Killer Queen (GL) - Chapter 27

She was struck more than a dozen times. Her palm was swollen, red, and bruised; a light touch caused intense pain, yet the ironwood ruler continued to relentlessly strike down.

The ruler was wielded with great force. As her palm was held lower and lower, Luo Yu’s eyelids would fiercely twitch with every blow.

“Hold it higher!” the Queen rebuked.

Luo Yu gritted her teeth, forcefully spread her palm open, and raised it high.

Another forceful, vicious strike landed on the swollen, bruised palm, and the raised hand drooped down once more.

This time, without needing Luo Han to instruct her, Luo Yu wiped the cold sweat from her cheeks and shakily raised her palm high to receive the next round of strikes.

“Ten more to go, count them yourself.”

A young nurse, carrying a tray of food, knocked and entered. Seeing the scene inside the room, she dared not make a sound, only waiting by the door.

Although the ruler wasn’t as painful as a whip, Luo Yu was an adult, and the punishment of striking her palm with a ruler was somewhat embarrassing. Now, seeing an outsider present, her face flushed even more.

“Ten… Nine… Hiss…”

“The one you whispered doesn’t count.” A cold, impersonal judgment; if it wasn’t counted, it didn’t count. Luo Yu mentally accepted her bad luck, kneeling on the floor. Hearing the nurse’s gasps of shock made her feel even more ashamed and awkward.

Luo Yu really wanted to kick the nurse out; she was utterly humiliated!

“What are you standing around for? Get out!” A fierce shout startled the nurse, whose hands trembled, spilling all the food onto the floor.

The one who shouted was naturally not Luo Yu. How could she dare to put on airs and scold someone in front of Luo Han?

She was currently acting like a wronged daughter-in-law, kneeling obediently on the ground, accepting the beating and the punishment, terrified that the slightest displeasure from Luo Han would lead to more trouble and suffering for herself.

“Stop!” Another harsh command.

The nurse was scared and turned to flee, but just as one foot crossed the threshold, Luo Han called her back. The nurse returned with a pale face, trembling as she listened to Luo Han’s instructions.

Even the young mistress was being punished while injured; the Master wouldn’t be in such a bad mood that she’d just dispatch her, would she?

“Bring some millet porridge. Cook it soft, not too thick.”

The nurse repeatedly acknowledged the command and backed out of the room, almost tripping over her own feet as she left.

Luo Yu let out a snicker. This young nurse was too endearing.

However, a glance at the dark ruler made Luo Yu unable to smile anymore.

With each strike of the ruler, Luo Yu endured the pain and called out the count. She numbly endured eight strikes, and the punishment was finally complete. Luo Yu sighed in relief. Her entire body felt as though her bones had been removed, and she slumped weakly on the ground. Her right palm was so painful it was almost numb.

“Kneel properly! What is the correct kneeling posture? Have you forgotten the family rules again!”

Tch, bringing up the family rules again and again. Although she was internally displeased, Luo Yu still dutifully straightened up her kneeling posture, hands flat at her sides, eyes staring straight ahead.

She was definitely having a terrible year! She had just taken the ruler, and now she was being punished with kneeling. A life of suffering!

Luo Han didn’t speak, and Luo Yu naturally didn’t dare to make a sound. But the floor tiles were hard and cold, and she didn’t know how long she would have to kneel. Luo Yu knelt laboriously, while Luo Han comfortably reclined on the chaise lounge, leisurely sipping black tea. Occasionally, she would glance at Luo Yu, making Luo Yu’s scalp tingle, not daring to be lazy or relax even for a second.

Time flowed quietly. The wind outside the window drifted in, and Luo Yu felt her clothes were a bit thin, with a faint chill. Luo Yu had been somewhat lethargic recently, and now she was severely sleepy. Her head felt muddled; she longed to crawl into the warm quilt for another nap.

But Luo Han was still watching nearby. Falling asleep while being punished to kneel was absolutely courting death! The family rules would probably be brought out again.

Luo Yu was very sleepy; her eyelids couldn’t stay up. She was about to drift off into unconsciousness. Helpless, Luo Yu had no choice but to fiercely pinch the red, swollen bruise on her right hand. The sharp pain jolted her, making her instantly much more alert, and her sleepiness mostly dispersed. Luo Yu grimaced to herself; this method was indeed effective.

After more than an hour, the young nurse tentatively stood outside the door with the millet porridge, not daring to enter rashly. She just gently tapped on the door.

Luo Han set down her black tea and said indifferently, “Get up. This matter is over.”

Luo Yu was so stiff from kneeling that she was almost rigid. She stood up awkwardly, stumbled to the bed, and climbed onto it. She rubbed her swollen, red knees with her hand, sighing bitterly.

“Listen to me. If I catch you next time, it won’t be this simple.” Luo Han picked up the medicine bottle from the bedside table, clenched her hand forcefully, and when she opened her palm again, the bottle had been crushed into powder.

Luo Han walked to the window and poured the powder out. The breeze blew, and the white powder drifted with the wind.

Luo Yu stuck out her tongue. Did Luo Han mean that if she offended her again, she would be crushed into a powdered meat patty too…?

“I heard you haven’t eaten anything for the past two days.”

“It’s my old problem, a stomachache. I can’t eat,” Luo Yu frowned. Her stomach was already uncomfortable, and after the recent punishment and ordeal, the cramps in her stomach were even more intense.

“Porridge is easier to digest. Eat a little,” Luo Han’s expression was still cold, but Luo Yu secretly observed her a few times and felt that she seemed less angry than before. Her anxious heart finally relaxed.

With the Queen supervising her, even if she didn’t want to eat, she had to at least pretend to.

Luo Yu covered her cramping stomach with her left hand and reached for the millet porridge carried by the young nurse with her right. As soon as she took hold of the bowl, Luo Yu winced in pain and immediately threw the bowl away.

The porridge was freshly cooked, slightly hot. Her right hand had just been hit by the ruler and was swollen about two inches high. Luo Yu habitually reached for it with her right hand and was instantly in so much pain that she almost jumped off the bed.

To make matters worse, Luo Yu carelessly threw the bowl, and it flew toward Luo Han.

Luo Yu sighed in dismay. If the bowl had landed on Luo Han’s head, spilling sticky millet porridge all over her, the consequences…

Luo Han would definitely slap her several times.

It was truly an unlucky time, completely cursed.

However, Luo Han’s reaction speed and agility exceeded Luo Yu’s expectations. Luo Han quickly shifted her body, dodging the direct hit from the bowl, then spun $180^circ$, extended her arm, and actually caught the flying millet porridge bowl firmly. All actions took less than a second, and not a drop of porridge was spilled on the ground.

Luo Yu felt regret that Luo Han’s incredible skill was used for something like catching a bowl of porridge.

Luo Han took two steps forward. Just as Luo Yu closed her eyes, preparing to receive two slaps, intense pain struck her ear.

Luo Han forcefully grabbed Luo Yu’s small ear and sharply twisted it. “You did that on purpose, didn’t you? It was just a short time of kneeling.”

Luo Yu cried out in pain continuously, waving her hands repeatedly, “It’s a misunderstanding! How dare I? A slip-up, definitely a slip of the hand!” Luo Yu quickly tried to prove her innocence, afraid that Luo Han was truly getting angry. She secretly peeked at Luo Han’s face and saw that her usually cold and sharp eyes held a faint hint of amusement. She then gradually felt bolder.

“My hand is so swollen. You feed me,” Seeing Luo Han in a better mood, Luo Yu seized the opportunity to act spoiled.

First, she enjoyed the Queen’s service of bathing; now, she was asking for the Queen’s service of feeding.

However, Luo Yu didn’t like the word “feeding”; it made her sound like a cute little pet.

Luo Han released the small, red ear. Luo Yu quickly rubbed it with her hand. Her ear was burning hot and slightly stinging.

Luo Han actually picked up the bowl, scooped a spoonful, and brought it to Luo Yu’s mouth. Luo Yu didn’t actually have much appetite, but to please Luo Han, she had to swallow it reluctantly. However, just after eating one spoonful, her stomach protested, churning and boiling.

After eating about half a small bowl, Luo Yu’s face looked worse and worse. Her chest felt heavy and nauseous, and her stomach was churning and cramping violently, giving her no chance to breathe.

Luo Yu rolled out of bed and rushed to the bathroom, vomiting all the porridge she had just eaten. Luo Yu felt extremely unwell, as if she was going to throw up her internal organs. Her stomach was cramping violently in spasms, like a meat grinder constantly churning inside.

After vomiting, Luo Yu wiped her mouth and crouched on the cold floor tiles, completely drained of strength. After resting for a while, Luo Yu finally stood up, limped slowly back, her face as pale as a sheet of paper.

“I feel terrible. I don’t want to eat anymore,” Luo Yu lay back on the pillows, speaking weakly. She didn’t know why her stomach had been hurting so badly recently.

“Eat a little more. If you keep starving yourself, your stomach will suffer even more,” For Luo Han, these words were already considered very gentle.

Luo Yu pushed Luo Han’s hand away, burrowed into the quilt, feeling drowsy and even sleepier, and couldn’t be bothered to pay attention to Luo Han.

The Queen was never one with a good temper. If gentle words were ignored, then a direct command would suffice.

Luo Han grabbed Luo Yu by the collar, yanked her out of the quilt, and commanded harshly, “Don’t refuse a good offer and then be forced to take the penalty!” (Literally: Don’t refuse ‘to drink the toast’ and then be forced ‘to drink the punishment wine’).

Luo Yu wanted to sleep but couldn’t. She had just thrown up and felt incredibly sick. Her stomach was cramping intermittently, her wounds hadn’t fully healed, and her palm hurt at the slightest touch. The prolonged torment and suffering made Luo Yu very irritable. She had reluctantly eaten one bowl; that was already very considerate of her!

“Eating any amount will all be thrown up. What’s the damn use!” Luo Yu raised her voice and retorted angrily, “I won’t accept either the toast or the punishment wine!” Right now, besides wanting to sleep, she didn’t even want to drink a drop of water!

A sick person, although physically weak, often has a strong temper.

However, this kind of temper, when directed at Queen Luo Han, could be summed up in two words: asking for a beating.

The Queen’s command: ignore it once, ignore it twice, and the third time, she takes action directly!

Luo Han fiercely pinched Luo Yu’s chin and forcibly poured the millet porridge into Luo Yu’s mouth, making her swallow it. Luo Yu was so startled that she accidentally bit her tongue. The pain brought tears to her eyes, and she was so angry that she vomited all the porridge she hadn’t managed to swallow.

“Are you going to eat or not?”

“No!” This was oppression by force. Where were human rights, democracy, freedom, and equality?

In the Luo family, Luo Han’s words were the truth, and Luo Han’s commands were sacred edicts. Where was there any talk of equality and democracy? Luo Han was the Master, and the other assassins were subordinates. That was equality! Luo Han’s decisions could not be opposed by anyone. That was democracy! Luo Yu was half a master in the Luo family. In front of others, she could certainly talk about democracy and justice, but in front of Luo Han, she had no right to speak!

Luo Han’s face was chillingly cold, like a thousand miles of ice and ten thousand miles of snow, as if an avalanche was about to strike.

Luo Han walked to the door and instructed Luo Yi, who was guarding outside, “Go home and bring me the whip!”

“But, the young mistress is injured…” Luo Yi hesitated. The young mistress hadn’t fully recovered from her severe injuries. Hitting her again might be fatal. The Master was currently in a rage. If she really hurt her badly, the Master would definitely vent her anger on him, making him a scapegoat. Luo Yi was in a difficult position, but he couldn’t disobey Luo Han’s order.

“Stop talking nonsense. Bring the whip over!” Luo Han impatiently waved her hand.

Luo Yi wisely retreated. Luo Yu wasn’t sure if Luo Han’s words were intended for Luo Yi or for her, but in any case, Luo Yu’s face darkened upon hearing them.