“You’re insane! You’re insane!” she shrieked.
“I am indeed,” Odelliana countered, a chilling calm in her voice. “Would a sane person do this?”
“You’ll pay for this!” Adella threatened, her voice trembling. “How dare you do something so horrible..!”
“If you, a tormentor for decades, can live without consequence, why not me?” Odelliana retorted. “And dare? That’s the word. How dare you presume to dominate your master? You’re a mere servant.”
She thrust the knife closer, her eyes glinting with a dangerous light.
“Regardless of your connections, you are a servant and I am your master. This is an immutable truth, even in death,” Odelliana declared coldly.
Adella’s body convulsed as another guttural scream escaped her lips. Her rage, however, quickly replaced her terror as blood soaked her hands. Her neck veins throbbed visibly as she shouted, “I will tell everyone what you did!”
“A brilliant plan,” Odelliana replied, her voice dripping with sarcasm. “Let’s see how my esteemed parents react to their daughter maiming a servant. I eagerly anticipate their response.”
Adella was silenced.
“Thanks to you,” Odelliana continued, “I will finally be reunited with my long-lost parents.”
“Crazy b(tch! Insane!” Adella shrieked, her voice filled with hysteria.
“And why wouldn’t I be?” Odelliana countered, her tone icy. “With someone like you in my presence, madness is the only sane response. Scream all you want. Broadcast my ‘madness’ to the world. Flaunt your disfigured face to anyone who will look.” A cruel smile crept across her lips. “But you won’t.”
Her parents would never allow such a scandal to tarnish the family name.
“A noble family hiding a crippled, insane daughter? The Grüsewalds with a ‘curse of God’? The shame would be unbearable. And you, the source of this dishonor, will not escape unscathed,” Odelliana threatened.
A cold silence enveloped the room as her words sank in. “I’ve made my point,” she concluded. “The lesson is over. Even your limited intellect should understand.”
Odelliana tore her gaze from Adella, her eyes scanning the terrified faces of the servants. “Remember this,” she warned, her voice low and menacing, “today it’s your face, next time it could be your throat.” With a swift motion, she hurled the butter knife far from Adella.
Turning, her eyes met Matthias’. He was pressed against the wall, arms wrapped around himself in a mock display of fear. A playful glint danced in his eyes. “Master, your pupil is terrified,” he joked, his voice trembling slightly.
Even in this dire situation, his humor was unwavering. “You seem more amused than frightened,” she observed.
“It was quite a spectacle,” he admitted, a hint of intrigue in his voice. He moved closer, his long fingers gently wiping the blood from her hands. The crimson liquid stained his skin, but he seemed unfazed.
Matthias offered steady support as he spoke calmly. “Was it necessary to involve yourself so directly?”
“Are you eager to stain your hands with such filth?” Odelliana retorted.
“It’s preferable to having your hands soiled,” he replied.
“This is my responsibility,” she insisted. “I am your guardian.”
He nodded in understanding.
“If you had acted, my parents would have held you accountable. My position is different. A madwoman disfiguring a servant is less scandalous.”
“I could have done more than merely cut her face,” Matthias mused. “You’re remarkably merciful, Master.”
The wound would leave a permanent scar, making a normal life difficult for Adella. She would become an outcast. It was a harsh lesson, a consequence of her actions. Odelliana had given her countless chances to rectify the situation, but Adella had chosen this path.
“I told you before, didn’t I? Nothing would change.”
Then I’ll change it.
