“You’re making a bit too much noise, aren’t you?”
“If I don’t do this, it wouldn’t seem appropriate. Besides, the lady was just attacked yesterday. Staging an assault to cause some chaos makes sense. Also, the villa’s power network has been damaged, so it’ll take some time to restore the lighting and surveillance.”
Flora glanced at the special ornament in the corner and carefully sensed her surroundings.
There really was no feeling of being watched in the room, and she couldn’t help but admire Linca’s skill at handling things once again.
“Well, I won’t stray too far. This is the second floor, right? I suppose I’ll hide in the dining room…”
“Hide wherever you want. It’s up to you. I’m leaving this to you. I’m going to find the lady now; it’ll look more natural that way.”
After a brief explanation, Linca handed Flora a maid uniform and hurried off toward the end of the corridor.
Without hesitation, Flora moved away from the door and kept an eye on her surroundings.
Chaotic footsteps echoed from all directions.
Following their plan, she directly cast a healing spell to affect the bells on her ankles.
But no sooner had she done this than she felt a cold, dark gaze falling on her from afar.
That familiar feeling immediately told Flora who was watching her.
“Damn…”
She’d been detected.
There was no time to hesitate.
Gritting her teeth, Flora immediately amplified the effect of her magic to its maximum.
Sensing the approaching breath losing its target, she seized the chance and without a second thought pushed open a door along the corridor and slipped inside.
She crouched down, tightly gripping her ankle, quickly calming her nerves while maintaining a stable shield against the surveillance magic.
“Conceal form, swift dressing.”
Whispering the incantation, she lowered her presence and instantly changed her appearance into an inconspicuous little maid.
Flora rolled up the discarded nightgown and, feeling her way in the dark, stuffed it under the bed of the room she had entered.
[The study is at the end of the corridor. If I don’t go near it, there shouldn’t be a problem. That feeling just now means Moliyaer isn’t in the villa. I’ll hide here for a few minutes, then, as planned, wait in the dining room for Linca to find me.]
Muttering her plan silently, Flora couldn’t help but curse whoever had forced her into this situation.
[Moliyaer, you’re really sick. The moment there’s any movement, you notice me right away? You’ve been watching me all along, haven’t you?]
A chilling thought.
This woman didn’t even plan to rest properly?
Flora had to admit that her childhood friend truly cared about her current self, but compared to before, the suffocating feeling was stronger than the oppressive one, making it hard to judge.
Like earlier today, when she actually bit her—that was utterly inexplicable.
Flora had only used a metaphor to mock her, and Moliyaer actually bit her?
[I’ll eat anyone!]
In the past, this girl would never have done such a thing.
The terrible quirks of the nobility were simply too avant-garde—the desire to dominate men transformed into women?
How could such a taste arise!
Puzzled and cursing, she listened to the frantic footsteps outside coming and going, then heard a maid calling out that she had gone missing.
Flora’s hands began to tremble; she was too tense.
The escape, carried out out of concern to prevent Linca from being punished, was having a terrible effect on her situation.
When she had confronted Moliyaer directly earlier, the punishment she received was almost being forced down and dealt with.
So if she chose to run, what would happen to her?
It seemed she hadn’t considered this before making her decision.
Flora clenched her fists and forced herself to calm down.
No, she wasn’t nervous.
She was excited, curious about the consequences.
It was a strange, self-destructive mindset but also the strongest way to express her attitude—not letting them have their way.
If that’s the case, and Linca said she could handle things herself, then why not take advantage of the chaos and familiarize herself with the villa’s layout?
Or maybe find Elka…
She still couldn’t forget her concern for the Elf lady’s situation.
Listening to the commotion outside and lost in chaotic thoughts, Flora swallowed hard, unable to make up her mind.
She looked at the bracelet in her hand and hesitated over when exactly to end the spell.
“Who’s there?”
“?!”
Another hostile presence locked onto her, and Flora’s hair stood on end.
Thinking through her next move, she looked at the source of the voice in disbelief.
For some reason, moonlight streamed into the room just as she looked up, falling on the only bed with a thin blanket.
The room, previously devoid of any aura, now held a clear sense of presence—a golden-haired Elf girl wearing a nightgown so thin her underclothes were visible, lying on her side and shooting her a displeased and confused glare.
“Was there an attack? Or something else? Moliyaer’s maid combat skills aren’t low. Are you cooperating as part of a plan?”
“Are you alright?”
Flora spoke instinctively, her voice hoarse from tension and excitement.
Elka was actually here in the room, not far from her—a truly unexpected discovery.
Flora felt a wave of relief.
[It seems Moliyaer doesn’t intend to harm her, just to warn me.]
“I can’t be in trouble… Strange, was Flora let loose? Wait, why did the surveillance magic fail? That’s impossible!”
Not recognizing Flora and misled by the outfit, Elka heard Flora’s words of concern and immediately interpreted them differently in her mind.
She stood up at once.
She knew there was an operation tonight.
Moliyaer had ordered Linca to let Flora escape, to see what tricks she had up her sleeve and to satisfy this noble lady’s twisted whims.
That was fine.
Elka had full confidence in the surveillance magic she herself had placed—catching Flora again would be easy.
Moliyaer had designed this plan to increase Elka’s trust with Flora, preparing a pitiful act of being interrogated after waking up.
But Flora had a backup plan, and Moliyaer’s gamble had gone awry.
Elka panicked immediately.
“Where is Moliyaer now?”
Elka looked at Flora, who was stunned by the question.
Seeing no reaction, she sharply waved her hand, opened the door, and quickly left the room.
She had to meet with Moliyaer right away to discuss this.
Flora’s body had been transformed by a Forbidden Technique and still hadn’t fully erased the spell’s residue.
If discovered by her kin, who knew what kind of serious trouble she’d face.
No one knew better than Flora how terrifying her growth potential was.
Without restriction or control, it was like releasing a tiger.
“What does that mean…”
Flora muttered as she stared at the door.
Elka’s attitude was not at all what someone concerned for her would show.
[If I really listen to her and run away, then… ah? No way… that can’t be… it can’t!]
If she still couldn’t see through the scheme or connect the dots behind all this, then she truly was a fool.
“Hah…”
A faint sigh escaped her lips, and she pressed her hand over her mouth to keep herself from losing composure.
She cast her magic and changed clothes again.
She no longer needed the maid uniform and boldly went out in her nightgown.
After all, she didn’t need to look after the person she had thought she had to worry about anymore.
She just had to keep her promise with Linca, and this doomed escape attempt could finally be declared over.
Before the power network was restored, Flora left the room she had mistakenly entered.
Following Linca’s brief introduction to the villa’s layout, she avoided the seemingly relaxed maids, returned the maid uniform to the storage cabinet, and stepped into the dining room.
She took a piece of cake from the refrigerator and, before the fifteen-minute limit expired, removed the shield blocking the surveillance magic.
Sitting carefully on a chair, she began eating the cake, waiting for the person who had painstakingly planned this farce for her to unexpectedly discover her presence.