The afternoon sunlight filtered through the misty spray of the fountain, scattering tiny flecks of light on Ailiya’s silver-white short hair.
She lounged casually on the wrought-iron bench.
Her ice-blue eyes looked up at Lady Elsa standing before her, devoid of any fear or respect expected from a subordinate.
Lady Elsa did not get angry at this slightly presumptuous posture.
In this world where strength reigns supreme and the weak are prey, only those with absolute confidence and power could remain so composed before a superior.
And the seemingly delicate maid before her was clearly that kind of person.
“Nothing special. I just happened to be passing by.”
Lady Elsa smiled gently and sat down at the other end of the bench with natural elegance.
“You’ve worked hard taking care of that troublesome brat Leo in the wild these past few days.”
Lady Elsa’s tone was warm, as if chatting with an old friend of many years.
“Earlier in the study, although Leo tried to hide it, I could tell that if it weren’t for you in the mine, he wouldn’t have come back so easily.”
“You flatter me, Madame.”
Ailiya’s voice was flat, as if mentioning something trivial.
“I take a salary from the Kastian Manor and do my duty. It’s just a small effort within my capabilities as head maid.”
“A small effort…”
Lady Elsa repeated the words softly, a meaningful curve forming on her lips.
She turned her head, her gaze sharp as an eagle’s, fixed on Ailiya’s flawless yet ice-cold profile.
“Ailiya.”
Lady Elsa’s voice dropped a notch.
“Do you honestly think the salary our Kastian Manor pays is enough to hire someone whose strength rivals even Lord Balk’s?”
For a moment, the air seemed to freeze at those words.
The fountain’s babble continued, but the atmosphere on the bench grew subtle.
Ailiya did not show any panic or caution at having her background probed to her face.
Her ice-blue eyes did not even blink.
She had long known that, given Lady Elsa’s experience as a former veteran adventurer, the moment she acted, those abilities beyond a normal maid’s scope could not be hidden.
“Madame.”
Ailiya slowly turned her head, meeting Lady Elsa’s sharp gaze without evasion.
“Right now, I am just a manor maid who loves cleaning and enjoys an ordinary life.”
“As for what I can do, it’s merely some little tricks I learned to better handle daily chores and the occasional stubborn stains.”
“As for loyalty…”
Ailiya paused slightly, a glint of absolute rationality flashing in her eyes.
“In this world, the most unreliable thing is never hollow verbal loyalty, but the absolute alignment of interests.”
“As long as the Kastian Manor continues to provide the work environment I need and the corresponding compensation, I may very well remain your most efficient, most worry-free employee.”
Lady Elsa was taken aback for a moment, then stared at Ailiya for a few seconds before letting out a low, extremely pleased chuckle.
“Heh… ‘a few little tricks,’ ‘absolute alignment of interests’—well said!”
“Since you’ve put it that way, I won’t beat around the bush.”
Lady Elsa instantly wiped away her smile, her expression becoming solemn and serious.
From the cuff of her dark green dress, she pulled out a neatly folded piece of yellowed parchment and gently placed it on the stone table between them.
“Ailiya, in half a month, Leo will go to the royal capital to attend Cedric’s coming-of-age ceremony.”
Lady Elsa looked at the parchment, a deep worry flashing in her eyes.
“Although I will accompany him as his mother, in a gathering of nobles, there will be many open and covert attacks that I, in my position, cannot easily block.”
She raised her head, her gaze burning as she fixed it on Ailiya.
“And you, in terms of both strength and wits, are the only perfect candidate I can find.”
Ailiya glanced at the parchment on the table but did not reach for it.
“Madame, this seems to exceed my daily duties as head maid of the manor.”
Ailiya’s tone was flat as she began to negotiate.
“The trouble of this task is far beyond what my current monthly salary can cover.”
“I know.”
Lady Elsa nodded without hesitation.
“That’s why I said this is a transaction based on alignment of interests.”
She pushed the parchment slightly toward Ailiya.
“Open it and take a look.”
Ailiya raised an eyebrow slightly, picked up the rough-textured parchment, and slowly unfolded it.
When she saw the densely marked annotations on the parchment, a rare flicker of emotion appeared on her ever-icy face.
“This is… a resource distribution map of the Extreme Cold Land?”
“If I’m not mistaken, based on the aura you occasionally emit and my early experiences…”
“You have a rare silver frost wolf bloodline.”
“Although it shares many similarities with ordinary white wolf demi-humans, easily confused, I only fully confirmed it recently.”
Lady Elsa looked at Ailiya’s slightly dilated pupils, her tone carrying the confidence of someone who had found a weak spot.
“If a silver frost wolf wants to break through the bloodline limit and undergo awakening, besides heading to the dangerous Northern Extreme Cold Land to seek opportunities, the only option is to return to the mysterious habitat of the silver frost wolves.”
“Even ordinary silver frost wolves don’t easily get a chance for awakening. Some never get one in their lifetime.”
“Although you are of the same clan, you aren’t in the north. You might have wandered to the Kingdom of Roland for some unknown reason.”
Lady Elsa pointed at the parchment in Ailiya’s hand.
“I obtained this by chance from a demi-human ruin during my early travels in the Northern Extreme Cold Land. It records some resource distribution information there.”
“If you agree to be Leo’s personal bodyguard, accompany him to the royal capital, and protect his safety…”
Lady Elsa looked directly into Ailiya’s eyes, throwing out the final heavy bargaining chip.
“Then this map is your advance payment. And while in the royal capital, I will use all my resources and connections, sparing no expense, to help you find the materials needed for your awakening.”
“Is this chip enough to buy the ‘alignment of interests’ for your trip to the royal capital?”
The air fell silent again.
Only the fountain’s water echoed rhythmically between them.
Ailiya stared fixedly at the parchment scroll in her hand, her mind frantically calculating the gains and losses of this deal.
If she could break through to the second order or even higher and complete her bloodline awakening, her strength would undergo a terrifying qualitative change.
Originally, she had planned to leave after the coming-of-age ceremony to seek opportunities in the north.
Staying here would only yield limited improvement in power.
Now, Lady Elsa had handed her the opportunity, even promising to handle the most troublesome material gathering process.
This was practically a hidden quest that fell from the sky.
“Deal.”
Ailiya decisively folded the parchment scroll carefully and tucked it into the inner pocket of her maid uniform.
Her movements were fluid, her agreement swift, without a hint of hesitation.
“Excellent.”
Lady Elsa stood up with satisfaction, smoothing her skirt.
“Then for the next half month, you don’t need to handle the tedious daily cleaning of the manor. Focus on preparing for the trip to the royal capital.”
“Also, that brat Leo has improved a lot recently, but his combat experience is still too poor, and his mentality isn’t steady enough.”
Lady Elsa paused, then asked with sudden interest:
“Ailiya, what do you think of this boy, Leo?”
Ailiya’s ice-blue eyes flickered slightly, but her expression remained unchanged.
She did not answer immediately. Instead, she used her long, slender fingers to gently smooth a wrinkle on her black skirt, as if pondering a very serious academic question.
“If Madame wants to hear flattering words befitting a head maid…”
Ailiya’s voice was as cold as the fountain water.
“Then the young master is a cheerful youth full of vitality, occasionally displaying amazing perseverance and a will to survive.”
“But if Madame is here to hear an objective, truthful evaluation devoid of any personal bias…”
Ailiya turned her head, meeting Lady Elsa’s eyes without evasion, and parted her red lips to utter five sharp, precise words.
“Mediocre but loves to play.”
Hearing this utterly unsparing, scathing assessment, Lady Elsa did not get defensive or angry. Instead, she let out an extremely delighted, unladylike chuckle.
“Hehe… you really hold nothing back, Ailiya.”
Lady Elsa covered her mouth, her shoulders shaking with laughter.
“But you’re spot on. That boy really is a troublesome, reckless half-baked brat.”
She nodded, then, looking in a good mood, clicked her heels and prepared to leave the fountain.
Then she stopped, turned around, and gave Ailiya a meaningful look filled with a mother’s sentiment.
“Although this is a transaction based on interests, I still want to thank you as a mother.”
“If Leo comes to ask you for guidance again…”
Lady Elsa tilted her head slightly, a hint of a smile in her eyes.
“I hope you can train him without holding back. Don’t worry about my feelings.”
“Understood, Madame.”
Ailiya bowed slightly, agreeing without any psychological burden.
Watching Lady Elsa’s retreating figure, Ailiya sat back down on the bench.
She looked at the sparkling water droplets from the fountain, and for a rare moment, her brows furrowed faintly.
“An inexplicable thank-you…”
Ailiya muttered coldly.
She taught that brat mana infusion and beat him up purely because he was too annoying and too weak, seriously affecting her efficiency and mood in farming experience points.
Absolutely not because of any damn concern or care!
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