Chapter 818: Bang-Bang-Bang Or Boom?
"What do you think you’re doing?"
The words were cold, sharp, and utterly commanding.
Darius’s hand stopped mid-reach, and he turned with a snarl, ready to tear apart whoever dared to interrupt him.
But before he could say a word, Happy felt herself being tugged backward, pulled away from the monster’s reach.
She looked up in shock to see that someone was shielding her.
A beautiful woman with golden hair tied up in an elegant bun, her blue eyes blazing with cold fury.
It was Isabelle, who had noticed the commotion through the video-surveillance system that was set up all around the mansion exactly for moments like this and arrived on time.
Happy looked up at her in pure admiration. This woman was like an angel who had descended from the heavens to save her.
Darius, meanwhile, was furious. His plans had been interrupted, his prey stolen from right under his nose.
But he held back his rage, forcing a smile onto his face.
"Ah, my apologies." He said smoothly. "You see, this little maid actually belongs to me. She’s one of my servants, and she was being rather disobedient."
"I was simply trying to correct her behavior."
Isabelle’s gaze didn’t waver. She looked down at Happy, her voice calm but firm.
"Is that true? Is this man the master you serve?"
Happy shook her head frantically, tears streaming down her cheeks.
"No! No, that’s not true at all! I don’t belong to him! I’ve never seen him before in my life!"
"I serve the Fulham family—I was just sent to refill a plate for my master when this man appeared out of nowhere and started saying horrible things to me!"
Her voice was desperate, pleading. "Please, Big Sister, you have to believe me! I’m telling the truth!"
"He wanted—! He wanted to—"
The words caught in her throat, choked by the memory of what had almost happened.
Isabelle’s gaze returned to Darius, and her eyes had grown even colder.
"It seems you were mistaken, my lord. This girl has no connection to you at all."
Darius’s pleasant mask cracked. His expression twisted into something ugly and arrogant.
"It doesn’t matter whether she belongs to me or not. I want her. That’s all that matters."
He stepped closer, his voice dripping with contempt.
"Do you even know who I am? I’m Darius Valheim, the third young master of the Valheim Estate. Perhaps you’ve heard of us?"
"We’re one of the founding families of the empire. We have power, influence, and connections that you couldn’t even dream of."
He gestured broadly.
"If I want something in this world, I take it. No rules apply to me. If I went to your master right now and asked for this girl, he’d hand her over without a second thought. And you—" He looked Isabelle up and down, his eyes lingering on her curves. "—would be no different."
Isabelle remained completely unfazed. "I see. And if I refuse?"
Darius laughed.
"Refuse? You’re just a maid. What could you possibly do to stop me?"
He stepped even closer, his voice dropping to a menacing whisper.
"I could have you both taken away right now, and no one would lift a finger to help you."
Isabelle didn’t back down. She didn’t even blink.
"Your threats are noted, my lord." She said calmly. "But I’m afraid I can’t allow you to harm anyone in this household. I’m going to ask you once more to leave us alone."
Darius’s eyes narrowed dangerously. "And if...I were to refuse instead?"
Isabelle met his gaze without flinching. "Then I’ll be forced to take more drastic measures."
For a moment, Darius just stared at her. Then he burst out laughing.
"Drastic measures? You!?" He shook his head in amusement. "What could you possibly do? You’re just a maid!"
His eyes scanned her figure again, this time with open lust.
"And you know, now that I look at you properly, you’re quite beautiful yourself. Those curves, that face—you’d be wasted here as a simple servant."
He licked his lips.
"How about this: instead of fighting me, you come with me too. I’ll treat you both well. You’ll have wealth, comfort, everything you could ever want."
"And all you have to do is serve me."
He began muttering to himself, his eyes glazing over with fantasy.
"Taking both of them at the same time...one so slender and young, the other mature and refined."
"Just thinking about the sounds they’ll make underneath me...it’s simply tantalizing!"
Behind him, his maids bit their lips, shame and hatred flickering in their eyes.
They clearly despised their master, but they didn’t dare speak against him.
His knights remained stoic, their faces expressionless.
The butler stood silently, watching everything unfold.
Isabelle, meanwhile, had had enough.
"Are you going to let us go, or not?"
Darius’s face contorted with rage.
"How dare you refuse me!? No one has ever refused me and lived to tell the tale!"
He snapped his fingers, and the knights behind him immediately stepped forward, their hands moving to their weapons. They formed a semicircle around Isabelle and Happy, blocking any escape route.
Happy whimpered, pressing herself against Isabelle’s back. She was terrified, but the older woman’s presence was strangely comforting.
Even in the face of overwhelming odds, Isabelle didn’t seem afraid.
"I’m going to ask you one last time." Isabelle said, her voice dangerously calm.
"Are you going to let us go...or not?"
Darius sneered. "Do you think I’m crazy? Today, you’re mine! Nothing you can say or do will change that!"
Isabelle brushed back a strand of golden hair, her expression shifting to something menacing.
"I see." She said softly. "Then if it’s like that, I can only ask you one more question."
Her gaze turned to ice, cutting straight through Darius’s arrogance. A shiver ran down his spine, and for a moment, he felt an inexplicable fear.
"Do you want to die by having a dozen holes run through your body?"
She reached into her spatial ring and she pulled out an object that made Darius’s expression go strange.
It was a strange, metal contraption unlike anything he’d ever seen. It gleamed in the light, sleek and deadly, with a long barrel and a frighteningly complex mechanism.
It was an assault rifle!
Isabelle’s hands moved with practiced precision. The safety clicked off, a sound that seemed deafening in the silence of the corridor.
"Or." She continued, her voice utterly calm. "Do you want to die by being blown into bits and pieces?"
She reached into her spatial ring again and produced a second object.
This one was small, round, and ominous, a grenade, another one of Cassius’s inventions.
She held it up, letting Darius see exactly what she had.
"Your choice." She said flatly. "Though personally, I don’t think the outcome really matters."
"You’ll end up dead either way."
The knights behind Darius froze, completely uncertain of what to do.
They were used to fighting with swords and magic, not whatever strange weapons this maid was wielding. For a long moment, no one moved.
And then Darius burst out laughing.
"HAHAHAHA! Is this a joke?" He roared, slapping his knee. "Look at this woman! She pulls out a couple of strange trinkets and thinks she can threaten me!"
He gestured at the rifle dismissively. "What do you think you’re going to do with that? Hit me over the head with it? It’s just a piece of metal!"
The knights behind him also relaxed, exchanging uneasy glances, not sure if they should be laughing or staying on guard.
There were absolutely no mana signatures from the two devices, perhaps there was no threat at all.
Isabelle didn’t respond. She just kept her eyes fixed on him, unwavering.
Happy tugged at Isabelle’s sleeve, her voice trembling. "B-Big Sister, what are those?"
"Don’t worry, little one." Isabelle said, her voice soothing despite the tension in the air. "They’re just tools my husband gave me. Tools to protect myself and those I care about."
Darius’s laughter died down. There was something in the maid’s eyes that made him uneasy.
"Enough of this!" He snapped. "Get her! Don’t damage her—just bind her up and bring her to me. I’ll deal with her myself."
The knights advanced, their weapons drawn.
Happy cried out in fear, and Isabelle sighed.
So be it.
She raised the weapon, her finger moving to a small lever on its side.
Cassius had taught her how to use it, how to aim, how to fire. She’d been hesitant at first, but she’d learned. And now she was grateful for the training.
She was about to pull the trigger when a new voice cut through the tension.
"Excuse me, but I believe there’s been a misunderstanding."
The voice came from nowhere, calm and cultured. Darius blinked, and suddenly, there was a figure standing directly between the two sides.
He looked young, barely old enough to be a man, with a cute face, silky black hair, and intense grey eyes that held a quiet authority.
It was Lucius.
Darius’s eyes narrowed. "Who the hell are you?"
"Good afternoon." The butler said, offering a polite bow that managed to convey both respect and the complete absence of subservience.
"My apologies for the interruption. I am Lucius, head butler of the Holy Villa, and personal attendant to Young Master Cassius."
Darius recovered quickly, his arrogance reasserting itself.
"That bastard’s butler? What do you think you’re doing, servant? This doesn’t concern you!"
Lucius’s smile remained fixed, a perfect mask of professional courtesy.
"On the contrary, sir. As head butler, it is my duty to ensure the smooth operation of this estate. And I must say, causing disturbances in the corridors is not ideal—especially when we have guests who might be disturbed by the commotion."
"I don’t care about your guests!" Darius snapped. "I want these two!"
He jabbed a finger at Isabelle and Happy. "They’re coming with me, and there’s nothing you or your pathetic master can do about it!"
Lucius’s expression didn’t change, but something shifted in the air around him.
A subtle pressure, a barely perceptible weight.
"I’m afraid that won’t be possible, sir." He said, his voice still pleasant. "Forcefully removing two maids from the estate is...rather inappropriate. I’m sure you understand."
Darius opened his mouth to respond, to unleash the full force of his fury on this insolent servant, but Lucius continued smoothly.
"However. "If you were to speak with my Young Master directly, perhaps some arrangement could be reached. A negotiation, if you will."
"A settlement that satisfies all parties without resorting to..." He glanced meaningfully at the weapons Isabelle had already lowered. "...undue violence."
Darius’s mouth snapped shut. His eyes narrowed, calculating.
"You think that bastard would refuse me?" He said, but there was uncertainty creeping into his voice now. "You think I can’t just take what I want?"
Lucius spread his hands in a gesture of peace.
"I think nothing, sir. I merely suggest that a direct conversation might be more...productive than this confrontation."
"Shall I escort you to the garden where my Young Master is entertaining his guests?"
Darius studied the butler’s face, searching for any sign of weakness. He found none.
"Fine." He said at last, the word tasting like ash in his mouth. "Take me to this Third Young Master of yours. I want to see him anyway—I’ve heard rumors, and I’ve been wanting to meet him."
A dark smile spread across his face.
"Since I’m meeting him for the first time, perhaps I’ll be generous and let him offer me a gift."
"A couple of maids as a gesture of good faith between great houses."
He turned, already striding toward the garden, his mind churning with possibilities.
The butler was quite pretty too, in a delicate way.
Perhaps he’d take all three.
The thought made him smile.
Behind him, Happy sagged against the wall, her legs finally giving out.
"Big sister." She whispered, her voice barely audible. "I...I’m so sorry. I caused this. I caused all of this."
"If I had just been more careful, if I hadn’t been in that corridor—"
Isabelle knelt beside her, her weapons vanishing into the spatial ring as she moved.
"Shhh." She murmured, stroking Happy’s hair with a gentleness that seemed utterly at odds with the woman who had been seconds away from slaughter.
"None of this is your fault. You did nothing wrong."
"B-But he’s going to talk to Young Master Cassius!"
Happy said, her voice quivering with terror.
"And the Valheims are so powerful. What if—what if the Young Master can’t handle them? What if he’s implicated because of me?"
"I don’t want that to happen to someone who was so nice to me!"
Isabelle smiled with a knowing gaze.
"Oh, little one." She said softly. "You don’t know my husband very well yet."
Happy blinked. "Husband?"
"Young Master Cassius." Isabelle said, as if it were the most natural thing in the world. "He’s my husband. And he will handle Darius Valheim."
"But..." Happy’s brow furrowed. "Everyone says Young Master Cassius is weak. Everyone says he’s a failure, that he can barely control his own estate."
"The Valheims are one of the most powerful families in the empire. How can he possibly..."
Isabelle’s smile widened.
"Watch." She said simply. "Just watch."
She helped Happy to her feet, brushing the dust from her uniform with maternal care.
"Come." She said. "Let’s go see what my husband has planned."
"I believe he’s been rather...bored lately and Lucious knowing that has decided to bring the entertainment right over to him lift his spirits."
"This should be exciting."
Happy didn’t understand how Isabelle could so confident when the most powerful young master in the region was about to demand they be given to him like trinkets.
But there was something in Isabelle’s eyes, that made Happy think that maybe, just maybe the one who was going to suffer wasn’t going to be Cassius...
...but Darius himself.
