Gasps rippled through the room; confusion etched on their faces like shadows in a storm.

  The maids froze, their unspoken thoughts tightening the already suffocating air.

  Disbelieving stares met mine as they struggled to process my words.

  One of the maids in the front row stepped forward, her face twisted in anger.

  Her frown deepened, beads of sweat forming on her brow.

  "W-What are you trying to accomplish?" she demanded, her voice wavering.

  She paused, wiping her forehead with a trembling hand.

  "I've d-done my job properly as a maid! I clean every corner of this palace, wiping the dirt off every expensive jar without breaking a single one, and this is how you repay me?"

  She let out an awkward, almost hysterical laugh, eyebrows narrowing in frustration as she gestured wildly. Her tone teetered on desperation, bordering on mania.

  I met her gaze, holding it for long, agonizing seconds as I stepped forward, my voice laced with icy authority.

  "Don't take me for a fool!"

  The tone of my voice sharpened, filled with authority as it echoed throughout the walls of the room.

  Her eyes widened in disbelief.

  "I have been observing your actions for a long time," I continued, steady and cutting.

  "What I've seen is appalling. Even the new maids, those with less experience perform better than all of you combined."

  My gaze swept across the room, searing each maid with silent accusation.

  My lips curled ever so slightly, a disdainful edge that made them shift uneasily under my scrutiny.

  The weight of my words pressed down, leaving no room for argument.

  Another maid stepped forward. Her face was pale, but her lips were drawn tight in defiance. Trembling hands clutched the fabric of her apron, knuckles white with tension. She drew a deep breath, glaring at me with fiery determination.

  "This is outrageous!" she exclaimed, her voice rising with rage each word.

  "We've been working here for years! We've poured our lives into keeping this palace immaculate! And now, you're throwing us away like we're nothing?" She paused, eyebrows knitting each other tightly.

  "Who do you think has kept this palace spotless all these years?"

  She gestured wildly around the room, her eyes locked on mine, frustration radiating from every syllable.

  I let her words hang in the air for a moment, lowering my gaze briefly as the room collectively held its breath. Their excuses were tiresome, their reasons predictable.

  With a slow, deliberate sigh, I raised my head and met her gaze directly.

  "Your name is Stephanie, from the family of Barlon, correct?"

  I asked, my voice calm but edged with an unmistakable chill.

  Her expression faltered, and I reached into my pocket, taking a neatly folded note.

  I unfolded it, my eyes scanning the sentences written there with measured precision.

  "I recall that your family was drowning in debt before you started working here,"

  I continued, my gaze locked on hers, unwavering and sharp.

  Stephanie's face drained of color, her body stiffening as if bracing for an impending verdict. She nodded hesitantly, avoiding my eyes.

  I hummed softly, the sound slicing through the tense silence like a fierce blade.

  My attention returned to the note.

  "And yet, within a remarkably short time after you began working here, your family's debt started to disappear. It decreased rapidly, far too rapidly for someone earning a maid's salary. Tell me, Stephanie… why is that?"

  My tone grew colder with every word. Stephanie fidgeted, her fingers twisting the edge of her apron, sweat beading on her brow.

  She tried to stand straight, but the tremor in her hands betrayed her.

  "And," I pressed on, my voice sharper now, "around the time you started working here, expensive items began disappearing from the palace. Care to explain that, Stephanie?"

  I stepped forward, each deliberate. l amplifying the suffocating tension in the room.

  The air seemed to thicken; even the maids instinctively parted, their eyes wide as they gave me space.

  I stopped inches away from Stephanie and leaned closer.

  My gaze bore into her, cold and unyielding.

  Shadows gathered across my face as I leaned slightly forward, tracking every twitch, every inhale, every desperate glance she dared to make.

  Her lips quivered, unsteady. Her eyes darted wildly, refusing to meet mine.

  Words spilled out in her mouth like broken fragments.

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  "T-T-That's p-p-probably a c-coincidence," she stuttered, each syllable tumbling chaotically.

  She forced herself to look up, desperation clawing through her trembling frame. "T-That's right! I-It was a coincidence!"

  Her voice cracked under the weight of her lies, and every line of her face screamed the truth she tried to hide.

  She avoided my gaze, her features twisted in a blend of fear and defiance. Hands shook uncontrollably, betraying the anxiety she couldn't mask.

  I stepped closer, letting my eyes sweep from her head to her trembling feet, the tension in the air thickening with every deliberate motion.

  "I've been investigating you for days," I said, my voice unwavering as my hand rested on her shoulder. My eyes turned sharp, cold, locking onto hers.

  "I'm a kind person… when you're honest with me and tell the truth. I won't punish your sins." I softened my tone just enough for her to hear the threat lurking beneath the gentleness.

  Then suddenly—

  She glared at me, teeth clenched in defiance. Without warning, she slapped my hand away, her eyes flashing with sudden, fiery anger.

  That was it.

  My own fury ignited at the audacity; how dare she lay a hand on her queen?

  "This is enough! How dare you blame me without proof?!" She gasped, fists clenched tight, chest heaving.

  "You have no right to accuse me!" The words spilled from her lips, dripping with disdain.

  In one swift motion, I struck her face with all the force I could muster.

  The sharp smack echoed through the room like a gunshot, and for a heartbeat, the world seemed to freeze. Her words choked in her throat, her body faltering, collapsing to the floor under the impact.

  Silence stretched, heavy and suffocating. Eyes widened, jaws slack, the witnesses frozen in disbelief.

  No one expected this from me, their queen. They had mistaken kindness for weakness, assuming I would be a target for their mockery. Yet here I was, proving the error of that assumption with one decisive strike.

  I stepped forward, my heel pressing mercilessly into her abdomen, forcing a sharp intake of breath.

  Her eyes widened, pupils dilating with raw terror, as I loomed over her, every inch of my expression stripped of mercy.

  My voice cut through the thick air, a venomous hiss.

  "Have you forgotten who I am!?" I bellowed, rage coiling around each word. The room seemed to shrink, every corner suffused with the heat of my fury.

  They could feel it, the wildfire of my wrath and knew, without a doubt, that they had crossed the line.

  "I am your Queen! the ruler of this kingdom," I continued, my voice swelling with absolute authority. "I hold the highest power and authority! And I have the power to control your very existence!"

  My words rang out, reverberating through the room, shaking walls and furniture.

  I knew even Leo could hear my voice from outside as he stormed in, eyes widening with surprise, before a smirk spread across his face, clearly entertained by the display.

  I grabbed the maid by her necktie, yanking her close until she choked, gasping for breath. Tears streamed down her cheeks, her body trembling violently under my grip.

  "You've gone too far," I hissed, tightening my hold until the fabric bit into her skin.

  "And that has made me lose my temper." My gaze swept across the rest of the room, deliberately ignoring the maids that were in the room.

  "I've endured your mischiefs for a long time, all as a sign of mercy. Yet you failed to recognize my kindness and continued to humiliate me."

  I paused, letting the silence stretch across the room, before delivering my final strike.

  "Now, rather than firing you," I intoned, my voice cold and lethal,

  "I'll have you executed in front of the palace where every citizen can see you die!"

  The words slammed through their swollen hearts. A heavy hush fell over the room, shallow breaths, stifled gasps, the faint rustle of skirts.

  The maids' faces drained of color, their skin nearly translucent, and even Leo's confident smirk faltered for a heartbeat.

  Panic rippled through the room. Some maids dropped to their knees, clutching my skirts, trembling, their voices quivering in desperate pleas.

  Others sobbed openly, hands pressed to their mouths as if to stifle the sound, their fear rising like smoke in a suffocating heat.

  "P-Please, have mercy, Your Majesty," one of them sobbed, her voice shaking like a leaf caught in a storm. Her eyes glistened with tears, wide and pleading, each word laced with raw, trembling fear.

  "I have a child who still needs me. Please, Your Majesty, have mercy!" another maid wailed, her face streaked with tears, voice breaking under the weight of her desperation.

  Their cries swelled, a chorus of panic that seemed to press against the walls themselves. Yet I remained unmoved, a shadow looming over them, my posture rigid, my eyes sharp and unyielding.

  I flicked a glance at Leo, who leaned casually against the doorframe, a smirk playing at his lips that spoke volumes. I returned it but not with warmth, but a dark, calculating smile, one that promised both control and judgment.

  "I am a very kind ruler," I said, my voice cold, edged with a dangerous sharpness.

  "That is why I will give you one last chance. Take your belongings and leave the palace before the sun sets." I paused, letting the weight of my words settle like a heavy shadow across the room.

  "But" I continued, my tone dropping, slow and deliberate, "if you are too stubborn to obey my orders… I will gladly make an example of you. Your lifeless body will hang where everyone can see, a warning to all who dare defy their queen."

  A shiver ran through the maids, rippling down their spines. Faces drained of color, body shaking violently as they clawed to get their belongings.

  Some tumbled over one another in their frantic haste, desperate to escape the fate they imagined.

  I watched them, a dark smile creeping across my lips.

  "Making me your enemy… will become your worst nightmare," I muttered under my breath, eyes following their panicked retreat.

  The sound of their footsteps pounded in my ears, echoing off the walls, leaving a suffocating silence in their wake.

  It’s still Chapter 05, but Diana is already showing how powerful she truly is.

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