The Whipping Maid of House Calley - Chapter 109

At Sheila’s words, Bill opened his mouth heavily. “Let me ask one last time. Your decision hasn’t changed?”

“No. It hasn’t changed,” Sheila replied in a resolute voice.

If her mind had changed, she wouldn’t have come running here with the money.

Bill knew that as well.

Even so, the fact that he asked meant he wanted to confirm once more whether she truly understood how difficult this task was, and whether she was prepared to bear whatever responsibility followed if anything went wrong.

Only after hearing Sheila’s firm answer did Bill speak.

“Good. We’ll proceed.”

The moment the words of permission left Bill’s mouth, Jerry burst in without knocking and raised his voice.

“Master!”

Startled, Sheila looked back and forth between Jerry and Bill.

Bill’s expression was the most frightening she’d ever seen.

Jerry, who met Sheila’s wide eyes, bit his lip.

‘At least he has some sense. But what’s going on?’

Seeing them like this for the first time, Sheila could only stand there in confusion.

“Jerry, leave,” Bill ordered.

Jerry, bristling with anger, glared at Bill before slamming the door shut as he left.

“Oh! That startled me. He’s not sick today, is he, Master?”

Feeling awkward, Sheila forced a light remark.

When she looked at Bill again, his expression had already returned to his usual blunt face, as if he’d never shown that frightening expression.

It was largely the same, yet unmistakably different.

“This is as far as the guild’s involvement goes.”

Bill spoke again.

“From here, the professional killers will move. They’ll observe the movements of the man named Fred. At the soonest, within a week. At the latest, within a month, it’ll be done.”

“I brought this month’s wages instead of sending it home. If it’s delayed, he’ll come looking for me,” Sheila said urgently.

A week would be fine, but a month was too late.

“That works out better. It’ll be more natural for him to meet with an accident while traveling far from home rather than dying where he lives every day. I’ll pass that along.”

Death, accident….

Even though she’d steeled herself countless times, hearing the words directly made her feel strange.

“There won’t be any problems, right?”

It was, as expected, an indirect question.

She was asking everything, from the possibility that they might fail to kill Fred, to whether there would be consequences afterward.

“There’s no such thing as one hundred percent in anything. But I can say the chances of failure are extremely low.”

Sheila swallowed hard.

‘Would it kill him to just say one hundred percent….’

Even knowing the master’s words weren’t wrong, Sheila’s throat felt dry. And even if it wasn’t the answer she wanted, she had no other choice.

If she left Fred alone, the chances of her being sold would be 100% instead.

Sheila stood up from her seat. She didn’t have time to linger.

“Stay and eat before you go.”

“It’s alright. I don’t have time today. I’ll be going.”

Just as Sheila greeted him and turned to leave—

“Sheila.”

At Bill’s call, she turned her head, and Bill held out a carriage rental voucher.

He usually passed it through Jerry, but since Jerry was acting strangely today, he handed it to her directly.

“When it’s done, I’ll send Jerry one last time to inform you of the situation. Today will also be the last time you come here. Don’t ever come near this place again.”

Bill’s calm voice, announcing the end, made Sheila’s heart drop heavily.

“Master, but…!”

Sheila protested immediately.

He said it was extremely rare for things to go wrong…!

It wasn’t like she planned to come all the time. Just once in a while. Was even that not allowed?

Bill, who clearly read Sheila’s thoughts, slowly shook his head.

The words that had been on Sheila’s lips never came out.

The moment ‘murder’ was carried out, it was only natural that the weight of her life would change from before.

It meant this place, where she’d unknowingly grown attached over three years, was now over forever.

Erasing each other from their lives was the only way to continue living normally while keeping such a horrible thing buried beneath the surface.

The carriage rental voucher in Sheila’s hand crumpled tightly.

“I’ll go.”

Without a proper farewell, Sheila stubbornly turned away, and tears fell from her eyes.

She stepped into the hallway, hurriedly wiped her tears, and tried to leave the restaurant when someone grabbed her wrist.

“Sheila.”

It was Jerry.

Not wanting him to see that she’d cried, Sheila quickly shook off his hand.

“I’m going, Jerry.”

“Sheila!”

A guild member grabbed Jerry’s shoulder as he tried to follow her.

“The master is calling you upstairs.”

“Damn it.”

Jerry spat out the gum he’d been chewing and went up the stairs.

***

A few days earlier.

After Cedric returned, Jerry was immediately called in by Bill.

“How much did you hear?”

Bill tapped the desk and glared sharply.

Jerry, who had been pressing his ear against the door alongside the Young Count’s secretary, a stranger to him, replied awkwardly, “Hear what? I didn’t hear anything.”

Jerry sat in the chair Cedric had occupied moments earlier and silently gestured.

He was asking Bill to tell him what Cedric had said.

If responsibilities were divided, Jerry was in charge of Sheila.

He’d been involved with Sheila’s affairs since the day she first stepped into the guild, so it was only natural. There could be no secrets between Bill and Jerry when it came to Sheila.

“The Young Count of House Calley said this. If Sheila carries out ‘that task,’ he won’t leave it alone.”

“What?”

Jerry was shocked, and Bill told him everything.

“Then shouldn’t we stop it?” Jerry asked.

If the Young Count knew about Sheila’s plan, her safety might not be guaranteed once the task was carried out.

“It’s only speculation. If the job is done cleanly, there won’t be any evidence.”

Suspicion without proof meant nothing. And Bill was certain. Cedric wouldn’t put Sheila in danger.

“We follow the client’s request.”

“You follow the money.”

Jerry pouted.

The guild connected clients with professional killers and took a commission.

Jerry was still dissatisfied that they hadn’t reduced the fee even for Sheila.

He thought it wasn’t necessary to go that far.

They hadn’t even lent her the money for the commission.

That was Bill’s principle. He never made exceptions for anyone.

“What do you think the guild is? The moment we’re swayed by personal feelings, the organization falls apart.”

“And an inflexible organization?”

”It might be frustrating, but at least it won’t collapse.”

Jerry, defeated in logic, glared at Bill with a resentful expression.

Bill also felt sympathy for Sheila. That was why he intended to ensure the job was carried out perfectly, even if it meant paying extra to the contractor.

But only to that extent.

Bill was cautious about intervening personally beyond that, and even more so about influencing the client’s decision.

Only then could the client fully bear responsibility for their own choice.

Regardless of success or failure, variables existed in every matter, and the guild couldn’t take responsibility for each and every one of them.

“I should tell Sheila that the Young Count came here.”

“Don’t.”

“Master!”

“I’ll say it again. The guild isn’t a pack of rats that carry messages around.”

“But Sheila should know about this matter…!”

“Since when did the guild interfere in matters between a man and a woman?”

At Bill’s words, Jerry looked stunned. “Between a man and a woman?”

“Why do you think the Young Count came all the way here?”

Bill fired back sharply at Jerry’s blank expression.

Jerry looked like he’d been struck on the back of the head with a hammer.

“There’s no need to overthink it. We take money and carry out what the client requests. That’s all.”

Since that day, the two of them never spoke about Sheila again.

Jerry hadn’t expected Sheila to bring the remaining money so quickly.

He still hadn’t found an answer to whether he should tell Sheila that the Young Count had come, or whether it was right to let her achieve what she intended.

When Jerry belatedly entered Bill’s office after Sheila, he shouted in protest at Bill’s decision to proceed with her request.

But he still lacked any grounds strong enough to oppose it.

After sending Sheila away and returning to the office, Bill said, “As you know, starting today, Sheila’s request will be carried out. If you ruin things by talking unnecessarily, I won’t forgive you, no matter who you are.”

After a sudden staring contest, Jerry was the first to avert his eyes.

“Yes, Master.”

Seeing Jerry’s obedient attitude, Bill continued, “As you know, I’ll handle the request personally. You’ll be responsible for delivering updates on the progress.”

“Understood.”

“I’ll say this again….”

“Yes, yes! I won’t say anything unnecessary or interfere unnecessarily. Right?”

When Jerry cut him off, Bill glared at him silently.

“I understand everything.”

“If you do, then go back to work.”

After closing the door, Jerry let out a long sigh.

Unlike what he’d told Bill, Jerry was still conflicted.

If he kept arguing, he’d surely be excluded from this matter entirely.

‘I don’t want that.’

He wanted to see Sheila’s matter through to the end himself.

After all, he was the one who first planted the idea in naive Sheila.

Even knowing the Young Count was aware of it, proceeding with the job as it was still left him uneasy.

But if they left that so-called older brother alone, there was no telling what he might do to Sheila, so Jerry wanted to find another solution.

At one point, he even considered taking Sheila and running away with her.

But Jerry couldn’t completely turn his back on Bill.

Even setting aside his position as guild master, Bill was like an older brother who’d taken in and raised Jerry when he was begging on the streets.

Bill was the one who gave gum to Jerry, who used to gorge himself whenever he saw food, and who taught him martial arts and cooking.

In any case, serving as the contact for updates was the best Jerry could do.

The past two months were more than enough time wasted in shock over Sheila and the Young Count’s relationship.