Paula trembled under the heavy gaze of the Master which he had directed at her after a long while.

She had not been able to look at his face ever since he and the Countess had arrived as he was busy focusing his attention on his wife.

This tiny gesture of keeping a watchful eye on his wife had pricked Paula, bringing a surge of bitterness to fill her heart to the brim.

She could not understand where she had gone wrong but she knew all too well that she had wrecked her future in this household.

This plan of hers had always been an 'all or nothing' strategy and now she was facing the brunt of her choices.

Hence, she could not curb her hostility when she heard the woman who was her Mistress, questioning her about her motives for the actions she had taken today.

The Countess stood in the arms of her husband, enjoying his embrace while she was left alone to watch them from afar.

'Just like all the times where I was left forgotten and had to watch her being loved.' She gritted her teeth and raised her eyes to glare at the same Mistress defiantly.

She also did not hesitate before sneering at her Mistress but soon recalled that the protective man was standing right next to her.

"Watch your words when you speak to my wife." These words echoed in her ear as soon as she was done speaking.

The Earl's chilling gaze caused her to tremble and shudder yet the hatred in her heart did not diminish.

It rose by another level when she was reprimanded by the Master.

'He did not look at me all along but when it was for his wife, he spared me a glance.' She bit her lip at this unfair treatment.

Even if he was now looking at her, his gaze only held animosity and disdain which further irked her.

Her fists were clenched and her eyes blazed with angry tears at the treatment she was receiving right now.

She watched as the Countess patted her husband's chest to calm him down and gritted her teeth when he held that hand in his.

"I left you here to rest and this is what you do instead?" Raylene St. Claire for the first time in her life, sneered at her maid.

There was disgust and contempt evident in her words as she glared at the maid whom her husband had just reprimanded.

Paula's body went stiff for a split second but she regained her composure fairly quick as she narrowed her eyes at the woman she called her Mistress for a large part of her life.

"I treated you better than everyone in this Mansion and yet this is the gratitude I receive from you." The Countess continued her chastising words without paying attention to her maid's darkening face.

Butler Limo and the maids who were watching this scene unfolding were the biggest witnesses of this statement.

The old Butler had seen how numerous times the Countess had pardoned her haughty maid and on the rare occasions that she had been punished, the punishments were extremely lenient when compared to the other servants.

In fact, the St. Claire's family law for punishing the servants of the household for their misdeeds had never been used on Paula as she was the Countess's personal maid.

The harshest punishment she had ever received was the week-long stay in the Lower Hall.

The other maids might not have been as lucky if they had made the same mistakes as her.

Sadly, Paula never seemed to have realized her Mistress's care even when she reprimanded and punished her.

The Butler who knew of the kind-hearted nature of his Madam felt that this maid did not deserve to have such a good Master.

When Paula heard the list of grievances and complaints being narrated by the Countess, her chest rose and fell as she tried to calm her raging heart.

"What about all the times that I served you? What about all the times that I did what you asked me to and followed you without saying a word?" She retorted to the words Raylene had just said.

Paula had a life of her own as a simple commoner when she was a child.

She lived with her father and grandparents in a town, far away from the estate that her mother worked in.

Though she rarely got a chance to meet her mother, she had a happy life with her father.

Sadly, that did not last for long as after her father's sudden death, she had to move in with her mother in the Viscount's estate.

Her mother had served in that household for a long time therefore, it wasn't hard for her to bring her daughter to stay in the same place as her.

Ever since she moved into the estate, all she did was follow the daughter of the Viscount that her mother served.

Playing with her, keeping her company, and even learning basic etiquette with her.

And in her sight, that was the beginning of her miserable life where she lived in the constant shadow of the Viscount's daughter.

"My mother paid more attention to you than she ever did to me!" Paula accused her Mistress as tears formed in her eyes at the mention of her childhood memories.

In response, Raylene gasped and did not know how to react any further.

Paula's mother had been her nanny just like Mrs. Jacinth was Yvonne's.

It was safe to say that Raylene as a child had spent a large part of her childhood with her nanny and she also spent time with her nanny's daughter who was about the same age as her.

Yet, now she was hearing such accusations which she had never heard all her life.

"She showered you with her love yet left me in the hands of the other maids in the house." Paula continued to express her childhood grievances which she carried in her heart all along.

While Raylene spent time doing what she liked in the company of her nanny, Paula was left with no other option but to spend time with the maids of the household.

The more time she spent with them, the young maids began tossing their work over to her.

"'You need to become a maid anyway so might as well start learning right away.' They always said." She repeated the mocking words they had said while forcing her to work with them.

Raylene had no idea about this and her mouth was left wide open as she listened in silence.

Though it wasn't too much work, the little girl Paula still felt aggrieved that she was made to do chores when she was not a servant in the household.

Years passed but her workload only kept increasing with time.

"I… I did not know about that…" Raylene muttered after her shock abated but the sympathetic look in her eyes was not appreciated.

Paula rolled her eyes and wiped the tears that flowed down her cheek.

"So what if you did not know about it? You sealed my fate on that birthday, didn't you?" She sneered while letting out a mocking chuckle which died down soon after.

Confusion was apparent on everyone's faces and Paula was more than happy to clear the doubts in their minds.

"You chose me as your maid and sealed my fate to be your servant." She announced, making Raylene's eyes narrow.

When Raylene's nanny had brought her daughter to live with her in the estate, it was implied that she would also join the servants to aid them in the workload.

Raylene's father was a small viscount who was not as wealthy as the St. Claire's but as he was a good man who treated his people well, many of the servants were serving their family for generations.

Therefore, it was not wrong to assume that even Paula would follow in her mother's footsteps and become a servant in their family.

Especially, since she had no one else to fall back to as the only people she knew were those that lived in the estate and her mother.

So when it was time for the Viscount's daughter to select a personal maid among those present in the household, she did not hesitate before choosing the girl who was closest to her.

But there was another reason why Raylene had done so, a reason which her nanny had requested her to keep a secret from her daughter.

However, considering the misunderstanding that Paula seemed to have in her mind for which she bore such hatred towards her, she decided that it was best to disclose it.

'Sorry, Nanny.' She apologized for breaking the promise she had made in her childhood.

"I chose you for two reasons." She disclosed as she took in a deep breath.