The Royal Deal Chapter 52

[ … words ]

A vein popped up in Amethyst’s forehead but disappeared in a flash.

Another maid took off her outerwear. There were bruises on her arm, chest, stomach, and various other places. It differed from bruises that appeared quite old to new bluish ones. The sizes varied as well.

“Oh my goodness! Did he beat you?”

The maid put back her clothes and nodded.

“This crazy bastard I will rip off his head.”

“Madam—”

This time Lunia, who had been passive all this while, stepped in to stop her from swearing any further. She too thought Dajal was a bastard. To think that the man who had long been considered a loyalist of the Skad family, was in fact putting up an act before the prince and his aides while hiding his ugly true colors. And the fact that she hadn’t realised made her mad.

“He threatened to kill us if we reported it to the higher-ups … and, and—”

The maid trembled in shame.

“—Did he violate you as well?” asked Amethyst, no longer able to suppress her anger watching the maid unable to complete her sentence.

The silence was enough for an answer.

“My goodness—!”

“Recently we saw a maid who was impregnated and chased out.”

Amethyst’s clenched fists started to shake with rage.

What should I do with this piece of trash that deserves to be burnt in hell!

Even though she felt like grabbing him by the collar and slapping him continuously, now was not the time. She was well aware that getting emotional in such situations was not helpful at all for she had experienced similar situations for a decade as a working adult …

Real occurrences where victims become perpetrators of false accusations. In the end, those vulnerable were the ones to receive punishment and appointed to the provinces, or placed on suspension or even asked to leave. Just like the maids in front of her right now …

Ha, I need to hold back. Let’s hold back for now. Right now there’s something else that is more important. Evidence, I need to find evidence.

But how? Here they don’t have any CCTV cameras or voice recorders!

What should I do? I can’t think straight….

Right now she knew she would deal with things emotionally. I should go back and think about it calmly.

“I know… how this might sound to you right now, which is why I don’t want to say it—” Amethyst chose her words carefully and spoke slowly. “Trust me and wait for me.”

“—Madam?!”

“As you might already know, Dajal is a very agile and cautious man, so if I were to act rashly it may only end up harming you all more. So please, just hold on a little until I come up with a solution!” Amethyst grabbed ahold of their hands to express solidarity. “I won’t… make you wait for long. I will definitely catch that bastard and beat the shit out of him! So please hold out just a little more.”

Rather than being furious about wanting to take Dajal’s neck right away like before, her calm and collected plea bought the sincerity of the maids. Because of that, they nodded in unison as they shed tears that they had held back for so long.

Amethyst returned to the residence with a heavy heart and ordered Lunia to keep today’s happenings a secret. The latter readily agreed to follow her mistress’s will and solemnly promised she would try to come up with solutions of her own before going back to her duties.

All alone now, Amethyst sat at a table and fell into her dilemma.

To catch Dajal she needed proof. Of course, she could have the maids come forward and testify… but she knew how hard it was for victims, especially those that had been sexually assaulted, to testify for themselves which was why she didn’t want to make them do such a thing.

Ha. I really wish there was a CCTV. Or at least a voice recorder.

Well… even if I had a CCTV or a voice recorder, what’s the point.

Those things would not be of much use anyways because those with power always found a way to get away one way or the other. Furthermore, if he was someone who had gotten his way thus far, he would be sure to retaliate and try to turn the tables.

If so, to what extent would Alec believe me? How far would he go to support me? He’s barely spent a month with me …

With Dajal, they have had a history of seven years. It was a past that couldn’t be ignored which was why she couldn’t dismiss his loyalty without any proof. As compared to him, she may be the wife of a duke but it was time-bound. She didn’t know how far she could get involved either. Even if she tried to fire him for valid reasons, she would need enough evidence to substantiate her claim. So if she was able to gather evidence and fire him, Alec might support her decision.

I guess that is the only way? … I should get involved directly.

Thankfully the maids in the main mansion were not concerned about her whereabouts, so it would make things simpler.