Penny thought that Dean was the biggest omen she would face tonight. However, she immediately realized she was wrong. Overcoming Dean and dealing with him wasn’t the end of it. She wasn’t completely saved yet. There was still Mildred.
"See? This is what I’m talking about! You snuck out earlier just because you think the kitchen work is beneath you, but look what happened! If that wasn’t the First Young Master Dean from the First Branch, this could’ve turned out much worse."
Penny listlessly tossed the trash bags into the large bin while Mildred continued to sing from behind her, following her like a talking shadow. Penny had enthusiastically volunteered to continue taking out the trash to avoid being nagged by Mildred, but Mildred simply followed her to continue nagging.
"You might as well say goodbye to your husband or forget about being a member of the Pierson Family -- that is being lenient to you!" Mildred continued, still following Penny as she walked to the kitchen’s back door to throw out the remaining trash bags. "Making a mistake and picking a fight — I don’t think you understand the hierarchy in this family or the consequences you might face if you make a mistake."
After listening to Mildred’s nagging and scolding, Penny sighed heavily. That was the last batch of trash, and Mildred was still only halfway through her scolding. Penny’s ears were almost bleeding from the constant nagging. Even Jessa wouldn’t nag her this long or consistently.
Mildred was surely built differently. Penny didn’t know if it was because Mildred was born a Pierson — sarcasm intended.
"After this, you and your husband should apologize — or no, don’t. Just don’t show your face to him ever again. Maybe that way, he’ll completely forget about you!" Mildred intoned, her voice a mix of irritation and concern. "Although forgetting completely is impossible with a genius like him, not seeing your face would prevent him from being reminded of your disrespect. That might be the best for you and all of us!"
This time, Penny faced Mildred with a helpless sigh. "Auntie Mildred, I now understand my mistake and how I almost ruined my life," she conceded, saying what Mildred probably wanted to hear to make her stop. This mental torture was painful. "I’m sorry and I’ve surely learned my lesson tonight. I’ll never show myself or even my shadow to the young master again."
"I swear!" Penny raised her hand to show her sincerity, adding, "Cross my heart!"
Her eyes shone with sincerity, hoping Mildred would stop now. If not, Penny might either tear her hair out or just confess everything to Mildred. What was the point of surprise when Penny had to go through this? It wasn’t even an exaggeration that the surprise she was planning to give Zoren wouldn’t work anymore. If anything, it was Penny who was getting shocked as she watched the bigger picture of the Pierson Family unfold right before her.
"Do you mean that?" Mildred narrowed her eyes. "Everything you said?"
For a moment, Mildred didn’t speak. She simply gazed at Penny, sizing her up to see if she was sincere.
"Auntie, please..." Penny frowned, her voice almost like she was about to whimper. "I didn’t really mean to offend the young master from the First Branch."
Mildred shook her head while humming, then huffed. "You think I believe that?"
"Penelope, do you think I’m doing this because I want to scold you?" Mildred frowned, not pleased with Penny’s lack of sincerity. "I wouldn’t waste my energy scolding you for fun. Young people nowadays don’t appreciate their elders anymore."
Mildred raised her chin and crossed her arms. "If not, then what is it, huh? Why don’t you show any sincerity in your apologies?"
"Penelope, at my age, I’ve met quite a few people. Working for the family has honed my skills in reading people," Mildred explained in a knowing tone. "In other words, I can see through you. You’re only saying things to get me to stop nagging. Am I correct?"
However, Penny wouldn’t answer that. All she could do was scrunch her nose in dismay, astounded at how accurate Mildred’s guess was. It didn’t sound like a guess at all.
"See? I’m right!" Mildred hissed, unsure of what to feel. "This girl! Are you really this stubborn? Didn’t your husband tell you anything about the family you’re marrying into?!"
"Auntie, my husband told me a lot about the Pierson Family. In fact, he told me many, many things!"
"Then how come you don’t understand? Do you think he’d be happy to hear that you’ve offended someone from the First Branch?"
Penny pouted, thinking about Zoren’s likely reaction to all of this. She imagined Zoren’s neutral response to most things while fluttering his beautiful eyelashes coquettishly. That gave Penny her answer.
"I don’t think so, but he wouldn’t mind!"
Mildred gasped in dismay. "Impossible! He couldn’t be that naïve!"
"But Auntie, that’s true! My husband wouldn’t mind!" Penny exclaimed, getting more frustrated. "If anything, he’d just nod and let it be!"
"Hah! You young lady!" Mildred hissed, clearly not pleased. "How can you be this daunting? Now that you’ve run out of excuses, you’re going to lie to me? Even if you don’t want to listen to all these lectures, you shouldn’t lie!"
Penny’s frown deepened as she sighed helplessly. She understood that Mildred was lecturing her nonstop because the latter somehow cared. Penny might not understand why Mildred was going above and beyond in nagging her, but there was no doubt that Mildred cared for Penny and the rest of the kitchen staff.
"Your husband will just hum and won’t care about this news?" Mildred continued in dismay. "Why? Do you think your husband is much higher than the First Branch of the family?"
"Even if the First Branch isn’t the one in total control of power — what did you
Penny pursed her lips into a thin line and hummed, "Mhm. He is."