Chapter 35
Ella's POV
After that day...
I watched Ruby sink deeper into the abyss, step by step, and there was nothing I could do.
Once, I was mopping the floor in the back courtyard when I saw her hurrying down the corridor in the distance. Her head was lowered, hands clutching a gold-rimmed porcelain plate covered with silk cloth. I recognized that kind of plate—only used when serving the master's meals.
I set down my work, about to call out to her, but stopped when I saw Victoria. She stood in the shadows at the end of the corridor. As Ruby passed by, I saw Victoria's lips curve into a cold smile.
Ruby's footsteps faltered, then quickened as she left.
My heart sank.
That evening, I finally found a chance to approach Ruby. She was in the kitchen helping prepare dinner, wearing a tired smile. I grabbed her wrist. She turned, panic flashing in her eyes.
"Ella, I'm fine," she said quietly, trying to pull away.
"Ruby—"
"Really, I'm fine." She cut me off, her voice carrying a desperate insistence. "His Lordship treats me well. He gave me a new room, made things better for my family. I just need to... I just need to do what I'm supposed to do."
I looked at her, something lodged in my throat. There was light in her eyes, but behind that light lurked bottomless fear.
The next morning, it happened.
I was in the servants' quarters when I heard hurried footsteps and hushed voices in the hallway. I pushed open the door to see several maids huddled together, whispering with that excited look people get when watching drama unfold.
"What's going on?" I asked.
An older maid turned, looking at me with pity mixed with schadenfreude. "That Ruby girl got herself in trouble. Just now in the front hall, she forgot to bow when Lady Victoria passed by."
My blood ran cold.
"Where did they take her?"
"The front courtyard," the maid lowered her voice. "Lady Victoria wants to make an example of her for everyone."
I practically ran to the front courtyard.
Ruby was kneeling in the center on the stone pavement, rain beating down on her thin body. Her hair was soaked, plastered to her pale cheeks. Victoria stood under the eaves in a magnificent velvet gown, holding a black lace parasol.
"A lowly servant," Victoria's voice rang out clearly, dripping with condescension, "don't think that becoming His Lordship's sex toy means you can stand on equal footing with me."
Ruby trembled all over but didn't dare say a word.
I stood in the distance, hands clenched into fists. I wanted to rush over, to pull her up, but when Ruby's eyes found mine, they held a plea—begging me not to come, not to make things worse.
Kane stood on the other side under the eaves, expressionless as he watched it all. Rainwater dripped from the roof tiles, splashing at his feet.
"Kneel there," Victoria said dismissively. "Let it remind you of your place."
The rain grew heavier. Ruby knelt there, her frail body swaying in the wind and rain.
Watching her, I felt something slam into my chest, making it hard to breathe.
I remembered what she'd said that day: "Ella, I don't have a choice."
No, she had no choice. Neither did I.
We were both pieces on a board, moved around at others' whims, our lives not our own.
After that day, my physical condition worsened. My chest often felt tight and painful, like something was burning inside, or like something was binding me tightly. I thought it was the accumulated stress of recent days, not knowing it was a deeper curse eating away at me.
Then news spread that Ruby was pregnant.
It was an ordinary afternoon. I was helping in the kitchen when I heard the maids whispering. At first I thought I'd misheard, but when I saw that excited, malicious look on their faces, I knew it was true.
Ruby was carrying Kane's child.
That night, Kane came to find me.
He pushed open the door to the servants' quarters, standing in the doorway's shadow. Moonlight came from behind him, hiding his expression from view.
"Have you changed your mind?" he asked, his voice low and hoarse.
I sat on the edge of the bed, looking at him, saying nothing.
"If only you were half as obedient as Ruby. Since you miss that child so much," he took a few steps closer, "I can give you another one too."
When I heard those words, I actually laughed. The sound was jarring in the silent room, strange even to my own ears.
"Your Lordship," I lifted my head to look at him, my voice terrifyingly calm, "I'm nothing but a servant. I harbor no improper thoughts toward my master. But I beg Your Lordship—this time, please protect your own child."
Kane's expression changed. He stared at me for a long time, emotions I couldn't read churning in his eyes.
Finally, without saying anything, he turned and left.
A few days later, Victoria sent someone to summon me, saying there was important business today, that I should come serve and "open my eyes, to set the record straight."
When I followed the maid into the front hall, I already had a vague idea of what was coming.
Ruby stood in the center of the hall, confusion on her face. When she saw me, a flash of pleading lit her eyes before quickly dimming.
Victoria sat in the main seat, elegantly holding her cup. Her gaze swept over Ruby with the cold assessment of someone eyeing prey.
"To receive His Lordship's favor is already a great fortune," Victoria said unhurriedly. "How dare you presume to carry a bastard in your belly?"
Ruby's face went deathly pale. She fell to her knees, her voice trembling. "My lady, this is a small life. It came and couldn't be stopped. But I absolutely won't let it affect your child's position, I swear—"
"Lowly servant," Victoria interrupted with a cold laugh, "you still dare to presume you could affect my child's position?"
She raised her hand. A maid immediately brought forward a tray carrying a bowl of dark brown medicinal soup that gave off a bitter smell.
I recognized that scent. Wolfsbane.
"Drink it," Victoria commanded.
Ruby trembled all over. Her eyes turned to Kane standing nearby, tears rolling down. "Your Lordship, please... please let me keep this child. I'll take good care of it, I'll make sure it's well-behaved, won't cause trouble for anyone..."
Her voice carried a sob, that desperate pleading reminding me of something. I thought of those handmade dolls she'd shown me, each one sewn with such care, eyes filled with innocent smiles.
She would have made a gentle mother.
But Kane just stood there, expressionless, watching it all, saying nothing.
Victoria waved her hand impatiently. Two guards stepped forward, forcibly restraining Ruby and pouring the medicine down her throat.
Ruby struggled violently. The medicinal soup spilled from the corners of her mouth, dripping down her chin onto the floor. She made whimpering sounds like an injured animal, desperate and helpless.
Watching this scene, I felt the tightness in my chest intensify. I wanted to rush forward, to stop it all, but my legs felt heavy as lead, unable to move.
The medicine was finally finished. The guards released her. Ruby collapsed on the floor, as if her soul had been extracted.
I saw her eyes.
Those once gentle, pure eyes were now shot through with red, filled with an intense hatred I'd never seen on her face before.
Victoria stood, looking down at Ruby crumpled on the floor, her voice ice cold. "Let everyone take this as a warning. Don't harbor unrealistic dreams."
As she turned to leave, her hem swept across Ruby's fingers.
Ruby lay there, shoulders shaking silently.
I finally moved, walking to her side and kneeling to support her. She lifted her head to look at me, tears falling silently, lips moving but unable to make a sound.
I held her, feeling her cold body trembling in my arms.