Chapter 1603: Threats and Punishment
“Young Master?!” the maid Mary asked weakly, raising his head. Her face was pale, her lips were dry, her clothes were dirty, and the ground beneath her was wet.
It was clear that Little Elaine had suffered a huge blow to her heart after discovering her betrayal. In the days she had been imprisoned, she had been mentally unstable, not providing her with proper food and water, nor a chamber pot, resulting in no waste disposal and a foul odor in the basement.
However, this also had its advantages. In a state of thirst and hunger, her will to resist should have been worn down. Originally, she was not a staunch loyalist, and now fear and pleading could be seen in the maid’s eyes.
“Young Master, please spare me! I was momentarily bewitched, and I will never betray you again!” Mary pleaded in a hoarse, weak voice.
“Give her some water so she doesn’t dehydrate, and prepare some food. I have more questions for her later,” I ordered.
“Okay,” Little Elaine replied, immediately turning to fetch water. It seemed that as long as I was by her side, she was like a ship with a rudder, knowing what to do.
After Little Elaine left, only the maid and I remained in the basement. Mary lowered her head, not daring to meet my gaze, but I still saw a flicker of apprehension in her eyes before she looked down.
It seemed this maid was not simple either. She seemed to have figured something out during her imprisonment. I asked directly, “You know who I am now, right? After all, you were the one who gave my intelligence to the Count in Deep Lake City, and he was the one who ordered you to investigate me.”
“Yes, yes, Miss Parul! I have no hostility towards you. I was only approached by the Young Master, and the investigation was all the Count’s order. I absolutely did not want to harm you, please forgive me!” Mary explained in a panic.
Compared to Little Elaine, she feared me more because she knew that Little Elaine was indecisive and soft-hearted, unwilling to kill her. But I, as a stranger, had no feelings for her and might even be a ruthless person who could kill at any time.
However, I saw a hint of resentment in her eyes as she lowered her head in panic. What reason did she have to hate me? There was no direct relationship between us, and she probably didn’t understand that I had implanted maggots in her.
As I pondered, I suddenly had an epiphany. “So, you knew that it was me who guided Little Elaine, and you also guessed that I was the one who helped Little Elaine discover that you were the mole, right?”
“No! I didn’t think that!” Mary said in terror, but the resentment in her eyes couldn’t be hidden. Since I gradually gained the Murder’s Divine Power, I found that I even had some ability to read people’s expressions.
By observing the other party’s expression, one can infer what they are thinking. This is a skill that believers of the Lord of Murder use to gather intelligence and counter detectives and police. When Giselle was at my house before, she also deduced a lot of information that was not spoken by observing our expressions.
“No need to deny it so urgently. You guessed correctly, it was I who discovered your betrayal of the Master, and it was I who told Little Elaine where you hid the secret letters,” I admitted directly.
“You! You bastard!” the maid suddenly became enraged and tried to attack me. Unfortunately, she was already dehydrated and hungry, her body weak, and she was locked behind iron bars, so she fell back.
From this attempted attack, it was clear that she was indeed an ordinary person, an untrained ordinary girl, not very strong, and couldn’t even break free from such a restraint.
“Do you know why I discovered your betrayal of the young master? I even knew exactly where you hid the secret letters,” I asked again.
“Why?” Mary asked, struggling to look up. What puzzled her most was why the location of her hidden letters was exposed. She was confident that she had hidden the secret letters in a completely safe and secret place, and that someone like the young master would never be able to find them.
This was also one of the reasons Mary suspected this witch had revealed it. With Little Elaine’s naive and trusting nature, combined with her daily excursions with the troops to fight monsters, it was impossible for her to discover her contact with the Count.
Therefore, someone must have alerted Little Elaine. And since I arrived in Cando City, I have been focused on getting stronger and seeking revenge, with a very small social circle. The person I interacted with and trusted the most was Parul, so it was highly likely she discovered it.
“No reason, because I cast a spell on you. I can monitor your every move at any time, and I can also do this.” I snapped my fingers.
“Ahhhh!!!” A sharp pain pierced Mary’s body, causing her to scream continuously, her whole body convulsing, but she was still firmly chained to the iron bars.
The pain came and went quickly. Soon after, the intense pain subsided, and Mary slumped in the corner, covered in urine, trembling all over, still groaning.
“Now you know? I can control your life and death at any time. If you dare to betray me again, I can make you die at any time,” I said with a smile.
However, I concealed the fact that I had actually implanted maggots in her, because she might tell Little Elaine later, leading her to suspect that she also had maggots in her body. Although with her intelligence, I don’t think she could do it, but never underestimate anyone.
“Now you understand, right? I know where you go and what you do. And don’t think about escaping or asking the Count of Deep Lake City to save you. The curse I placed on you will automatically kill you if it’s not maintained by me, and it will be an agonizing death,” I threatened.
But this was also true. If the maggots did not feel my control, they would start to multiply, eating away at the host’s body, which was very horrific, unless I gave the order to release them in advance.
“No! Don’t! Please, I’ll do anything you say, I’m willing to do anything!” Mary pleaded anxiously. The sharp pain just now had truly broken her. Now, even the resentment she had earlier was gone from her eyes.
In the end, she was just an ordinary maid, with neither a firm will nor the ability to hide her emotions. She was originally a fence-sitter who sold out her master for personal gain, so what principles could she possibly have?
“It’s not about listening to me, it’s about listening to your master. Don’t try any tricks, understand? I’ll be watching you all the time. If there’s another betrayal, you’ll wish you were dead,” I said.
“Yes!” Mary agreed tremblingly.
“Miss Parul, I’m back. Huh? What’s wrong with her?” Little Elaine said as she returned with water and bread.
“I’ve already given her a good scare. But for her to truly obey you, you need to assert your authority and show her the majesty of a master,” I said.
“I understand,” Little Elaine said determinedly. She had also witnessed many masters punishing maids who made mistakes.
“Give her something to eat first, so she has some strength to endure. Don’t kill her. You need to combine grace and power for her to obey. Remember to clean her up after punishing her, she smells too bad. I’ve finished my instructions and I’m leaving the basement. The rest is Little Elaine’s job now.”
