Irene Decided to Die - Chapter 27
Lani first attempted to rectify the mishap by grabbing a towel to wipe the bed. Then, her gaze met Irene’s.
“Was it Lani?”
Her crimson red eyes were curved like the crescent of the moon.
“Yes, yes?”
Responding hastily, Irene placed a finger on her chin and muttered softly.
“Well, mistakes can happen.”
The moment she heard those words, she felt relieved. So, she’s just going to let it slide, she thought.
However, a sharp pain soon stung her cheek.
Slap!
Lani, who hadn’t grasped the situation, belatedly realized she had been slapped.
“But if you make a mistake, you must be punished.”
Cradling her tingling cheek, she stood dazed when another voice was heard.
“It’s fine to give punishment, but are your hands alright? Wouldn’t it have been better to have me do it instead?”
Her shoulders instinctively tensed up.
Unlike Irene, the King of the North, Burt, is an excellent swordsman. She knew well enough that she wouldn’t come out unscathed if hit by him.
It felt as if she had been abruptly yanked from a dream into reality, as if cold water had been splashed on her, making her body tremble.
Meanwhile, Irene and Burt were calmly continuing their conversation.
Irene said,
“This is fine.”
But Burt, ignoring this, inspected Irene’s hand. Lani had been the one to get slapped, yet he was concerned for the person who had done the slapping.
Lani clenched the hem of her skirt.
‘No, this is normal.’
She remembered the nature of nobility, which she had forgotten over time. She had just been too lax until now.
She desperately held back the tears that threatened to spill. Still, it was okay since it ended with just a slap on the cheek. With that thought, she tried to persevere stoutly.
Once everything is over she will return to her quarters. Then, after confiding in her friends and receiving consolation, she would be okay.
For that to happen, she needed to quickly amend her current mistake. Lani tried to remain calm and apologized.
“I-I am sorry.”
Then, she hurriedly changed the bedsheet and refilled the engraved bowl with water.
This time, she was determined to carry it properly. However, perhaps due to her nervousness, she ended up falling again.
Crash!
“Aaah!”
Naturally, the bowl was overturned too. Water splashed out again, spreading in all directions. Why? How could this happen?
Trembling, as she stood up, she saw Irene with her leg stretched out.
“Such a mistake-prone child, you are.”
Even though it was she who had tripped her! She wanted to argue immediately, but her mouth wouldn’t open.
Burt said,
“It seems you need another punishment.”
This time, the punishment didn’t seem like it would end with just a slap on the cheek.
With a sense of foreboding, she looked around for help, sending pleading looks, but the other maids did not turn to look at her. They just quietly continued with their duties, stiff-bodied.
“So, what shall it be?”
She wanted to scream that no punishment was necessary and run away.
But she knew she couldn’t do that anymore, not like before.
After all, a Saintess candidate, once considered an ominous sign by everyone, and a Saintess recognized by the Goddess, were entirely different beings.
“I-I’m sorry!”
Lani prostrated herself on the ground, pleading in a desperate voice.
“Lani, you know. If apologies were enough, why would the world need punishments? Right?”
Irene then raised her hand.
‘I heard she was tortured in the Tower of Death.’
That thought suddenly came to mind.
Yes, now Irene had the power to put her in the Tower of Death too. And that was terrifying.
“I’m sorry!”
So, she begged, abjectly, over and over.
“Why are you prostrating and begging like this? If you keep this up, I might start to feel bad.”
Hearing that, Lani got up abruptly. Then stood there, holding her hands, trembling.
“Don’t worry. I won’t give you a severe punishment.”
Irene said with a smile.
“Just starve until you’ve reflected on your sins. It’s not hard.”
You did the same to me, didn’t you? It felt like those words were echoing in her ears.
Lani frantically nodded in response.
“Yes, thank you!”
“Yes, I should be thankful. The term is until I say it’s enough.”
“Thank you!”
After finishing the remaining work and leaving the room, Lani had the expression of someone who had seen a ghost.
“Are you okay?”
The friends who hadn’t acknowledged her inside now belatedly asked how she was.
“Huh? Oh, yes, I’m okay. At most, I’ll just miss a few meals.”
There had been a time in the past when the Duke ordered a child to be starved. The child cried and begged out of hunger, but the maids did not give her a bit of food.
‘Please, save me! I’m so hungry. Please give me something to eat!’
‘No, we can’t. It’s the Duke’s order. You must complete your tasks without mistakes before you can have food.’
Instead, they mocked her by eating food in front of her.
“It will be okay.”
