Inside the room, Illus sat on her bed, her small hand clutching her forehead. She looked utterly traumatized.
‘Why on earth did Eliana do that just now?’ She couldn’t figure out a reason. Previously, Eliana had turned into a mysterious figure to attack her at night because Illus had disrupted her plans.
However, ever since they returned from the tea party, Eliana had directly hypnotized her. Yet, she hadn’t actually done anything out of line.
‘Why… why is any of this happening? What exactly is Eliana’s goal in doing these things?’
Illus was completely baffled. She would never have imagined that Eliana only made her do those things to make her “more delicious.”
Illus soon gave up on investigating Eliana’s motives. After all, that bastard was a demon. Did demons even need motives for what they did?
The young girl lay back on the bed and pulled up the covers, trying her best not to recall what had just happened. She didn’t want to dream about that bastard demon, Eliana, tonight.
She was already exhausted. Regardless, Eliana had already visited once. At the very least, she didn’t need to be on edge for the rest of the night and could finally get some good sleep.
The girl curled up under the blankets as fatigue washed over her, and she quickly drifted off into dreamland.
Even in her dreams, she did not sleep peacefully. She constantly felt as if Eliana’s hands were still caressing and toyed with various parts of her body, causing her breathing to quicken involuntarily…
When Illus woke up drenched in sweat, her head was still a bit groggy. It felt as if she hadn’t truly slept the night before, but had instead floated through a long, weary, shallow dream. In that dream, she was still being pinned down and ravaged at will by Eliana.
She sat up and rubbed her eyes. Although the demon had given her a massage to help her relax, the lingering fatigue from last night’s “exercise” seemed to remain in every bone and muscle of her body.
The wound on her shoulder had already begun to scab over. After a quick glance, Illus pulled her clothes tight to cover it completely. She shook her head, attempting to dispel the chaotic thoughts cluttering her mind, and climbed out of bed.
Time was running out. She had to speed up her investigation into the demon Eliana.
After getting up and washing, Illus walked over to the large floor-to-ceiling mirror in the room. The girl in the mirror was undoubtedly a natural beauty—provided one ignored the dark circles under her eyes.
During this period, Illus had been living in constant fear, and her entire being looked quite haggard. Even the stubborn, upright cowlick on her head had vanished without a trace.
‘Eliana is such a pest!’ Illus let out a yawn, her movements soft and sluggish.
She put her clothes back on and glanced at the ancient-looking clock hanging on the wall, a puzzled expression crossing her face.
Something was wrong. Usually, a maid would have come by this time to urge her to get up for breakfast, but… why was there still no one? This unusual absence caused her heart to tighten slightly.
She stood before the door, hesitating. ‘Is it possible that I’ll see a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood the moment I open the door?’
‘That shouldn’t be the case, right?’ She shook her head helplessly, mocking herself slightly in her mind.
‘Damn it, why do I have such a vivid imagination? It’s probably nothing.’
Just as Illus placed her hand on the handle and prepared to push the door open, a sudden knock sounded, making her entire body tremble.
“Lady Illus, it’s Sylda. Are you awake?”
‘Oh, it’s just Sylda. She gave me a fright.’ Illus exhaled softly. However, why was Sylda the one coming to check on her today?
Normally, shouldn’t it be Eliana? She was usually more than eager to meet with her as early as possible.
Though her heart was full of doubt, Illus steadied her emotions and spoke.
“Sylda, please come in.”
The door was pushed open gently, and Sylda walked in carrying a silver tray. On it was an exquisite breakfast and steaming black tea.
Her expression was normal, and she had a slight smile on her face. She seemed to be in a very good mood.
“Good morning, Lady Illus.”
Sylda placed the tray on the small round table, her movements slightly faster than usual.
“Good morning, Sylda.”
Illus observed her expression.
“Why is it you today? Where is Eliana?”
Upon hearing this, Sylda’s movements paused for a moment. She then couldn’t help but smile as she spoke.
“Lady Illus, today is the day of the Maid Assessment. Except for a few maids, everyone in the manor has to participate.”
“Oh — I see.”
Illus nodded. No wonder the girl’s lips were twitching with a suppressed smile when she entered; not having to take an exam was certainly a pleasant feeling.
“Lady, do you have any arrangements for today?”
“My arrangements — “
Illus seemed to think of something, and the corners of her lips curled into an upward arc.
That was right. She also had urgent business today. She had to prepare quickly. With Eliana not in the manor, this was a golden opportunity.
“I have very important matters to attend to as well.”
Illus sat at the round table and took a small sip of her black tea, her tone appearing very casual.
Sylda nodded upon hearing this.
“Lady, would you like me to accompany you?”
“That won’t be necessary.”
Illus set down her teacup.
“I’ll go by myself. You stay behind and look after the room. I’d like some peace and quiet anyway.”
“I understand, Lady Illus.”
***
After Sylda left, Illus finished dressing and quietly made her way downstairs.
Her destination was Eliana’s room. Her intuition told her that she would surely find some clues there. Perhaps she could even uncover the reason why the malice within Eliana appeared and disappeared so inconsistently.
Illus stepped lightly through the long corridor, her heart thumping against her ribs.
Perhaps due to the assessment, the manor was much quieter than usual. This only served to make the hallway leading to the Maid Living Area feel exceptionally empty.
Eliana’s room was at the end of the corridor. Since she had been here once before, Illus soon found herself standing in front of the door.
She stopped before the dark wooden door, took a deep breath, and gripped the cold brass handle. She gave it a twist; the door wasn’t locked.
‘Would Eliana really be this careless? Or… does she simply not care?’
Pushing it open just a crack, she slipped inside and quickly closed the door behind her.
The room was the same as it had been during her last visit: exceptionally tidy, or one could even say monotonous.
There was a narrow bed, a wardrobe, a bookshelf, and a chair. The bed was covered with snow-white sheets without a single wrinkle. The air was filled with an indescribable, faint fragrance, one that was completely different from the scent Eliana usually carried.
‘Now then, let’s see what secrets Eliana is hiding.’
Illus first walked toward the desk. The surface was empty, without even a pen. She tried to pull open the drawer, but no matter how hard she pulled, it wouldn’t budge.
Frowning, she turned to check the wardrobe. Inside hung several neatly ironed maid uniforms, identical in color and style, arranged as if they had been measured with a ruler.
On the lower shelf, plain white undergarments were folded just as neatly. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary.
This place didn’t feel like a room where someone actually lived; it felt more like a meticulously arranged stage background.
‘Maybe I should use the necklace’s power to take a look?’ She remembered that during her last visit, the entire room had been brimming with Eliana’s malice.
As her fingertips brushed against the necklace, Illus’s expression immediately changed.
‘This… this isn’t right…’