Free Web NovelChapter 187: Yes....Master
No One’s Pov
Twenty minutes earlier,
Lily stood tall in front of Mr. Viella. Her uniform sleeves were pulled down to hide the fresh, tight bandages wrapping her injured palms. The scent of copper still lingered in the room from the night before.
"I know you orchestrated the attack last night, Mr. Viella," Lily said, "The first wave was a test. The second wave was to see how I would react under real pressure. You risked your own son’s life just to measure my worth."
Mr. Viella didn’t deny it. He simply smirked, leaning back in his chair, pouring himself a glass of liquor. He looked at her with the amused eyes.
"Since you already got the answers you wanted," Lily continued, her eyes locking onto his in a flat glare, "you will stop using my lady as bait. If a single hair on her head is harmed because of your games, I will become your worst mistake."
Mr. Viella stopped swirling his glass. The room went dead silent. Then, he let out a mocking laugh.
"A maid bought from the dirt is trying to threaten the head of the family?" He slammed his glass down, his smile instantly vanishing as he stood up. He walked right up to her, his massive figure completely blocking the morning light. He drew a revolver from his vest, pressing the cold steel barrel directly against her forehead. "I hold all the power here. I can pull this trigger right now, erase your entire existence, and Viella will simply get a new servant by noon."
Lily didn’t blink. She just stared right through him, her reflection showing in the polished silver of the gun.
"You won’t," Lily whispered smoothly. "Because a dead weapon is useless to you."
Mr. Viella stared at her for a long, tense moment before slowly lowering the weapon. A dark chuckle escaped his throat. He leaned against the edge of his desk, a new game forming in his mind.
"You have nerves of steel, girl. I like that. So let’s make a real deal," Mr. Viella said, his eyes gleaming with ambition. "I challenge you to a fast-paced target-shooting duel out on the training field. If you win, I will officially grant Viella the high family title, resources, and the protection she deserves. She will no longer be the black sheep."
He leaned in closer, his voice dropping to a whisper. "But if you lose... you will leave Viella’s side forever. You will become my personal shadow, the family’s secret executioner, and your hands will stain this world red in my name. Do we have a deal?"
She nodded, accepting the dangerous deal.
Present Time
Lily looked straight ahead at the target grid across the wide training field.
Mr. Viella straightened up his powerful posture, his eyes narrowing as he gripped his handgun. He raised his arm and pulled the trigger- bang, bang, bang!
The noise echoed off the concrete walls twelve times. When the smoke cleared, the digital screen flashed the results. All twelve of his bullets were clustered perfectly in the center of the bullseye. He lowered the smoking weapon and turned to her, a deeply arrogant smirk playing on his lips. "Now, now... it is officially your turn, little girl."
Lily walked up to the shooting line without saying a single word. She picked up the firearm, smoothly loaded the fresh ammunition into the chamber, and completely focused her mind. She raised the gun, aligning the sights with the distant target.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
One by one, the bullets tore through the air. Just like that, all eleven bullets landed perfectly in the exact same center spot, matching Mr. Viella’s score perfectly.
Mr. Viella looked quite pleased as he stood behind her. His eyes were intensely tracking her every single movement, thoroughly impressed by her form, her steady stance, and her lack of hesitation. She was truly a magnificent weapon.
But because of the hidden wounds in her palms from the night before, the violent, repeating recoil of the handgun began to take a brutal toll. The fresh stitches beneath her white bandages started to snap under the immense pressure, and a warm blood began to slowly bleed through the clean fabric.
By the time she reached the very last bullet, a burning pain shot up her arm. Lily suppressed the intense pain, forcing her jaw to stay clenched. She didn’t let out a single groan. This wasn’t for herself; it was all for her lady, Viella. She just needed one more perfect shot to win the duel and secure Viella’s future.
Bang!
The final shot rang out.
Lily slowly lowered the gun and looked up at the digital screen. Because of the sudden flash of pain in her palm, her hand nerves had involuntarily moved by a fraction of a millimeter at the exact moment she pulled the trigger. The final bullet missed the center point by a single inch.
Mr. Viella let out a amused chuckle, the sound dripping with victory. "It completely seems like you have lost the game, kitty girl. Now, how about we go right back to our official deal?"
Lily looked down at her bleeding hand, then looked back up at him. She lowered her head and bowed down deeply.
"Yes... Master," she said quietly, accepting her defeat.
Mr. Viella was highly pleased with her submission, a look of satisfaction in his eyes. But before he could speak, Lily interrupted him again, her voice steady and unyielding.
"But I absolutely won’t leave my young lady’s side."
Mr. Viella frowned, his eyebrows knitting together in annoyance. "Don’t you think that is completely unfair? The deal was for you to leave her entirely."
She shook her head firmly. "I only failed by a single inch. I am perfectly willing to work under you, to handle your dark business, and to be your secret weapon. But I will not leave her side. I will do double the work."
Mr. Viella stood in silence, giving her proposal a deep thought. His youngest daughter, Viella, was weak and useless in his eyes anyway; she would never dare to go against him or his plans. Having Lily protect her while simultaneously serving as his own personal executioner in the shadows wasn’t a bad trade.
"Fine," he muttered, turning his back on her. "Do not make me regret this."
Soon enough, Lily walked back through the grand main doors and reached the mansion.
The exact moment she stepped into the living room, Viella came running straight up to her. "Where in the world have you been?" she asked loudly, placing both of her small hands firmly on her waist to look angry. "I asked the other maids, and I heard a scary rumor that you were all the way out there with daddy. What happened?"
Lily gave a polite, low nod to calm her down. "I simply had some official stuff to take care of with the Master, My Lady. I deeply apologize for making you wait for your morning tea."
Viella let out a small pout. "Hmph, fine. As long as he is not doing anything bad to you, I guess it’s okay," she muttered in a low voice, looking away to hide her deep worry. But Lily’s hearing caught the soft words perfectly, and a tiny smile rose on the corner of her lips. She felt a warm sense of comfort knowing her little lady cared so much about her safety.
Throughout the rest of the day, Lily noticed something extremely odd happening around the estate.
Later that afternoon, as she and her young lady were walking outside for a relaxing stroll in the massive rose garden, she felt a strange gaze on her back. She quickly noticed a dark shadow following them behind the large bushes. Lily expertly led her lady back toward the safety of the main house first, making sure Viella went inside to rest.
Once Viella was safe, Lily immediately turned back around and walked in the exact opposite direction, deep into a quiet path in the garden.
Just as she expected, the mysterious shadow followed closely behind her.
Soon, her quiet footsteps came to a sudden stop. She spun around on her heel to face the intruder.
The person who was secretly following her had no idea that Lily had noticed him from the very beginning. He stopped dead in his tracks, completely frozen and stunned to be caught so easily.
Lily looked up, her face completely expressionless. "Is there anything specific you have to say to me, Young Master?"
Lucian, who was standing there looking totally caught out, finally regained his confidence. He quickly cleared his throat loudly to hide his intense embarrassment, his cheeks turning a tiny bit pink. "This... I... you, uh..." he muttered, stumbling over his words completely.
He was usually so arrogant and loud, but right now, he couldn’t even form a proper, smooth sentence.
Lily tilted her head slightly to the side, her dark eyes staring at him blankly, not understanding his weird behavior at all.
Lucian cleared his throat loudly once again, his face turning an even brighter shade of red as he desperately tried to find his usual arrogant voice. This time, he managed to speak up.
"About last night... you saving me. You’re just lucky you were fast enough to take that sharp dagger for me... oh, no, wait, I mean... I am the lucky one, you stupid servant... uh, no, that’s not it either..." He kept mumbling and stumbling over his words, completely tangled up in his own sentences.
Lily became more and more confused by the second, her face remaining entirely blank.
Lucian immediately noticed her expressionless stare, and his irritation grew rapidly. He was the young master of a powerful mafia family, yet he was making a complete fool of himself in front of a maid!
"You- you low servant! You don’t even understand anything at all!" he yelled, throwing his hands up in absolute frustration. Giving up entirely, he turned around and ran off quickly down the garden path, muttering a tiny, almost silent, "Thank you, idiot," under his breath before vanishing behind the tall hedges.
Lily stood perfectly still, staying completely dumbfounded. Why in the world was he so annoyed again? She honestly could not understand the strange, chaotic mood swings of the young master.
Viella, who had been watching the entire bizarre scene from the glass doors of the mansion, saw Lucian running away like a madman. She quickly walked up to Lily, her eyebrows knitted together in deep concern. "Did he try to bully you again? Do I need to throw something at him?"
Lily slowly shook her head, her face deadpan. "No, My Lady. He was probably on drugs."
Viella gave it a short thought, remembering how weirdly her brother always acted, and gave a firm nod. "Yeah, that makes total sense."
They both nodded in complete agreement, dismissing Lucian’s strange behavior entirely.
As they began to walk deeper into the beautiful garden, Viella looked up at Lily’s face. The maid was always so serious, never showing any joy or excitement. "Hey, Lily... don’t you think you should try to smile a bit more? You always look so scary and cold."
Lily stopped walking and gave a slight nod. She genuinely wanted to please her little lady, so she tried her best to force a smile onto her face.
She pulled the corners of her lips upward, but because she had never smiled sincerely in her entire life, it turned into a terrifying, creepy grin. Her dark eyes remained wide and dead, making her look like a dangerous assassin preparing to strike down a target.
Viella felt a sudden, freezing shudder run straight down her spine. A cold sweat broke out on her neck, and she quickly took a step back, waving her hands in a panic. "Actually... you know what? It is completely fine if you don’t smile! Never mind! Please go back to your normal face!"
Lily’s lips instantly dropped back into her usual calm, expressionless line, and she gave a polite nod. "Understood, My Lady."
With the creepy moment over, Viella let out a huge sigh of relief. The two of them turned around and walked away together down the sunny path, their quiet footsteps echoing softly in the peaceful afternoon.
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TO BE CONTINUED
