With a wry grin, Thorin stepped out of the room. A large, empty hallway stretched before him, its silence pressing against the walls.
This was the annex building—his residence since birth. Once, he had tried to convince Charlotte to let him stay in the main building with the rest of the family. The request had been denied. He kept asking but the rejection followed each time. Eventually, he stopped asking.
As he walked down the corridor, voices drifted to his ears. Two maids stood near the corner, chatting idly, their laughter echoing in the hallway faintly. Thorin recognized them instantly—Millie and Sara. They were tasked with attending to his needs....Atleast on paper.
At first, they had done their duties properly. But as Thorin's position in family became obvious, their attitudes shifted. Now, respect was nothing more than a word for them in front of him.
As the echo of Thorin's footsteps reached them, both women turned toward him.
"Bring me something to eat," Thorin ordered as he came to a stop before them. By duty, they should have bowed—or at the very least offered him the barest sign of respect—especially considering he had only just awakened after the dangerous stunt he had pulled.
"Oh, yeah." Millie's tone was lazy, her gaze unflinching as she met his eyes without hesitation. She lifted her hand, palm open, expecting something.
"…" Thorin's eyes narrowed slightly as he stared at her hand.
'So it's the same as before… they still want 'Tip' first, even for food.'
He remembered how it all began. Once, Millie and Sara had pretended to cry, saying their pay wasn't enough. The old Thorin had given in to their plea. He started giving them tips sometimes. Soon, "sometimes" became "every time." Now, whenever he asked for food or anything else, they would hold out their hands, as if he owed them.
Old thorin couldn't call them out for this. Complain to whom ? Head maid ?It'd be a big honor if she 'graced' the manor with the presence assuming she got some time to spare from gambling. Charlotte? he would lucky if she gave him her time. So thorin continued to gave in . And now here we are.
'It's partialy his fault', Thorin thought bitterly.' He gave in once… and then kept giving in.'
Millie clicked her tongue. "Come on, hurry it up." Her hand remained outstretched, her voice laced with irritation, as if he were inconveniencing her.
Sara smirked faintly at her side but said nothing.
"Sigh…" Thorin exhaled, slipping a hand into his pocket.
Millie's eyes brightened at thorin's gesture, She even leaned forward slightly, her lips curling into a smug little smile. Sara crossed her arms, watching the situation unfold.
Thorin's fist emerged from the pocket, suspended just above Millie's outstretched palm. He simply uncurled his middle finger towards her face. Confusion flickered across Millie's face. Sara frowned.
"Here's your tip." Thorin's lips curved into a cold smile as he then pointed his middle finger towards her palm.
A ice mana conjured at the tip of his finger and—
shhk!
A thin spike of ice shot forth, piercing clean through Millie's palm. Blood welled instantly, dripping between her fingers. Her eyes widened in horror, the pain catching up a heartbeat later.
"Aaaahh—!" The scream barely left her throat before Thorin's other hand snapped forward, clamping over her mouth. Frost spread in an instant, sealing her lips shut with ice. She dropped to the floor with a thud, knees hitting hard, clutching her wrist in pain as her breath came out in sharp, broken gasps.
"HMMPH! HHHmmphh!" Millie thrashed, muffled cries spilling out in pitiful fragments.
Sara stumbled backward, legs trembling and
BAM!
she collapsed onto the floor beside millie her face that of horror.
Ding!
[Ice Manipulation Mastery has increased]
The notification echoed in Thorin's mind, but he ignored it completely. He crouched down, lowering himself until he was eye-to-eye with Sara. She couldn't speak—terror was the only thing left in her eyes. For the first time in sixteen years, she saw Thorin like this.
Thorin stared at her with a cold, steady gaze… then flicked his eyes to the side, telling her to go. Sara understood—he wanted her to bring the food. She stood up at once, stumbling as her legs shook, but managed to steady herself before rushing toward the kitchen.
Thorin then turned his attention to Millie. She looked up at him with a pleading, desperate gaze.
"There is a limit to how kind I can be," Thorin said with a smile on his face as he held the hand he had pierced but his voice was anything but kind.
The next instant, his Expression complimented his tone.
"Know your place," he added, this time in a cold voice, his expression flat.
Then he stood up and let go of her. He didn't even bother to look back.
If Thorin wanted, he could have tried to replace his maids. But this small act was the result of all the frustration he had stored up because of them—frustration that needed to be released.
****
Thorin had his fill and felt full. For the first time in ages, he had enjoyed a satisfying meal.
"Looks like Sara did her work," he muttered.
Millie and Sara were influential figures in the mansion. The head caretaker was supposed to stay at home, relax, and receive her share of the embezzled money—which Millie and Sara handled efficiently. Instead of targeting every servant, Thorin had aimed straight for the main ones. It was now their job to handle the other servants, and if Thorin was displeased about anything, they would be the ones held accountable.
With that, Thorin continued his walk toward the training room.