KBRV 79

Chapter 79

On the flat rock at the edge of the shallow pond… one step back and the water deepens sharply, enough to make anyone fall in.

I pretended to be unsteady from the soporific scent in the air and collapsed onto that rock.

“Miss, do you remember? This is your designated spot.”

Paula pulled out the women’s belt she wore around her waist.

“You look very confident these days. Seems like I’ve been neglecting your education, and now you’ve become arrogant immediately, huh?”

Well… was she ever in a position to provide any sort of education, lazy or not? Ever since my mother had been placed under house arrest, I’d been reduced to less than a normal servant.

But instead of answering, I continued to feign being drunk from the soporific scent.

The coachman, who had pretended to leave, had stopped the carriage and was staring this way.

“Hahaha. Why don’t you show off again like last time? Miss. Last time, you took the whip from me without any trouble. Why don’t you try to take the belt this time?”

Paula laughed uncontrollably, unaware that the coachman hadn’t actually left.

“Why? You won’t be able to pull the same trick as before, right? Exactly. That’s why I gave you the soporific scent.”

She tapped my forehead lightly with her finger.

“Last time, you acted all high and noble. Let’s see if you can do the same today. Pretend to be that dignified aristocrat.”

Instead of replying, I glanced at the coachman. He was definitely hearing everything.

‘He looks so tense… probably worried I’ll cause trouble.’

“You remember this pond, right? Just one step back from the rock you’re standing on and the water gets deep immediately. There’s a swamp next to this rock, so if you fall, your ankles will get stuck in the mud, and you won’t be able to get out.”

‘Yeah. I remember. How could I ever forget?’

“Now, there’s no way to avoid it. When I hit you with the belt, count the hits out loud.”

Last winter, I had complied with Paula’s instructions. Moving even slightly would send me into the deep water or the swamp. The fear made it impossible to flinch.

Paula liked that. No matter how much it hurt, she enjoyed that I couldn’t tremble or struggle.

“So, don’t move even one step.”

Swish! Whack!

The belt brushed my cheek threateningly.

At the end of the leather belt was a thin piece of metal. It looked awkwardly out of place, clearly stitched by Courtney.

She had pinned the pins into my chemise, placed tacks in my shoes, and now, she’d even attached metal to Paula’s belt.

‘That wretched housekeeper.’

Whack, smack!

“The soporific scent is quite something.”

‘Ugh—’

A sharp pain tore across my skin. I was used to enduring pain; otherwise, a plea would have automatically escaped.

Paula first struck my shoulder, arm, and cheek—the most visible spots—and then looked refreshed, as if the act had relieved her stress.

‘Believe what you want.’

I focused only on the coachman. He seemed finally ready to leave for the main building.

The pale-faced coachman gradually moved away, cracking the whip as he went.

Seeing the blood forming on the carefully made dress, Paula tilted her head back, laughing with her throat exposed.

“Look at that! Hahaha! Ah, all that old anger is gone now.”

“……”

“Why don’t you scold me now? Last time, you were so defiant.”

The last image the coachman would have seen of me must have been spectacular. The blood on my white dress stood out vividly. Even the small cut on my shoulder looked gaudy and grotesque against the white fabric.

I hadn’t stepped back even one step—not because I was afraid of falling, but because if I was going to fall, it had to be at the perfect moment.

Swish! Paula swung the leather belt again, but this time, I caught the end of it.

“…!”

Smiling faintly at a shocked Paula, I said,

“It’s not me being defiant—it’s you, Paula.”

Paula, fearing she might lose the belt again, gripped it even tighter.

“Remember, whatever happens today, it’s all your fault.”

With that, I stood up. Holding one end of the belt, I stepped back.

“What are you—agh!”

Splash!

Falling into the water after being drunk earlier… it seemed I was destined to keep falling today.

Paula, who had been holding the belt, finally let go. She narrowly avoided falling into the pond but collapsed into the swamp instead.

“Ah! S-save me!”

The sticky, swampy mud swallowed Paula.

The more she struggled, the more the mud clung to her. I briefly raised my head above the water, then shouted in the direction of the coachman.

“Help! Please! I can’t swim!”

The coachman didn’t even look back and spurred the horse faster.

Feigning ignorance was proof enough that he’d heard everything.

He was tight-lipped, prioritizing survival and his livelihood.

‘Then in an extreme situation where my life and livelihood are threatened, he’d have no choice but to speak.’

I laughed at Paula floundering in the swamp. The mud wasn’t that deep, but it was nearly impossible to escape once toppled.

Mud was in her mouth and nose, and she was gasping.

Amused, I floated the ribbons and flowers that had decorated my hair on the water’s surface. Then I swam leisurely, moving toward the reeds and irises that provided cover.

‘From Paula’s position, she can’t see me.’

Paula struggled for a long while, unaware of my swimming and hearing my screams. By the time she got out of the swamp, she would think I had drowned.

‘Now, let’s see if she can find me.’

After several minutes, Paula finally got out of the swamp.

Seeing the flowers and ribbons floating on the pond, she was shocked.

“Wh-what… oh no! Wh-what do I do!”

She wandered around the pond helplessly.

“Argh… Odette, come out! Come out! Wh-what do I do! You’re not dead, right? Surely not.”

Paula muttered stupidly, panicking.

“C-come out. Odette! Aaah! Miss, come out! I said, come out!”

After stomping her feet and panicking for a while, Paula ran toward the main building—not to save me, but clearly trying to escape.

Splash, splash.