Meili cowered in the corner, having learned from experience that when the Mistress was in this mood, staying silent and small was the safest option.

"First the tomato plant disaster, now this!" Maya continued her rant. "Every plan fails! Every scheme backfires! How is that possible?!"

She paced frantically.

"She’s just a servant! She shouldn’t be this difficult to destroy!"

But deep down, Maya was beginning to realize what the old Master had already figured out: Heena wasn’t just a servant. She was something else entirely.

Someone trained, educated, and dangerous.

And that made her terrifying.

"We need outside help," Maya said finally, her voice becoming calmer and more calculated. "Someone who isn’t connected to this household. Someone who can hurt her in ways that can’t be traced back to us."

Meili finally spoke up nervously: "Mistress, who could possibly—"

"Driver Li," Maya said decisively. "Find him. I don’t care what it takes. Find him and bring him to me."

"But Mistress, he disappeared after trying to assault her! The young master specifically warned him away!"

"Which means he has reasons to hate her AND reasons to want revenge," Maya said with a cold smile. "Perfect motivation."

She pulled out a small purse heavy with silver coins.

"Offer him this. Tell him there’s more if he completes a task for me. And Meili?"

"Yes, Mistress?"

"Make sure he understands—this time, failure is not an option. If he fails again, I’ll make sure he regrets ever being born."

Meili took the purse with trembling hands, understanding that her Mistress had just crossed a line from petty schemes into something much darker.

"Yes, Mistress. I’ll find him."

As Meili scurried out to begin her search, Maya stood alone in her chambers, staring at her reflection in the polished bronze mirror.

Her face was twisted with hatred and desperation.

"You think you’ve won, little servant girl?" she whispered to the absent Heena. "You have no idea what I’m capable of when truly threatened."

"This is just the beginning."

"I’ll destroy you completely."

"No matter what it takes."

.

.

’’[Two Weeks Later]’’

Time passed with deceptive tranquility.

Two weeks had gone by since Samuel’s confrontation with his father, and the household had settled into an uneasy but functional rhythm.

The old Master hadn’t given his answer yet about transferring business control to Samuel, but he hadn’t actively sabotaged them either. He seemed to be genuinely considering the proposition, which was more than Samuel had hoped for.

Maya had been surprisingly quiet. Too quiet, really. She still glared at Heena whenever they crossed paths, still made snide comments under her breath, but there had been no major incidents, no dramatic confrontations, no elaborate schemes that backfired spectacularly.

Heena found this more concerning than the active hostility had been.

"When your enemy stops attacking," she’d told Samuel one evening, "it usually means they’re planning something big. Something that requires preparation and time."

Samuel had agreed, and they’d both remained vigilant. But as days passed without incident, even their heightened alertness began to relax slightly into routine caution.

Heena had spent the two weeks systematically integrating herself into the household and community. She’d accompanied Samuel to two more merchant assemblies, attended a community religious ceremony, helped in the household kitchen (much to the cook’s delight), and even started teaching some of the younger servants basic reading skills.

This last activity had caused some raised eyebrows—noblewomen didn’t typically spend time educating servants—but it had also earned her tremendous goodwill among the household staff.

"The young mistress is so kind," the servants whispered to each other. "Not like some people who shall remain nameless..."

The comparison to Maya’s cruel treatment of servants was left unspoken but clearly understood by everyone. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶

Samuel’s business activities had also been progressing well. He’d secured two new trade contracts using his own connections, completely independent of his father’s network. The profits weren’t enormous, but they were solid and reliable—exactly the kind of foundation he needed to build sustainable independent income.

He’d also been quietly liquidating some non-essential assets that were technically in his name rather than the family business—gifts from his mother’s family, inheritances that had come directly to him. Converting them to portable wealth that couldn’t be seized if the family business collapsed.

Heena had helped him with all of this, managing the accounting, reviewing contracts, identifying the best buyers for various items. Her business acumen continued to impress him, and he’d stopped even pretending to believe she’d learned these skills as a servant.

They’d developed an easy working partnership that extended beyond just business matters.

In the mornings, they’d have breakfast together and discuss the day’s plans.

During the day, they’d often work separately—Samuel on his business activities, Heena on household integration and information gathering.

In the evenings, they’d reconvene, share what they’d learned, analyze threats and opportunities, and plan next steps.

And at night, they’d sleep in the same room but on separate sleeping mats, maintaining the boundaries of their business-arrangement marriage while also building genuine trust and companionship.

It was, Heena had to admit, surprisingly pleasant.

She’d been in political marriages before, in previous worlds. She’d had strategic partnerships that were purely transactional. She’d had romantic entanglements that were based entirely on physical attraction or emotional manipulation.

But this thing with Samuel—this odd combination of practical partnership, intellectual compatibility, and growing genuine friendship—was different from all of those.

’Dangerous,’ the System reminded her regularly. ’You’re getting attached. That complicates everything.’

’I know,’ Heena always replied. ’I’m managing it.’

But she wasn’t entirely sure that was true.

---

’’[Morning of Day Fifteen - The Kitchen]’’

Heena was in the kitchen helping the cook prepare the morning meal—something she’d been doing regularly because it gave her opportunities to talk with the household staff and gather information.

The cook, Auntie Lin, had become quite fond of Heena over the past two weeks.

"You’re nothing like I expected a young mistress to be," Auntie Lin said as they worked together cutting vegetables. "Most noble ladies wouldn’t set foot in a kitchen, let alone actually help with the work."

Heena smiled. "I enjoy cooking. It’s practical and satisfying. Plus, your recipes are excellent—I’m learning a lot."

This was true. Auntie Lin was genuinely skilled, and Heena had picked up several useful techniques for this world’s cooking methods.

"You’re too kind," Auntie Lin said, blushing with pleasure at the compliment. "But really, you have a good heart. The servants all say so."

She lowered her voice conspiratorially.

"Not like the Mistress. That one has never said a kind word to any of us. And the way she wastes food, demands expensive ingredients for her personal meals while the rest of the household makes do with simple fare... it’s shameful."

Heena filed away this information. More evidence of Maya’s self-centered behavior that could be useful later.

"Everyone has their own way of managing a household," Heena said diplomatically. "I just prefer a more hands-on approach."

Auntie Lin nodded approvingly. "The young master is lucky to have you. You’ll make a good mother someday—kind but practical, teaching children good values."

Heena nearly dropped the knife she was holding.

’Children?’ she thought with mild panic. ’I hadn’t even considered that aspect of this marriage arrangement.’

Of course, in this era and culture, producing heirs was considered one of the primary purposes of marriage. People would expect her and Samuel to have children eventually.

But they weren’t even sleeping together. Their marriage was purely strategic. Children would complicate everything enormously.