The Whipping Maid of House Calley - Chapter 59

“Ugh!”

Sheila jolted awake in shock. Luckily, she still remembered that she’d fallen asleep after being put through three hours in the punishment room. Maybe because of that, even in her dream, it felt like he’d tormented her the whole time, leaving her exhausted.

“Awake?”

“Eek!”

Sheila felt relieved when she woke up and saw her own room, but then she reacted like she’d seen a ghost at his voice right beside her.

Cedric spoke as if he didn’t care at all, “Drink.”

In Cedric’s hand was orange juice in an expensive glass. Only then did Sheila realize how thirsty she was, and she took the glass from him without a word.

Gulp, gulp. As she drank down the refreshing juice she couldn’t usually afford to drink, her mind slowly cleared.

Her body, which had been a mess of Cedric’s semen, her own juices, and both of their saliva, was now dry and clean. Her hair, which had also been smeared with semen, was washed clean too. Judging by how her hair was almost fully dry, quite a bit of time had passed.

“How long did I….”

Sheila asked as she lowered the cup from her lips.

“You slept for over two hours.”

Two hours…?

Sheila’s eyes sparkled.

“In the punishment room, we came out on time, so don’t bother trying to scheme.”

‘Tch….’

At Cedric’s words, Sheila gave up on what she’d been working out.

But hadn’t he been the one to say it first?

“We’ll carry over the remaining time to tomorrow. If you can’t do it tomorrow, we’ll carry it over to the next day, too.”

If that was the logic, then it would only be fair to carry over extra time too.

And judging by how he was emphasizing that they came out on time, there was definitely another clause somewhere in that damn contract he could apply.

Sheila didn’t bring up the contract. She’d never once benefited from talking about it. Instead, all she ever did was confirm his perfect scheme and feel defeated.

Besides, she didn’t have any strength left to argue about anything right now.

He said she’d slept for over two hours, but her body, worked to the bone, still felt heavy.

“Tired?”

“Ye… n-no.”

Sheila almost said yes, then came to her senses and corrected herself. A polite maid was supposed to answer no at a time like this.

Cedric smirked at her and said, “I’m going to do worse things to you from now on. Until you can’t stand it.”

At Cedric’s declaration, Sheila’s expression quietly soured.

Whether she liked it or not, Cedric continued, “When it gets to the point you feel like getting beaten would be better, shout ‘Cedric.’ That’ll be your safe word that protects you.”

Sheila stared at him with eyes that said, ‘You worked me for three hours and now you’re saying this?’

No, more than that, it was a strange word that sounded like she was hearing it for the first time.

“Safe word……?”

The safe word is Cedric…?

“B-but how…!”

A beat late, Sheila jumped up in alarm.

Safe word or whatever, there was no way she could recklessly say the young count’s name unless she’d lost her mind. And she’d already gotten used to calling him “Master”….

The gap between the name Cedric and the title Master felt as far apart as heaven and earth.

“Of course, I’ll also be careful so you don’t end up saying it. But remember it.”

Cedric warned her in a meaningful tone.

Sheila seemed to have completely forgotten that she’d said, ‘Cedric… Master….’ earlier.

Of course, the safe word Cedric mentioned wasn’t ‘Master Cedric’ either, but only ‘Cedric.’

A safe word had to be a word you normally wouldn’t use during play, and at the same time a word that could snap you out of the mood.

The word “Cedric” was, in that sense, appropriate in many ways.

Especially because the moment he heard his own name come from her mouth earlier, he clearly felt his dirty sadistic impulse subside. That was only until the words “Master” followed after it.

“Why do you keep skipping your answers today?”

At Cedric’s sarcasm, Sheila had no choice but to part her lips.

“Yes… Young Count.”

Sheila answered Cedric’s urging, but Sheila still had questions.

What kind of situation she would ever use that in, and even if that situation came, whether she could really call Cedric’s name so recklessly….

***

Once the nobles they served finished lunch, it was the servants’ lunchtime.

After Judith finished her meal and scurried off to Marisa’s room, Sheila, Molly, and Anne went down together to the servants’ dining hall.

Today’s lunch was a meat pie filled with minced meat, onions, cheese, and more. The usual soup came with it.

The maids were delighted as they were served two large pieces of meat pie each.

Other dishes could be served more freely, but when it was a delicious, special menu like meat pie, the kitchen maid distributed a set portion. Otherwise, there might not be any left for the servants who came last.

“Anne, how is it, working so far?”

“What about it?”

At Molly’s question, Anne asked back with bright eyes. Anne’s gaze was especially clear.

“I mean, is it hard or anything?”

“Is there any work that isn’t hard?”

Anne replied calmly, then immediately focused on eating the meat pie. She looked like she had cotton stuffed in her ears, completely uninterested in anything else.

Molly, who tried to at least say a few words to the newcomer, gave up on talking to Anne and spoke to Sheila.

“Sheila, why are you picking at it like that?”

“I don’t know. I don’t have an appetite.”

“Is it because you’re worn out?”

Molly worried about Sheila.

Maid work was always grueling. That said, Sheila wasn’t a beginner anymore, and there wasn’t any special reason for her to suddenly lose her appetite.

No, is there? It’s already been over fifteen days since she started doing things with the Young Count in that room.

As soon as she thought about what she did with the Young Count, that strange feeling naturally pulled her in.

Sheila tried to shake it off and focus on her meal, but tomorrow was a lesson day again.

Since lessons came every other day, there was nothing she could do.

Sheila was already worried about what he would do again.

What kind of corporal punishment he would give, what kind of strange things he would say again, the tension was so unknown that it made her skin crawl.

Just from worrying a little about what would happen in the punishment room tomorrow, Sheila’s lower body grew soaking wet.

‘Ah, shit, so annoying……’

As soon as she felt her underwear damp, her appetite disappeared even more.

At that moment, with a gleam in her clear eyes, that lun… no, Anne asked, “Then should I eat it for you?”

Before even waiting for an answer, Anne was already reaching for the meat pie.

Molly slapped the back of Anne’s hand instead of Sheila.

“Eat your own.”

A staring match broke out between Anne and Molly.

What broke the silence was a middle-aged maid named Lucika entering the servants’ dining hall.

“Sheila, your guest is here at the front gate.”

Sheila asked in surprise. There was hardly anyone who would come looking for her.

“Why, that one came once before, right? You said it was your younger brother from your hometown.”

Lucika, who had been in charge of the first-floor hall and entrance for years, was the one who greeted guests first. Even when someone came looking for a maid outside the door, they all had to go through her.

“The name is….”

Just as Lucika was about to say the name she’d been told, Sheila answered quickly, as if a memory had surfaced.

“Ah! Ahh! Yes, I’ll go down.”

At the mention of a hometown younger brother, Molly’s and Anne’s gazes were already fixed on Sheila.

“A hometown younger brother would be the one who came a year or two, maybe three years ago? It’s been a while. You must be happy to see him. Go meet him slowly. Anyway, I can attend to the young lady with Anne.”

At the fact that even Molly remembered, Sheila’s expression shifted subtly.

However, Molly didn’t notice Sheila’s expression because she was busy locking eyes with Anne, who had started staring at her intently again.

“Th-then I’ll be back.”

Sheila slipped the remaining meat pie into the handkerchief in her pocket and left the dining hall.

***

“Noona!”

When Sheila appeared outside the door, Jerry, the self-proclaimed “hometown younger brother,” waved cheerfully from a distance.

At the sight, Sheila forced the corners of her mouth up and raised a hand in return.

“Uh, uh….”

If only there weren’t servants walking around the garden…!

Sheila hurried over to Jerry and asked through clenched teeth, smiling, “What are you doing here?”

“What am I doing… I had business here and thought of you, Noona….”

As always, Jerry answered while chewing gum, his lips busy. A faint licorice scent drifted from his mouth. Sheila’s brow creased slightly.

“Oh, I see. So that’s why you came.”

Sheila grabbed Jerry’s arm roughly and pulled him.

“Shall we go somewhere a bit secluded for a moment?”

“Why, I like bright places… ahh!”

Sheila secretly pinched the inside of the arm she was holding.

“All right! I’ll go. I’m going.”

Sheila led Jerry past the long wall and only stopped when they reached the corner.

“Are you insane? Do you know where this is, coming here like this!”

When Sheila demanded in a lowered voice, Jerry replied calmly, “Where else. Your workplace.”

“That’s exactly it! Why do you keep coming to my workplace?”

“What do you mean keep. It’s been a while.”

Jerry spun around while chewing gum.

As he said, calling it ‘keep’ might not be accurate. This was only the second time Jerry came here, and there was a gap of three years since the first time.

It was about three years ago, when Sheila signed her very first contract in her life.

One day when Sheila requested an ‘errand’ from the guild, Jerry, a guild member, came to the estate unannounced to verify the client’s identity.

Back then too, Sheila had been startled by the words that a hometown younger brother had come and rushed out. And after the guild finished verifying the identity, she thought there would be no reason for him to come again.

Because Sheila herself visited the guild regularly.

“By the way, isn’t it impressive? You still remember the hometown younger brother setting I made up three years ago.”

“You call that a brother!”

Sheila raised and lowered her hand toward Jerry.

He was exactly fist-sized, so he did look like a younger brother, but Jerry was actually the same age as her.

“Did I look young back then? And you know, if you say you’re a younger brother, the ladies treat you better. It lowers their guard for no reason too.”

“How ridiculous.”

Sheila snorted. Still, it was true that calling someone a hometown younger brother lowered people’s guard. Even picky Lucika seemed fully convinced that Jerry was Sheila’s hometown younger brother.

“Hurry up and say what you came for and get lost.”

“You’re a girl, why is your way of talking like that?”

“It’s how I talk only to you, so stop worrying.”

This time, Sheila smiled with her eyes narrowing. At her look that clearly said to get to the point, Jerry hesitated, then opened his mouth.