Chapter 7: Heartbeats in the Hell

Galatea Arcano gently turned the doorknob of the Duke's study, but as soon as she stepped out into the hall, she felt a sharp gaze upon her back. The sensation was intense and she felt a refreshing emotion as she noticed a different reaction from the Duke compared to earlier. However, she decided not to dwell on it. The Duke was not a character she needed to focus on, and she wouldn't have to deal with him until the coming-of-age ceremony.

Clack! The door shut behind her, and Galatea turned away from it.

And then she heard a voice.

"I'm certain that I told you to live like a mouse without causing any commotion," spoke the cold-toned voice.

Galatea gasped and turned around, taken by surprise. In the shadowed hall, she saw a figure with an unpleasant stance. She could barely make out the black hair and ice-blue eyes, and she knew immediately who it was - Drake, the first son of the Duke's family.

"Eliza," he said, looking down at her with sharp eyes, as if she were trash. "A loyal maid who worked for this family for almost 15 years."

Step, step. Drake walked out from the shadows, and in a matter of seconds, he was in front of Galatea.

"No one wanted to be your personal maid, even though we offered extra pay. Out of all those maids, only one volunteered to serve you," he continued, looking at her with disdain. "And I guess today's the end of that. Since you went crazy and chased out your one and only personal maid, not knowing your place."

Galatea felt an unfairness rising within her, but she couldn't help but feel cowed by Drake's hatred and disgust. She had not done anything wrong, but she was being treated this way.

'Interest 0%. 0%...' she thought to herself, trying to calm down.

She couldn't afford to make things worse, especially with the [Interest 0%] floating above Derrick's head.

She inhaled and exhaled a few times to calm herself, and then she decided to use the system's help.

'Choice ON.'

Galatea scanned through the options and mentally shouted, 'Choices OFF! OFF!'

Do You Want To [OFF] The Choices?

Galatea hesitated for a moment, but then she decided to take control of the situation. She stood up straight and looked Derrick in the eye.

"I'm not sure what you're implying, but I have not chased out any personal maid," she said, her voice steady. "As for what happened earlier, it was simply a miscommunication. I apologize if it caused any inconvenience."

Derrick's eyes narrowed as he looked at Galatea. He was used to getting his way, but something about her was different. He couldn't quite put his finger on it, but he felt a strange respect for her.

"Fine," he said, after a moment of silence. "But don't let it happen again."

With that, he turned on his heel and walked away, leaving Galatea standing in the hall, heartbeats racing.