Bound By Heartstrings

Redeem the fault

Victoria returned to her room in a state of anger, her eyebrows furrowed, and she threw her vest coat onto the floor. Emily was waiting by the door, visibly anxious as she observed the tension on Miss's face.

"Miss, is everything alright?" Emily ventured to ask, her voice trembling.

"Emily, are you truly loyal to me?" Victoria questioned abruptly.

"Um... why would you ask that, Miss?" Emily replied, taken aback.

Victoria sat on the large armchair in the room, her gaze piercing into Emily. She didn't respond immediately but silently observed her maid, causing Emily to feel even more fearful, especially after breaking the vase. The color drained from her face, and her hands clasped together tightly, turning red.

"What's wrong? Could it be..." Emily's panic heightened, cold sweat breaking out on her back. She didn't understand why her mistress suddenly became angry and asked such a question. Who could have seen the broken vase and reported it? Victoria's suspicious tone and icy gaze made Emily feel even more anxious. She knelt down on the floor...

"Miss, I'm sorry, please punish me," Emily pleaded.

Victoria was surprised by Emily's reaction. What she wanted to make clear had nothing to do with her maid; it was just that in such a large mansion, there were few people she could confide in... so she had to suspect Emily. Just a few words, and the villain would easily confess like this? On the other hand, she had just accepted the job as her maid, why would she dare to make a mistake?

"What punishment? Are you here to assassinate me on behalf of those other noble families?" Victoria's suspicion grew.

"Huh... what?"

Emily, a little slower, had already confessed all her sins regarding the jade vase. When she heard her mistress ask about something else, she hurriedly raised her head, her eyes shining as if she had just been acquitted but also afraid of being accused of assassination.

In the quiet room of the Victoria Manor, light and shadow created a mysterious picture, where two souls were facing each other in a confrontation. Victoria, with her noble appearance but a heavy soul burdened with family responsibilities and deep secrets. Beside her was Emily, the new maid, with a heart full of loyalty but also hiding worries about what was about to happen.

Emily still knelt before Victoria, her eyes wide with anxiety. She felt like she was facing imminent death because of the suspicion from her mistress. If she missed a beat, she would be in trouble, so she chose to admit her mistake about the precious jade vase...

"Miss... I actually... I broke it..."

Before Emily could finish her sentence, Victoria's eyes scanned the room, and there it was, her precious jade vase missing from the table...

"Broke? My jade vase?" Victoria spoke, her voice devoid of anger but full of suspicion.

Hearing her mistress mention the vase directly related to her, Emily was startled, realizing she had inadvertently drawn attention to herself. She felt overwhelmed, but she couldn't avoid the truth. She raised her eyes, her round eyes full of worry, trying to find a suitable explanation.

As she was being suspected, Emily suddenly felt dizzy, her eyes blurred, and she couldn't see the face of the person standing in front of her clearly. In surprise, she hesitated and couldn't speak, then collapsed to the floor, unconscious.

"Oh dear... what have I done to you? Why did you faint like this..."

Victoria was surprised, unable to comprehend what had happened. Work in this mansion had never been burdensome before, as it was divided into different areas for many servants to handle. Could it be... this girl had just started serving and fainted already? Serving me is more burdensome than taking care of the garden outside, isn't it...

"You're pretending, aren't you... Come on, wake up, or else I'll have you follow Clara for real."

Victoria was puzzled, stubbornly believing that Emily was pretending and threatening her. Seeing that the situation was getting nowhere, Emily's complexion turned paler, her body temperature higher than usual. Immediately, Victoria picked up Emily and placed her on her own bed to rest before calling someone to come and check on her...