Chapter 3
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"Huh?"
Dana's eyes widened as someone spotted her. The gazes of the men emerging from the bushes turned to her at once.
"Edwin, isn’t she your family's maid?"
The first thing Dana did was duck her head quickly. She could see at least five pairs of shoes through the grass. They had just finished polo practice, and they were all wearing riding boots.
......she wondered if one of them was named Teddy?
Oddly enough, that was what bothered Dana the most.
"That's right."
Edwin replied, looking at Dana.
Or, more accurately, the basket she was holding.
"Do you know what that is? It's a poisonous mushroom. There's a very fun event that only happens in Belvida."
He began to tell his friends the story of the "mad killer" that Dana knew all too well.
The men's ears perked up at the inflammatory words like "poisoned" and "annihilated.”
Taking advantage of the lull in interest, Dana backed away slightly. Her tiny feet crunched over the rough stone and into the soft grass. A short distance ahead was a path that led outside.
As she turned to sneak away, she caught sight of someone that made her heart flutter. It was him.
The man named Teddy was leaning against a tree, his arms crossed, a bit away from the group. He was a head taller than the rest of the group, and his long, strong frame exuded boredom.
His green eyes, fixed on the air, turned toward her for a moment. Dana quickly ducked her head again, flustered.
"Anyway, we're all going to need to be on our toes this evening. You never know when those poisonous mushrooms might land on your plates."
At Edwin's words, the men's eyes snapped back to Dana. It wasn't her, exactly, but the basket she was carrying, but it was enough to make her flinch.
"Your maids are quite famous, aren't they? They're so stiff and knife-like, everyone suspects they're machines."
"What's with the clothes? They're not monks...."
"Don't point fingers. She’s freaking out."
The chuckles made Dana cringe.
She had been an official maid for more than three years, but no one had taught her how to act in front of such flirtatious masters.
Did he realize that his maid was so embarrassed?
Edwin turned to Dana and spoke abruptly.
"Don't mind them, just keep doing what you're doing."
At first, Dana didn't realize he was speaking to her, but then her heart began to pound a beat too late.
For the first time, the master she didn't dare to look at spoke to her.
"I understand," or "Thank you.”
She had to say something.
Someone nodded at her as she swallowed dryly.
"What is it about your behavior that makes a maid so frightened?"
"Perhaps the poisonous mushrooms are going to be on your plate, Edwin, not ours."
A few more words of laughter and tasteless jokes were exchanged. But none of it reached Dana's ears. There was only one thing awakening her senses, Master Edwin's soft voice.
"I apologize on behalf of these bastards. Now go on with your work."
Dana was stunned that Master Edwin was actually apologizing to her.
"Oh, no. I... I'm... I'm... done......."
Dana finally replied, reaching for the basket. If she stayed any longer, she felt like her pounding heart would be heard. But then.
"You're done?"
A voice suddenly interrupted, and Dana's heart sank.
Teddy, it was him.
"Hey, there's still more."
He pointed to a cluster of brick-colored mushrooms in the crevices of the stone.
"Don't you see them?"
His tone was too cold, and her mood instantly turned sour. Her pulse quickened and her fear increased.
The chattering men looked at him strangely.
"What's the matter, Teddy?"
"Helping."
"The poisonous mushrooms could end up on your own plate."
Dana took a deep breath. She didn't know about anyone else, but she didn't want to offend this man. She walked over to where he pointed, squatted down, and began picking mushrooms.
Her trembling hands tugged at the slippery stems, slipping again and again. Fortunately, one by one, the pairs of eyes focused on her began to disappear.
"Now, Marcus, is it time for your punishment?"
"Brave scion of House Drayton. Carry out your punishment with honor."
"You've got a new audience, and I hope you earn it."
"Shut up, you bastards......"
The man presumed to be Marcus suddenly began to remove his robes.
"Yay!"
The men cheered and rushed down the waterfall, leaving only Marcus and Dana at the top, both of them giggling.
Dana could guess what was going on: they had made a bet, and this Marcus guy had lost. The punishment was probably to jump off this high rock.
Dana tensed her whole body and tried not to accidentally look at him.
"Come on, Marcus!"
"You're not scared, are you?"
"Don't worry. We all know how to swim, so if something goes wrong, you won't die."
Amid teasing and jeers, Marcus pushed his way to the top. Dana was within reach.
"Oh, fuck........."
Marcus looked down, his face beginning to pale. Dana's eyes could see his shaking legs.
"If you can't do it, then quit!"
"Okay, just stand there and say 'I'm a coward!' three times. Then we’ll let it slide!"
"Shh, shut up!"
Even as he shouted, Marcus's body shrank back in hesitation.
Perhaps Marcus should have just given up and said "I am a coward" three times.
The waterfall's current suddenly became rougher, and his skinny legs, which were already trembling terribly, flailed wildly.
"Oh...!"
Marcus panicked and threw his arms around Dana. Dana quickly grabbed him, as anyone would when faced with a desperate look in his eyes.
Then a chuckle sound came from below.
"Coward, Marcus!"
"You begged the maid to save your life?!"
Marcus spun around.
"What do you think you're doing?!"
Dana quickly withdrew her hands from Marcus's fiery gaze.
But that's when the real trouble began, as another torrent of water grew wilder and caught Marcus by surprise.
The skinny man lost his balance and began to stumble wildly.
"Ah...!"
Terrified, Marcus flailed his arms as best he could. The only thing he could grab was the maid he'd shot so savagely at.
He stretched out his arms desperately to Dana, as if clutching a lifeline, and she gladly took it. As soon as the man's wrist touched hers, she pulled hard. But it was too late.
Marcus began to fall, and Dana's body, still clinging to his arm, went with him.
"What?!"
She heard someone shout.
Dana felt a dizzying sensation in front of her eyes and momentarily lost consciousness. The next thing she knew, her body was being sucked under the cold water and she was awake again. Her head was white. Her heart, lungs, stomach, and all her internal organs felt like they were about to spill out under the immense pressure.
Her ears, nose, and every other orifice in her body were squeezed shut. She couldn't breathe at all.
Just as she was about to be sucked down into the abyss, her will to live revived.
Dana brought her legs together like a frog, then sprang up like a spring. Once, twice, and then three times.
"Ah...!"
Her face broke the surface. Dana gulped in air frantically.
Through her dazed vision, she could see Marcus being dragged to the bottom by his friends. Just as she thought she was relieved, a strong force pulled her roughly under the surface again. Dana flailed her limbs with all her might.
"Over there!"
She heard someone shout. Then, suddenly, another person jumped into the water.
Dana was a confident swimmer. But her skirt kept getting tangled around her legs. She struggled to get out of the water.
"Catch!"
The urgent shout came from too close.
Dana stared blankly at the man's arm outstretched toward her.
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