Chapter 2

The scalding soup slid down his cracked throat, so hot it made his eyes water, but he didn't dare make a single sound.

He thought, 'This is the best thing I've ever tasted in my life. If only I could stay by her side forever, even if just as her dog. But she doesn't seem to like me. Did I mess up again?'

Hearing his utterly humble thoughts, I clenched my hand hidden in my sleeve so tightly that my nails dug into my palm, and blood oozed from the wounds.

In the previous timeline, I believed the lies from the Book of Fate. I thought all his pitifulness was just an act, that he was scheming and had sinister motives.

I had his legs broken and threw him into the pigsty to scramble for food.

After he died and turned into a vengeful ghost, he executed all three hundred people in the household by a thousand cuts, except for me. When it came to me, his blade hovered, unable to strike.

In the end, he just looked at me with those empty, blood-red eyes, crying as he asked, "Why don't you want me either?"

The despair in that moment hurt even more than the agony of a thousand cuts.

"Miss Dornwald, this beggar is filthy. Why did you let him into the estate?"

A shrill voice shattered my memories.

My personal maid, Caterina, walked over with a sway in her step. She was covering her nose and mouth with a handkerchief in disgust.

She was a spy planted by Matilda to watch me, and in the past two timelines, she was always whispering things to me.

Caterina strutted up to the boy, shot him a contemptuous glance from above, and kicked over the empty bowl he was holding.

The porcelain bowl shattered, and what little soup was left splashed onto the boy.

The boy jerked in fright, instinctively wanting to shield his head. But he forced himself to stay still, curling up even smaller, looking utterly pathetic.

'She is Isabella's maid. I can't dodge. If I do, Isabella will get mad. It hurts... But that's fine, as long as Isabella doesn't send me away,' he thought.

The Book of Fate flashed before my eyes.

It said: [Look! There's murder in his gaze! He's holding a grudge against this maid! Tonight, he'll sneak into her room to violate and murder her! Such a beast must not be kept around!]

I looked into the boy's eyes. All I saw was fear and obedience. There wasn't a hint of murderous intent.

Seeing that the boy didn't even try to dodge, Caterina got even more arrogant. She raised her foot to stomp on his hands, which were red and swollen from the cold.

She said, "Where did this stray dog come from? And you dare use bowls from the residence? Why don't you piss and look at yourself to see what you are!"

Her shoe was smeared with snow and mud. If she really stomped down, the boy's hands would be crushed for good.

"Stop," I said coolly.

Caterina froze, her foot still hanging in the air. She turned to me with a careless, almost mocking smile. "Miss, I'm just doing this for your own good. Who knows what kind of plague this nobody might bring? If Lady Matilda finds out, she'll definitely blame you."

She was throwing Matilda's name around to intimidate me.

Back then, just hearing "Lady Matilda" would have made me shrink back.

But today, as I stared at Caterina's face caked with makeup, all I felt was icy coldness in my heart.

"I told you to stop. Are you deaf or something?" I said coldly.

Caterina froze for a moment, clearly not expecting the usually timid me to talk back like that. She withdrew her foot and let out a sarcastic snort. "Miss, you're really such a saint.

"If you want to protect this stray dog, I won't bother you anymore. But that bowl was imperial porcelain. It's coming out of your monthly allowance."

With that, Caterina rolled her eyes and turned to leave.

"Stop," I called her back, my voice firm.

Caterina turned around, impatience written all over her face. "What now, Miss?"

I pointed at the broken pieces on the floor. "Pick them up."

Caterina's eyes went wide. "What? You actually want me to pick up this filthy mess?"

"You kicked it over. If you don't pick it up, who will?" I stepped closer, my gaze sharp as a blade. "And you're not just picking it up. You'll lick the soup off the floor. That was my gift to him, and you ruined it. That's an insult to me."

Caterina looked at me like I'd just told the world's biggest joke. "Miss, have you lost your mind? I'm Lady Matilda's maid, sent here to serve you, and you're humiliating me over some beggar?"

I slapped Caterina hard across the face, the sound echoing through the room.

I used all my strength. My palm stung and went numb from the force.

Caterina was completely stunned, clutching her cheek and staring at me like she couldn't believe what just happened.

The servants nearby were frozen in shock. No one had ever seen the always mild-mannered lady lay a hand on anyone before.