The air froze for a moment, and then…
Tia’s blue eyes widened slightly in shock.
Her long eyelashes fluttered, and a look of pure incomprehension and confusion appeared on her face, as if she were hearing the word for the first time in relation to the scene.
“A Witch? What are you talking about?”
Her voice carried a perfect sense of bewilderment, and her fingertips unconsciously pinched the corner of her skirt.
‘Acting!’
‘If I want to make Mephia believe I have nothing to do with the Witch, I have to rely on my acting!’
Mephia’s grayish-blue eyes were as sharp as needles, locking onto every flicker of Tia’s expression, not missing a single flaw.
“You didn’t know?”
Tia knitted her brows slightly, appearing to think hard. Then, as if suddenly grasping a possibility, her eyes lit up, shifting into a delayed realization.
“Are you saying that those two men… weren’t actually killed by them? That a Witch happened to pass by and saved them?”
Her words held a speculative tone, her voice quickening slightly at this “new discovery.”
Then, it faded into a hint of regret and apology as she softly lowered her head.
“I’m sorry, Lady Mephia. By the time I arrived, those two were already like that. As for the truth behind the whole matter… I actually learned it from the sisters’ own mouths.”
“Perhaps I’m no different from that Inquisitor Raymond, Lady Mephia. If you wish to blame me… I’m listening.”
Like a little girl who had made a mistake and caused trouble, Tia bit her lip.
A heart-wrenching flush of red rimmed her eyes.
At this moment, no one would doubt the truth of her words.
Mephia stared at her for a while, her sharp gaze seemingly trying to pierce through her.
However, Tia’s expression remained constant—a mix of lingering fear, confusion, and a slight touch of annoyance.
No matter how one looked at it, there were no flaws.
She truly didn’t know the truth.
A few seconds later, Mephia withdrew her oppressive scrutiny and said indifferently, “It’s fine.”
Afterward, she walked back into the room.
Seeing this, Tia let out a soft sigh of relief in her heart, though she quickly swallowed it back down.
Because Viola came out behind Mephia.
Tia originally wanted to stay here and eavesdrop on their conversation, but Mephia gave her a single look.
Tia pouted her small lips and returned to her room alone.
Fortunately, Viola’s performance exceeded Tia’s expectations.
Lily was her biological sister.
For her sister’s safety, even though Mephia keenly noticed she was lying, Viola continued to feign ignorance.
She insisted that she was the one who had killed the two thugs.
After a long time, Mephia looked at the girl before her.
Viola was biting her lip, her eyes filled with fear even as she told her lies.
Mephia sighed and let her go.
The moment Viola returned to the room, Tia knew they had passed!
But…
***
Outside, the voice of the Familiar, Elsa, sounded in Mephia’s ear.
“Since you want to know the truth, just use torture. If that doesn’t work, use Magic to extract their memories. They’re just commoners that no one cares about anyway.”
As soon as the words fell, Elsa screamed in the next second.
After tormenting her Familiar for a bit, Mephia leaned against the wooden wall and said softly, “Are you a Familiar or a demon? Although I’ve killed many people, I still have a bit of a conscience. Besides, it’s not like I gained nothing.”
At this point, the corners of her mouth curled slightly.
“What does it matter if they don’t tell the truth? I only need to know they are related to Celeste. As for the rest, I’ll just leave it to time.”
Since Witches were sinister and cunning, there must be a purpose for her intervening to save the Viola sisters.
At the very least, it meant there was some kind of connection between them.
Mephia believed the Witch wouldn’t do anything that didn’t involve some benefit.
Therefore, what she needed to do next was wait for her prey to walk into the trap.
And even if she couldn’t catch her that way, it didn’t matter.
After all, that Witch’s most important Witch Gem was still in her hands.
For that gem, she would probably gamble everything, wouldn’t she?
As if thinking of something, Mephia couldn’t help but let out a cold laugh.
“Hmm? Master’s smile is so scary. If that Witch falls into your hands, she’ll probably lose her virginity on the first day, won’t she? Ah—!”
After pinching the Familiar twice with Magic Power, Mephia took one last glance at the room and stepped away.
“Interrogating the Witch isn’t the most important thing. Don’t forget, our purpose for coming to Hela City this time isn’t to catch a Witch, but to investigate evidence of the Earl’s treason.”
***
Inside the room, after Mephia left, Viola completely let go of the worry in her heart.
“Thank you, My Lady!”
That small face, which looked somewhat sallow due to long-term malnutrition, now revealed a genuine smile from the bottom of her heart.
Behind Viola, Lily also looked at Tia with grateful eyes.
If the previous Witch had saved them from the thugs, then the Earl’s daughter before them had saved them from a life of hardship.
Their gratitude toward Tia could no longer be expressed in words.
“My Lady? Just call me Tia. From now on, you will be the maids of the Earl Harris Manor. As for your debts, I will find a way to settle them.”
Viola seemed to want to say something, but Tia stepped forward and pressed her index finger against the girl’s lips, stopping her words.
“Don’t say you don’t need it. I am your mistress; this is what I should do.”
Tilting her head, Tia smiled at Viola.
The latter covered her mouth and nodded heavily with tears in her eyes.
Only those who had truly experienced the hardships of these past years knew how much happiness those light words from the Earl’s daughter brought them.
***
Since Viola and Lily were both becoming maids for the Earl Harris Manor—and even personal maids for Tia, the Earl’s daughter—they moved from the slums to the manor.
This included Viola’s gravely ill mother.
Once the mother learned of this, she forced herself to stay upright and constantly thanked Tia.
It wasn’t until Tia took the initiative to leave that she finally stopped.
The butler in the manor told Earl Harris about the matter.
The Earl came by to take a look and tacitly accepted Tia’s actions.
However, the Etiquette Tutor was quite indignant when she found out.
“Personal maids? Hmph, they are likely taking advantage of your kindness! For people like that, I must find a way to drive them out!”
“Tutor…”
Lifting her skirt, Tia reached out to stop her, but the tutor’s mind was made up.
“You don’t need to say anything more. I know your personality perfectly. Just leave them to me. Go and rest. In a few days, you’ll find out if they truly want to be your personal maids!”
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