Free Web NovelVieya never would have thought that what was supposed to be a peaceful, lazy afternoon—sending the two maids out to buy ice cream and then lying back on the sofa to continue her leisurely life—would somehow turn into a session of socially exhausted solitude spent dealing with trouble.
The young man kept talking nonstop, explaining his purpose, ideas, and the gifts he had brought along for this visit.
“So what you’re saying is, you’re here on behalf of Recalia Magic Academy to invite me to attend your academy’s ceremony?”
Vieya’s mouth twitched slightly. Holding the invitation letter between her fingers, she looked at him. “I don’t think I know your academy, and I have no interest in it.”
An “academy ceremony”? It was obviously a cover—a recruitment scheme dressed up as formality.
Vieya might not have been a genius, but she could easily read between the lines: most likely, these people had discovered her identity as the wielder of the Holy Sword and came running at the first chance, desperate to steal her away from the other side.
However—
Do they not even bother investigating before trying to recruit someone? I’ve never used magic in a fight, I’m not even that interested in it, so what’s a magic academy doing coming after me?
You want me to be your mascot? Not happening...
Vieya handed the invitation back to him and said flatly, “Sorry, I don’t have time. The Royal Capital is too far. I’m not going.”
“...Wait!” The rejected man froze, then hurriedly said, “Miss Vieya, please don’t misunderstand our intentions!”
He quickly reorganized his words. “Besides delivering the invitation, we mainly wanted to—”
“—get closer to me?” Vieya cut him off. When she saw his expression falter, her thoughts clicked neatly into place, and she continued, “Where did you learn about my identity?”
“About that...” The young man rubbed his temple. He’d assumed their target this time was just some naïve girl and that it would be easy to fool her, but it was now clear this white-haired girl was far sharper than he expected.
“This is an order from above. We’re only following instructions.”
“I see... Then go back and tell your so-called big shot at the magic academy to come talk to me personally. As for me—hm—I’m living in seclusion right now.”
Vieya pointed to the door. “Take your gifts with you and leave.”
“There’s no reason to take back gifts meant for you. We’ll go now; please keep them.”
“I said I don’t want them. Take them and dispose of them yourselves. Otherwise, next time I see your superior, I’ll report you for bribery.”
“...All right.”
The young man left, closing the door behind him.
Expressionless, Vieya turned to Elizabeth. “Well? Where did Jiele Xiyin go?”
“She went out to buy food!” Elizabeth answered immediately. “Didn’t we run out of a lot of things at home?”
“Is that so?”
Vieya paused, then chose to believe her. “But I hope you understand—just because you two have signed a contract with me doesn’t mean I won’t ever lay a hand on you.” freewёbnoνel.com
With that, she took Jasmine upstairs.
“...”
Elizabeth sat in silence for a moment, then suddenly said, “But what if we just want to get along with you—like you do with your friends?”
She folded her arms and looked toward Vieya, the deep red in her eyes glimmering with a hint of doubt. “Given how things are now, we’ll be living under the same roof for quite a long time. If we keep treating each other with this cold distance and constant caution, none of us will feel comfortable. Why don’t we make peace?”
Vieya suddenly stopped mid-step, but only for a moment. Then she continued upstairs, disappearing from Elizabeth’s sight.
It was unknown how much time passed.
The front door opened again, and Jiele Xiyin, also in maid uniform, came in. She first set down the groceries, then looked toward Elizabeth sitting on the sofa.
“How did it go? Did the master react when she «N.o.v.e.l.i.g.h.t» found out I went out without orders?”
“Not much of a reaction. She just sent away that pointy-eared elf. Probably feeling a bit of social fatigue now.”
Elizabeth sighed. “Even with the contract binding us, she clearly doesn’t plan to trust us—let alone get closer. Calling us maids is just a nicer word for death row prisoners!”
She let out another sigh and looked up at the ceiling. “Honestly, under this contract we can’t harm her or her daughter anyway. The most we can do is play a few harmless pranks... Does she really have to treat us like thieves?”
“I don’t think so. If she truly didn’t trust us at all, she wouldn’t let us live under the same roof—even if it’s just to keep an eye on us herself.” Jiele Xiyin spoke quietly. “For a monster girl to make it this far, that’s already remarkable.”
“Tch. If you ask me, she’s less like a monster girl and more like a traumatized human kid who got her heart broken by some scumbag—cold face all day long whenever she sees us, tch!”
Elizabeth speculated wickedly. “She treasures her daughter so much, yet there’s not the slightest sign of that girl’s father. Every time her daughter asks, she just ends the topic with two words. Tell me, do you think she really got her heart broken?”
“I doubt it. She seems calm, not the type to be fooled easily... And being a monster girl recognized by the Holy Sword—that’s something unprecedented in history.”
Shaking her head, Jiele Xiyin muttered, “Still, us gossiping like this—if she heard us, that wouldn’t be good, would it?”
Coward.
Elizabeth’s lips moved, but when she spoke, the words came out differently. “She’s still downstairs playing house with her daughter—no way she’s paying attention to us.”
“Her daughter...” Jiele Xiyin suddenly said seriously. “Speaking of her daughter, I can’t shake the feeling she’s familiar somehow... and that there’s something about her aura...”
“Heh heh, that ‘something’ is the same scent as that Demon King, isn’t it?” Elizabeth chuckled.
“You think so too?” Jiele Xiyin was startled, taking a sip of water to steady herself.
Elizabeth said, “At first, I thought she might be some backup plan for the Demon King’s resurrection, but I ruled that out. Since a new Demon King has already appeared, that means the previous one is completely dead. Even if there were a contingency, it couldn’t possibly be someone strong enough to wield the Holy Sword.”
“Right. No matter how powerful she is, she couldn’t have outwitted two generations of Holy Sword masters.” Jiele Xiyin’s tone grew distant. “Still, I’ve been searching for the Demon King’s successor for a long time. If not for the fact that the new holder of [Pride] still hasn’t been born, I would have thought that successor died in the chaos back then.”
“Not that easy to kill...” Elizabeth lay back on the sofa, eyes unfocused. “If only that little white-hair would give us more freedom. When will this endless routine of playing house with her daughter ever end, aaahhh!”
“Keep your voice down!”
Bang!
Vieya’s voice, full of irritation, shouted from upstairs, “What are you two shrieking about down there?! Can you be quiet?!”
“Sorry~!” Elizabeth yelled back, “Dear master, I was just taste-testing the dish! Ah, how sweet it is!”
Smack!
A loud slap echoed, followed by Elizabeth’s scolding voice: “You stupid spider! Why did you put sugar in the little mistress’s tomato-and-egg dish?! Don’t you know she said to add salt?!”
Smack!
“I’ll slap you again, you forgetful spider!”
Elizabeth smacked her own thigh, producing a crisp sound, and a red mark soon appeared on her fair skin.
“...”
Jiele Xiyin stared wordlessly at Elizabeth lying dramatically on the sofa, performing a one-woman act with full emotion.
Upstairs—
Vieya took a deep breath. Haa... They’re just trying to learn how to provide better service. I need to be patient.
Yes, they’re already working hard to learn how to be maids. As their master, I have to be understanding.
Closing the door to block out the noise downstairs, Vieya calmly returned to the room.
“Mom?”
“Don’t get distracted. Your teacher Anna told me to supervise you until you finish this magic handbook.”
“Uu...”
“Come on, I believe in you!”
“...Then can you stop eating right next to me, Mom?” Jasmine looked at her resentfully. How could her mother have so little self-control?
They were supposed to study together, but after just two pages her mother had lost focus—and not only that, she’d opened a can of beans and was crunching away on them.
“Then how about I feed you? Jasmine, open wide~”
“...Dummy Mom! How am I supposed to read like this?!” Jasmine protested.
