subordinates? Or both?"
May flinched at my words.
"A mere maid brought all of these with her head raised shamelessly."
May kept her mouth shut and gave me a confused look as if her instincts are telling her to be wary of my strange words and actions.
"If I were to flog you and kick you out of this estate right now, who would take your side?"
I asked her a practical question.
May's eyes opened wide at my unexpected question.
The meaning of my words must've surprised her.
"If you've been working in this mansion for just less than a year, you cannot receive a letter of recommendation when you look for another place to work. Moreover, there aren't many households who would accept a maid who was fired for unpleasant deeds."
"M-M'lady."
May called me in an uneasy voice when she heard me hinting at her dismissal.
"But that won't happen if I let you out nicely and if you're healthy enough to find another job."
She shrank back.
I am in the position to fire anyone anytime with the worst possible method.
Even if I am being ignored in the Inoaden, it won't be difficult for me to remove a maid if I want to.
No one can really stop me if I beat her up right now and kick her out without a single penny with her.
"You might be thinking that I'm bluffing right now."
Of course, a scolding from Diego or Ricardo may follow after that, but they will not do anything to save a maid.
"You might think these are just words to threaten you and that in reality, I can't do it."
May quivered when I continued to speak quietly as if I knew what she was thinking.
"So far, I've been a ridiculously easy master for you."
It must've been hard to tell which one of us is the real master and maid. It would've been difficult for someone to accept it if they were told that May is the maid and I'm the master.
Staring straight into her eyes, I warned May quietly.
"But now you have to know that I'm not who I was until yesterday."
May doesn't know exactly what I mean.
There's no way she'll know that I changed the past seven times.
It's good that I'm a completely different person from yesterday morning.
"Now, I am your master who can punish you for your rash tongue and hands whenever my heart desires."
I spoke in a calm tone, but my words contained the truth.
May's eyes shook as if someone blew on them.
In fact, I've already warned several arrogant servants in my previous life.
"I've already forgiven you twice today."
But the biggest reason why I don't want to focus my heart on such trivial issues is because I don't want to.
No matter how poor the servants treated me, they were not a threat to me, nor did they noticeably change my life in a good or bad way.
However, I know that it wouldn't hurt to restrain servants who do not know their place.
"There won't be a next time."
Since she's not a person that'd be with me for a long time. This much warning is enough.
"So do it properly."
I ordered, glancing down at the washbasin that laid on the carpet.
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