“Is this fish porridge for cats? I used to eat this often too……”

Lorencia smacked her lips and asked Julie a question.

Fish porridge is a porridge made by finely grinding fish meat and bones and boiling them thoroughly with milk.

When she was confined to her room, one of the leftover foods that the maids brought her was fish porridge.

And fish porridge was the best food for Lorencia.

Going hungry for days was commonplace when confined. So whenever fish porridge came, she would set aside a little in an empty bowl hidden in the room, and when it rained, she would open the window to collect rainwater in that bowl to increase the amount and eat it.

Of course, the taste became bland, but it was enough to quell her hunger.

Fish porridge spoils quickly in hot weather. Whether her stomach hurt from eating spoiled food or from hunger, it was all the same to Lorencia, but since the pain of hunger was more agonizing, she chose to eat even spoiled food.

So fish porridge is a food Lorencia is grateful for.

“Yes. It’s fish porridge, young lady.”

“Fish porridge is so delicious.”

Julie involuntarily gulped as she watched Lorencia smile fiercely. If Lorencia had previously been like a frog before a snake, now she was in the completely opposite position. She felt exactly like a predator looking down at a frog with sharp eyes.

Strangely, she kept feeling intimidated.

As if it wasn’t bad enough having to call a bastard child “young lady,” which was humiliating, now she felt intimidated too. If she could have her way, she wanted to grab her by the hair, drag her out to the corridor, and beat her in front of everyone while spewing vulgar words until she knew her place as a bastard.

But if she met Lorencia’s violet eyes and gaze even for a moment… Julie herself became the frog.

“Lady Lorencia. We’ll be taking our leave now.”

Julie smiled stiffly. At Julie’s chin gesture, one of the maids behind her stepped forward to pick up the fish porridge bowl in front of Lorencia.

“Leave the fish porridge bowl alone.”

“Pardon?”

The maid who was about to pick up the fish porridge bowl hesitated in confusion, looking back and forth between Julie and Lorencia. In the end, unable to do either, she stood in place with a pitiful expression.

“Why are you looking around like that? I clearly said to leave the fish porridge bowl alone, didn’t I?”

At Lorencia’s sharp words, the maid stepped back without daring to touch the fish porridge bowl, her face turning pale.

“Julie, head maid, you need to re-educate the maids.”

“Maid education is something I do when the master orders me to. It’s certainly not something I do just because you tell me to, young lady……”

Julie stood her ground and retorted to Lorencia’s words. She couldn’t let her pride allow her to back down in front of lowly commoner maids, not even handmaids.

“But if you want education, I’ll do it right here and now.”

Julie roughly pulled the wrist of the maid who couldn’t pick up the fish porridge bowl and made her stand in front of her. The maid started trembling, shrinking her body.

“Even though you’re a bastard, you should have listened to the words of the young lady who was officially registered into the Pol Heredian Count family. You dare weigh my words against hers? How insolent of you, even for a maid.”

With a slap sound, the maid’s head was sharply turned. Her chin and lips could be seen trembling. Julie raised her hand again. The maid breathed heavily as if in pain.

“I-I-I-I’m sorry.”

With another slap sound, the maid collapsed to the floor. The fallen maid reflexively defended herself by tucking her elbows tightly to her sides and shrinking her body as much as possible. It was clear she was no stranger to being hit.

“You shouldn’t be apologizing to me, but to Lady Lorencia, who may be a bastard but is officially registered in the Pol Heredian Count family.”

“Yes. I understand.”

The maid relaxed her shrunken body. Rubbing her swollen cheek from Julie’s slap, she nodded her head up and down. Then she crawled on all fours like a dog towards Lorencia. The maid clung to Lorencia’s legs and pleaded.

– Grrrrowr!

Leo, who was in Lorencia’s arms, snarled fiercely as the crawling maid clung to Lorencia’s legs.

“Leo, calm down. It’s alright.”

– Hisssss!

“Young lady, I’m sorry. Please forgive me just this once.”

Lorencia’s heart ached at the forced apology, mismatched smile, and voice tinged with fear from Julie’s violence.

“I’ll forgive you, so get up now.”

“Thank you, young lady.”

The maid turned around and looked at Julie. Julie nodded at the maid with satisfaction, and only then did the maid stand up.

Lorencia shook her head at the still terrified appearance of the maid.

“Julie, head maid.”

“Yes. What is it?”

Lorencia pointed again to the fish porridge bowl to Julie, who was smiling triumphantly.

“This fish porridge. Isn’t it too much for our Leo to eat?”

“Kittens normally eat a lot.”

“But no matter how much I think about it, it’s strange.”

“Pardon? What’s strange? Lady Lorencia.”

A hint of dissatisfaction could be heard in Julie’s voice as she looked at Lorencia with a bitter expression.

“Isn’t it strange that Illina asked to take care of Leo’s food? Don’t you think it’s odd, Julie?”

A slight sneer crept onto Lorencia’s lips. Then she gently kissed Leo’s head in her arms and stroked him with the back of her hand.

– Meow.

“What’s strange about it? I don’t find it strange at all.”

“Our kind Lady Illina said to take good care of the cat.”

“That’s why I brought fish porridge made by carefully selecting only bonito meat and boiling it thoroughly with premium oil.”

“Did Illina really tell you to take care of it? Julie?”

Lorencia smiled innocently. Julie should know. Illina’s special hobby. And Julie absolutely must know the reason why Leo ended up in her room.

“It’s hard to believe.”

Julie was the one who brought Leo to Illina. From Leo’s perspective, Julie is the one who separated him from his mother.

Even though he’s a kitten, Leo recognized Julie and was wary of her. How could he eat fish porridge given by an enemy! One thing is clear – Leo is quite a smart cat.

“What did Illina say when she told you to take care of Leo?”

“Quickly kill the cat……”

Frustrated and irritated by Lorencia’s continued questions, Julie momentarily blurted out the fact that should have been hidden.

“Kill? What comes after that?”

Julie was overwhelmed with the urge to sew up her own blabbermouth. Her damn loose lips.

“Do you mean it’s so delicious a kitten would die from eating it? Or do you mean the cat will die if it eats it?”

“Of course I meant it’s so delicious it would die from the taste.”

Cats are very sensitive to scents. Especially bonito is one of the best fish to satisfy a cat’s sense of smell.

“I wonder why Leo won’t eat the porridge?”

Julie smiled awkwardly at Lorencia’s question.

– Meow!

“Leo only eats porridge that I give him, right?”

Lorencia looked intently at Julie with the corners of her mouth raised.

“He wouldn’t eat porridge from someone who entered the room without my permission, right? Right, Leo?”

– Meow~!

Seeing Leo’s tail swish in response to the question, Lorencia’s expression softened without her realizing it.

“I’ll say it one more time. Leave the bowl with the fish porridge and everyone leave.”

“Pardon?”

Lorencia smiled as brightly as possible while looking at the fish porridge in the bowl once, then visibly gulped so Julie could see. Then she licked her lips with her tongue and smacked her lips.

“I won’t say it twice.”

“Then, Lady Lorencia. I’ll bring a new serving of fish porridge on a trolley.”

Julie urgently approached to pick up the fish porridge bowl.

“Julie, head maid.”

Lorencia, who blocked Julie’s path, flashed her purple eyes eerily with an expressionless face. But her voice questioning Julie was kind and very gentle.

Julie felt the atmosphere around her grow strangely heavy and oppressive. She felt like she wanted to open the terrace window to feel the breeze right away.

“I said I won’t say it twice.”

Julie was frozen in an awkward state, feeling like she would go crazy from the rising irritation. Where on earth did the maids who were spying on Lorencia bathing in the tub go!

“I just wanted to bring you a fresh serving since the porridge has gotten cold.”

“Julie, head maid. Let me ask you a question.”

“Yes?”

“Do you know why horse racing is fun?”

Julie looked at Lorencia quizzically for suddenly bringing up horse racing.

“Isn’t it fun because it’s an addictive gambling where money changes hands?”

“Horse racing is fun because you guess which horse will arrive quickly.”

Lorencia moved closer to Julie and let her pale, thin fingers touch the back of Julie’s hand. Julie shuddered involuntarily.

“So, I’m wondering, would it be faster for me, a bastard, to educate you, Julie?”

Lorencia suddenly raised her head in front of Julie. A chill ran down Julie’s spine. Joy and madness swirled in Lorencia’s gaunt face. Her gaze looked like someone contemplating whether to push her off a cliff or take her hand.

“Or would it be faster to replace the head maid?”

For a moment, Julie felt as if cold water had been poured down her neck. And she felt that Lorencia’s words were certainly not a joke.

Lorencia wasn’t like this originally. She was timid and easy to push around, but what on earth had changed her like this? What was clear was that the Lorencia before her eyes didn’t feel like Lorencia.

“I think it would be faster to replace the head maid. What would you bet on, Julie?”

Lorencia smiled as she lightly placed her palm between Julie’s collarbones. Julie suddenly felt uneasy. She sensed something strange happening to her throat.

“Ugh.”

Julie grabbed her throat and collapsed to the floor, choking and gagging. It was agonizing, unable to breathe as if someone was strangling her. With her face covered in tears and snot, Julie unknowingly reached out to Lorencia and spoke with difficulty.

“Sa…ve… me…”

Seeing Julie suddenly collapse and struggle as if about to die, the maids froze and just stared at her.

Lorencia removed the hair stuck to Julie’s face, then stroked her cheek and whispered softly.

“I’ll save you for now.”

Suddenly, as if her blocked airway had opened, Julie’s body heaved greatly and she began to breathe roughly.

“Huff huff.”

“Julie, head maid.”

Julie looked at Lorencia calling her, her body trembling. Her gaze met eerie purple eyes. It felt as if dark terror was consuming her emotions. That’s not Lorencia. It’s a monster, no, a demon borrowing her face.

“It would be faster to replace the head maid, right?”

Only one thought crossed Julie’s mind. ‘I need to run away.’