I felt my cheek heating up due to the slap. My anger got the best of me so I grabbed her hand and pulled her closer to my face. "You should know your place, you are just a maid in this Grand Duchy!"

She took a step back because I tightened my grip too hard. At first, she struggled to regain her arm, but I released it so suddenly that she almost staggered her stance. She looked at her arms which were bruised from my grip and she smiled, "Well, if the Grand Duke saw this who would he believe?"

She raised her bruised arm and acted as if she was hurt. Girl, I got a hand imprinted on my face. I think I should be the one saying that.

"You're right, I think the Grand Duke believes you rather than me. For all the things you've done, he didn't care for me." I feinted a sad face and their scared looks were immediately replaced with sinister. 

Tears started to fall from my eyes, and I waited for them to attack me. And they did, what I was more surprised about was the next events because it wasn't in my plan. I thought they would just admit their wrongdoings, but I didn't expect a demonstration.

"To refresh your memories we will show you what you used to be!" the head maid yelled and then grabbed my hair forcefully that I stumble down from my bed. I curled like a ball as they one by one kicked me with their feet. I cried silently not because of the pain, but because of the thought that Sophie was bullied like this every day and only a few people helped her. They laughed together and were taking their sweet time abusing me. I still protected my head with my arms and sobbed. 

"We love tormenting you like this! Do you want to know why? Because no matter how many times you tell it to the Grand Duke he doesn't care for you!" it was one of the maids said.

"No! Stop it, please! I beg of you, please!" It was Sophie's voice in my head. My head suddenly ached and I was sure this time that it was another memory recurring.

"Just this once? You should've thought of that before you ratted us out to Sir Albert, because of you we are working overtime!" the head maid yelled. 

"What's the matter, Grand Duchess? Did you suddenly forget to speak?" one of the maids said mockingly. They all laughed in unison. I didn't realize that they stopped from kicking me. I was in a trance when I saw that horrid and pitiful memory of Sophie. She was pregnant and no one even helped her. 

"You will pay for this," I mumbled.

"Pay for what? Oh you mean the bullying that we've done to you?" the head maid chuckled as she waited for her subordinates to laugh. They all laughed in unison and once again she said, "Now that your maid Mary and Doctor Dominic aren't here to save you, you will be tortured here until the Grand Duke kicks you out!"

The memory that occurred to me just now, wasn't in her journal. It seems it was a distant memory. She looked like 20 yrs. old because she was somewhat skinny and was a naive-looking girl. The recent memories that I have were of her before the carriage accident. It was as if I unlocked an unknown memory. I felt really angry as I tried to recall that memory. I yelled so loud and then an unknown force pushed the maids to the walls. The windows in my room and other glass ornaments broke. It was magic, I felt it surging in my body and the magic was warm yet powerful. 

The head maid coughed so hard looks like I broke her ribs. I smirked at her and she saw it immediately, the maids hurriedly assisted her to stand up. She didn't miss a beat because she immediately charged me with murder intent. And there, she grabbed my hair again and pulled it hard. I swear all of my hair is falling out.

But this time, the door in my room suddenly burst open, and big tall knights marched towards the head maid. She released me and then flopped on the floor. The head maid suddenly changed her facial expression into a pitying look and pointed at me, "The Grand Duchess! She's going crazy! We were just helping her then suddenly she grabbed my arms and used her powers against us!"

The maids nodded and agreed to all the things the foolish head maid said. I took a seat on my bed and grabbed a big black rock that was on my bedside.

The knights who were holding the head maid chained her hands and said; "Head Maid, Feria, you are arrested for physically, mentally, and emotionally abusing the Lady of House Griffith. You are hereby sentenced to lifetime imprisonment and to be tortured by the dungeon keeper."

Head maid's face turned pale and struggled to break free, the maids who were with her were immediately chained up too. "But we didn't do anything!" she yelled.

Suddenly, a tall young man with long silver hair in armor arrived at my room. They all bowed their head at him, but I just looked at him in a daze. He was the most handsome man I've ever seen in this world. I've seen guys good-looking but this one, this one is stunning and handsome. Sassanico and him are the most handsome men that I've seen, could it be he's the Grand Duke?

The silver-haired man glared at the head maid and said; "Enough with your useless muttering, you low life. I've seen enough." his voice was deep and cold and his eyes, it was golden yellow. It almost looked like it was glowing.

"Your Grace, please believe us! We didn't do anything, it was the crazy bitch!" the head main kneeled in front of him and she touched his red cape. The silver-haired man suddenly unsheathed his sword and there was a flash of light that moved and for a second we were in silence. And in a second, a hand flew over to the floor and the head maid screamed. I looked at her and saw the hand that was touching his cape gone and blood was gushing from her decapitated arm. She cried and screamed and it made the silver-haired man more irritated as he tilted his head away from her.

"How irritating," he muttered and gestured at the guards to take her away to the dungeon. The guards dragged her and also her hand outside the room. The only ones left were us and a few guards and maids.

The other maids also shook in fear and covered their mouths for they wouldn't want to anger the silver-haired man. A trail of blood was painted on the floor and this made the maids who were once cocky earlier were now shaking like dogs.

"I despised that kind of people, just because I gave them a high position doesn't mean they have the power to abuse it. You, the maid on the left, what made you think you can bully a GRAND DUCHESS? Are you royal?" he said, slowly walking towards the maid on the left who was in fear and was bowing her head to avoid his gaze.

"Why aren't you answering? Did you suddenly forget to speak?" the silver-haired man repeated the words that the head maid said earlier. The maid looked stunned and then they realized, the silver-haired man heard what they'd said. 

"Your Grace, we were just ordered by the Head Maid- -"

"Is the Head Maid the Grand Duchess of this estate?" he asked sarcastically. 

"N-No, Your Grace."

"Then why did you do it? Give me a reasonable answer, if not your head will be the next thing that will be decapitated." he pointed his sword at her neck and the other maids were already crying in fear.

"Forgive us, Your Grace! We were -" Her voice was shaking and tears were flowing uncontrollably.

"Don't ask forgiveness to me, ask her." then, he pointed at me. The maids looked at me and were pleading through their eyes. I never felt so satisfied and no ounce of mercy was in my mind.

"Do you forgive them, my Grand Duchess?"

I paused for a moment and looked at the crying maids. They were all looking at me with pleading looks but I just looked away and answered him.

"No, I will never forgive them just as I will never forgive you," I replied coldly. The silver-haired man looked at me when he heard this. I don't know but his face was nonchalant at the same time I can tell he didn't expect my answer. He smirked for a second and went closer to me with a bloody sword in his grip. I closed my eyes as I was waiting for the punishment he would do to me because of my answer. But to my surprise, he grabbed the black rock that was in my hands.

"I'll be retrieving this magical item for evidence against them. And, come to my office later. We need to discuss some matters." he said.

"Could this matter be discussed tomorrow? I don't feel good as of the moment, Your Grace." I said.

"Suit yourself" he replied and then the guards and maids that were tied up left my room. He was about to leave me, but he stopped. He looked back at me and gave me a look. 

My brows raised and I asked, "Is something wrong?"

"You didn't scream earlier when I cut off her hands? Aren't you afraid of that kind of scenario?" he sheathed his bloody sword.

"You knew I was afraid of it, and yet you still did it in front of me. Are you a sadist, Your Grace? Do you find it amusing seeing me weak and helpless?" I asked.

He stood in silence and was thinking if he was. I was dumbfounded that he was thinking it now.

"Sadist? That's new," he muttered and then left my room. Suddenly, a flash of memory flew in my head. It is him, the silver-haired man is the Grand Duke Griffith. Cold, arrogant, sadist, and indifferent to Sophie. I saw him in Sophie's memory and he was the handsome guy that Sophie loved. I don't know why she loved him, but I now know why she hated him to the point that she would plot murder to him. She lost her first child because of his negligence to his wife. The question is, does the Grand Duke know about this?

It's been a week since that bloody night, the maids and the head maid were in the dungeon and were said to be tortured. They were all replaced with good maids and my plan worked. The magical item was the big black rock, it served as a surveillance to my room, and the Grand Duke saw and heard all of the things that happened while I was being bullied. Thanks to Sir Albert, the Grand Duke was able to watch it in his office and was able to finally witness the maltreatment that they've done. It was said that Sophie never did ask for the Grand Duke's help. She never mentioned the miscarriage too. How did I know? Because there was no memory of it. I tried my best to remember, but nothing came up. 

After the fiasco, the new maids treated me highly and respectfully. I was culture shock at first because I barely moved a muscle from doing my daily activities. Even brushing my teeth, they did it for me. Changing my clothes, they did it for me. Preparing my bed, they did it for me. My meals also changed, everything was prepared meticulously and deliciously. I was also transferred to a bigger room which was more spacious than a condo or my house in my previous world. Also, Mary and Doctor Dom were released from the dungeon. They immediately visited me and Mary was now officially my personal maid.  They were both compensated by the Grand Duke for taking care of me after waking up in a coma. And as for that meeting, he didn't summon me after that. It was already a week, but he didn't summon me to his office to talk about some 'matters'. As for that creepy Doctor who conspired with the previous head maid, he was also charged with attempted murder, was imprisoned and his position was immediately replaced by Doctor Dominic.

"Your Grace, another bouquet is sent by the Grand Duke," Mary said with a bright smile, she was happy because she thought that the Grand Duke was finally looking out for me. She didn't know that it was just for show. I know that Sir Albert planned to keep sending me flowers for forgiveness, but just like I said, I will never forgive them for what they did to Sophie. If she was here, she could be doing it too!

I rolled my eyes as I read the card, "For a bouquet of roses, I seek for forgiveness." I immediately crumpled it into a ball and threw it in the trash. Mary looked at me with a worried look as she wasn't expecting me to do that. She witnessed Sophie fall in love with the cold Grand Duke and she witnessed how she loved her in the past, now she will witness how the new Sophie hates the Grand Duke. 

"Your Grace, it seems that the Grand Duke is sincere in his apology. It has been a week since he delivered these bouquets of roses." she smiled at me.

"Mary, I hate to tell you this but I don't love the Grand Duke anymore," I said to her. She looked stunned and she looked around us, the other maids didn't hear it because they were a distance away from us, but Mary made sure no one heard me.

"You mustn't talk like that, Your Grace! Didn't you know that this could be a spark? A spark that could ignite something wonderful? Like a blazing love?" she said with hands clasped together and her eyes flashed romantically.

"What? I'm just stating the fact that I don't love him. And the spark you're talking about could ignite a blazing fire that could lead to something dangerous, it's not wonderful- -" I was stopped midway when somebody knocked on my door. One of the maids opened the door and it was the butler. He bowed at me and said, "Your Grace, you have been summoned by the Grand Duke to the dining hall. He wishes to dine with you for dinner." 

I sighed when he said it because I was hoping that we wouldn't see each other soon. I heard the maids giggle and was excited to dress me up for this dinner. I looked at Mary who was more excited than the other maids, her eyes lit with enthusiasm, and suddenly grabbed my arms and dragged me into the dressing room.