A Regressed Villain: Heroines, Villainesses and Me?

Chapter 20: 22- Dealing with Rivia(1)

In a split second, the maid's face contorted with trembling pupils, turning to lock on Rivia's impassive and uncaring face. With each step back she took, Rivia's piercing amethyst gaze never left hers, causing the maid's lips to tremble as she struggled to speak, "I-I will follow."

The maid's fingers clenched her dress as her eyes turned down and her feet lifted to move forward. Fear gripped her as she knew she was in danger, feeling despair due to encountering a side of Rivia Dominic that she rarely saw, a common experience for all the maids.

Currently, her top priority was to shield her father and persevere through the situation.

However, as sweat beads started trickling down her forehead and her heart raced, she realized her facade was crumbling.

The atmosphere was becoming chilly, causing even the servants, who were loyal to the main family, to become terrified.

But nobody dared to say anything or report either Butler or Marquess because of the horrific endings met by two previous maids who had spoken up.

In the end, it remains the same for those who serve under the nobility, whether in the past or the present.

Even in the present day, a person of great wealth can end someone's life without repercussions, due to the ongoing failure of the legal system to hold them responsible, leaving the less privileged to bear the consequences.

"Miss Rivia, Master is calling you", A voice resounded, creating a distinct ripple of energy that swept through the place, dispelling the tense atmosphere in an instant. The faces of all the servants, including the maid, lit up with relief, except for Rivia, who remained expressionless for a moment before slowly turning towards the source of the sound.

"I am coming", Rivia shifted away upon catching Alfred signaling for her, glancing over at the maid who turned her gaze to her father.

"Master was right," Alfred looked towards the direction where he could clearly see a small rabbit with teary eyes and trembling body being looked down upon by a purple panther who finally looked at him before approaching in a predatory manner.

'It's fine.' Seeing his daughter in such a state, Alfred only nodded to console her weak heart which must have been overwhelmed by Rivia. But knowing the task assigned to him by his master, he focused on accomplishing it first.

"Let's move." Rivia walked past him, adjusting her tight nurse scrubs that hugged her body, accentuating her curves and cleavage. Despite the revealing fit, she didn't bother adjusting them until after she responded to the call. Her purple hair was tousled by the breeze as she entered the mansion.

thud

"Haah...Haaa...." The maid's legs finally went numb as she fell to the ground, her lips trembling and gasping as she felt her heart stop for a moment. A few maids standing beside her hurried to help and support her.

----

"Why were you threatening my daughter?" Moving with professionalism, Alfred glanced at her with cold eyes, yet maintaining a patient demeanor despite seeing the deteriorating mental state of his daughter. He knew he would also be reprimanded later on, but for now, his focus was on addressing the situation with Rivia, who would be first in line tonight.

"It was a reminder of what might happen if you told anything to Master," Rivia replied in an impassive tone, continuing to walk up the red carpeted staircase in the large hall filled with decorations and guest seating arrangements.

"Your actions could have harmed Master," Alfred spoke out as they walked up the stairs. He narrowed his gaze and carefully chose his words to convey his meaning subtly but clearly for Rivia to understand.

"I am sorry," Rivia apologized with a mumble, realizing she may have acted too recklessly today and caused her Master a lot of trouble. But she also added, "If you say anything to him, you will see your daughter in pieces."

"Fine, but what exactly happened there?" Alfred felt angered inside, but his duty kept him sane enough to focus on his task as he inquired to get more information.

"....I witnessed a suspicious maid, followed her, caught her in the act of mixing something in a glass of juice, killed her, and—" Rivia started to reveal the exact event that had transpired at the noble gathering where she had to kill the maid. But before Rivia could reveal further, Alfred interrupted.

"Did you really make Master drink that, knowing it could be poison?" Alfred stopped and glared at Rivia, who also stopped after just five steps ahead. His eyes turned cold with clear anger, as he was upset by such foolish behavior from someone who was dedicated to protecting his Master.

"She said it was an aphrodisiac," Rivia halted, turning her head in Alfred's direction, who was looking at her with clear dissatisfaction. She further clarified, "I drank it."

"What?" Alfred thought he heard it but felt maybe for a moment he misheard her words, prompting him to inquire once again.

"I drank that bottle directly to test if it was an aphrodisiac," Rivia revealed with her stoic face, not giving away any emotions now but showing her greediness at that moment when she heard it was an aphrodisiac.

"Y-you are such an Idio—" Alfred felt his eyes widen as he saw the woman with purple hair who showed no emotion but revealed that she had drunk an unknown liquid that could have killed her.

"I know, I am an Idiot but..." Rivia averted her gaze, not wanting to reveal her thoughts. She started to walk again, with the words she wanted to say remaining in her mind, 'I could have never had a chance with him.'

"Do you know why Master is calling for you?" Alfred doesn't move from his place as he looks at Rivia, who has already crossed 15 steps ahead of him while not paying attention to his words. His words do confuse her slightly.

"I will see myself, just don't forget to place my sword in my room," she left her words as she took a turn and entered the hallway leading to a single room at the end with her mind drifting to the words of Alfred, thinking 'Did Master call me to reveal about my Synergy issue?'

Moving towards the hallway, which was empty considering that her Master was present inside the room, she felt something amiss but didn't care much. She kept taking further steps.

:: I know, I am an Idiot ::

Suddenly, a faint voice reached her ears as she reached the door of the room. The voice sounded similar to her own and even repeated the words she had just spoken to Alfred.

:: I will see myself, just don't forget to place my Sword in my room ::

"No." Suddenly, Rivia's feet halted as a deep feeling drenched her whole body. Her eyes kept looking towards the door for a moment before her voice, less than a whisper, stammered, "No, it can't be..."

Upon realizing that the faint voices echoing inside the hallway were just recordings from a moment ago, the only emotion left lingering was a mix of dread, despair, and fear.

Her feet slowly moved and started to increase the pace before she sprinted inside the room and pushed the door open with a cry, "NO!"

Her eyes widened in the dimly lit room as they fell towards a desk where the computer monitor with a small voice receiver was playing the audio she heard a moment ago.

::No, it can't be...::

It was live, but instead of caring or even thinking about the reason for how it was happening, her whole body appeared numb as she focused on those two blue gazes which, for the first time, appeared disappointed in her. The familiar yet chilling voice from the man sitting on the other side of the desk reverberated inside the room.

"Do you know your mistake, Rivia?