The first ants to arrive used their sharp mandibles to rapidly cut through the autumn crocus's stem. Soon after, aphids slipped into the wounds the ants had created.
Then, faster insects rushed over as well, joining the growing army of destruction.
At first, the crocus didn't notice anything unusual. But it quickly sensed something was wrong.
By the time it tried to burrow out of the soil, it was already too late.
Large numbers of parasitic insects had entered its body and were wreaking havoc from within.
Only then did strange, infant-like crying sounds echo from within the flower's petals.
The opened petals revealed a massive abyssal mouth, lined with a full ring of razor-sharp teeth.
The crocus's shrill screams terrified the maids, who all retreated at once. The surrounding crocuses also sensed danger.
One after another, they tore their roots out of the soil and fled in the opposite direction at incredible speed.
In the time it took to brew a cup of tea, a large empty clearing had appeared in the once-neat garden.
The commotion successfully drew the head housekeeper back.
As she walked, she cursed loudly:
"Damn it, damn it! None of you are ever reliable!"
When she reached the scene, she immediately began yelling at the maids:
"You damn country sluts! You can't even handle something this small—what good are you? Believe it or not, I'll bury every one of you as fertilizer! What are you standing around for? Go check what's going on!"
Her voice was deafening. She screamed at the other maids to investigate, yet she herself hid in a safe spot, not daring to step forward even once.
But the maids were already too frightened to move.
Seeing this, the housekeeper angrily scanned the area, finally locking her gaze onto Hel, who was hiding in the flowerbed.
Just as she was about to order Hel to go die—
Hel's mental power carefully connected to the housekeeper through the ground.
In an instant, the noisy, arrogant woman froze as if someone had pressed a pause button.
Her expression changed completely. She roared:
"Useless trash! Looks like I have to handle this myself!"
Without hesitation, she lifted her skirt and charged toward the rampaging crocus.
But the crocus, already enraged by the insects tearing through its body, felt provoked when another person approached.
It immediately opened its enormous, blood-filled mouth again.
This time, its open jaws were facing Hel's direction, revealing rows of massive, sandworm-like teeth stained with bits of flesh.
Same move. Same routine.
The crocus's mouth slammed down.
Before the housekeeper could even react, only one of her shoes was left behind.
Her twisted, agonized face appeared once more on the plant's swollen stem.
After she was fully digested, the crocus's behavior grew even more violent.
It was as if it had eaten something contaminated.
Chunks of shredded flesh were vomited out one after another, leaving the area in a gruesome mess.
At that moment, the carved glass doors of the second-floor bedroom were finally pushed open.
A blonde girl with a noble, princess-like air stepped out. Lifting her long dress, she hurried to the window and dramatically covered her mouth, speaking softly:
"Oh my, what happened here? Guards, quickly fetch the court mages! Tell them a Netherworld Flower has gone out of control."
At the edge of the castle, a few late-arriving guards immediately carried out the order.
More guards followed, positioning themselves around the garden.
They said nothing—only ensuring that no maid was allowed to leave.
The moment the Second Princess appeared, Hel used her status-detection skill on her.
The result made Hel frown.
"Fourth tier? You've got to be kidding…So the one who cast that detection formation wasn't her?"
The Second Princess seemed to notice Hel's gaze and looked in her direction.
When she saw Hel's delicate face, a trace of jealousy flashed through her eyes.
But her expression remained gentle.
She whispered something to a personal maid beside her.
Soon, the maid lifted her skirt and hurried toward the garden, quickly spotting the sneaky-looking Hel.
She ran over.
Meanwhile, Hel was completely unconcerned with her surroundings.
She was secretly communicating with Niv.
"Niv, how are the two souls we sent back earlier?"
"Everything went smoothly, Master. There was no loss during the transfer. Their souls are now stored in the Reincarnation Mainframe."
"Good. Interrogate the head housekeeper's soul as soon as possible. I want information on the rest of the royal family."
Hel nodded slightly to herself.
At that moment, a trembling hand gently tapped her shoulder.
When Hel turned around, she saw an unfamiliar maid pointing shakily to the side.
There stood a plainly-faced but well-dressed maid, arms crossed, frowning impatiently at her.
"Hey, country bumpkin. Are you scared stupid? The Second Princess has taken an interest in you. Come with me."
"Taken an interest in… me? What the hell?"
Hel looked up toward the second-floor balcony, but the Princess was already gone.
With no choice, Hel followed the personal maid upstairs.
Along the way, whether out of workplace bullying or sheer contempt for these tax-pledged farm girls, the maid constantly nitpicked Hel, trying to belittle her at every turn.
But when Hel finally met the Second Princess, the woman suddenly acted warm and affectionate.
If Hel had really been a peasant girl, she would've been moved to tears by this treatment.
This kind of "favor" was the very definition of grace from above.
However, Hel, with a modern soul, saw through the trick instantly.
"Damn it… even in another world, there's PUA."