C29
With Terence and Laura on my left and right, I entered my room without hesitation.
"Little Miss, just a moment...!"
The head maid followed us as if she had something more to say.
"Wow, holy sh—"
I was surprised. I almost cursed when I saw the sight of the place I visited after a long time.
"I thought there would be one or two at most!"
The red eyes stared at me from all around.
One, two, three, four...
There were a total of eight portraits of Liena hanging in my room!
While living in the Cassius mansion, I couldn't avoid seeing Liena's face, even in my own room. It made my stomach turn just thinking about it.
In fact, this wasn't the first time they made such a fuss over a portrait. Liena's followers, like extreme religious people, have the habit of wanting to spread their love for Liena to others.
I've been through a lot in the past two years. At first, it wasn't so bad either. Because Liena was the protagonist of my favorite novel. But...
"You have to do it as much as possible."
The novel showed only a small part of reality and raised the white flag in less than a month.
Although I obtained good evidence, I couldn't have been happy with what the head maid had just said in the grand banquet hall.
Furthermore, my heart warmed as I remembered the past when the workers forced me to look at Liena's portrait and only say good things about her.
Three maids slowly appeared behind the head maid.
These were the people I was trying to punish for the portrait issue. They seemed to be worried that I would lose my temper and stab the head maid because of them.
No way. I know a method that is tens of times more effective.
"There are so many portraits. Are they all gifts for me?"
The maid replied.
"Yes. These are recent works by new artists supported by Cassius."
"Since it was a gift, it's my property. Although I'm not the hostess, I still have the right to do whatever I want with my belongings, right?"
"... Yes, that's right. If it offends you, I'll remove them immediately."
"I understand. Take them all down and leave them on the floor."
In response to my unusual order, the maids slowly removed the portraits from the wall.
Eight Lienas were piled up in the center of the floor. From when she was very young, through her adolescence, to now as an adult.
The next command couldn't have been simpler.
"Destroy it."
The head maid and the maids seemed not to understand for a moment.
"Little Miss?"
"What did you just say...?"
Crack!
When a merciless kick landed on Liena's face in the painting, the canvas, along with the frame, shattered into pieces in one blow.
"Can we do it this way?"
Terence, who followed my order as soon as I said something, asked with a smile.
"Aaaahhh!"
The head maid's scream, upon seeing the broken painting, echoed for a long time.
The head maid ran wildly and tried to push Terence away, but when he didn't move, she looked at me and tried to speak.
"What kind of indecency...?"
"Shut your mouth!"
In something like this, it's important to control one's impulses. The tone of the speech also changed.
"Are you sure you don't know your sin, which is disgraceful to humanity?"
Conversely, when interrogated, the embarrassed maid lost her composure.
"...W-What, me?"
"Not only did you order such a profane portrait to be painted, but you decided to hang it in my room! Even if you and these people lose your minds here, there's nothing more to say!"
The maids who were helping the head maid push Terence with their bodies were surprised when they were also pointed at.
"Stupidly, you still don't understand. Take a good look at that wicked image! In your opinion, which seems more beautiful, the woman in the picture or the real Lady Liena?"
Although the head maid hesitated, she gave a response befitting an excellent follower of Liena.
"The real Miss. It's a portrait of a young lady, but how can it equal the beauty of the real thing?"
"That's right. Images like this are nothing more than forgeries attempting to clumsily imitate the appearance of the young lady. It's not even a drawing made with the young lady in front of you."
Liena hadn't visited Cassius recently. Even if she did, she wouldn't have time to spend her short holidays in her hometown working as a model for new artists.
"It's obvious even without looking. They must have copied it from another portrait or relied on their memory. If you think about it, isn't it just another imitation of a forgery trying to imitate the young lady, or an impious object created through the artist's imperfect memory? Disrespectful, impious. It's absolutely blasphemous."
At that moment, a maid mustered the courage.
"Is it so blasphemous? Portraits are supposed to..."
"Shut your mouth!"
Dissenting opinions must be nipped in the bud.
I spoke passionately in a tone that, in my opinion, was exaggerated. It wasn't difficult.
The frustration and loneliness Leandro gave me, the last years of being ignored among these lunatics, and above all...
"That's what I felt when I heard Laura's story, who was beaten and kicked out for ridiculous reasons just because she met a defenseless teacher."
It has become the source of the burning and bloody rage I'm emitting now.
"Is it reasonable to say that's the case for the young lady? Just because others do it, should you do the same? Are you saying Lady Liena is like the rest of the common people?"
"N-no.
"Then tell me. Why should I turn a blind eye to you who put these damn paintings in my room? Why can't we destroy them? Say it out loud! Quickly!
"Well, that's...
" I'm giving you a chance, so why can't you tell me?
The maid, overwhelmed by my fierce spirit, finally began to cry.
"Ugh. I'm sorry, Little Miss. I said something presumptuous. Please, forgive me.
After sighing, I moved on to the next strategic step. After all, it's a carrot on a stick.
"I would like to collect all the distorted paintings in this house and burn them, but even if they are in the wrong form, I will consider it a way to serve the young lady and show special indulgence.
"Ah, yes. Thank you?
They were somewhat distracted by my brilliant sophistry and politely thanked me. I took this opportunity to solemnly declare, like a priest conveying the word of God.
"This is a deserved judgment. At the very least, I must destroy everything that comes into my hands.
Terence's relentless kicks resumed. Liena's followers watched the scene in incomprehension.
For now, it seems like my strategy worked. This is an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, and fanatic for fanatic logic.
What was surprising was that Laura also joined in. Laura, who was trembling, grabbed a painting and smashed it against the corner of the desk, destroying it.
"Because of this!
... Many things seem to have come together. After all, she was beaten because she took the blame for the damaged portrait during the fight.
"Noooooo!
The head maid, who must have finally regained her senses, shouted and knelt in front of me.
"Little Miss, please stop them!
"Head Maid, do you know what you're talking about?
I forced my eyes open.
"As a subordinate, you dared to put such a portrait in my room. When you offered to give a painting, did my refusal sound funny?
To be honest, it made me feel a little better because it was the first time I treated the maids in such a lowly manner. I got excited and immersed myself in the role of a fanatic.
The head maid wrung her hands and prayed.
"Now I understand. The sin I committed was so great.
She had no choice but to beg. I said I was going to destroy my things, so what could she do?
There was no fundamental justification to restrict my actions, and the maid was not eloquent enough to counter the suddenly absurd logic I found.
"I apologize for everything. I asked the painters to make such drawings and ordered them to take them to the lady's room.
The three maids followed their superiors, knelt down, and began begging for their mistakes.
"Little Miss, I'm sorry!
"I am too!
"Please, forgive me...!
Tears welled up in the maids' eyes.
"However! Those images not only do not represent the appearance of the young lady in the slightest, but they can actually be objects that insult the young lady!
... ...
—To my inexperienced eyes, it just looks pretty. I can't bear to open my eyes and see the image that resembles the young lady being destroyed.
Before we knew it, Terence and Laura had stopped moving and were looking in that direction.
"Please have mercy just this once! Please punish me instead. You can beat me with a rod in your place!
"I don't think it will work. I'm not the hostess, so I have no right to punish you?
Desperation filled the head maid's eyes. It was as if she had stumbled over her own words.
The head maid not only knelt but also begged.
"I was arrogant when I said that. I don't think there's any apology that can excuse my arrogance towards my little lady. Lady, you can punish this insolent person as much as you want. Yes, yes!
"Oh, oh. If the person Lady Liena closely follows is like this, what should I do?
"No. Well, at least I'm just a servant. I'll stay like this until my little lady's heart feels even a little relieved.
Should I stop at this point? No matter how much I've built up resentment towards the head maid, my heart weakens when I see her crying and pleading. Besides, the head maid was relatively weak compared to the Cassius family.
But even when you look at it that way.
"I guess there are others you should apologize to, right? No, you should apologize to her more sincerely than to me.
When the head maid raised her head slightly, I nodded in the direction of Laura.
"Laura was unfairly beaten and expelled while she was performing her duties as a maid for me. If Laura doesn't forgive you, neither do I.
"... I'm very sorry, Laura.
The head maid apologized as she had done with me, and Laura, whose enthusiasm had waned, listened calmly.
Leaving them to their fate, I approached Terence's side and whispered.
"Did I act a little strange earlier, didn't I?
"I had no idea that the Lady liked Princess Cassius so much.
"Oh, no. It was an act.
"I know.
"... Is it fun to mock me?
"Yes, a little.
"A little?
"A little quite.
This person... It's hard to say anything because he admitted it with a smile.
Well, what's the problem? It would be nice if the villain's joy, which in novels was dangerous, was released in a healthy way.
