Chapter 133: An audience with mother.

Lita stepped back, eyes burning with fury. Before she could even open her mouth, Apofia who loved nothing more than sucking up to those with power in the house sniggered loudly from where she was bent over a tub of dirty water.

"Look at her. She still carries herself as high and mighty, even when she’s knee-deep in dishwater. Some people just don’t know their place. Miss Lita, you are new here. You should be asking Miss Loveline for advice on how things work and working on your attitude."

Lita’s temper, already simmering, instantly boiled over. She whipped around, pointing a dripping finger at Apofia. "Shut your servant mouth!" Lita barked, her eyes flashing. "Let me remind you, Apofia, I am a legally bound daughter-in-law of this noble house. And I may be a low born but my family is above average! You? You on the other hand are a servant whose grandfather probably sold you to this family to pay off a debt or get a bag of rice. Know your place!"

A wave of stifled giggles erupted from the younger servants scrubbing the pots. Apofia’s face turned an impressive shade of beet root red, her lips trembling with humiliation. She did not know how Lita had caught on so fast because her family had been servants for the Kaelions for years including her grandfather!

If she could, she would slap the smug look off Lita’s face. All she had done was offer kind advise but the bitch had returned it with an insult. Indeed, she was a village shrew who didn’t know what was good for her. Any normal daughter-in-law would try to fit in with the family even if they had to pretend to be nice, kind and polite. This Lita had come in breathing fire from the get-go. It was not winning her any friends, just making her more enemies.

"Silence! All of you!" Loveline roared. She stepped closer to Lita, trying to use her height to intimidate her. "Peasant girl, shut your mouth. I don’t care about your titles right now or how wealthy your family is. I am sure that puny wealth is nothing in comparison to my family or this one. In this kitchen, you are not above the program. Get back to work before I punish you for slacking! Remember that mother gave me permission to put you in line. Do as your told. Ask if you don’t know what to do. Learn fast so that you fit in with the household."

Lita didn’t flinch. Instead, she slowly folded her arms across her chest, tilting her head. She looked at Loveline the exact way a supreme hunter would look at a minor, annoying insect buzzing near their ear.

"Oh, really?" Lita said, her voice dropping into a dangerously calm, sweet tone. "Because Mother explicitly told me to report to her private office right about now. So, tell me, Loveline... are you going to answer to Mother when she asks why I am late? Will you tell her that your dirty breakfast bowls are more important than her direct summon? Are you okay with keeping mother waiting?"

Loveline’s left eyelid twitched. The fierce words died in her throat.

Dammit, Loveline thought, her mind racing. The lady of the house was a terrifying woman who could skin a tiger alive with a look. Lita was telling the truth, blocking her would be equivalent to courting death.

"Fine!" Loveline spat out, trying to save whatever face she had left in front of the snickering servants. "Go. But the absolute second you are done speaking to Mother, you march your boots right back here to prep the lunches. Do you hear me?"

Lita didn’t even bother to answer verbally. She gave Loveline a mockingly sweet sneer, turned on her heel, and flipped her long hair right into Loveline’s face as if saying, ’I won this round, loser.’

As she strutted out of the suffocating heat of the kitchen and into the cool, incense-scented corridors of the inner estate, Lita let out a huge sigh of relief. Her back still ached, but the sweet taste of victory made the walk to her room feel like a stroll through a heavenly garden.

She changed out of her stained kitchen clothes and into a fresh, simple cotton dress, Lita paused and wondered what Sabrina wanted to speak to her about. She recalled what the grand patriarch had said earlier about teaching her proper duties. Lita let out a short, miserable sigh, genuinely wondering what next was on the Kaelion family’s torture list.

What’s it going to be this time? A five-hour long lecture on how to be an obedient, submissive daughter-in-law? Or maybe how to bow at a perfect forty-five-degree angle without breaking my spine?

Once she was done adjusting her hair, she stepped out of her room. She noticed that a brand-new wooden door had already been put in place by the estate’s carpenters. Not wanting to keep the terrifying mother-in-law waiting, she hurried off through the winding corridors toward Sabrina’s office.

She took a deep breath, knocked once, and a sharp "Come in" echoed from the other side.

Inside, the atmosphere was suffocating. Sabrina was sitting regally in a big, high-backed boss chair made of polished red leather. Andrea was standing over the desk, leaning in close. The moment Lita walked in, Andrea turned her head.

Lita instantly felt a shiver run down her spine. She absolutely hated the way Andrea looked at her_ like she was a cheap doll to be played with and eventually broken. That amused, predatory look on Andrea’s face was just plain creepy.

"Oh, it is you," Sabrina said, her voice devoid of any warmth. She stood up, floated gracefully over to a large storage cabinet, and began rummaging through it. When she returned to her seat, she carried a heavy, stack of ancient-looking books, thumping them down onto her desk.

Sabrina then looked up at Andrea, her expression hardening. "Our conversation is over. Go make sure that everything is perfectly set for the general clan meeting this weekend."

Andrea smiled_ a fake, sharp little smirk but she didn’t leave the room. Instead, she strolled over to the plush sitting area in the corner of the office and comfortably sat down in one of the expensive silk-cushioned chairs.

Taking it as a silent signal that it was okay to sit, Lita moved toward the opposite chair and sat down too, trying to ease her aching back.

Sabrina’s eyes snapped toward her like a hawk spotting a field mouse. "Who gave you permission to sit in those chairs?"

Before Lita could stammer an apology, Andrea pointed a manicured finger at her, wincing dramatically. "Exactly. Those chairs are made from imported silk and cost a fortune, yet you’re sitting there while still carrying that disgusting kitchen stench. Ugh." Andrea waved her hand frantically over her nose as if she were breathing in toxic fumes. Suddenly, she leaned forward and smiled cunningly. "By the way, what happened to that Soul maiden of your small clan, the Scorpion girl?"