A Snake Entwining Flowers

“How disgraceful.”

The woman who had firmly stepped on the flower petals was looking down at her with a cold gaze.

“…Ma’am… No, Madam Janice.”

As she tried to get up, a strong force pushed down on her shoulders.

“Sit there and listen.”

“……”

“Now that I know you’re a careless girl who treats her body carelessly, I have no more advice to give. I’ll just warn you about one thing.”

Her voice was as cold as ice.

It was Janice who had covered up Charlotte’s absence during the festival night. Given that, it was only natural that they had been together that night. But now that she was being blamed directly, she couldn’t bear to make eye contact. She felt like an ingrate for doing something so wrong to the woman who had treated her kindly when she first set foot in Mistymoor Hall.

“You might be fine as a temporary plaything.”

Feeling vague guilt, Charlotte lowered her eyes, but Janice continued as if it didn’t matter.

“But that’s all. If you indulge in ambitions beyond your means, you’ll have to pay a heavy price.”

The ominous voice became a invisible hand that gripped Charlotte’s neck threateningly.

“You, of all people, are not worthy of such ambition.”

“…Madam Janice.”

“You’ll soon be discarded like trash by him, but if you cling to him then…”

The hand squeezing her shoulder felt as if it could break the bone. Charlotte barely managed to swallow her groan and squeezed her eyes shut.

“I will kill you without fail.”

It was a curse and a threat so deeply rooted that it could not be more sincere. Suffocated by the malicious intent that blackened her breath, she couldn’t even twitch a finger.

She couldn’t remember when Janice had left her seat. Kneeling there, lost in thought, someone approached Charlotte.

“Charlotte?”

Looking up, it was Finn. Contrary to the distant atmosphere of the past few days, Finn naturally held out his hand with a worried expression.

“Are you alright?”

“I’m fine.”

“Charlotte. I have something to say…”

“I’m sorry, but I’m a little busy right now.”

Rejecting his hand, Charlotte got up to finish collecting the shards. Soon, guests began to arrive one by one.

As the sun set beyond the horizon, lamps were lit, illuminating the bustling space. Elegant ladies and gentlemen in stylish tailcoats chatted amicably. At the center stood the countess and the earl, dressed elegantly.

“Thank you for accepting our invitation. I hope you have a pleasant time, though it may be humble.”

“Humble? It’s been a while since we’ve had such a rich and beautiful banquet. Thank you for giving us a good time.”

The ladies seemed disappointed that their target, Richard Kensington, was absent, but they didn’t show it too crudely. The host Earl raised his glass for a toast.

“To the health of Her Majesty the Queen!”

“Cheers!”

“To the eternal prosperity of Ethelwood!”

“Cheers!”

As always, the role of a maid at a noble’s banquet was to stand ten steps back and wait quietly for instructions. Just as it had been at Miss Spencer’s birthday.

Although many things had changed since then, and many events had occurred, the situation remained the same. An invisible yet palpable wall, like a glass barrier, divided the two worlds. Even if they had become deeply involved that night, nothing would change.

Charlotte once again recognized her place. Richard Kensington would never come to her side. She couldn’t even dare to want it, and even if she did, he wasn’t the kind of man who would step down to her level. Likewise, the thought of her rising to his world was out of the question.

‘Do you love me…?’

When she had asked that question in a moment of blinding confusion, no answer had come. Instead of a response, the man had given a smile so intoxicating that it took her breath away. He captivated her cruelly, without even holding her hand.

A mere plaything.

Janice’s words, sharp as knives, stabbed at Charlotte’s heart.

No. It can’t be. If that were true, on the day she had desperately confessed her feelings like someone drowning, he would have taken advantage of her then and there. But he hadn’t. He had several chances, yet he never took them. He waited and was patient. What man would endure such restraint for a mere plaything?

And most importantly…

Charlotte’s face turned pale as she searched her waist.

It was gone.

“Anna, I’m sorry, but I need to go to the bathroom for a moment.”

“Now?”

“My stomach…”

Anna turned her head, frowning. Then, seeing Charlotte’s face as pale as a ghost, she looked shocked.

“What’s wrong? Are you in pain?”

“My stomach hurts. I think my period has started.”

“Alright, take your time. If it gets too bad, I’ll tell Lady Janice…”

“No, it’s okay. I’ll be quick. Thank you.”

Charlotte hastily declined Anna’s offer and slightly bowed her head. She then quickly walked into the mansion.

She needed to find it. She had been in and out of the mansion, so she must have lost it inside.

‘This is…’

‘This is a ring my late father left me.’

‘Why are you giving me something so precious…?’

‘Keep it.’

The hand that tucked her hair behind her ear.

‘Until I return.’

The voice that gently enclosed her in its warmth.

As she remembered, her eyes welled up with tears. Anxiety, impatience, and despair choked her. She must find it. Wiping away the tears that threatened to fall, Charlotte frantically searched every corner of the hall, until she bumped into someone.

Thud.

“Watch it!”

“I’m sorry!”

The strong smell of alcohol hit her nose. As Charlotte bowed deeply to apologize and tried to pass, the man grabbed her wrist tightly. Before she could even scream, he pulled her into an embrace and grinned.

“What are you doing here, pretty thing?”

“Let go, please…!”

His hot breath brushed against her neck. His sticky hand groped her waist. It felt like a spider crawling on her skin. The intense disgust made her tremble. She cursed her body for freezing up.

Cold sweat ran down her back, and she couldn’t even find her voice.

“No! Someone, please… mmph…!”

“Be quiet.”

A man roughly clamped his hand over her mouth to stifle her scream, while his other hand tightly restrained her struggling body as he dragged her to a secluded spot.

“Mmph…!”

She frantically looked around, but there wasn’t even a delivery boy in sight. She was only released from his grip once the door shut behind them.

Thud.

“If you stay still, you might even enjoy it.”

The man, eyes glazed with lust, had taken her to a makeshift guest room on the first floor.

“I won’t be rough. Okay? I’ll even pay you well…”

“No!”

As Charlotte threw herself towards the door, the man grabbed her by the hair.

“You little…!”

“Aah…!”

Slap.

Her cheek burned with sharp pain. The violence made her legs give out, and she collapsed. The man, having smoothed his hair back, knelt down and lifted her chin with his finger.

“I tried to be a gentleman, but you just had to cross the line. This is why commoners… right?”

Through her disheveled black hair, her peridot-green eyes shone. The man’s lips curled into a loose grin, captivated by her unexpected beauty. The sight of her swollen cheek was annoying, but she was quite the rare beauty. Forcing her was one thing, but having that smooth, white skin cling to him willingly would be a special treat.

“Sorry for hitting you. But think about it. It’s sudden, but wouldn’t you like to climb up the ranks?”

“…No, no…”

Charlotte squeezed her eyes shut. The hand gripping her chin was revolting. His breath, so close, smelled like a sewer. Her continued refusal quickly soured his mood, and he yanked her hair even harder. Tears streamed down from the renewed pain.

“Agh…!”

“What does a maid like you know? If I like you, I could even make you my mistress.”

It wasn’t the first time she’d heard such words. For a woman of the working class, being pretty meant one of two things: ruining your life by force or by choice. Either becoming the mistress of a wealthy noble or ending up in a brothel.

That’s why Charlotte had no regrets about last night. She had chosen to give her purity to someone she loved, rather than have it taken away by force someday.

“No. I said no…!”

She hadn’t realized how different it would feel. Every touch from this nameless man felt like her skin was rotting away. Even as her head throbbed from the relentless slaps, the disgust and horror made her want to vomit.

She’d rather be beaten to a pulp than be violated like this. Even if it meant breaking an arm or a leg, it would be better.

Spit.

The man, undeterred by her desperate resistance, stopped unbuttoning her dress. He touched his cheek in disbelief, finding it wet. His face flushed with anger, his lust turning into a wildfire of rage.

“You really want to die, don’t you…!”

“Gah, cough…!”

“Die!”

His hands wrapped around her neck, cutting off her air. She struggled, clawing at his hands, but it was no use.

“Die!”

The murderous intent was clear. Her body convulsed from the sudden lack of oxygen, and her vision began to blur. Just as her eyes began to roll back and she was about to lose consciousness—

Thud.

The hands around her neck released, and the man collapsed to the side.

 

 

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T/N: I’m back! Sorry for the long wait. I’ve posted 15 new chapters for this novel (ASEF) and will post the final 9 chapters either tomorrow or sometime this week so I can focus on my other ongoing novels. I’ll work on <Limits of Paradise> next and then move on to <Enemies Meet in an Arranged Marriage> sometime this month. For now, schedule is still tentative because of my busy work days. Thank you for understanding!