The sound of Eliana’s footsteps came from behind. She didn’t walk over immediately, but instead paused by the door. Her gaze scanned the room silently before finally landing on Ilus.
Ilus stood stiffly in front of the mirror. The belt of her morning robe was tied crookedly, and the neckline was loose, revealing a large expanse of her neck and collarbone. She could even feel her heart pounding wildly, the blood rushing to her eardrums with a buzzing roar.
‘No, I can’t face Eliana like this. With her level of perception, she’ll notice something’s wrong soon enough. As long as I don’t expose myself, the setting dictates she won’t make her move until my twentieth birthday.’
Thinking of this, Ilus took a deep breath. She turned around as she usually would and gave Eliana a somewhat forced smile.
“Good morning, Eliana.”
“Good morning, Miss.”
Eliana’s voice showed no sign of anything unusual. She held a silver tray in her hands, upon which sat steaming black tea and several pieces of exquisite pastry.
“I have prepared some pre-breakfast tea and snacks for you. Seeing as you did not rest well last night, perhaps you need something to refresh yourself.”
“Thank you…”
Ilus swallowed hard.
“Just leave it on the table over there.”
Eliana placed the tray on the small round table as instructed, but she did not leave immediately. She turned around, her gaze landing on Ilus once more, slowly scanning her from head to toe.
‘What… is she looking at?’ Ilus’s small hands unconsciously gripped the hem of her robe.
“Miss, your morning robe… was tied rather hastily.”
The corners of Eliana’s lips curled into a faint arc as she stepped forward.
“Allow me to tidy it for you.”
“It’s fine, I can do it my—”
Before Ilus could finish, Eliana’s cool fingers had already touched her neckline.
As the fingertips brushed past the skin beneath her collarbone, Ilus shuddered, nearly jumping away.
Eliana, however, seemed not to notice her trembling. With slow, meticulous movements, she rearranged the folds of the morning robe. Then, moving to Ilus’s waist, she untied the messy knot.
Ilus held her breath. She could smell the pleasant, faint fragrance coming from Eliana and feel the other woman’s body heat from such a short distance.
Eliana lowered her head slightly, focusing intently on the belt. Her thick eyelashes cast shadows downward, making her look incredibly earnest.
The vertical pupils Ilus had seen earlier seemed like a dream. At this moment, Eliana’s eyes were the round pupils of a normal human, a deep pale gold that did not make her feel uneasy.
“There, Miss. Oh…?”
Perhaps because Ilus’s body was too tense, when Eliana stood up, her foot happened to get caught on the maid’s.
Eliana stumbled and nearly fell, and Ilus, lacking Eliana’s balance, lost her center of gravity entirely. She pushed Eliana directly onto the bed behind them.
The girl’s gasp caught in her throat as the world spun, and then she sank heavily into a soft expanse.
She was pressed against Eliana, her hands braced on either side of the other’s neck. Her entire body froze.
‘Oh no, am I finished?’
Eliana didn’t push her away immediately, nor did she even move. She simply lay there, her gaze slowly moving from Ilus’s panicked eyes to the neckline that had loosened further as she leaned forward, and finally back to her frantic face. A playful smile tugged at the corners of Eliana’s lips.
“…S-Sorry!”
Ilus snapped back to her senses and scrambled to get up. But the more she hurried, the more mistakes she made. The wide sleeve of her morning robe caught on the lace trim of Eliana’s maid uniform. Just as she pushed herself up, she was pulled sideways by a slight tug and fell back again. This time, her forehead nearly collided with the other woman’s chin.
‘This time, I’m really finished…’
Just as Ilus was about to give in to despair, a very soft chuckle, almost like a sigh, came from below.
“Miss, please get up. If the Head Maid sees us like this, she will surely scold me.”
“Ah… sorry, I’m so sorry…”
Ilus apologized hurriedly, her face flushing bright red.
“It is quite all right, Miss.”
Eliana stood up and straightened her maid uniform. She stepped back, returning to a standard standing posture with her hands folded in front of her skirt.
“Do you have any plans for today, Miss?”
“N-Nothing special.”
Perhaps because the previous situation had been so embarrassing, Ilus’s sense of unease had dissipated quite a bit.
She picked up her teacup with some embarrassment, her tone and expression becoming much more normal.
“I might… read in the study for a while.”
“Would you like me to recommend some light and pleasant reading material?” Eliana asked softly.
“You seem to have been very tense lately. Perhaps you need to relax.”
“No need.”
Ilus took a sip of tea, the rich aroma slightly soothing her nerves.
“I’ll choose something myself.”
‘The reason I’m tense is because of you. If you weren’t here, what would I have to be nervous about?’ the girl grumbled inwardly.
“As you wish.”
Eliana nodded slightly. “Then, I shall go and prepare your outfit for today. Breakfast will be delivered to the study in thirty minutes. Is that acceptable?”
“Yes.”
Eliana bowed once more and turned to leave the room. The moment the door closed, Ilus patted her flushed cheeks. It felt unbelievable—that demon actually hadn’t killed her?!
—
Stepping out into the living room, Eliana happened to encounter the Head Maid and the Butler walking toward her.
“Madam Head Maid, Mr. Butler, what are you doing?”
Noticing the Butler carrying already poured red wine, Eliana asked with curiosity.
“That is none of your concern. Just serve the Miss well,” the Head Maid said somewhat reproachfully.
The Butler, on the other hand, spoke with a smile.
“This is red wine newly produced from the territory. it has a calming effect. We heard the Miss has not been in good spirits these past few days, so we are bringing it to her.”
Hearing this, Eliana raised an eyebrow, and then a smile curled her lips.
“Do not deliver it. Stand in a line for me.”
As she spoke, a flash of purple light flickered in Eliana’s eyes.
Ordinarily, if a lowly maid dared to speak to the Head Maid and the Butler like that, it would basically be a death sentence.
However, the Head Maid and the Butler did not scold her. Instead, they stood in a line, perfectly obedient!
This was Eliana’s hypnosis magic. Facing a demon, humans had no resistance at all. If she wished, she could command the two of them to pick up the steak knives from the tray and plunge them into their own hearts at any moment!
Sitting in the main seat of the living room, Eliana crossed her legs. She picked up the glass of red wine from the tray and took a small, elegant sip.
Feeling the sweetness and clarity in her mouth, she said unhurriedly, “That child does not need red wine. For me, the original, untainted flavor is the most delicious.”
Swirling the wine glass, Eliana looked up toward Ilus’s bedroom, a flash of anticipation in her eyes.
This red wine had completely whetted her appetite. When she helped the Miss change her clothes in a moment, should she take the opportunity to “eat” a little…?