Chapter 37: Truth
Lila’s voice cut through the silence.
"...What’s going on?"
For a split second, nobody answered.
Yuna stood frozen where she was, tears still running down her face. The knife lay on the carpet a few feet away from her. I slowly shifted my foot over it without making the movement too obvious.
Sasha stirred next.
She frowned, rubbed her eyes, then pushed herself upright.
"...Adrian?"
Her sleepy expression disappeared the moment she noticed Yuna.
"What are you doing here?"
Yuna instinctively took half a step back.
Lila sat up completely now, her eyes moving between me, the knife, and the frightened maid standing near the doorway.
"...Yuna."
There wasn’t any warmth in her voice.
"Explain."
Yuna lowered her head.
"...I..."
She couldn’t finish.
Sasha noticed the knife.
Her expression hardened immediately.
"You brought a weapon into my house?"
The atmosphere changed in an instant.
The relaxed warmth from only moments ago vanished completely.
The maids sleeping around the lounge began waking one after another, confused by the raised voices. Several looked around without understanding what had happened, while others immediately noticed the knife on the floor.
Whispers spread across the room.
"...What’s happening?"
"...Is that Yuna?"
"...Why does she have a knife?"
I stepped forward before anyone else could.
"Nobody touch the knife."
Every eye turned toward me.
"I mean it."
Marcus would’ve probably charged in by now.
Ryan would’ve been asking a thousand questions.
Noah would’ve quietly started piecing everything together.
Unfortunately, none of them were here.
This was my mess.
And somehow...
I had to keep it from getting worse.
Lila slowly stood.
Unlike Sasha, she didn’t raise her voice.
She simply looked at Yuna.
"What were you planning to do?"
Yuna remained silent.
Sasha folded her arms.
"I’m asking you a question."
Still nothing.
The silence stretched long enough to become uncomfortable.
Finally, Yuna whispered,
"...Kill you."
The words landed like a brick.
Several maids gasped.
One covered her mouth.
Another instinctively stepped backward.
Sasha stared at her.
"...Excuse me?"
Yuna raised her head.
This time her voice was steadier.
"I came here to kill you."
"And Miss Lila."
"And..."
She glanced toward the other maids.
"...Anyone else who stood in the way."
Nobody laughed.
Nobody thought she was joking.
Lila’s face remained unreadable.
"What made you think that was a good idea?"
Yuna laughed bitterly.
"I stopped having good ideas a long time ago."
Another long silence followed.
I finally spoke.
"Put this on me."
Everyone looked at me.
"I woke up before she did anything."
"I talked to her."
"Nobody got hurt."
Sasha frowned.
"Adrian..."
"I’m serious."
I looked back at Yuna.
"Tell them the truth."
She hesitated.
Then slowly nodded.
"...I never touched them."
"I was going to."
"...But..."
She looked at me.
"...He stopped me."
Lila’s gaze shifted toward me.
"You talked her out of it?"
"I don’t know if I’d go that far."
I glanced at Yuna.
"I think she’s still figuring things out."
Sasha let out a dry laugh.
"That’s one way to describe someone who walked in here with a knife."
Yuna flinched.
"I..."
"I’m sorry."
No one replied.
The apology hung awkwardly in the air.
Lila slowly walked across the room.
Several of the maids looked nervous, as though expecting her to slap Yuna or order someone to drag her away.
Instead, she stopped a few feet in front of her.
"What happened?"
Yuna stared at the floor.
"...Nothing."
Lila’s voice remained calm.
"I don’t believe you."
"..."
"Tell me."
Yuna’s shoulders trembled.
"You wouldn’t listen."
"You haven’t even tried," Lila replied.
That finally broke whatever little composure Yuna had left.
She laughed once.
It wasn’t a happy laugh.
"You really don’t remember..."
Lila frowned.
"...Remember what?"
"The storage room."
Silence.
"The broken teacup."
Lila’s expression didn’t change.
Yuna looked up.
"You locked me inside."
No answer.
"You laughed."
Still nothing.
"You said it would teach me responsibility."
Sasha looked toward Lila.
"...Did that happen?"
Lila didn’t answer immediately.
Instead, she closed her eyes for a few seconds.
When she opened them again...
There was something different in her expression.
"...Yes."
The room went completely still.
"I remember."
Yuna looked stunned.
"You..."
"You remember?"
"I do."
Lila’s voice was quieter now.
"It was three years ago."
"I was sixteen."
"My father had just handed me responsibility over part of the household staff."
She let out a slow breath.
"I thought being feared meant being respected."
Nobody interrupted.
"I copied the adults around me."
"I copied what I thought powerful people were supposed to do."
She looked directly at Yuna.
"I was cruel."
Yuna’s breathing became uneven.
"I hated you."
"I know."
"I wanted you dead."
"I know."
"I imagined..."
Her voice cracked.
"I imagined killing you hundreds of times."
Lila nodded once.
"I believe you."
Another silence settled over the room.
Then Lila did something none of us expected.
She bowed her head.
"I’m sorry."
The words were simple.
There was no excuse attached to them.
No attempt to justify what she’d done.
Just two words.
Yuna stood there as though she’d forgotten how to breathe.
"...What?"
"I’m apologizing."
"You should have heard it years ago."
"I was wrong."
"I hurt you."
"I abused the authority I had."
"And..."
Lila swallowed.
"I can’t undo any of it."
Yuna’s knife lay untouched between them.
Neither girl looked at it anymore.
The other maids watched in complete silence.
Some wore expressions of shock.
Others looked uncomfortable.
One quietly wiped away tears.
Sasha looked at Lila for a long moment before speaking.
"...There’s more, isn’t there?"
Lila gave a small nod.
"There probably is."
She looked around the room.
"If anyone else here has something they’ve kept buried because of me..."
Her voice lost its usual confidence.
"...I want to hear it."
No one spoke immediately.
Then, from the back of the room, another maid slowly raised her hand.
"...Miss Lila..."
"I..."
"I’d like to say something too."
And just like that, the night stopped being about revenge.
It became something much harder.
The truth.