Kneel Before The Villain

Chapter 4

***

My reflection in the mirror was very beautiful. Sharp, large, golden eyes were mysterious and long eyelashes.

Snow white skin, round forehead, small nose, and plump red lips.

There was a shadow under the eyes, but even that was very atmospheric and beautiful.

On the first day, I didn’t have the time to appreciate this face properly, and I had purposely avoided it until now. But once I decided to accept it, the act of ignoring it was much more irrelevant than I thought.

Maybe many days had gone by and I became a little dull.

If you think about it, in the original world I should have died, but now I’m alive. And I became a rich young lady with a very beautiful face, the kind that everyone would dream of at least once. I didn’t even know myself that maybe this second life would be worse than I thought, but I couldn’t take my eyes off the mirror for a while.

After looking at those mysterious golden eyes and bright golden hair for a long time, I suddenly remembered the first day I fell into this world.

That was the first time I saw them. The Crown Prince and Claire.

That day, I found myself running away from the mockery and the scornful stares.

The people looking at me were full of mockery, and the expression on the Crown Prince’s face, the first time I had seen him, was filled with deep hatred.

The image of me in the mirror was a complete contrast to Claire’s.

Claire had downcast and naive eyes, but now my reflection in the mirror looked a little sharper.

When I sat still with no facial movements, I looked a little ferocious somehow. But I didn’t feel a bit inadequate, comparing my current appearance to Claire’s. I couldn’t understand how Roxana’s pride had hit rock bottom. She was beautiful enough on her own, without being obsessed over her appearance or imitating anyone else.

‘I don’t even want to think about it.’

I naturally frowned at the thought of that day when I was covered in wounds. Just then, someone knocked on the door.

“My lady, this is Stephen. May I come in?”

“Please come in.”

Eventually the door opened and a man with brown hair and brown eyes came in with Annie. The young man was not as conspicuously beautiful looking as the crown prince, but he was taller and had a nice face.

“You’ve come.”

I greeted him with an unconcerned look on my face.

He had a familiar face which I encountered countless times in Roxana’s memory.

Stephen.

He was the chief butler of the mansion. He was so competent in handling business that he had earned the title of chief butler at a young age in his position as a commoner. The Duke spent most of his time on the battlefield, so it was Stephen who actually managed the mansion while the Duke was away.

Stephen was certainly capable, and his loyalty and love for the Duke’s family was deep.

But now, his gaze on me was not so sweet. He looked at me standing by the window in my nightgown with an unfriendly gaze, and then, with a frown on his face, he asked,

“How are you feeling?”

“I’m fine.”

“That’s good. But I’ll go get a doctor just in case.”

Stephen’s words were polite, but his voice was wavering. He looked neat as always, but his face was a little gaunt, and he looked tired.

‘Do as you please.’

I stared at him for a moment, then nodded.

Stephen looked surprised at my easy answer, greeted me politely, and left the room.

His demeanor was cold and irreverent, but I didn’t point it out. From his point of view, Roxana was someone who would only cause trouble and harm the family.

In addition, Stephen and Roxana had clashed many times over the issue of nannies and maidservants. His allegiance was to the Duke of Lillian, not to the Duke’s immature daughter.

He didn’t like Roxana, and Roxana didn’t like him either.

However, Stephen was one of the few people who could give Roxana proper advice. Of course, she didn’t listen to him one bit…

It was not in her best interest to be acquainted with him at this point. And while he was a bit irreverent, he was a lot better than some of the people around Roxana.

At least he wouldn’t cheat or deceive me.

I sat on the couch while drinking the cup of warm tea that Annie prepared for me, and waited for the family doctor that Stephen called.

It was the very same doctor who had treated me for the past few days. And I was declared completely cured. I was not deaf or aphasic, but to say I was sick was a bit ridiculous in my opinion.

“Appearances can be deceiving, but just in case, I think it’s best not to do anything that might shock the Young Lady for the time being.”

The doctor told Stephen in a quiet voice at the door before he left, and Stephen nodded with a serious expression on his face. People looked at me uneasy and worried, but that did not interest me in the least.

“I want to be alone. Please leave.”

The servants looked unhappy at my words, but finally did as I asked and left the room. Left alone, I recalled the memories of the past few days while looking at the bandages that the doctor had wrapped around my wrist a while ago.

I woke up after the fall and was absent-minded all day without saying anything, so people thought I was strange, but besides that, the surroundings were strangely calm.

It was peaceful, but also a little lonely. Roxana’s great status and position was only demonstrated when she was in front of them.

Annie was the only person who cared for her in this large mansion…. Roxana superficially seemed to have it all, but what she was holding was like a sand castle that could easily fall apart.

I felt even more sorry for Roxana because she knew the truth to some extent.

The emptiness and misery I felt while looking into Roxana’s memories was enough to drive one mad.

It was enough.

When she wished for her own death and disappearance, Roxana was obviously impulsive, but she threw away all the last lingering feelings in the world.

It seemed that my bewilderment and fear that day was not just limited to myself.

When I thought of that moment, a fever rose in my eyes.

‘I need some rest.’

After the doctor’s visit, I was given generous treatment.

On the surface, everyone was happy that I was awake. But I knew better. However, I thought it would be more natural for me to remain silent.

I was changing my clothes and looking around the room.

Someone knocked on the door.

“Young lady, I brought you some food.”

As soon as my permission was given to come in, the door opened and an unfamiliar-looking servant brought in a tray on wheels.

On it were plenty of dishes with delicious looking food.

“I don’t need any help. You can go.”

The servant had the food ready on the table and quietly closed the door. I slowly approached the table and sat down.

There were three kinds of meat dishes on the table: beef, pork and chicken, corn and mushroom soup, rye bread and salad.

It was the first proper meal I had had since I fell into this world.

Up until now, I had only eaten porridge and soup like hospital food that the maids brought. I didn’t have much of an appetite, but the soup the maid brought me was just warm and tasteless.

That was why I often skipped it.

Because of the sense of loss and depression, I lost all motivation and thought I had no appetite.

However, when the feast was in front of me, I could feel the hunger that I had forgotten before. In the end, I ate more than usual and even ate all the desserts that the servant brought.

After a while, the maid came back into the room with some other maids. They were all dressed from head to toe in gorgeous outfits, as if they had gone to a party a moment ago.

They looked very worried when they saw me.

Laura, the oldest of the attendants and the head maid, approached me and spoke in a tearful voice.

“How are you feeling, young lady? We were all worried about you.”

Laura’s eyes were filled with tears before I knew it. She squeezed my hand and seemed to have some truth in her tears. But it didn’t work for me.

‘If you’re going to do this kind of acting, at least you have to show sincerity by changing your clothes.’

I gently pulled my hand out from her grasp and asked with a smile on my face.

“Did you all have fun at the festival?”

Laura’s eyes widened, as if she felt a sense of dissonance with the slightly different reaction than my usual. The other maids also looked at each other with surprised faces.

It was the festive season, and judging by their attire, they weren’t at the banquet.

Then there was only one place left.

“Why isn’t everyone answering?”

I asked again and the maids went pale.

Their faces showed signs of irritation.

In fact, it was originally the head maid’s job, not Annie’s, to take care of me. But she and the other maids not only excused themselves, leaving their sick master behind, but also pushed what they should have done to their subordinates.

If I wanted to take issue with their conduct, I could give them a great punishment or even kick them out of the mansion.

But the next minute, what came out of their mouths was not an apology or a word of forgiveness.

“It was alright. It would have been better if Young Lady could have come too. Oh, I bought a gift for you at the festival, would you like to see it?”

Laura looked perplexed for a moment, but quickly regained her composure and spoke falteringly.

I raised my lips coldly at the sight of her unconcerned face.

She was the oldest among the maids, and the other maids chimed in with their own words.

“Yes. It was no fun at all. Isn’t that right, Tien?”

“Yes. I was so worried about the Young Lady that I couldn’t enjoy it at all.

The others were cautious and reserved, but Laura treated me as if she was comforting a little child with a friendly tone.

‘You’ve got to be kidding me. A present?’

It was ridiculous. How foolish she thought Roxana was.

For the future, I needed to get my affairs in order and clear my surroundings. I didn’t have to be a thorn in their side and be sensitive about everything, but I had to let them know that they had been looking down on the higher-ups and correct their behavior.

I shook the bell by my bed, for otherwise they would continue to deceive me.

Soon after, another maid came into the room.

“My Lady, you wanted to see me?”

Perhaps because of the difference in status, the maid’s attitude was quite different from that of the other maids.

Perhaps it was because of their different status, but they certainly had a very different attitude from the maids. No matter how much noise they made in the shadows, this maid was very polite in front of me and did not seem to be the least bit disturbed, perhaps to avoid having her job taken away.

I looked at them and spoke in a calm tone.

“Viscount William’s daughter (Laura) will be leaving the mansion as of today. And I will bring back the head maid who was kicked out the year before last.”

“…!”

At my words, the atmosphere in the room froze in an instant.

The faces of the maids stiffened, and Laura’s eyes widened in disbelief. They all looked more than a little surprised.

A heavy silence descended upon the room.

It was Laura’s voice that broke the silence.

“Miss, what is this now……?”

Ignoring her, I stared at the servants, and said,

“Why is no one moving? You don’t hear me because you don’t see me as your Master, do you?”

The maids’ faces turned pale at my words.

They shook their heads saying it wasn’t like that, and then approached Laura.

“Miss, what’s wrong with you all of a sudden?”

Laura said in an imminent voice. Now a hint of nervousness appeared on her face.

“If you’re upset that we left you to go to the festival on our own, you can join us tomorrow, or even today after dinner……”

I stood up with a cold look on my face.

Then I turned to the servants and coldly commanded them.

“How long do I have to listen to this nonsense? Get her out immediately!”

“My Lady? My Lady!”

As the servants grabbed her arms to carry out my order, Laura called me urgently. She knelt down on the ground and tried to grab the hem of my dress. I had been watching her before she reached for my dress, and I stepped aside to dodge her hand lightly.

Then I lowered myself and looked at her straight in the eyes.

“Goodbye, Laura. You’ve done a great job.”

Laura’s face contorted instantly. A hint of fear appeared on her face.

As I raised my head, the servants resolutely grabbed her arms and pulled her out of the room. Laura’s voice rang out in the hallway, calling for me pitifully, and soon after, silence fell.