The Price of Revenge

King Goujian of Yue endured immense hardship and self-imposed suffering, ultimately leading to the destruction of the State of Wu. Seeing someone she cared for deeply injured so thoroughly on her own estate, Claire, as its mistress, naturally felt a surge of distress.

However, since this was an act, it had to be performed convincingly. At the very least, they couldn’t proceed without a legitimate pretext.

Thus, under her direction, Gus had summoned the superior of the two women early that morning. He had ingeniously devised a specific task for them.

The objective was clear: to exploit Fourierina’s hatred and steer her towards an irrational extreme.

“What are you doing?”

Footsteps echoed.

Descending the steps slowly, Claire, clad in a white blouse and long black skirt, walked with her head held high towards Fourierina. She regarded her with an air of disdain.

“Answer me, Miss Fourierina… What exactly are you doing?”

“Young Miss, I…”

Before Fourierina could finish, Claire’s voice rang out, sharp and severe. “In front of the sun, you removed her shielding device. Were you trying to kill her?”

“Now, get off Seraphina at once!”

A stunned silence followed. This combination of tactics proved remarkably effective.

If, moments ago, a trace of blinding rage had clouded Miss Fourierina’s mind, compelling her silence, now, after Claire’s furious outburst, she was left with nothing but the chilling dread of impending disaster.

“Now, kneel!”

With a thud, Fourierina dropped directly to her knees before Claire.

“Damn it, don’t kneel to me! Kneel to the one you’ve wronged!”

“Yes!”

Clumsily, Fourierina turned. Her mind, now a blank slate, had lost all capacity for independent thought, capable only of mechanically following Claire’s commands.

With a fierce kick, Claire landed a blow on Fourierina’s backside, nearly tearing the seams of her maid uniform.

“You dullard, do you not realize that I was the one who brought her through that door?”

“I know…”

Another kick. “Then answer me, why did you treat her this way?”

“And all these additional injuries on Seraphina… those were your doing, weren’t they?!”

“Ugh…! Yes…”

Retracting her slightly aching foot, Claire was surprised to find the maid before her admitting all her transgressions without a hint of concealment.

Bending slightly, Claire met Fourierina’s gaze. To her astonishment, despite the maid’s apparent submission, her eyes shone with a resolute, almost righteous conviction, like a warrior prepared for ultimate sacrifice.

“No, you’re not going to act righteous now, are you…?” Claire lifted her head, her brow furrowed with exasperation. “Do you honestly believe you were in the right?”

“My parents both died at the hands of vampires.”

“Yes, I know. And then?”

“I want revenge…”

“Are you out of your mind?”

Seizing Fourierina’s head, Claire vigorously shook her less-than-responsive mind.

“First, let me ask you: as an adventurer, once you enter a dungeon, you must be prepared for the possibility of being killed by monsters, right?”

“Even I… oh, no, this young lady,” Claire cleared her throat, “even after being stripped like that, I didn’t blame the vampires, did I?”

“Adventurers… adventurers… To put it nicely, it’s called adventuring. To put it bluntly, it’s home invasion and assault.”

“The gains of adventurers are merely property not protected by human law. The enemies adventurers kill are nothing more than individuals unprotected by human law. It is only because the law offers no protection to monsters that adventurers are given a pretext for justified plunder.”

“So… when faced with robbers invading your home, should you not resist, or simply stand by as they loot you clean?”

“…”

Head bowed, Fourierina found herself unable to retort.

“But they killed my parents.”

“Alas, I know you harbor hatred, but… don’t fault me for speaking plainly: adventurers can’t even purchase accident insurance…”

Unable to say more, Claire, who understood Fourierina’s past all too well, could only let out a long sigh.

‘Alas… since she’s the only qualified candidate left… I truly picked the wrong person.’

“I know…”

Fourierina recalled her earlier life.

****

The Blood Manor.

And then… they never emerged.

Having lost her parents, a twelve-year-old girl, relying solely on her own hands, was utterly incapable of surviving in this world.

Consequently, when staff from the Krieg Corporation arrived to reclaim the furniture left by her parents in their rented home, she tugged at a worker’s sleeve. Then… she loosened her own clothes.

“Take me with you. I’ll do anything.”

As fate would have it, Claire was present that day, having been compelled by her parents to observe their work.

“There’s no need for this, my lonely little rabbit.”

Taking Fourierina’s hand, Claire smoothed her dirty, wrinkled clothes. She gently wiped away the tears that had silently streamed down her cheeks.

“Since you’re willing to do anything… then come to my estate and become a maid.”

That day, Fourierina, much like Seraphina (at least on the surface), followed closely behind Claire. It was her first time arriving at the vast estate, and she remained there for two years.

For two years, she worked diligently and conscientiously, like any ordinary servant on the estate, dedicating everything to the Krieg family.

Sometimes, when Claire chanced upon this hardworking young woman, she would assume Fourierina had forgotten the suffering of her past.

However… at the estate’s annual meeting earlier this year…

“Miss Fourierina, congratulations! You have received a check for one million from the Krieg Corporation! It can be redeemed at any Krieg-affiliated bank at any time!”

“Woohoo~”

Facing the applause and cheers from the audience, Fourierina forced a slight smile, her face etched with a profound bitterness.

“Miss Fourierina… if I may ask, what do you plan to do with this money?”

“This sum is more than enough for you to buy your freedom and live a comfortable, liberated life!”

Fourierina lifted her head, gazing at the expectant faces in the audience below—even Claire’s held a hint of anticipation. Slowly, Fourierina shook her head.

“No, I will not buy my freedom.”

‘Eh?’ A gasp rippled through the audience. At least half of them had toiled relentlessly for that very purpose.

“I intend to save this money.”

Her gaze drifted away from the crowd, fixed on the distant horizon—in the direction of the Blood Manor.

“I will use this money to buy the best equipment and hire the finest mercenaries.”

“And then… I will expel every single one of those vampire nobles! Not a single one shall remain!”

At her declaration, the entire hall fell silent.

Everyone, including Claire, secretly admired the girl’s unwavering resolve for revenge.

Many present were orphans whose parents had perished in the Blood Manor, forcing them to sell themselves into servitude.

Yet, most of them had their wills eroded by the remainder of their lives, lacking Fourierina’s fierce determination.

“Good!”

No one knew who started it, but soon, continuous applause erupted throughout the hall.

From that day forward, Claire unequivocally remembered this girl, so consumed by hatred.

And thus, she became the prime candidate for Claire’s devious scheme.

“Alright,” Claire admitted, her heart growing heavier with guilt for Fourierina the more she recalled. “I suppose I understand now why you’re so dull-witted.”

“However… no matter how you look at it, Seraphina wasn’t the one who killed your parents.”

‘She was probably just kicked to death by Iqiyah during her auto-pathing routine.’

“I won’t demand that you apologize to Seraphina… but you must take responsibility for your attempt to harm a colleague.”

Patting Fourierina’s shoulder, Claire turned and walked away.

“I won’t supervise you. Report to the confinement room yourself.”

“Yes.”

Silently, Fourierina rose to her feet, her body swaying as she slowly made her way towards the castle.

Watching Fourierina’s retreating figure, and ensuring she had entered the castle, safely out of sight of the outside world… Claire immediately turned to Seraphina.

“Although I promised to back you up, I’m sorry, Seraphina, I can’t quite fulfill your wishes just yet.”

Feeling a pang of shame for her cunning ploy, Claire adjusted a strand of hair, her eyes filled with an apology.

“Because… I have an even better plan.”