Helia immediately stops in her tracks and bows in an instant. "I'm very sorry sir, I can explain."

The elder grits his teeth as he sees her bow, the respectful gesture not doing much to quell his fury. His eyes narrow, taking in her disheveled state. He's fuming.

"You better."

He grabs her arm with a harsh grip, pulling her aside into a nearby room, away from prying eyes. The grip on her arm was surprisingly strong for a man of his age.

"Explain." His voice is a low, dangerously sharp growl.

Helia can feel the fear rushing through her as she tries to keep her composure before speaking in the politest tone she can. "I had a stain on my uniform, so I had to wash it."

The elder's face darkens even more as he listens to her explanation. The stain on her uniform was a minor issue, easily resolvable.

What was really bothering him was the fact that he had seen her coming out of Toji's room in such a state.

He clenches his jaw, his eyes scanning over her exposed skin with a mix of disapproval and disgust.

"And why didn't you just leave that stain on your uniform instead of stripping?" He grits out, his voice trembling with suppressed rage.

"That is what I was planning to do sir but..."

She stops in the middle of her explanation not sure if she is supposed to tell the truth or not. But maybe the elder didn't hold Toji in his heart and would be on her side, that's what convinced her to continue.

"...But Toji insisted that I should remove it and clean it."

The elder's eyes narrow dangerously as she mentions his name. Toji. The problematic, disobedient son. Of course, he was always bringing trouble.

Toji would always disrespect elders, break rules and act as if he was just a spoiled brat.

And the fact that he had her in his room, with her clothes off. It was the final nail in the coffin. The elder's face contorts with fury as he clenches his fists. "What were you doing in his room in the first place?!"

Helia's eyes widen. She's a maid, what else could she be doing in the room of a member other than cleaning?

"I was told to clean his room sir."

His face turns a shade redder at her words, he felt like she was disrespecting her by the tone she was using, but in reality, she was just defending herself. His already strong anger boils over the edge.

He clenches his jaw so hard that a muscle in his face ticks. He's struggling to contain his wrath.

"Did he...?"
He can't even bring himself to say the words.

"Did he touch you?!"

She couldn't tell if he was worried that Toji might have laid his hands on her or if he was furious that a member of the house could have touched a lowly maid like herself.

"No sir he didn't."

He did grab her wrist twice but she knows that it's not the kind of touch the elder was referring to.

The elder searches her eyes, looking for any signs of lies. He's not entirely sure that he can believe her. But the mere fact she was in Toji's room is enough for him.

He lets out a deep, sharp exhale of disdain.

"You're lying."

His voice is low, dripping with cold anger.
"I'll get to the bottom of this."

He tightens his grip on her arm, his eyes filled with a cruel determination, and she can feel her stomach drop.

"Come."

"Please sir I'm not lying!"

She doesn't want to be punished and especially not when it wasn't even her fault, she had just followed Toji's orders.

But he won't listen to her protests. To him, the fact that she was in that boy's room, in such a state, is proof enough.

He pulls her forward, gripping onto her arm tightly, his fingers digging into her skin as he drags her down the corridor towards the disciplinary chamber. The room where punishments are given.

She knows very well what happens in this room. She had seen numerous maids coming back from that room with their back lacerated because they had disobeyed. But this isn't fair, she hadn't disobeyed any order.

His voice is a harsh, cold whisper.

"You'll learn not to lie."

His tone makes it clear that he has every intention of making an example out of her.

This time, she was not able to restrain the tears from going down her cheeks, she was afraid of the punishment, but also angry at the unfairness of the situation.

"No please sir have mercy, I would never dare to lie."

She felt pathetic begging like that, but she couldn't help it, she didn't want to receive the punishment.

But unfortunately for her, the elder's heart is a stone when it comes to mercy. He's a man of discipline and order, and disobedience is not tolerated.

Her cries of mercy fall on deaf ears as he drags her through the corridors. The cold, stern expression on his face doesn't budge. He's not even going to listen to her pleas.

He pushes open the door to the disciplinary chamber with a loud, booming sound.

"Inside."
He orders, his voice like a whip.

Helia stops at the entrance of the room, afraid of what is going to happen to her. But the elder pushes her inside the room.

The place is cold, with sparse decorations and a strict atmosphere, exactly what you could expect from a disciplinary room.

He slams the door shut behind her, and a chilling silence ensues, the only sound in the room are Helia's muffled cries.

His cold eyes scan over her trembling form, his heart unsympathetic. He believes he's doing the right thing.

The elder's face hardens, his voice a cold whisper as he utters a single word:

"Strip."

At first, she thought that the punishment would be something different from what she had thought.

But when he approaches the rack of tools, she started to understand what were the red marks on the disobedient maids' back.

She can feel her stomach twist in fear as she continues to beg for mercy, clutching the towel hiding her chest harder.

But the elder leaves her no choice and grabs the towel to throw it on the floor. She was now at his mercy.

He takes a moment, contemplating before grabbing a whip. It's a long, leather strip, a tool designed for inflicting pain, a symbol of authority.

If only she hadn't been asked to clean that asshole's room, if only she had been faster to clean the space and left before Toji came back. None of this would have happened.

The elder stands behind her, the whip poised in his hand. And with a surprising strength he strikes her back with the whip.

She lets out a gasp when she feels the whip tear the skin on her back, tears rushing down her cheeks without her being able to hold them back.

The sound it makes will be forever printed in her memory and the pain was something she had never felt before and that she hoped she will never have to feel again.

The elder must have given her 10 lashes, she had lost track at the third one, the pain stopping her from having any rational thought. She doesn't know how long this is going to continue.

Finally, he ceases the punishing lashes. Each strike echoes in the cold, silent room, leaving her back a stinging, agonizing mess.

He drops the whip back onto the rack with a heavy clatter. His face is stoic, but there's a sense of satisfaction in his eyes. He believes he's made his point, he's taught her a lesson.

"Remember this."
He says coldly, his voice deep with authority.

She doesn't have the strength to respond. Her knees feel too weak to hold her up and she collapses to the ground. She's shaking a lot. Shaking from pain, from fear, and from anger.

"Get up."

He orders, his tone devoid of any compassion.

She struggles to get up, her back hurts too much. When she finally manages to stand, a bit unstable, he points towards the door with a firm, commanding gesture.

"Out."

Helia quickly grads her uniform and the towel on the ground, before she stumbles out of the disciplinary chamber. Her body is wracked with pain, and her spirit broken. She'll never forget this.

If she wasn't in so much pain, anger would be the emotion leading her actions. She was hurt, but she felt a great sense of injustice.

Of course, she was angry at the elder for putting her through such a rough punishment, but if it wasn't for Toji he wouldn't have had to punish her.

This was all Toji's fault, he should have been the one to get whipped, not her, she had done nothing wrong.

He's the one who should pay.

[...]

Each step she takes towards the maid quarters feels like a small agony. Every movement of her body sends fresh waves of pain coursing through her back.

She can feel the raw, inflamed skin under her uniform that she had put back, each brush of the wet fabric against her wounds causing a sharp jolt of pain.

Tears still prick at her eyes, but she bites her lip and forces herself to keep moving. Toji is the one responsible for this, he should be the one crying, not her.

The unfairness of the whole situation weighs heavily on her. Helia was only obeying Toji's orders, and yet she was the one who bore the punishment.

It wasn't her fault, but the elder didn't care about that.

It didn't matter that Toji's behavior was the cause of all this. He never faced consequences, he could do anything he wanted and still get away with it.

Just because he's the heir to the clan, he thinks he can act as he wishes.

The thought of revenge against Toji burns in her heart. It sears through her mind, an intense and unquenchable fire.

After what he's just put her through, the pain he's caused, she doesn't want to let him get away with it, not this time.

She won't forget this. She won't forgive him.
And one day, maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but one day...

Helia will make him pay.

As she finally reaches the maid compound, the sight of all the other maids greets her. They're already there, going about their nightly routines, the echoes of their hushed conversations filling the room.

But once they notice her state, their hushed chatter immediately stops. Their eyes widen as they take in her appearance.

One of them finally screams, horror palpable in her voice.

"What happened to you!?"

As Helia slowly lowers herself onto a couch, the other maids watch her with a mix of horror and sympathy. The sight of her punished body and trembling figure is a shock to them, and for a moment, no one says anything.

Helia takes a deep breath before answering the maid's question.

"One of the elder punished me for breaking the rules. But it wasn't my fault..."

The room is filled with hushed gasps and whispered condolences.

"Oh dear..."

One of them finally says, her voice filled with sympathy.

"It was because of..."

They all know who was to blame. She was not the first maid to come back from a bad encounter with the troublesome Zenin.

Some maids had been back with bruises on their wrists, some were sobbing uncontrollably. And yet, he always seemed to get away with it.

Helia nods, confirming the maids' suspicions, they are now all sure that Toji is once again the one to blame. And a collective ripple of anger and disgust passes through the room.

All the maids knew his reputation, they knew how careless and cruel he was. He would always cause troubles and make other people bear the consequences for him.

"That bastard." One mutters, her voice filled with sharp, venom.

"He went too far this time." Their anger simmered, directed at him.

"He needs to pay."

One of them mutters quietly. Helia turned her head in the direction of the maid who proposed it.

She had thought about it too, and when her pain would subside, she knew there would only be anger left in her. She wanted to make him pay too, but there was a problem.

"But he is untouchable." Helia says slightly discouraged.

The reality of his untouchable status weighs heavily on the room. They all knew he's untouchable because he's the heir of the clan. His blood seemed to always shield him from consequences.

But it didn't make this situation fairer or righter.

"But he can't get away with this!" One of them says fiercely.

As Helia sits there, her back aching, her pride bruised but her spirit defiant, her mind begins to churn with plans of revenge. She wasn't willing to sit back and let him get away with this. Not anymore.

She thinks of all the pain and suffering he's caused, not just to her, but to other maids as well. For a moment, she looks to the ground, lost in thoughts, then she speaks up with a determined tone.

"We need a plan, if anyone has an idea, please share it to the rest of us."

The room falls silent for a moment as all the maids were thinking, planning, strategizing. Each one of them seething with bitterness and righteous anger.

One of them, more devious than others, finally speaks.

"We know his principal weakness."

That's true, anyone working for the Zenin clan knew this asshole's biggest weakness: Women.

"He's weak for women." Helia says proudly.

The maids all nod in agreement. They had the foundation for a good plan. They knew his reputation, and they knew how to use it against him.

He was known to be a womanizer, he couldn't resist a pretty face, a chance for pleasure. And they would use that against him.

"We'll need a bait." Helia says.

She looks across the room to find a beautiful woman that could play that role, even if the thought of putting another woman in front of Toji didn't really make her happy.

As she scans the room, her eyes fall on a few beautiful women. But one stands out, even among them. Helia thinks that this girl must be the most beautiful of all the maids in the room.

She has a porcelain beauty, soft features, short golden hair, and piecing blue eyes. She had a beauty that would naturally draw attention.

Helia knows that maid, she had talked to her a few times, and she had always been nice to her. Her name is Anna.

She's as graceful as she is beautiful, with a sweet smile and an elegant charm. She's the perfect choice for the bait.

As Helia calls out the maid's name, Anna's eyes meet Helia's, realization dawning upon her.

Then, without a moment's hesitation, Anna nods.

"I'll do it."

Helia is quite surprised at the speed at which Anna gave her answer, but she is also satisfied that Anna is willing to help them.

She smiles to Anna, thanking her. And Anna walks closer to Helia to sit next to her.

[...]

For long minutes, the two girls, with the help of a few other maids, concocted a plan to fool Toji. They had come with a final plan an hour later.

In two days, Anna will go clean Toji's room and try at the same time to seduce him into thinking that he could have a chance with her.

And as Anna is seducing Toji, Helia will search for an elder to bring him to Toji's room pretexting that a maid needs help.

Then Helia and the elder would go back to Toji's room and see Toji with a maid, in a compromising position.

And since elders were so strict about discipline and that this time, he will catch Toji in the act, he will have no other choice than punish him.

And he would for sure appreciate punishing Toji since all the elders seem to hate the young man.

Helia knew it was a risky plan, especially for Anna who will be trapped alone with Toji in his room, and Helia knew from experience how scary it could be.

"Thank you for your help, Anna. I'll make sure to arrive before Toji has the time to do anything to you." Helia said with a reassuring tone.

Anna gives Helia a soft smile, her eyes filled with a quiet determination.

"Don't worry." She says softly. "I can handle him."

She was a maid, yes, but she was also a woman. She knew how to play the game, how to use her charms to her advantage. She wouldn't let him get too far. She wouldn't allow it.

"I'll keep him on a leash."

As Helia nods, acknowledging her assurance, a silent understanding passes between the two of them. She was not a fragile flower.

She was a woman with a plan, a woman who knew how to handle herself.

"It's going to work." Helia murmurs softly, a glint of satisfaction in her eyes. "But we should review all the contingencies of the plan just in case."

As the night creeps in, the atmosphere in the room shifts. There's a new energy, a palpable sense of anticipation. The plan is being meticulously discussed and fine-tuned.

Every detail, every move, every possible outcome is considered, leaving no room for error.

Helia and Anna, alongside with a few other maids, are all focused, determined, their quiet voices are hushed but filled with a cold, almost predatory edge. They will make him pay.

[...]

Helia's wounded back was cleaned by some of the maids, but the pain wouldn't go away.

That night, she couldn't sleep well because of her aching back or it was maybe because of the excitement she felt at the idea of making that overconfident bastard pay.

As the plan she had made with the help of other maids turns in a loop in her head, she finally manages to fall asleep.

•=•=•=•=•=•=•=•=•

Hey guys! How are you doing?

The story slowly begins to form, and I can't wait for you to know the rest!

Again, let me know your thoughts about this chapter. Was the plan clear and understandable?

See you in the next chapter!

Sarah ☆