Truth Silenced, Torment Unveiled
"Lady Chae-hwa, the red wine on your dress has made quite an unsightly mess. It must be terribly uncomfortable, so it would be best to change into clean clothes immediately. Please, come with me to the dressing room."
Lady Baek Rose spoke to Cheon Su-ryeon with a polite smile plastered on her face. Yet, her sharp blue eyes gleamed with a predatory light, closely monitoring Su-ryeon's every reaction.
Cheon Su-ryeon cast a tentative glance at Baek Kang-ho. Her eyes, searching for his reaction, were filled with deep anxiety. Baek Kang-ho stared back at her for a moment before giving a subtle nod.
"Go on, Chae-hwa. It would indeed be best to change your clothes."
His voice was calm, but carried an underlying chill.
"Thank you, Lady Baek Rose."
Cheon Su-ryeon offered a strained smile and followed Lady Baek Rose out of the drawing room. As they walked down the lavishly decorated hallway, her mind was entirely consumed by worry for Seon-yeong.
Vivid memories of her own torment rushed back—the cold, damp air of the Punishment Room, the skin-shredding agony of the whip, and the sheer humiliation that had made her writhe in despair.
How much brutal agony was Seon-yeong enduring at this very moment? It was almost impossible to imagine how terribly her fragile body was being crushed under Lady Baek Rose's wrath.
With every step she took, a heavy weight pressed down on Su-ryeon's chest. The agonizing realization that the innocent Seon-yeong was suffering such horrific punishment solely because of her tortured her soul.
Neither the grandeur of the magnificent mansion nor Lady Baek Rose's polite smiles held any meaning for Su-ryeon now. Her heart had already flown to the cold Punishment Room, where Seon-yeong was suffering all alone.
Upon arriving at the dressing room, Lady Baek Rose began pulling out various dresses adorned with luxurious silk and lace, presenting them to Su-ryeon one after another.
"This dress would look lovely on you, Lady Chae-hwa. Or perhaps this one with the more subtle hues would suit you better."
She offered suggestions in a gentle voice, but Su-ryeon's gaze was already drifting. Her mind was so entirely consumed by the image of Seon-yeong suffering alone in the Punishment Room that the extravagant garments before her eyes seemed like nothing more than a blurry background.
"Lady Chae-hwa?"
Lady Baek Rose spoke softly, but Cheon Su-ryeon remained dazed, offering no response. Looking slightly puzzled, Lady Baek Rose called out to her once more.
"Chae-hwa?"
Only then did Cheon Su-ryeon snap out of her trance, flinching in surprise.
"Yes...?"
Lady Baek Rose's sharp gaze pierced through Su-ryeon.
"What could you possibly be thinking about so deeply? You didn't even hear me speaking to you."
A hint of irritation crept into her voice. Cheon Su-ryeon panicked for a split second but quickly scrambled for an excuse.
"Ah... It is nothing, my Lady. I was merely... momentarily overwhelmed by the sight of such magnificent and precious gowns."
Though her voice trembled faintly, she fought to maintain her composure until the very end. Her awkward smile served as a fragile mask, desperately trying to conceal the anxiety churning within her.
Lady Baek Rose's gaze sharpened further, cutting through her face like a blade.
"Could it be... because of that maid from earlier?"
Her voice remained soft, but it carried a predatory, beast-like sharpness. Cold sweat trickled down Su-ryeon's spine at the question that struck dead center.
"N-No, of course not!"
Su-ryeon denied it, raising her voice as much as she could, but the tremor in her eyes betrayed her fleeting panic.
A chilling frost emanated from Lady Baek Rose's blue eyes.
"Perhaps my eyes deceived me... but the look exchanged between you two was far from ordinary. Tell me... did you two share some sort of connection in the past?"
Her question slithered like a persistent serpent, boring deep into Cheon Su-ryeon's lies.
Su-ryeon felt the blood drain completely from her face. Her heart hammered so violently against her ribs that it felt as if it might burst at any second.
"No! I swear... I have never seen her before in my life, my Lady! I was... I was merely startled for a moment."
Her voice cracked, and her pale face was a canvas of sheer terror. From Cheon Su-ryeon's extreme state of agitation, Lady Baek Rose obtained absolute certainty.
There is definitely something here.
A cruel, sinister smirk tugged at the corner of her crimson lips for a fleeting second. Yet, she maintained her gentle facade as she spoke.
"Very well, Lady Chae-hwa. It seems I have misunderstood. Shall we change your dress and return to the party?"
Cheon Su-ryeon changed her dress, doing her utmost to hide her mounting dread. Leaving the dressing room, she followed Lady Baek Rose back to the drawing room.
As the door opened, the previous commotion seemed entirely forgotten; everyone was laughing, chatting, and enjoying the festive atmosphere once more.
"Oh, Lady Chae-hwa! That dress suits you marvelously!"
Duke Min Baek-su exclaimed in admiration upon seeing Cheon Su-ryeon's pristine new gown.
"As expected, a true beauty looks dazzling no matter what she wears!"
Baek Kang-ho swept his lecherous gaze over Cheon Su-ryeon, a faint, satisfied smile playing on his lips. It was a sickening look, as if he were taking pride in a prized possession.
Cheon Su-ryeon quickly averted her eyes and took her seat, but the anxiety gnawing at her heart refused to subside.
Though the party was once again filled with lively music and laughter, Cheon Su-ryeon could not focus on her surroundings.
Her chest tightened as her mind conjured agonizing images of Seon-yeong, left all alone in the Punishment Room. Her anxious gaze drifted toward the drawing room door from time to time.
Lady Baek Rose keenly caught Cheon Su-ryeon's restless glances. A cold shadow flickered across her beautiful face.
I knew it. She is hiding something.
With that thought, Lady Baek Rose rose from her seat with an elegant smile.
"Excuse me for a moment, I shall go get some fresh air."
Her voice was soft, but her blue eyes gleamed with a chilling resolve.
The moment Lady Baek Rose stepped out of the drawing room, her footsteps led her without hesitation toward the dark, damp Punishment Room. A sinister smile played upon her lips.
Soon... I will know everything.
As Lady Baek Rose opened the door to the Punishment Room, a blood-curdling shriek pierced her ears. The dark, humid air was thick with a metallic, copper stench, mingled with Seon-yeong's agonizing groans.
In the center of the room, Seon-yeong was bound stark naked to the punishment rack, her arms and legs spread wide in an 'X' shape. Her pale skin was already a gruesome sight, heavily bruised in shades of red and blue, and smeared with fresh blood.
Her swollen, red breasts—looking as if they had been brutally trampled—and her completely exposed mound only heightened the sheer misery of her plight. The skin, marred by angry red welts and dark bruises, bore vivid testament to the torture she had endured.
The tough leather whip held by the butler sliced through the air with relentless precision.
Crack!
"Aaaagh! P-Please, forgive me!"
Her petite frame convulsed under the impact of the lash, and the ropes binding her wrists and ankles seemed to dig even deeper into her flesh.
Yet, the butler's merciless whipping did not cease. With an expressionless face and practiced skill, he struck Seon-yeong's entire body indiscriminately—her breasts, thighs, forearms, and torso.
Crack! Crack!
"Aaaagh! P-Please..."
With every lash that tore into her flesh, Seon-yeong's screams grew increasingly desperate and wretched.
"Ugh... I was wrong... Please... make it stop..."
Her voice, cracked with tears and agony, was barely intelligible.
Seon-yeong's entire body was swollen and stained a deep crimson, with sharp whip marks carved so deeply into her skin that they looked like open gashes.
Beads of red blood welled up and trickled down from her torn flesh, while hot tears streamed endlessly from her eyes. Her small face, contorted in agony, was deathly pale, and her entire body trembled violently.
Yet, the merciless butler's gaze remained cold as ice, and the whip in his hand showed no signs of stopping, brutally striking Seon-yeong's fragile body again and again.
Crack!
"Aaaagh!"
Just then, a frigid voice cut through the horrific scene in the Punishment Room.
"Stop."
At Lady Baek Rose's firm command, the butler's relentlessly moving whip finally came to a halt. The stern-faced butler immediately bowed.
"You have arrived, my Lady."
Lady Baek Rose slowly approached the bound Seon-yeong. The maid's slender arms and legs were tightly secured by red ropes, and her body was raw, torn, and inflamed from the whipping she had just endured.
Deep, crimson welts were carved clearly across her breasts and thighs, with blood dripping from the lacerations.
Seon-yeong's small chest heaved and shuddered with every ragged breath, her entire frame convulsing with pain and terror.
Angry red lash marks were also etched into her thin shoulders and forearms, the raw flesh glistening with blood. Her eyes were squeezed shut in shame and agony as she struggled to draw breath.
Lady Baek Rose looked down at the bound Seon-yeong with cold, unfeeling eyes.
"If you answer my questions truthfully from now on, I will put an end to this suffering immediately."
Her voice was calm, but it carried a ruthless authority.
Seon-yeong barely managed to cling to consciousness at Lady Baek Rose's chilling offer. Amidst the excruciating pain radiating from her wounds, a fleeting spark of hope to survive flared within her.
"Yes... *hic*... Please, speak..."
Her voice was cracked and trembling.
"You know Chae-hwa, don't you?"
Lady Baek Rose's blue eyes pierced Seon-yeong's face like sharp blades.
"Earlier, the look you two exchanged was unmistakably one of recognition. Surely you wouldn't dare try to deceive me."
Seon-yeong felt the blood in her veins run cold at Lady Baek Rose's resolute tone. A shiver of pure terror crept up her spine. Her lips parted hesitantly, but in the end, she denied it in a trembling voice.
"I do not know her... I have... never seen her before..."
"You do not know her?"
A frigid smile played on Lady Baek Rose's lips.
"It seems you haven't been beaten enough."
She commanded the butler in a chilling tone.
"Butler, bring the most brutal whip we have."
Without a moment's hesitation, the butler walked to a dark corner of the room and returned shortly after holding a horrific weapon. It was a leather whip studded with dense, razor-sharp thorns.
The moment Seon-yeong saw the whip, her breath caught in her throat. Her pupils dilated in extreme terror, and her muscles twitched with a phantom pain, anticipating the agony.
If I get hit with that... my flesh will be torn to shreds... I might actually die...
The overwhelming terror paralyzed her mind. Her small body began to shudder even more violently.
"Do not stop whipping her until the truth spills from her mouth."
At Lady Baek Rose's cold declaration, a sinister gleam flashed in the butler's stern eyes.
"Yes, my Lady."
Answering briefly, the butler raised the thorned whip high and lashed it against the floor with all his might.
Slaaaash!
With a sickening crack, the sharp thorns at the tip of the whip gouged deep grooves into the wooden floor. The terrifying sound hung heavily in the air of the Punishment Room, like an ominous prelude to the agony that was about to descend upon Seon-yeong.
Witnessing this with her own eyes, Seon-yeong trembled, suffocated by despair and terror.
"Ah..."
A faint, whimpering groan barely escaped her lips. Hot, uncontrollable tears welled up and spilled over.
The chilling realization that this horrific, thorned whip would soon be mercilessly brought down upon her fragile flesh made the blood in her veins run completely cold.
