The Whipping Maid of House Calley - Chapter 32

I’m quitting the whipping maid job starting today.

No matter how she looked at it, there was no way she could endure the remaining two months.

If she pushed herself until she collapsed, she wouldn’t even be able to keep doing her regular maid work.

It was better to just continue earning steadily as a maid like she was now, and make up any extra money she needed by taking on side jobs….

Besides, at most, it would take her two more years to reach her savings goal, and even then, she’d only be twenty-two.

Dying young or ending up with scars all over her body because she pushed herself too hard would be far worse than taking things slowly.

A moment later, Cedric knocked on the door, exactly as she expected.

Sheila opened the door and spoke without even looking at him.

“You’re here.”

“Lie down.”

He’d beaten her like that, yet Cedric looked completely unfazed.

Sheila, who had cried her heart out before he came in, silently lay face-down on the bed. Then she lifted her skirt up to her thighs as if nothing were unusual. Whether he called it “responsible care” or “active treatment,” today would be the last day anyway.

Cedric applied ointment without asking a single question like “Did it hurt a lot?”

She hadn’t expected him to.

Only today did she fully realize that while he clearly saw a maid’s life as worthless as a fly’s, his hands applying ointment were strangely gentle.

He said, “Take tomorrow off.”

“Yes.”

When he told her to rest from maid work, Sheila didn’t refuse.

Her body was in this state, so insisting on working would only hurt her. And since Anne, her junior, had gotten used to the work now, Molly would also manage just fine.

As Cedric was finishing up, Sheila quickly opened her mouth. “I have something to tell you.”

If he applied the ointment and disappeared like the wind, she wouldn’t get the chance to say anything.

Maybe because she’d cried so much already, Sheila felt frighteningly calm. But unbelievably, Cedric spoke first.

“I’ll go ahead.”

What…!

Still lying face-down, Sheila was stunned, but she couldn’t refuse when her master said he’d speak first.

“Coincidentally, today makes exactly one month.”

So he knew. Was he going to say the same thing she was planning to say? That there was no need to continue the three-month term and that she should quit?

To be exact, Sheila had failed to fulfill her role today.

She’d thrown a fit saying she couldn’t take the full beating.

Because of that, the arrogant noble and strict perfectionist Cedric ended up using his own palm instead of the paddle.

Not to mention he’d even struck that place—the one that started with an “b” and ended with an “s”!

Knowing Cedric, he might very well think his hand had been dirtied by a useless maid.

‘That would be fine.’

Sheila desperately hoped he would tell her to quit, exactly as she expected. It would be far less awkward for her, the inferior party, than having to say it herself.

Cedric finished applying ointment to her thigh and pulled her underwear back up.

Thankfully, he didn’t say anything about applying ointment to that place he’d smacked with his palm.

Even if he had, she had no intention of showing it to him again.

With her swollen face, Sheila waited for his next words.

“Starting from the second month, I’ll double the whipping maid pay.”

“…Pardon?” Sheila repeated in disbelief.

She hurriedly lowered her skirt and pushed herself up, staring at him.

“Keep that in mind and don’t entertain useless thoughts.”

Displaying his wealth as if it meant nothing, he stood.

Since it was evening, no sunlight entered the shabby attic, but somehow a halo seemed to shine behind him.

Sheila, who had briefly gone blank, shook her head vigorously and called out to him. “W-wait a moment, Young Count!”

“Why? Do you have something to say?”

Yes, I do!

“Yes.”

To her concise answer, he asked just as concisely, “What is it?”

“It’s just that….”

Sheila trailed off.

It had been good that she’d boldly stopped Cedric, but….

The moment he said he’d double the whipping maid pay, everything changed.

Earning an extra ten solids a month and earning an extra twenty solids a month were on completely different levels.

Including her regular maid salary, that meant thirty solids per month… even the head maid or head butler probably didn’t receive that much.

“What is it?”

Cedric lowered his voice.

He clearly knew that a mere maid wouldn’t be able to refuse twenty solids. That must’ve been why he brought it up.

Feeling as if he’d seen right through her, Sheila’s pride stung, but she still answered as calmly as she could.

“I-it’s just that I don’t think the paddle is right for me….”

Now that she’d had a moment to think after stopping him, she realized that if not for the paddle, she might not need to quit at all.

“What do you mean, not right?”

Cedric’s question prompted Sheila to answer more specifically.

“It just… hurts too much compared to other implements.”

“So you’re saying it’s unfair?”

“Yes….”

Thankfully, Cedric understood what she meant right away.

She’d said this much. Surely he would drop the paddle. He didn’t seem like someone who was completely heartless….

“No.”

…This bastard.

‘I’m the idiot for expecting anything.’

As Sheila tried to think of another argument, Cedric spoke, “Rufus told me you know how to read.”

Startled by the sudden question, Sheila replied timidly, “Y-yes….”

“Then why do you seem like you didn’t bother to read the contract properly?”

“…Yes?”

The contract again…?

As the saying goes, if you’re startled by a snake, even a pot lid will frighten you. So when Cedric brought up the contract again, Sheila’s heart began to pound.

Earlier today and even during the beating, the moment anything from the contract was brought up, something shocking followed.

“Isn’t understanding the contents of a contract the most basic thing?”

“T-that’s true, but….”

Sheila didn’t want to admit that she wasn’t exceptionally skilled at reading. Especially not right now.

“I’m not as smart as you, Young Count. I don’t understand why you’re bringing this up….”

“The right to choose the implement belongs entirely to the dominant party. In other words, depending on the situation or Judith’s learning progress, I have the right to change the tool.”

Sheila’s vision went dark.

‘Something like that was written in the contract?’

“You want me to confirm it for you?” Seeing her expression full of disbelief, Cedric asked.

“Yes… please show me.” Barely regaining her senses, Sheila replied. Then she reached under the bed and pulled out the contract.

At least she’d done well keeping it under the floorboards just in case something like this happened.

Cedric accepted the neatly folded contract and, without even needing to look, unfolded it and held it out to her.

“Article seven.”

At his words, Sheila quickly found Article 7.

『Article 7 (Implement)

1. The implement used for striking is not limited to a single item.
2. The type of implement may vary depending on the situation or Judith’s learning condition.
3. The choice of implement belongs entirely to Party A.』

Party A’s authority…

The contents were exactly as he’d said.

“Have you confirmed it?”

Sheila nodded blankly.

At the same time, she fell into the biggest dilemma of her life.

Would she quit and give up the twenty solids whipping maid pay, or would she continue even if it meant being hit with the paddle?

“The answer?” Cedric pressed.

Sheila replied, “…I’ll do my best.”

Even if she’d thought about it for hours, her answer wouldn’t have changed.

Twenty solids wasn’t something she could throw away lightly.

If she ever truly couldn’t take it anymore, she could always beg like she did today.

“I’ll say this in advance. This is the last time I’m letting something like this slide.”

She remembered Cedric firmly warning her, but Sheila told herself that if she couldn’t get through it “like this,” then she could get through it “like that.”

‘There’s no way he’ll actually kill me, right?’

Besides, didn’t that fancy contract of his even include a clause about “active treatment”? She found herself ridiculous for thinking anything was fine as long as she didn’t die, but Sheila decided to stake her uncertain future on those twenty solids.

“That’s how it should be.”

Cedric reacted as if Sheila’s answer was only natural.

Watching his cool, unbothered figure disappear, Sheila suddenly felt uneasy, wondering if she’d made the wrong choice. But she couldn’t call him back now.

‘Since it’s come to this, I’ll do it until I truly can’t, and if it doesn’t work out, I’ll quit then.’

Without realizing she’d already crossed a river she couldn’t return from, Sheila thought the same way she always did.

***

Sheila woke at dawn and went down to the kitchen to receive the dairy delivery from Viehaver Farm. Even though she’d been told to rest from maid duties, she couldn’t skip this job since it was a personal side task she was paid for separately.

Her thighs and backside were still sore from yesterday’s beating, and she wanted nothing more than to lie down, but because of this job, she had no choice but to drag herself up.

‘I should finish quickly and go back up to rest.’

Before, she would’ve tried to squeeze in more work with whatever time she had left, but now that she had a large sum saved up, her first thought was that she should rest. Humans were indeed weak creatures who changed easily depending on their circumstances.

She wished she could rest from this job too during the whipping-maid period, but would that be possible?

Sheila thought of her arrangement with Sam.

Would their dealings get exposed while she was resting?

For Sheila, that was the most important concern. The dirtier the work, the more cleanly it had to be handled.

And what about the complaints from the kitchen maids?

While she was lost in such thoughts, she heard the familiar sound of wagon wheels from outside.

Sheila opened the large wooden back door of the mansion.

Sam got off his horse, exactly where he always parked the wagon. It was a horse he’d switched to not long ago, replacing the old mule he’d used for years.

Mules were animals that moved better than horses on mountain paths, making them excellent for traveling long distances. But in places like Count Calley’s territory, where the roads were well paved, horses were much better.

On top of that, mules had nastier tempers than horses. Every time the mule acted up, Sam would scold it and say he’d switch to a horse as soon as he had money.

And now, he’d finally achieved that long-held wish. The farm had apparently brought in new machinery, so he must’ve earned quite a bit.

‘Money really does make more money.’

A few words exchanged while trading milk and cheese revealed a lot about a person.

“Does the horse behave well?”

“Daisy, you mean?”

Sam pointed at the horse as he spoke. Daisy was, of course, the name Sam had personally chosen for her. For reference, the mule he’d been with all this time had been given the decidedly half-hearted name “Jack.”

“Yes, Daisy.”

Sheila awkwardly smiled as she pointed toward the black mare.

“Of course! She thinks I’m her dad, you know? Hahaha.”

Sam laughed proudly.

‘He’s really that happy, huh.’

Since Sam was delighted, Sheila felt good too. Ever since they’d shared a shady secret, they’d developed an odd sense of closeness.

As Sam unloaded the goods and Sheila received them, they chatted casually like always.

After unloading the milk and cheese, Sam walked toward Daisy with a spring in his step.

But then he suddenly turned back to Sheila.

“By the way, Sheila.”

“Yes?”