“Ah!!!”
As Eluse sat up in bed, morning light had replaced the moonlight, softly spilling into the room.
“Whew…”
Exhaling softly and feeling the warm morning sun on her cheeks, Eluse’s heart finally calmed down a bit.
She had woken up from a subtle, indescribable sense of discomfort. Her consciousness felt like it was sinking at the bottom of deep water, slowly floating to the surface.
Sensation was the first thing to return.
As soon as she opened her eyes, the girl felt an odd soreness all over her body. This strange sensation lingered particularly on the nape of her neck, her chest, the side of her waist… and even a certain part that was difficult to mention. It felt as though she had been repeatedly measured and kneaded, and her skin was faintly hot.
Furthermore! Why did her butt hurt so much? Could menstrual cramps really spread all the way there?
Frowning, she rubbed her bleary eyes. Her throat was dry, and her head felt heavy, as if she had spent the entire night in a bizarre, exhausting nightmare. However, the specific details of the dream were like sand slipping through her fingers; she couldn’t grasp even a fragment of it.
She tried to move, but her body felt even more abnormal. Her silk nightgown was wrinkled and tangled around her, the neckline skewed to reveal a large expanse of skin.
The sheets were also a mess, as if they had survived a silent struggle.
“Ugh…”
Eluse propped herself up to climb out of bed. As the blanket slid off, the sudden chill gave her a jolt, making her a bit more alert.
Last night… what exactly happened?
Right, it was Eliana. She seemed to have come over, and then Eluse had lost consciousness. What did she do?
Eluse’s heart hung in suspense again. Why didn’t she have any memory of it? Could Eliana have used hypnosis magic on her? But wasn’t she supposed to be immune to hypnosis?
Just as the girl was completely bewildered, she suddenly remembered something important, and a visible look of tension appeared on her small face.
Right, the Necklace and Potion she bought! Not bothering to think about what Eliana had done to her, Eluse lunged toward the bed.
When her fingertips touched the slightly cold Necklace, Eluse let out a long sigh of relief. Fortunately, these two items weren’t lost.
Now that this problem was solved, the next issue was the strange state of her body. Since Eliana had visited last night and she had lost consciousness, it was easy to conclude, based on her previous two experiences, that the changes to her body were Eliana’s doing.
Meaning, she had been thoroughly taken advantage of while she was unconscious?
Thinking of this, a trace of annoyance surfaced in Eluse’s heart.
‘The “little sister” hasn’t graduated, right? It would be bad if the “younger brother” from my past life dropped out without a Graduation ceremony, only for the “little sister” to finish first.’
Eluse wanted to check, but her hand stopped abruptly when it reached her lower abdomen.
‘Oh my goodness, what am I thinking?!’
The girl’s face turned bright red. She raised her hands to cover her face; even now, she needed to mentally prepare herself before looking directly there.
Novels and manga always said that if someone “graduated,” they would definitely feel uncomfortable, but she didn’t feel any pain there. Eliana probably hadn’t touched that area.
Wait… where was that girl Eliana? Normally, she would have walked in by now with hot tea, smiling as she bid Eluse good morning. Why hadn’t she appeared today?
This unusual change made Eluse grow more alert.
‘Could it be another demon trick?’
Just as her doubts grew and she prepared to cautiously open the door, Hida suddenly pushed it open and walked in. She held a tray of hot tea, and her face carried a slightly hurried expression.
When she saw Eluse, the maid’s small face also turned red.
“Miss, your nightgown…”
Reminded by Hida, Eluse finally noticed her dishevelment. Her nightgown was wrinkled and bunched up at her thighs, and her exposed fair skin was quite dazzling.
Eluse hurriedly pulled her nightgown into place, the tips of her ears turning red.
“Hida… have you seen Eliana? Why are you the one delivering tea today? Where is she?”
The series of questions thrown out in quick succession left the little girl holding the tea dazed. After putting down the hot tea, she finally spoke.
“You don’t know yet, Miss? Eliana seems to have come down with a high fever today. She — “
“Impossible.”
Before Hida could finish, Eluse interrupted her.
The girl’s face was full of disbelief.
How could Eliana get sick with a fever? She was a demon! Could it be that a demon who hadn’t recovered their strength was similar to an ordinary person?
Then again, there was no guarantee this wasn’t another one of her little tricks, just waiting for Eluse to step into it herself.
“Miss, what’s wrong?”
Hida looked at Eluse with a curious expression.
“No… it’s nothing. Don’t worry about it.”
“Would you like to come see Eliana with me in a bit, Miss? I have to bring her medicine soon.”
“I’ll just…”
Eluse really wanted to refuse, but then she had a second thought. Wasn’t this the perfect opportunity to drug that bastard demon Eliana?
She immediately nodded and said curtly, “Let’s go, Hida. We’ll go together.”
Hida didn’t notice the sudden sparkle in her lady’s eyes or the subtle change in her tone. She simply complied obediently, tidied Eluse’s dress, and followed her out the door.
Eliana’s room was at the end of the hallway on the first floor. It was slightly larger than the servants’ quarters but still modest.
As they neared the room, Eluse took the medicine from Hida’s hands.
“Hida, you go take care of other things. I’ll bring it to her.”
“Miss, this…”
A conflicted look appeared on Hida’s face. This wasn’t according to the rules.
As if guessing her concerns, Eluse patted her own chest. “Don’t worry. If anyone asks, tell them it was my order.”
“I understand, Miss.”
Hida nodded. As she watched Eluse’s retreating back, her eyes were full of envy.
The lady was actually going to personally deliver medicine to Eliana. She was so jealous.
If Eluse could have heard the little girl’s thoughts, she would have been speechless. After all, she had an ulterior motive.
The girl gently pushed the door open.
The light inside the room was dim, the curtains were drawn, and a slightly humid, warm atmosphere — quite different from the usual — filled the air.
Eliana lay on the narrow bed, covered by a thin quilt. Her long black hair, usually combed neatly, was now scattered across the pillow. A few strands of sweat-soaked hair clung to her cheeks and neck, which were flushed with an abnormal redness.
Her breathing was slightly heavy, and her brow was furrowed. She looked quite miserable.
She really did… look sick.
Standing at the door, Eluse hesitated for a moment. Could a demon really… be in such a weakened state? Or was this another carefully arranged trap, just waiting for her to go soft and approach?
“Is it… Miss? Miss, why are you here?”
Eliana forced herself to sit up, her voice full of surprise.
“I heard you were sick, so of course I came to see you.”
Eluse handed over the medicine, into which she had mixed the Potion.
“Here, drink it.”
As she handed the bowl over, Eluse was nervous. The other party was a demon, after all. What if she noticed? Yet, to her surprise, Eliana took the bowl without hesitation and drank it all.
Did the plan… succeed?