The Whipping Maid of House Calley - Chapter 24

She’d need to move quickly if she wanted to sort out the bundle she’d taken out yesterday and bring in the laundry she hadn’t gathered yet.

After untying the bundle, Sheila lifted the floorboard to put away the accessories she hadn’t managed to sell the day before.

And there, she took out the whipping contract. Since she already had the floorboard open, she figured she might as well pull out the contract and check the clauses again. Better to strike while the iron is hot.

No matter what, that arrogant man was probably right, but she still needed to confirm it with her own eyes.

Unfolding the papers, Sheila skimmed through the difficult vocabulary as best as she could, piecing things together by intuition as she read slowly through the regulations. As expected, the parts she’d been told about were easiest to understand, but grasping the full content was difficult.

And then she spotted the words Cedric had mentioned yesterday: “take responsibility and manage.” It was written in Article 4, Clause 2 on the first page.

Sheila read the passage aloud.

“Two. Party A bears the duty to take responsibility for and manage Party B’s health so that Party B can be beaten in the best possible condition. Three. To that end, Party A shall monitor Party B’s condition at all times….”

Monitor at all times…?

So that meant he could come whenever he wanted, like yesterday, to check her physical condition?

Sheila doubted her own interpretation, but there didn’t seem to be any other way to read it.

She calmed herself and continued reading the clause.

“Party A shall monitor Party B’s condition at all times, and Party B shall actively cooperate so that Party A can fully perform these duties.”

The clause went on and on.

“Four. Party A bears the duty to actively treat any wounds or illnesses that occur to Party B.”

Forgetting the work she needed to do, Sheila hurriedly flipped through the papers. The word “treatment” caught her eye again.

『Article 6 (Treatment)

1. All costs of treatment shall be borne by Party A.
2. Party B shall receive a doctor’s examination when necessary.
3. Whether a doctor’s examination is necessary shall be determined by Party A, and Party B shall fully comply with Party A’s judgment.』

What on earth….

Sheila’s vision darkened.

No matter how she looked at it, her interpretation was correct. Meaning that whenever Cedric came and told her to lift her skirt, she had to obediently bare her legs.

“Think carefully, kid. Once you sign a contract, you can’t undo it.”

Only then did Sheila remember advice someone had once given her.

She really shouldn’t have signed contracts so carelessly….

She hadn’t known the contract contained details this specific.

Still clutching the contract, Sheila panicked, but then her positive thinking switch flicked on.

Right, there wasn’t actually anything hugely disadvantageous yet.

In the end, didn’t it mean she’d be receiving free treatment?

Her thighs were already something she had to expose every time she got beaten anyway….

With barely enough literacy to do more than avoid being completely illiterate, Sheila read the contract again and again. She needed reassurance that the contract she’d signed wasn’t some terrible mistake.

But thanks to the difficult terminology and long clauses, the only parts she’d been able to properly understand were the ones Rufus had explained.

Still, the fact that Rufus’s explanation had been correct gave Sheila a sense of relief. And when she checked the section about the glorious “whipping salary,” Sheila concluded once again that she’d made the right choice.

After carefully folding the contract, she glanced around her room, turning her head left and right. She was looking for a place to store the document.

Cedric might provoke her again by telling her to read the contract, and there could even be a situation where they had to look at it together.

After some thought, Sheila decided to put it under her bed.

‘The secret space must never be discovered.’

At least under the bed would let her pull out the contract whenever she needed it.

***

While Molly was gone, Sheila worked together with Anne.

Since Anne had been briefed by Molly while Sheila was resting after being beaten, she handled the work without any issues. Still, Sheila was the one who mostly interacted with Judith, and Judith didn’t seem to have much interest in Anne yet.

Or perhaps Judith was being cautious because of what she’d heard during Cedric’s class.

“One became the whipping maid, and one is having a wedding, so you’ll need more maids. As I said before, I’ll be watching your behavior from now on, so you should be careful even in front of your maids.”

According to the senior maids, there had been countless maids before Sheila who quit because of Judith.

When Sheila had been working in this mansion for about a year, Cedric went abroad to study. Even right before he left, the maid who’d been working before Sheila had quit. So Cedric likely remembered very clearly how often Judith’s maids changed.

Sheila had endured with the mindset that if she didn’t stay here, she’d die, but if her father had still been alive, she couldn’t guarantee she wouldn’t have packed her bags and gone home in tears.

Before long, class time arrived as usual.

Judith’s performance on the pop quizzes after the first two lessons was still terrible. However, the number of strikes she had to receive wasn’t as high as before. Cedric had barely asked questions, and the next class was current events, which focused mainly on Cedric’s explanations.

“What is the region with the largest coal mine in the Beloica kingdom, located not far from this Calley territory?”

Cedric gave a question for the first time in a while.

“Please give me a hint.”

Cedric’s questions were never difficult. He usually asked to check whether she knew the basics.

This question was the same. Even Sheila, who had never studied in her life, knew the answer.

“The coal used in this mansion is transported from there. There was even an explosion five years ago. You were eight at the time, so if you’d read the newspaper regularly, you’d naturally remember it.”

Sheila, who already knew the answer and had been about to speak, suddenly darkened.

“I don’t know….”

Instead of giving a random wrong answer, Judith honestly confessed she didn’t know.

With a gloomy expression, Sheila added another tally mark.

“The answer is Broden,” Cedric said. “The reason I mention Broden is because a foreigners-only casino will be opening there soon. It’s the first casino built with royal investment. Since it’s something many nobles are keeping an eye on, you should know about it too.”

Hearing her hometown mentioned, Sheila focused even more intently.

Her heart had stirred for a moment remembering her father’s accident, but since this was Cedric’s class, she forced herself to concentrate.

Besides, the casino topic was something Sheila was personally concerned about. She was worried her fun-loving brother might try to set foot in the casino.

‘It’s a relief it’s foreigners-only….’

Broden had many foreign laborers who worked in the mines.

Since dangerous mine work couldn’t be sustained with only domestic workers, the country actively accepted foreign labor.

There were also plenty of entertainment districts like bars and brothels, which naturally developed because they targeted the mine workers. Thanks to that, the local economy wasn’t bad.

The money Sheila sent to her brother Fred probably contributed greatly to the economy of Broden as well. Since Fred didn’t work and only cared about entertainment, he was surely pouring money into the town with enthusiasm.

“You need to at least know the kinds of projects the royal family gets involved in so you can hold proper conversations among nobles.”

After finishing a long explanation, Cedric finally said, “Let’s end class here.”

When class ended, corporal punishment remained.

Judith had gotten twenty‑four questions wrong.

Each time the cane struck and lifted from her calves, Sheila counted dutifully.

Smack.

“Ugh, nineteen.”

Smack.

“Hhic! Twenty.”

Smack!

“Haaak! W‑wait….”

Sheila couldn’t endure anymore and stomped her feet in place.

She’d truly hit her limit.

The pain was so intense she felt like she’d go insane and jump.

Watching Sheila struggle, Cedric spoke, “Number.”

“T‑twenty‑one! Just a moment. Huuu….”

Sheila quickly gave the count and begged for a short pause again. As she desperately looked up at Cedric, Judith’s crying figure entered her field of vision.

Judith had her ears covered and was lying face‑down on the desk, crying.

‘You little…!’

Who did she think I was being beaten for right now!

Sheila had never wanted to show anyone such a pathetic sight, but seeing Judith—who caused all this—turn away and cry made the curse slip out on its own.

She tried signaling with her eyes for Cedric to look at Judith, but Cedric didn’t pay her the slightest attention.

Instead, he asked Sheila indifferently, “How many are left?”

“Th‑three… hits left.”

Feeling the pressure that if she had enough energy to worry about anything else, she should hurry and get ready, Sheila forced herself back into position.

Smack!

“Twenty‑two! Ugh!”

With just one strike, Sheila collapsed. No matter how much she held on with grit and stubbornness, no one could win against the cane. Her face flushed so hot it felt like it would burst.

Seeing Sheila stamping her feet and twisting her waist in pain, Cedric let out a long sigh.

He must want to finish quickly. He was an incredibly busy man….

Only two remained.

Sheila trembled violently as she steadied herself back into position. At this point, she couldn’t even hear Judith’s sobs anymore. It felt as if time itself had stopped.

Smack!

“Uuuugh!”

Haa, haa….

Cedric no longer urged her.

“…T‑twenty‑three.”

Smack!

“Haaak!”

Sheila, who had held on with every last bit of strength, collapsed where she stood the moment the final strike landed.

It was over!

Right, no matter how difficult something was, if she endured, it eventually ended.

“Huu…!”

Relief and pain crashed over her at the same time.

“Waaah! Hhic, hic, uwaaah!”

Through the pain, Judith’s crying could be heard once more.

‘She cries so damn loudly.’

Who was the one who really deserved to cry?

Sheila’s body trembled as she held back the pain.