Chapter 13: The steamy atmosphere in the bathroom

After leaving Viscount Silas, Tia went to look for Mephia.

She wasn’t sure if it was just her imagination, but she felt as though Mephia was intentionally or unintentionally avoiding her.

However, no matter how much she was avoided, there would eventually be a moment when they drew close.

It was at that exact moment that a maid approached, carrying a tray of red wine glasses.

Tia took the opportunity to unlock the tray’s Special CG, causing it to lose its balance.

In the next second, the wine glasses on the tray naturally tipped toward Mephia, and the red wine within splashed out.

Unfortunately…

Mephia moved with lightning speed, stepping aside to dodge the splashing wine.

Tia, standing right behind her, was unable to dodge in time and ended up being soaked in red wine instead.

The maid fell to the floor in an attempt to save her tray.

When she looked up, she saw the hem of Tia’s dress dripping with red wine.

In an instant, her face turned pale.

As everyone in the banquet hall, including Earl Harris, turned to look, she began to tremble.

Words of frantic apology surged from the depths of her heart.

She knew very well that this banquet was being held by the Lord Count for the Young Lady.

Spilling wine on her was an unforgivable act!

Being kicked out of the Count’s Manor would be a minor consequence; she feared her family might even be dragged into it…

However, just as she tried to crawl up from the floor to apologize, Tia suddenly grabbed her arms and helped her up.

“I’m sorry. I was the one who bumped into you. Please, get up.”

What?

The maid doubted her own ears.

The Young Lady bumped into her?

Wasn’t it her own loss of control that splashed the Young Lady?

“…Miss?”

“It was my fault, so don’t overthink it. Please clean this area up later. I’m going to change my dress now.”

Tia gently squeezed her hands to comfort her, then stepped around her and walked toward the corridor on one side of the banquet hall.

In that moment, the maid understood her meaning.

“Miss…”

Her eyes grew red, and she nearly burst into tears.

The Young Lady was taking the blame upon herself.

This way, the one in the wrong was the Young Lady instead of her, and Earl Harris wouldn’t punish her for it.

But… if she did that, the one the Count would punish was the Young Lady!

Watching Tia’s retreating figure, the maid bit her lip, her eyes red as she wanted to say something.

However, at a signal from the nearby Etiquette Tutor, she kept her silence, her heart filled with quiet gratitude.

Beside her, the nobles waited until Tia was out of sight before breaking the silence.

The banquet hall became lively once more.

“As expected of the Young Lady. If it were me, I probably wouldn’t have been able to stop myself from scolding her, yet she actually helped her avoid the blame…”

“She really is as gentle as the rumors say. I feel like I’m almost not good enough for her.”

“I just wonder if the Lord Count will lecture her. Even if it was the maid’s fault, it’s still an accident at the banquet. Sigh.”

When they discussed what had just happened, there was only admiration for Tia in their eyes.

But Tia did not hear them; her figure retreated clumsily, carrying a hint of embarrassed fear.

By Mephia’s ear, her familiar, Elsa, sighed.

“Oh my, she’s so pitiful.”

“Pitiful?”

“Don’t you understand, Master? Even though she left with a smile on her face, that smile is just a protective mask. Anyone would feel terrible after making a fool of themselves at a banquet.”

“Tia’s heart is actually very fragile. Despite what she says about changing her dress, I bet she’s just looking for a place to hide and cry. If you follow her, you might find her soon.”

Even though Elsa was a familiar, she seemed to have seen through the human heart long ago.

She was confident that with just a single action or a single look, she could analyze a person’s emotions and even their innermost thoughts.

After hearing Elsa’s words, Mephia remained silent for a moment.

Then, she moved with graceful steps toward the corridor Tia had just used.

—

On the stairs leading to the second floor of the manor.

Tia looked at the wine stains on her chest, her lips twitching slightly.

Her plan had failed.

The reason it failed was that she hadn’t expected Mephia’s reactions to be so rapid.

She had been as unexpected as possible, yet the woman had still managed to dodge.

Was she really only Silver Grade?

Or was she actually Gold Rank?

If she was Gold Rank, what was she doing in Hela City?

This was just a city ruled by a Count.

‘Sigh.’

After thinking it over, Tia could only admit that the plan was a failure.

‘To get the ring from her and take back the Witch’s Tear, I’ll have to rely on the Honey Trap and take it slow.’

It was frustrating.

Tia ground her teeth in annoyance.

Just as she was about to leave and actually take a bath to change her dress, the slow sound of high heels echoed behind her.

Just from the rhythm, she could sense elegance and poise.

The person coming was definitely a great beauty.

The moment she turned around and saw the visitor, she sighed inwardly, thinking that her suspicion was correct.

“…Lady Mephia?”

“See? She really was here.”

Elsa’s whisper reached Mephia’s ears.

Mephia studied Tia’s face for a moment, noticing a bit of frustration before she spoke softly.

“I’ll accompany you.”

It seemed that the recent incident had indeed been a blow to the Young Lady.

Tia froze for a moment.

Then, lowering her head and biting her lip, she gave a small “Mhm” in response.

She looked as though she was embarrassed, adding an indescribable touch of cuteness to her demeanor.

And so, Mephia and Tia walked side by side, circling the second floor of the manor toward the bathroom.

Throughout the walk, neither of them said a word.

Although Mephia appeared cold and detached, an atmosphere of ambiguity began to drift around them.

Of course, this was mainly due to Tia’s occasional stolen glances.

In those gazes, there seemed to be half-affection and half-shyness, like a flower bud waiting for spring to arrive.

Upon reaching the bathroom, the warm steam gradually filled the space.

Tia stepped inside first, while Mephia remained outside, waiting for her quietly.

Amidst the swirling mist, Tia took off her long dress and removed her undergarments.

She looked at the bath ahead, took two steps forward, and finally dipped her toes in.

Like a dragonfly skimming the water, she slowly submerged herself, soaking her entire body.

Then, she glanced at the separate clothes rack beside the bath.

‘Oh dear, the rack is empty. I actually forgot to bring a new dress to wear later.’

‘In that case, I’ll have to trouble Lady Mephia outside to bring a new dress in for me. However… the bathroom is filled with white steam, which really obstructs one’s vision.’

‘If I accidentally soak Lady Mephia’s dress or if she falls into the bath, that would be truly terrible.’

‘At that time, Lady Mephia would probably have to take a bath and change into a new dress herself, wouldn’t she?’

‘I’ll keep a close watch on the ring she takes off.’

As she thought of this, the smile on Tia’s face grew increasingly “sweet.”