Chapter 259: Chapter-259

Samuel took one last look at the small servant’s courtyard, then turned and walked away into the darkness, his mind already planning his next moves.

Tomorrow would be interesting.

Very interesting indeed.

The next morning came far too early.

Well, technically it was still barely morning—more like the dead of night to any reasonable person.

Heena had just returned from the river carrying water, and her neck was hurting like absolute hell. The pain was radiating down her spine, making her shoulders ache and her head throb.

But at least today she’d only brought two pots instead of four—one balanced on her head and neck, one secured on her hip with a cloth sling.

As she walked back into the household compound, exhausted and sweating despite the pre-dawn chill, she saw that old geezer standing there.

The Master. That disgusting old man. Standing right outside the kitchen entrance.

Waiting.

Heena clenched one of her fists—the hand that was supporting the water pot on her head—and had to consciously force herself not to react visibly.

The old man was standing there deliberately, positioned so she’d have to pass directly by him to enter the kitchen and set down the heavy water containers.

Heena passed by him as closely as the narrow pathway required, then carefully maneuvered herself and the pots through the kitchen entrance.

She put the first water pot onto the wooden water stand, then lowered the second one to the ground beside it.

She was drenched with sweat—her clothes sticking to her back, her hair plastered to her forehead and neck, her breathing labored from the exertion.

Seeing this, the old man looked at her with an expression that made Heena’s skin crawl and said, “Oh, you’re back. Quite late today, aren’t you?”

Hearing that ridiculous comment, Heena literally wanted to scream at him: ’You old geezer, are you crazy?! It’s still only 3:30 in the morning right now! How is that LATE?!’

But of course, she couldn’t say any of that out loud.

Instead, she forced herself to smile politely and said in a respectful servant’s tone, “Do you need something, my lord?”

Hearing that question, his eyes traveled up and down her body in a way that made her want to vomit—lingering on her sweat-soaked clothes clinging to her figure.

He said slowly, “Ah, yes. I was… I wanted some water.”

Hearing that pathetic excuse, Heena’s smile remained fixed on her face, but internally she was seething.

’What the HELL do you mean you want water?! I already put at least five liters of fresh water in your personal quarters last night! What are you doing, drinking water constantly like a fish?!’

She wasn’t a fool. She could understand perfectly well what his real intention was—he was making excuses to interact with her, to look at her, to find opportunities to get physically close.

It was transparent and disgusting.

But she maintained her pleasant servant expression and said, “Of course, my lord. I’ll get that for you right away.”

She turned to fill a clean glass with fresh water from the pot she’d just brought, very aware that he was watching her every movement.

The System, who’d been floating nearby observing all of this, was literally trembling with suppressed rage. He wanted to manifest physically just so he could punch this perverted old man.

Heena turned back with the glass of water, holding it out to the Master with both hands in the proper respectful manner.

As he reached out to take the glass from her, he deliberately let his fingers brush against hers—a touch that lasted just slightly too long to be accidental.

It took every ounce of Heena’s self-control not to recoil visibly or drop the glass.

The old man smiled at her reaction—or rather, her carefully controlled lack of reaction—and said while still holding the glass (and therefore still touching her hand), “You work very hard. I’ve noticed that.”

Heena forced herself to smile and gently pulled her hand back, saying, “Thank you for your kind words, my lord. Is there anything else you need?”

She deliberately emphasized the word “else” slightly—a subtle hint that he should take his water and leave.

The old man seemed about to say something more when suddenly Maya’s voice called out sharply from inside the house: “Husband! Where are you? I’ve been looking for you!”

Hearing his wife’s voice, the old man’s expression changed slightly—a flash of annoyance crossing his face before he smoothed it away.

He looked back at Heena and said, “Do your work carefully today. And make sure to clean my study room thoroughly—dust all the books, polish the desk, organize everything properly.”

Hearing that order—which would require her to spend considerable time alone in his private space—Heena felt her stomach turn.

But she bowed her head respectfully and said, “Yes, my lord. I’ll take care of it.”

The old man nodded with satisfaction and finally turned to leave, walking back toward where Maya was calling for him.

As soon as he rounded the corner and was out of sight, Heena’s pleasant expression dropped completely.

She literally wanted to rush forward and choke that old man’s neck until his face turned purple.

The System looked at her tense posture and said urgently, “Host! Calm down! Cool down! Not today, not now! You can’t just murder him in broad daylight!”

Hearing that desperate plea, Heena took several deep, controlled breaths and said through gritted teeth, “System, get me a glass of cold water. Now.”

The System literally wanted to point out that the water was right there on the stand—she could just reach over and get it herself.

But looking at her expression, he absolutely did not dare make that observation.

So he just hurriedly grabbed a clean glass, filled it with water, and brought it to her like a frightened servant.

Heena took the glass and drank deeply, using the cold water and the physical action to calm herself down.

After she’d drained the entire glass, she set it down and said quietly but with absolute conviction:

“If Samuel doesn’t come talk to me today—if he doesn’t make his move—I’m going to make that old man regret ever looking at me. Tomorrow. I’ll engineer some kind of ’accident’ that will make him too injured or too frightened to ever try this again.”

The System nodded nervously, believing her completely.

—

’’[Cleaning and Waiting]’’

The morning continued with Heena going through her regular work routine—preparing breakfast, serving the family, cleaning the dining area, washing dishes.

But throughout all of this, she was very aware that something felt different today.

She could sense eyes on her more than usual.

Not just the old Master’s disgusting stares—those had become sickeningly predictable.

No, this was different. Someone else was watching her.

And she had a very good idea of who it was.

When Heena was in the kitchen area cleaning up after the breakfast service, organizing ingredients and scrubbing cooking pots, she finally confirmed her suspicion.

Samuel was there.

He had come to stand just outside the kitchen entrance, positioned near the doorway where he could observe her clearly, looking directly at her with those cold, calculating eyes.

Heena was busy with her work—scrubbing a large pot with concentrated effort, her sleeves rolled up, her hair tied back practically.

Of course, one part of her attention was constantly on him—she could feel his gaze following her movements, tracking everything she did.

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