Thrown Into A New World: Let The Punishment Begin!

In a dark space where the only source of light was the candles flickering every time a soft breeze blew through the tiny ventilation holes in the walls.

"Master, he has lost consciousness." The old Butler of the family reminded his Master who sat on the chair before him.

Butler Limo stood between two men in this dimly lit yet large room.

One man sat on the metallic chair placed in the center of the room while the other man was neither standing nor was he sitting.

On the wall at the other side of the room were wide wrists which had been clasped with metallic cuffs from which hung the body of a man.

The man had his head lowered and according to what the butler had said, he seemed to have lost his consciousness.

Rutherford St. Claire narrowed his eyes as he stared at the man whose entire body was being supported by his imprisoned wrists.

"Wake him up." He commanded and without a moment's delay, his orders were fulfilled.

Butler Limo picked up a bucket of water which laid next to him and splashed half of its contents on the man who had fainted.

"Arghhhh…." 

Loud and frightful sound of his groan which indicated his excruciating pain soon filled the silent room.

However, the only two men who were present to witness his pitiful plight were least bothered about it.

They did not flinch nor did they avert their eyes from the man who was awakened from his momentary unconscious state.

He soon realized where he was and forgetting his pain, he groveled to the one man who could save him.

"It hurts, Master! Forgive…" The man cried out in pain as he writhed against the walls.

Before he could finish his words, Butler Limo splashed the remaining half of the water in the bucket right onto his face.

This time, sounds of choking then pained groans filled the air as the water had entered the pleading man's mouth.

Loud coughs followed by weak whimpers were what the Master and Butler pair heard but they were not affected by the sounds of his agony.

Rutherford turned to look at the bucket in his Butler's hand and then looked up at him.

"Glass or metal?" He inquired, ignoring the groans which were heard frequently.

Butler Limo looked proud that he had attracted his Master's keen eye.

"Tiny shards of glass, Master. I'm trying something new today." He informed and received a nod of approval from his Master.

The bucket of water that Butler Limo had just splashed on the man hung up on the wall had tiny shards of ground glass in it.

This was the reason for his painful screams.

The water which was splashed onto his face with great force acted as the means for the shards of glass to strike him with equal force.

The bloody face of the man was the outcome of Butler Limo's experiment today.

The shards had embedded on his face causing him to bleed profusely and some had even entered his mouth which resulted in his tongue bleeding as well.

Though he was experiencing mind-wrenching pain, he needed to beg for forgiveness to escape the awful fate that might await him.

"M-master… Pardon…" His words were uttered through great difficulty and even his voice was now hoarse and rough.

"Pardon?" A cynical voice rose in the room which demanded their attention.

Rutherford got to his feet and stepped towards the man suspended from the wall as though he was a cheap tapestry bought from the flea market.

"You dared to harm my daughter and you think you deserve to be pardoned?" He spat those words out through gritted teeth.

Rutherford's irises reflected the image of the man hung on the wall, the very servant who had sabotaged Yvonne's first trial.

After Butler Limo had informed him about the miscreant servant, he was ordered to imprison that man in the only place that was forbidden for everyone else.

This meant that right now, these three men were in the Lower Hall of St. Claire Mansion, a place solely meant for punishment and sometimes even torture.

The servant shuddered upon being subjected to the vicious and menacing glint in his Master's eyes.

When he was committing the crime of messing with the little girl's trial, he did not feel a thing, yet now, all he could feel was regret for trying to sabotage her.

Butler Limo gulped when he felt the cold air that the Earl was emitting as this proved that he was beyond enraged with this outrageous deed of the servant.

"Tell me…" Rutherford uttered as he stared into the shuddering man's eyes.

"Tell me who gave you the courage to act against my child?" He interrogated, snarling at the gutsy servant.

'If something were to happen to Vonna because she couldn't reach the token then what would we do?' He gritted his teeth when such an ominous thought came to her mind.

This only intensified his anger on the man who had dared to commit such an atrocious crime right under his nose.

"I.. I…" The servant stuttered and stammered but could not go any further due to the intense eyes fixed on him.

Butler Limo could feel his Master's frustrations so he decided to step in to be of some aid to him.

"Master, please let this servant deal with this situation." He urged and bowed until he heard Rutherford's hum, indicating his acceptance.

With this, Rutherford returned to his seat and Butler stepped ahead.

Butler stared at the culprit whom he had caught but had not yet interrogated for he was waiting for his Master.

Earlier, when Rutherford finished his task of meeting the Countess and then decided to visit the Lower Hall, Limo also had completed tending to the Young Miss' etcher.

Therefore, now was the time for him to ask the questions whose answers they were looking for.

"Did Young Master Howard ask you to tie the token in the woods?" He began his interrogation with the simplest question.

Rutherford knew what Butler was trying to do so he did not object or interrupt to this accusatory question being asked.

The servant flinched under the Butler's stern eyes and winced when he felt his now swollen tongue move as he attempted to talk.

"Master Howard did ask me to tie the cloth…" He spoke while ignoring his pain.

"Did he ask to tie it on the higher branch?" Limo reiterated his question to make it more precise.

This time there was silence in the dim room as the servant, in his nervousness, gulped his saliva mixed with a metallic taste of his blood.

"Did he!?" Limo repeated as he stepped closer, making the wounded man flinch and shake his head repeatedly.

"N-no…" He whispered and lowered his head to hide the eyes that were beginning to blur due to the tears that flooded them.

These were not tears of guilt but tears of pain thanks to the shards pierced into his face and tongue along with the weight of his body suspended on his wrists.

"Why?" Limo whispered as his patience was soon coming to an end.

This question made the servant raise his head as he stared at the Master and the Butler with anger alike.

"Why, you ask!?" He sneered while glaring in mockery at the servant as he spat his bloody saliva onto the floor before fixing his eyes back on him.