Chapter 12: Where Did Eliana Go?

Eluce’s breath hitched for a moment. Was she… was she really going to take that step? This… this…

Just as Eluce was falling into a panic, Eliana let out a light chuckle. She sat up, withdrawing her hand at the same time.

“Master, although I really want to devour you right now, unfortunately, it is not yet time. It is time for you to wake up now.”

After getting dressed, the maid smiled.

With a snap of her fingers, the purple light in Eliana’s eyes vanished without a trace, and Eluce knew it was time to regain consciousness.

She pretended to shake her head in a daze, then looked up at Eliana.

“Does my lady need me to prepare some tea to soothe the pain?”

Eluce glanced at the book on the nearby table and then gave a small nod.

While the demon was away, she needed to hurry and gather more information. Now, Eliana, that demon, basically treated her as a toy. Whenever she wanted to play, she would just use hypnosis.

During the previous hypnosis, she had done such shameful things to her, and this time she actually did it again. They were both girls!

How… how could this be? Memories of novels and manga she had accidentally flipped through in her Previous Life involuntarily surfaced in her mind. Eluce’s face turned red, and her hand subconsciously pressed against her lower abdomen.

The pain in her abdomen had lessened considerably. The silk nightgown was smooth and slightly cool, without any residual warmth or traces of being rubbed.

It was as if everything that had just happened was merely a nightmare that was far too realistic and shameful.

However, the faint, itching sensation remaining on the side of her neck — as if bitten by soft lips — the hot breath that seemed to still linger around her ear, and the strange, annoying feeling of being stirred deep within her body all clearly told her that it had not been a dream.

‘Damn it, Eluce, you have to stay sharp! Put those unrealistic fantasies away!’

The young girl lightly patted her cheeks. Her pretty face was already so red it looked like it could drip blood because she had actually just had some nonsensical thoughts.

‘That kind of thought is simply impossible!’ Eliana viewed her as a gourmet delicacy. Who would fall in love with the person who was about to eat them? She did not have Hostage Syndrome.

Taking a deep breath, Eluce shook her head vigorously, as if to shake away all those stray thoughts.

Right, what she needed to do now was open the book and gather useful information!

The girl struggled to move toward the Ancient Tome she had brought from the Library. It took her a great deal of effort just to reach it.

However, when she opened the heavy book, Eluce’s expression changed abruptly.

This… The girl’s expression was incredibly solemn because the content of the book contained settings that had not been in the previous game!

If a demon killed a human, their power would increase!

Eliana… she couldn’t have actually killed someone already, could she? At that thought, Eluce’s breathing became a bit hurried.

A demon’s power growth required sacrifices, and Eliana had deliberately set aside her demonic pride to become a maid in the Duke’s mansion for more than just those ambiguous and terrifying teasings.

If she was Eliana’s main course, then the other people in the Duke’s mansion were her appetizers!

A chill ran up her spine. Looking at the description in the book, Eliana must have already killed someone. Otherwise, her hypnosis magic couldn’t have made everyone else in the Duke’s mansion besides her so obedient!

She… she had to warn the others to stay as far away from Eliana as possible!

Just as Eluce’s cold fingers brushed over that line of cruel text, the sound of light, rhythmic footsteps approaching from outside reached her ears.

It was Eliana.

Eluce’s heart skipped a beat, nearly jumping out of her throat. Enduring the discomfort in her abdomen, she closed the heavy Ancient Tome as fast as she could and stuffed it back into its original position by the pillow. She then quickly slid back under the covers, closed her eyes, and adjusted her breathing, pretending to still be weak and unwell.

The door was pushed open silently.

“My lady, I have placed the black tea I brewed for you beside you.”

To Eluce’s surprise, the person who came in was not Eliana, but Heda?

A look of confusion flashed across the girl’s face. Why was Heda the one delivering it? Hadn’t Eliana just said she would be the one?

Moreover, logically speaking, it was impossible for Eliana to miss the chance to be alone with her.

A sudden sense of foreboding clouded her heart. Eluce stared at Heda’s face and asked.

“Heda, where is Eliana?”

“Eliana has other matters to attend to, so she asked me to help her bring the tea.”

A subtle expression flashed across Heda’s face. Although Eluce could not determine exactly what was happening, the sense of unease in her heart grew stronger.

Eliana… she couldn’t have taken this chance to go out and kill someone, could she?!

Perhaps because the information she had just received was too shocking, this was Eluce’s first reaction.

No, if that was really the case, she — she had to go stop her.

At this thought, Eluce could no longer maintain her facade of calm.

She threw back the covers and, ignoring Heda’s surprised gaze and the dull pain in her abdomen, jumped out of bed barefoot.

“My lady?! You cannot get out of bed yet!”

Heda hurriedly set down the tray, wanting to support her.

“Heda, tell me where Eliana went.”

Eluce grabbed the maid’s arm tightly, her voice trembling slightly with urgency.

Heda’s eyes dodged for a moment. This slight hesitation was keenly captured by Eluce.

“She… she went to the Storeroom in the backyard to get some spices for the kitchen…”

Heda’s voice was very soft, carrying a trace of imperceptible stiffness.

The Storeroom? That place was in the most remote corner of the Duke’s mansion, a place almost no one set foot in. Wouldn’t that be the perfect place for a murder?!

“Take me there immediately!”

Eluce’s tone carried an unquestionable command.

“But my lady, your body — “

“Go now!”

Seeing the rare determination on Eluce’s pale face, Heda bit her lip and finally nodded.

She quickly fetched a thick cloak to wrap around Eluce’s thin nightgown and supported her as they walked toward the dark back corridor.

The light in the corridor grew dimmer. Wall lamps hung there, casting swaying, ghostly shadows. The surroundings were terrifyingly quiet; even the normally noisy chirping of insects had disappeared.

Eluce’s expression was solemn. This was indeed the perfect scene for a crime.

Just then, the sound of liquid dripping onto the floor came faintly from ahead. Could it be that Eliana had already succeeded?

At this moment, Eluce hesitated a little. If she walked in on Eliana committing a murder, would she…

At that thought, the girl’s steps gradually slowed down. Perhaps… looking the other way was also an option?

But — but that was a human life. She…

While the girl was still hesitating to the extreme, Heda had already pushed open the wooden door. When she saw the scene before her, the conflicted look on Eluce’s face vanished without a trace, replaced instead by a look of utter astonishment.

This… what was the situation?