Leo was at that moment flopping around on the pavilion floor without any dignity, like a dehydrated fish that had been stranded on shore but refused to give up.
While flailing his arms dramatically, he didn’t forget to sneak glances at Ailiya’s reaction from the corner of his eye.
“I’ve nearly worn calluses on my hands digging those stupid rocks! My magic power is so drained I can’t even summon a tiny water droplet. And you—you even want to take back your apology. Don’t you feel any guilt?!”
With that, he flipped over and thrust his impossibly clean hands right under Ailiya’s nose.
Although there wasn’t a single trace of a so-called “callus” to be seen, his expression was as mournful as if he had just endured some horrifying torture.
Ailiya looked down at the hands dangling in front of her, then met Leo’s amber eyes, which were filled with “I won’t let this go.”
She had to admit that this kid’s persistence and skin thickness had, in a sense, surpassed her understanding.
If she didn’t give in, the golden-haired troublemaker would probably follow her all the way to her bedroom door for the next few days, muttering nonstop.
“Young Master.”
Ailiya took a deep breath, her tone turning cold and hard.
“If you intend to continue this self-destructive behavior, I can’t guarantee that word of this won’t reach Madame’s ears. If that happens, your confinement might be extended.”
Leo’s movements visibly stiffened, but his eyes spun rapidly before he put on an even more shameless expression. He grabbed one leg of the stone table, as if threatening to drag it away.
“Go ahead and tell her! You were the one who bullied me first! I’ll say you laid hands on me in the ore mine—spanked me and worked me like free labor.”
That pitiful, emotionally charged complaint left Ailiya briefly silent.
‘To be fair, logic is logic, but… a small part of what he said is actually true.’
Looking at Leo’s pale complexion from magic power exhaustion and the fatigue barely hidden beneath his wheedling attitude, Ailiya knew he was genuinely worn out.
“Get up.”
When Ailiya spoke again, the sharpness in her voice had finally faded.
Leo tilted his head, staring at her like a puppy begging for food.
“So you agree?”
“You have three seconds to state your condition. After that, the offer expires.”
A flicker of surprise crossed Leo’s face. Just as he was about to speak, his eyes accidentally caught sight of Ailiya’s silver wolf ears twitching atop her head and the soft, fluffy tail swaying gently beneath her skirt with each breath.
There was a unique beauty to the demi-human aesthetic, especially striking in the glow of the setting sun.
Ailiya raised an eyebrow, her voice icy.
“What are you looking at?”
“N-Nothing!”
Leo shrank his neck and quickly suppressed the strange thoughts popping into his head.
Ailiya crossed her hands in front of her again, resuming her dignified and aloof head maid appearance.
“But let me be clear. No requests like ‘hands-on teaching’ from those trashy novels, and no shameless demands like ‘pet my tail’ or ‘call me big brother.’ Violate that, and the agreement is void. I’ll personally escort you back to your room to rest.”
Leo had been frantically scanning his mental “wish list” picked up from adventurers, but when he heard those prohibitions, he let out a dry, embarrassed laugh.
‘This woman… can she really read minds?
‘How does she know what I was thinking… I mean, what romantic idea I had?’
“Cough, how could that be? Do I look like someone who would take advantage of another person?”
Leo bounced up like a spring, quickly brushed the dirt off his pants, and leaned in close to Ailiya. His expression turned hesitant, even a bit shy.
“Ahem. Listen up. My condition is actually very simple. Next time we go to the royal capital for Cedric’s coming-of-age ceremony… you have to stick with me. I mean, you can’t be too far away.”
Ailiya raised an eyebrow slightly, her ice-blue eyes full of doubt.
“Young Master, as head maid, accompanying you is already my duty. That condition is practically worthless.”
“No, it’s different!”
Leo waved his hands frantically, his ears starting to redden again.
“What I mean is… in front of those snobs in the capital who judge by appearances, you can’t just be a silent, submissive background figure who only nods.”
He gritted his teeth and blurted out, “You need to act… act close to me, like a friend! Yeah, equal, like we’re on good terms! Let them know that the person beside me is not only strong but also shares a connection with me!”
Ailiya stared at him calmly, her suspicion deepening.
“Young Master, what exactly do you mean by ‘close’? Do you want me to perform some trashy script of ‘Young Master and his Personal Maid’?”
Leo scratched his head, his eyes darting everywhere before he finally forced out an answer.
“Like… like not shutting me down in public. And… just stick with me.”
The air fell silent for a moment.
Ailiya made a quiet assessment.
In the end, this kid just wanted to show off to the noble brats who had looked down on him in the capital that he had a powerful, beautiful, and “loyal” attendant.
‘Such childish vanity.’
“Fine.”
Ailiya finally nodded.
“In public settings, I’ll decide whether to accommodate your fragile vanity and preserve what little face you have.”
“Heh, that’s more like it.”
Leo grinned, flashing two rows of white teeth, his smile dazzling.
“I’ve agreed to your condition.”
Ailiya stood up, looking down at him.
“But you have to promise me one thing too: no more shouting, startling people, or throwing tantrums when you talk to me. Now, take your potion bottle and get out of my sight.”
“Got it, got it… you’re so harsh.”
Leo muttered under his breath, but for once, he didn’t argue.
He grabbed the pale blue potion bottle from the stone table, hummed a terribly off-key and nonsensical tune, and walked briskly out of the pavilion.
At the corner of the garden, he even stopped and turned around to wave vigorously at Ailiya, who was still sitting there.
“Ailiya! Remember—follow me like a friend!”
Watching the golden figure disappear down the corridor, Ailiya sat back down on the stone chair, savoring the returning peace.
As a former professional power-leveler, she was more used to going it alone.
“Forget it.”
She stood up, smoothed her windblown skirt, and fixed her ice-blue eyes on the direction of the royal capital.