“The Butler reported to me this afternoon.”
Seated at the head of the table, Madame Elsa cut a small piece of beef, nodding in satisfaction as she looked at Ailiya with a smile.
“He said you cleaned the fountain in the courtyard all by yourself, even clearing away every last bit of moss from the statue bases.”
“It was only your first day on the job, yet you did such an outstanding job. I’m honestly quite surprised.”
Her eyes held a hint of deliberate warmth. “We are truly fortunate to have hired you.”
“It was merely my duty,” Ailiya replied briefly, her tone as level as ever.
“Don’t be too modest.” Madame Elsa smiled and gave a gentle wave of her hand.
She continued, seizing the momentum. “The Kastian manor — though it may not compare to the estates of the Great Dukes in the Royal Capital — will certainly not provide poor treatment.”
“As long as you work here with peace of mind… in the future, I can leave the affairs of the manor, large and small, to you, and it will save me a great deal of worry.”
Ailiya understood clearly; between the lines, she was being fed empty promises.
“Well then, let everyone start.”
Madame Elsa gently set down her teacup, breaking the slightly subtle silence of the dining room.
“There are not so many rules tonight. Ailiya, since you have taken over as the Head Maid, this will be your home from now on. Don’t be too restrained.”
“Thank you, Madame.” Ailiya lowered her head slightly and picked up her cutlery.
She was actually more interested in the rich food on the table; after all, following an entire afternoon of physical labor cleaning the fountain, the stamina points on her panel had indeed dropped quite a bit, and she urgently needed replenishment now.
Dinner officially began.
The crisp sound of clashing silverware echoed through the room as the Butler skillfully poured wine and juice for everyone.
The light in the hall was soft, and the candelabras on the long table flickered with a warm yellow glow, making the atmosphere appear harmonious.
Ailiya cut a small piece of grilled steak and put it in her mouth. It was charred on the outside, tender on the inside, and full of juice. The taste was indeed quite good.
She began to focus on the food on her plate, her movements elegant, efficient, and devoid of any unnecessary chatter.
However, there was one person at the table whose mind was not on the meal at all.
Leo demonstrated a sudden, rapid improvement in his gentlemanly demeanor tonight.
Not only did he sit perfectly upright, but his movements while cutting his steak were deliberately slowed by half a beat, and his gaze drifted toward Ailiya from time to time.
“Ailiya… ahem, Head Maid, try these shredded potatoes with green peppers.” Leo scooped a bit of the side dish with a spoon and eagerly placed it on the small plate in front of Ailiya.
“Chef Carter must have outperformed himself today; these potato shreds are cut like a work of art.”
Standing to the side while serving the dishes, Anna could not help but feel her mouth twitch upon hearing this.
She leaned down slightly and reminded him in a low voice, “Young Master, this side dish… was cut by Miss Ailiya herself this afternoon.”
“No wonder…” Leo coughed dryly, frantically trying to recover.
“I was wondering how a rough man like Carter could cut such perfect potato shreds. As expected of Ailiya, even your vegetable cutting is so… so skillful.”
Watching her son’s pathetic display, Madame Elsa shook her head helplessly.
Leo picked up his juice glass and flashed Ailiya a smile that could be described as radiant. “Ailiya is not only beautiful, but she’s also efficient in her work.”
“I saw it with my own eyes this afternoon. That cleaning speed was almost as if some incredible magic was used, right, Master Ian?”
Ian felt extremely helpless as he reached up to push the black-framed glasses on the bridge of his nose. “…Yes, the Young Master observes very closely.”
Ailiya raised her ice-blue eyes and glanced at Leo indifferently, just about to speak…
“Oh, please don’t be so modest.”
Leo set down his glass and leaned forward slightly, his eyes sparkling with excitement.
“Actually, I am very interested in the practical application of magic. Since Miss Ailiya is so formidable, I wonder if you have time tomorrow to give a beginner like me some guidance? How about a small sparring match at the training ground in the back garden?”
As if unaware of the subtle atmosphere, Leo continued to praise her exaggeratingly, “In all my life, it’s the first time I’ve seen someone use a basic general magic like Mana Infusion so exquisitely.”
“Even Master Ian, who teaches me, said your control over Mana Infusion is astonishing and that he even wants to compete with you.”
Hearing this, Ian almost choked to death on a mouthful of red wine.
He hurriedly covered his mouth and coughed twice, trying to hide his embarrassment.
“Don’t talk nonsense, Young Master. I have no such thoughts.”
He had indeed praised Ailiya for achieving precise control and Chantless Casting, but he had no intention of bullying a maid.
This little ancestor was clearly embellishing the truth.
“The Young Master overestimates me. It was just a few crude tricks for daily life,” Ailiya said.
Looking at Leo’s face, which bore a smile that was almost fawning, Ailiya had already guessed that this mischievous brat was up to no good.
“Oh, how can you call them crude tricks?”
Leo suddenly slapped the table, his posture even more excited than Ailiya herself.
“This is clearly genius-level creativity. To tell you the truth, I’ve recently encountered one minor bottleneck in my magic studies…”
At this point, Leo paused, looking at Ailiya with an expression of distress and a humble desire to learn.
“Since Head Maid Ailiya has such insights into mana control, why don’t we… have a sparring exchange when you’re free?”
The hidden dagger was finally revealed; Leo had finally thrown out the true purpose he had been setting up for so long.
As long as he could use the excuse of an exchange or sparring, he could openly lure this woman, who always looked at him with cold eyes, into the traps he had prepared in advance.
When the time came, whether it was a door-trap Water Ball, a Shadow Smoke Bomb that would make her cough repeatedly, or a slightly difficult Fireball Art, he would have it all arranged for her.
Just thinking about that embarrassing scene made Leo almost laugh out loud at the dinner table.
Madame Elsa’s expression darkened, and she was just about to knock on the table to scold her son for causing trouble when Ailiya’s calm voice spoke first.
“I accept.”
Just two words, crisp and straightforward.
Leo’s eyes lit up, and he nearly jumped out of his chair. “Excellent! Then it’s settled! See you tomorrow afternoon at the training ground. Be there or be square!”
“Leo!” Madame Elsa looked at her son with displeasure. “Ailiya has a lot of work to do. How can she have time to play with you? Master Ian is your magic tutor.”
“It’s quite alright, Madame.” Ailiya set down her cutlery and picked up her napkin to gently wipe the corner of her mouth.
In those eyes that were always cold, a trace of an unnoticeable smile flickered for a brief moment.
“Since Young Master Leo is so eager to learn, as the Head Maid, it is only right that I satisfy his request.”
She had no reason to refuse someone who was rushing to deliver actual combat experience points to her.
Furthermore, by taking this opportunity to let this arrogant Young Master understand the gap in martial power between them, she could save herself a lot of trouble in the manor in the future.
“You see, Mother, Miss Ailiya agreed herself.” Leo raised his chin triumphantly, as if he could already see the satisfying scene of himself using a perfect chain of traps to ensnare this cold demi-human woman and force her to bow her head in defeat.
Sitting across from him, Ian sighed silently and made a sign of the cross over his chest.
He knew all too well where Leo’s ignorant confidence came from.
Although Ian had not yet seen the new Head Maid’s true strength, recalling her ability while cleaning the fountain and that faint sense of sharpness about her, he was certain that she would have absolutely no problem dealing with a boy who couldn’t even squeeze out a Fireball Art.
Ian had a strong premonition that this Young Master, who was still gloating, was likely about to use his own body to experience the harshness of the world once again.
However… what did that have to do with a poor student like him, who only thought about how to scrounge up next semester’s tuition every day?
Perhaps it did; if Leo learned his lesson, his teaching progress might improve by leaps and bounds.
When that happened, he might even receive an extra bonus.
‘Go for it, Miss Ailiya.’
In his heart, Ian began a mode of devout prayer, his eyes filled with a certain schadenfreude-filled expectation. ‘Please, by all means, teach this boy a lesson. Don’t hold back.’