Getting spoiled in a woman dominating world-Chapter 232: A little commotion [2]

*tap* *tap*

Miya was running through the corridors, rushing to Brandon’s room.

Brandon was lounging on the couch, one leg crossed over the other and his fingers idly scrolled through the holoscreen of his mobile.

The faint aftertaste of salt still lingered on his tongue from the tea Seonhwa had made earlier.

He sighed softly, swirling the cool water in his glass before taking another sip to cleanse the salty taste from his tongue.

*knock* *knock*

Hearing a knock on the door, he spoke "Come in..."

The door swung open and a maid practically stumbled inside.

"Haa.. Haa..." Her breaths came fast and she moved quickly toward him before dropping to her knees in a graceful bow, her palms pressed flat against the floor.

"Lord Herald..."

Brandon raised an eyebrow slightly, "...And you are?"

She lifted her head just enough to meet his gaze, "M-Miya, my Lord. I’m... one of the kitchen staff..."

Brandon tilted his head slightly, "Miya.. What is it that you came to see me?"

She gulped, struggling to catch her breath and her fingers clutched at her skirt, trembling as she forced the words out.

"It’s... it’s Seonhwa, Lord Herald."

The moment Seonhwa’s name left her lips, Brandon’s gaze narrowed "What about her?"

Miya flinched at the tone but pressed on, "She’s... she’s in the servants’ wing... in the kitchen. She’s beating the maids."

Brandon blinked in surprise "...Beating them?"

Miya nodded frantically, lowering her head again as if begging for forgiveness for even delivering the message.

"Y-Yes, Lord Herald. The tea you had earlier was tampered with. Some of the maids who... dislike Seonhwa... they added salt to humiliate her."

"Seonhwa found out. And now... it’s chaos. They’re... they’re already bleeding, Lord Herald. No one can stop her. The kitchen is already a bloodbath."

He hurriedly stood up from the seat and muttered "Take me there..."

Miya quickly nodded and stood, bowing her head. "Y-Yes, my Lord. Please, this way."

As she turned and hurried toward the door, Brandon followed her.

They passed other maids and attendants, who paused mid-task and froze when they saw him.

Some exchanged confused glances, others whispered quietly s the word of the chaos in the kitchen had clearly spread fast.

Soon, faint noises began to seep into the hallway.

Low groans, gasps, and a stifled sob.

Miya slowed her pace slightly, glancing nervously at Brandon "...We’re close."

When they stepped into the wide doorway of the servants’ kitchen, the smell of iron hit him immediately.

Blood.

It streaked across the floor, pooling around the crumpled bodies of three maids who were barely recognizable.

Their faces were swollen beyond shape, lips split with one of them clutching a possibly broken arm.

The rest of the kitchen staff stood frozen along the edges of the room in fear and no one dared to speak.

And there, at the center of it all, stood Seonhwa.

Her maid uniform was stained in splashes of blood.

Her knuckles dripped with fresh blood as she stood silently over the beaten maids.

Her chest rose and fell with heavy breaths, strands of her usually neat hair falling over her face.

Her gaze flickered up the moment she heard footsteps "Master..."

Brandon stepped into the room and everyone instinctively took a step back.

"Seonhwa,"

She froze in place, like a soldier caught in the act, but didn’t lower her gaze "...They added salt to your tea. I..."

She clenched her fists tighter as her nails bit into her palms. "I couldn’t let it go."

Brandon’s eyes swept over the bloody scene, then the three barely conscious women on the floor.

Her lips trembled, and for a moment, she looked as if she wanted to explain but she stayed silent.

Behind them, one of the maids whispered faintly, "She’s a monster..."

Brandon’s gaze flickered sideways briefly and that was enough to silence the room instantly.

He turned back to Seonhwa and extended his hand "Come here."

Seonhwa blinked, taken aback to see the gesture "...Master...?"

"Come."

Hesitantly, she stepped over the bloodstains and walked toward him.

When she reached him, he gently took her wrist and examined her bloodied knuckles.

"You hurt yourself," he murmured.

"Next time... you tell me first. I’ll decide how they’re dealt with."

Seonhwa lowered her head, "...Yes, Master."

Then, Brandon turned his gaze toward the rest of the kitchen staff "These three will be removed from their positions immediately."

"Send them to the infirmary, then to the disciplinary ward. Any other complaints about Seonhwa, or any disrespect toward her will be treated as disrespect toward me."

No one dared object.

"Yes, Lord Herald," one of the senior attendants stammered.

With that, Brandon placed a hand lightly on Seonhwa’s back and guided her out of the bloodstained kitchen.

The maids along the walls instantly made way and bowed their heads deeply as he passed.

As they walked away, Seonhwa bit her lip and whispered "...I’m sorry."

Brandon glanced at her from the corner of his eye "...We’ll talk later."

They walked through the long corridors of the Church and Seonhwa kept her eyes down, still clutching his hand, feeling like a child being guided after misbehaving.

Her fingers trembled slightly, but she didn’t let go.

Soon, they reached the infirmary wing.

The door opened, revealing a spacious, clean room filled with the faint scent of antiseptic and herbs.

Inside, a healer in a white robe stood at a desk, sorting through vials of ether-infused liquid.

She was a middle-aged woman with soft gray hair tied neatly into a bun.

She glanced up when she heard footsteps and gasped in sheer shock.

"L-Lord Herald?!" she gasped, quickly straightening and bowing deeply. "Forgive me, I wasn’t aware you would be visiting!"

Brandon gave her a faint nod, "It’s fine. I need you to heal her."

He gestured lightly to Seonhwa, who stood quietly behind him.

The healer’s eyes flicked to the young maid, looking at the bloond on her hands and the faint bruises along her arms.

"Of course, my Lord. Please, bring her here."

Brandon guided Seonhwa toward one of the reclining chairs near the center of the room.

She sat down slowly, still keeping her eyes lowered.

The healer approached and raised her hands as a soft, pale-blue ether glow bloomed around her palms.

"This won’t hurt..." the healer said gently.

Seonhwa gave a small nod.

As the healer’s hands hovered over Seonhwa’s knuckles, a soothing warmth spread across her skin.

The cuts and swelling began to fade rapidly.

Within seconds, the healer pulled her hands back, "She’s fine now, Lord Herald. Only superficial injuries. She won’t have any lasting damage."

Brandon nodded faintly "Good."

The healer bowed deeply "It is an honor to serve you, my Lord."

Brandon then turned his attention to Seonhwa "Let’s go."

Seonhwa’s gaze trembled "Master... I-"

But he didn’t let her finish and extended his hand toward her again.

She hesitated for a moment, then placed her now-healed hand into his hand.

He gently pulled her to her feet, guiding her out of the infirmary.

As they walked through the hallways again, Seonhwa’s gaze lingered on his back.

She wanted to apologize and explain everything she felt but for some reason, the words stuck in her throat.

---

They arrived back at Brandon’s private quarters.

Brandon opened the door and let her in first as she stepped inside quietly.

Brandon followed, closing the door behind them with a soft click.

For a moment, neither of them spoke.

Brandon walked to the couch and sat down, leaning back slightly and patted the seat beside him.

"Come here."

Seonhwa swallowed softly and walked over before sitting down hesitantly.

She clasped her hands together in her lap and her eyes lowered in guilt.

Brandon turned his head toward her and muttered "Why didn’t you tell me before that they are bullying you?"

Seonhwa blinked and glanced up in surprise because she expected him to get angry.

"You didn’t have to deal with them alone. If they insulted you, you should’ve come to me. I would’ve handled it."

Seonhwa bit her lip lightly "I... didn’t want to trouble you. And... they insulted you, Master. I couldn’t just... stay quiet."

Her voice wavered. "I lost control. I’m sorry."

Brandon’s gaze softened slightly upon hearing this.

He reached out and rested his hand gently on her head, his fingers brushing through her hair.

"You don’t have to apologize. You were defending yourself. And me."

Seonhwa’s eyes widened faintly at the unexpected kindness in his tone.

"But next time, don’t ruin your hands. Just tell me."

For a long moment, she simply stared at him, then lowered her head and nodded silently.

He then looked down at her clothes and muttered "Now, go and clean yourself..."

She stood up and reached to the bathroom in the door before entering in.

Seonhwa stepped into the private bathroom attached to Brandon’s quarters.

She exhaled a long, shaky breath, finally allowing the tension to drain from her shoulders.

’For a moment... I thought he’d be angry,’ she thought, lowering her gaze.

Her reflection in the mirror showed her slightly flushed face, messy strands of hair sticking out in different directions, and dried spots of blood smeared across her maid uniform.

She raised a hand to her cheek, brushing a loose strand aside ’But... he wasn’t. He didn’t scold me at all. He just... took me here, healed me, and... was kind.’

Her lips trembled into a small, fragile smile ’Master really is... kind.’

She began to slowly untie her apron and peel off her stained clothes, carefully folding them and setting them aside.

Stepping closer to the sink, she turned the faucet and let the water run cool over her hands.

She washed the lingering traces of blood off her skin, watching the pinkish water swirl down the drain.

Then she stepped into the shower area, letting the warm water cascade over her body.

The gentle pressure soothed her tense muscles and washed away the guilt and adrenaline still clinging to her.

Her thoughts drifted as the steam curled softly around her, her heart fluttering with a strange warmth.

After some time, she stepped out, wrapping a soft white towel around herself.

She carefully dried her hair with another towel, running her fingers through it to untangle the strands.

She tightened the towel around her body.

It reached mid-thigh, leaving her bare shoulders and collarbone exposed.

Another faint sigh escaped her lips ’Alright... I should go back to him.’

She opened the bathroom door carefully and stepped back into Brandon’s room.

The soft glow of the evening light filtered through the curtains, casting a golden hue across the room.

Brandon was still sitting on the couch, one leg crossed, scrolling idly through his mobile.

The moment he heard the quiet creak of the bathroom door, his gaze lifted.

Seonhwa stepped out, her damp hair clinging lightly to her neck with a faint trail of steam following her.

Her skin looked fresh, still glistening slightly from the shower, and the towel hugged her slender frame loosely.

She hesitated for a second under his gaze, her fingers tightening slightly on the edge of the towel "...Master, I’m done."

Brandon took a good look at her, she still has those old scars running on her body and even her face.

’She is beautiful...’