Chapter 263: Chapter-263

“You’ve worked quite hard, I see,” the Master said, his voice a gravelly crawl. He stepped closer, invading her personal space, his hand reaching out as if to “commend” her with a touch.

Heena turned, offering a smile that was the literal definition of ’skin-deep.’ “Not at all, Master. It is my humble duty to ensure your comfort.”

In the periphery of her vision, she flicked a sharp, lethal glance at the floating System. *’Trigger a motion. Now.’*

The System shook its digital head frantically, terrified of the Bureau’s regulations. Heena’s eyes narrowed into a glare so cold it could have flash-frozen the room. *’Do it, or I delete your cache permanently.’*

The Master was still talking, leaning in, his hand moving toward her shoulder. “Such a dedicated girl. Perhaps you should—”

“Master,” Heena interrupted smoothly, stepping back just an inch to avoid his reach. “I’ve neglected your thirst. I should bring you some fresh water immediately so you can relax while I finish. Please, sit.”

The Old Master, charmed by her “attentiveness,” nodded smugly. “Very well. Go. Be quick about it.”

Heena bowed low and exited the room. She walked exactly ten paces down the hallway—just far enough to be “away” but close enough to hear the music.

Behind her, inside the study, the System finally succumbed to her threat. It manipulated the friction on the floorboards and gave a tiny, invisible shove to the heavy, bronze statuette perched on the edge of the Master’s desk.

**CRASH.**

A sickening thud of metal hitting bone followed, then the sound of a heavy body collapsing into a pile of furniture. A split second later, a shrill, agonized scream echoed through the hallway, loud enough to wake the entire wing of the manor.

Heena stopped walking, adjusted her apron, and smirked.

“Oh dear,” she whispered to the empty air. “Sounds like the Master had a little accident.”

A smile flashed across Heena’s face—dark, satisfied, and utterly pleased with herself.

She controlled it immediately, forcing her expression back to neutral concern, and then hurriedly turned around and rushed toward the study room.

As she approached, she could hear shouting and commotion inside.

She burst through the door to find absolute chaos.

The massive wooden filing drawer—the heavy one that stored all the Master’s documents and books—had somehow fallen over and was now pinning the old Master underneath it.

He was on the ground, shouting in pain, his face red, one arm trapped under the massive weight.

The gatekeeper was already there, desperately trying to lift the drawer by himself, but it was far too heavy for one person.

“Help! Someone help!” the gatekeeper was shouting.

Heena rushed forward immediately, her face a perfect mask of shocked concern.

“Oh no! Master! Hold on!”

She positioned herself on the other side of the drawer and began trying to lift it alongside the gatekeeper.

But in the process of trying to get proper leverage, she ’accidentally’—really, truly, completely accidentally—stepped on the old Master’s exposed hand.

Once.

“AHHHHH!” he screamed.

“Oh! Sorry, sorry!” Heena gasped, lifting her foot.

She repositioned herself, trying again to lift the drawer.

And accidentally stepped on his hand again.

“AGHHHHH! GET OFF!”

“I’m so sorry! The drawer is so heavy, I’m losing my balance!”

And then it happened a third time as she “struggled” to find proper footing.

“STOP STEPPING ON ME, YOU STUPID GIRL!”

“I’m trying, Master! I’m trying!”

And possibly a fourth time as she and the gatekeeper finally managed to coordinate their efforts.

By the time they’d actually lifted the heavy drawer enough for the old Master to be pulled out from underneath it, he was screaming not just from the initial injury but from having his hand repeatedly trampled.

Heena and the gatekeeper strained together, muscles shaking, and finally managed to shift the massive drawer upright again and push it back against the wall.

The gatekeeper immediately rushed to the old Master, helping him sit up.

“Master! Master, are you alright?!”

But the old man was groaning and shouting in agony, clutching his back and his crushed hand.

“Call the physician! NOW! What the hell are you waiting for?!”

Heena’s eyes widened with sudden realization. “Oh! Yes! The physician! Of course!”

She turned to rush out of the study to fetch the household physician.

And of course, because she was so ’worried’ and ’distracted’ by the emergency, she stumbled and fell twice in the corridor.

Then got slightly turned around looking for where the physician’s quarters were.

Then had to stop to catch her breath because she was “so panicked.”

All of which caused a slight but noticeable delay in actually bringing medical help.

But eventually, she did find the physician and bring him back to the study.

—

’’[The Physician’s Assessment]’’

The physician examined the old Master thoroughly while everyone waited anxiously.

Maya had returned from the temple by this point and was kneeling beside her husband, crying dramatically and clutching his uninjured hand.

After a careful examination, the physician announced his findings:

“The Master’s lower back has sustained a sprain and a very minor fracture—just a small crack, like a strand of hair. It will heal with rest, but he must not move unnecessarily for at least two months.”

Everyone nodded seriously at this diagnosis.

Then the physician added, looking puzzled: “However, the most severe injury is actually to his right hand—the one that was ’outside’ the drawer, not trapped underneath it. The bones are badly bruised, possibly fractured in multiple places. It will require splinting and careful treatment.”

Hearing that observation, several people in the room looked confused.

How had the hand that was ’outside’ the fallen drawer gotten more injured than the parts actually trapped underneath?

It didn’t make logical sense.

Some people glanced suspiciously at Heena.

But looking at her, they couldn’t maintain their suspicion.

She was completely covered in dust and dirt from the struggle to lift the heavy drawer. Her own hands were scraped and bleeding from the rough wood. Her clothes were torn in places. She looked like she was in genuine pain herself, wincing and favoring one arm.

Her eyes were wide with worry and distress—the perfect picture of a servant who’d done everything possible to help during an emergency.

You simply couldn’t look at her and believe she’d done this deliberately.

Besides, the basic physics didn’t work.

That filing drawer was absolutely massive—easily over 150 pounds when fully loaded with books and documents. There was no way a young woman of Heena’s size could have moved it by herself, let alone tipped it over with enough force to actually cause injury.

It had clearly been a terrible accident.

’Just one of those unfortunate things that happens in old houses with heavy furniture,’ people thought.

Maya, who’d broken down the study door in her panic when she heard her husband screaming, started crying even harder.

“Master! Husband! What happened to you?! How did you get so badly injured?!”

She looked at him with tears streaming down her face.

Heena, watching this performance, genuinely could not understand what this woman was crying about.

’Like, what the hell is this woman whining about? He’s not dying. He’s just injured. And honestly, after what he tried with me, he deserves far worse.’

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep