Hilvi had lived in the slums of this city for as long as she could remember.
She didn’t know who her father was— only that her mother was a prostitute who often left her starving for days on end.
Despite this, she survived with a stubborn resilience, much like all the beggars and vagrants of the city, fighting tooth and nail for every scrap of food they could find.
Everything changed when she was fourteen.
After her mother died, a butler found her and brought her to the home of the city’s master— Willey Ashley.
Rumor had it that this man was her father.
But the skinny, short, mud-covered little girl wasn’t at all welcome.
He barely glanced at her before turning away to indulge himself with a few other women.
Sent downstairs by the servants, she was given a quick wash and a new set of clothes— a traditional Maid Uniform, still carrying a faint scent of dust.
Her days didn’t improve much after that.
The only comfort was that she could now eat a full meal once a day.
Once Willey had taken her in, he paid her no mind.
They only saw each other during the brief moments each morning when he changed the filthy bed sheets—father and daughter in name only.
As the youngest maid in the mansion, she was saddled with all the dirty and exhausting chores by herself.
Even so, the other maids often came looking for trouble.
The reason was simple: she was Willey’s “daughter.”
Their employer was a man who deserved no respect, and the thrill of putting down a noble’s “daughter” was too enticing to pass up.
After four more years of beatings and abuse, she was called to her father’s room on her eighteenth birthday.
Inside, a short, fat, balding middle-aged man in a ridiculous suit was presenting Willey with an “antique.”
Willey beamed as he introduced her, “Baron Willen, this is my daughter.”
Then, staring at Hilvi clad in her maid outfit, he muttered absentmindedly, “Why are you wearing servant clothes at home again? Someone, get her a proper outfit.”
The man called Baron Willen gave her a lecherous look, and Hilvi realized she was about to be sold to a corpulent man about her father’s age over a fake antique.
“Father, forgive me for speaking out, but this antique seems to be a fake.”
…
The details need not be repeated.
She left the cramped, dark storage room beneath the stairs and truly became the fourth child of the Ashley family.
With her “keen eye,” she began doing business, gradually rising to the very top of the town’s social ladder.
“How is it? Monster girl, a boring and cliché story, isn’t it?”
Hilvi blushed deeply as she recounted her past, while the very culprit of it all listened quietly.
Su Yao had brought plenty of delicious food to promote the new goods in his Dungeon.
But just eating wasn’t enough to satisfy the mood, and she didn’t want to drink that foul-smelling liquid called “wine” again.
So she took out a bottle of ordinary Erguotou from her storage.
The result was the current scene, with Clorel already knocked out by it.
“Miss Hilvi is indeed both strong and clever. But I won’t offer you pity or sympathy — you probably don’t need such words. Whether you’re venting or seeking revenge, if they owe you, you should take it back. If you run into trouble, as a friend, I can help out a little.”
“Is that so? Monster girl, you really get me. If you had said something like ‘poor you’ just now, I definitely would have splashed that wine on you. It’s just so ridiculous—my first friend is actually a talking monster.”
In truth, Su Yao just didn’t know how to comfort people.
Besides, could she really call herself human anymore?
Whether the people of this world had weak alcohol tolerance or the Erguotou was especially strong, the plan for the day seemed to be ruined.
Without receiving payment for the goods, she could only rent a room at the inn where Hilvi stayed.
But when she tried to drag Clorel back to her room, she found herself struggling…
Despite her strength nearing fifteen points, she was still a weak little girl.
Without the help of the old butler, moving Clorel onto the bed alone would probably exhaust her to death.
“All right, Clorel, just this once—don’t make a habit of it.”
Given Clorel’s recent good performance, the boss personally taking care of an employee was acceptable.
That said, seeing her always in that Maid Uniform was cute, but it was starting to feel a little tiring.
Next time they went back to the Dungeon, she would buy her a Magic Girl Battle Suit.
Speaking of which—bunny girl, nurse outfit…
“Ahem, I really need to earn more Gold Coins. Just saving DP with slimes will take forever… Wait!”
The little girl’s lewd thoughts were suddenly interrupted as her maid launched a surprise attack, clutching her tightly like a giant octopus.
“Hey! How am I supposed to sleep like this?”
Su Yao’s eyes were irresistibly drawn to the pale cherry lips so close to her own.
Unlike the fake kiss from the one before her, this one was genuine.
In such an intimate pose, how could she possibly sleep?
“Hey! Are you pretending to be asleep? Let me go!”
But all she got in response was the rhythmic breathing of the chestnut-haired maid.
Looks like until Clorel woke up, Su Yao was going to be used as a human pillow.
She tried to pull her arm free, but no matter how much she struggled, she couldn’t move it.
So big was the difference in their stats—over twenty points!
After a while of futile struggle, Su Yao yawned unconsciously—she was starting to feel sleepy herself.
Aside from everything else, Clorel’s embrace was warm, and the girl didn’t smell of alcohol despite being knocked out by just one drink.
If anything, there was even a faint pleasant scent…
——
The next morning, after accepting Clorel’s flustered and sincere apology, Su Yao returned to Hilvi’s luxurious private room.
“Apologies, Miss Su Yao, Princess Clorel, for yesterday’s misconduct.”
The noble young lady, restored to her usual composure, gave a slight nod.
“It’s alright. I didn’t consider everything carefully. How are you feeling about the new products, Miss Hilvi?”
“I’ll start by purchasing some samples for my restaurant. As for the subsequent procurement plan, we’ll keep it as is, but the quantity can be increased. I want as many as you have.”
The old butler handed Su Yao three heavy bags of Gold Coins.
She was overwhelmed, considering the contract stipulated the goods she brought were worth only about two hundred Gold Coins.
“Did you give me too much?”
“You can think of it as a commission from my guild. But my real intention is to apologize for yesterday’s rudeness. And you’d better forget the nonsense I said.”
A hush payment, then?
But since someone was giving her money, Su Yao had no reason to refuse.
Thank nature— no, thank Miss Hilvi for her generosity.
“Oh, by the way, I heard that a batch of exiled slaves was recently transported from the Capital. Their crimes are quite interesting. If you have time, I recommend you visit the Black Market.”