Inside the Starry Dream CafƩ, Iana, dressed in a pink-and-white maid outfit, carried a tray as she stepped out from the staff rest area.
Her face wore the uniquely professional smile of a maid, and any sharp observer could tell that this was clearly an experienced and skilled maid.
“Master, here is the omelette rice you ordered.” Iana’s voice was sweet and cute, a gentle lilt in her throat, as if the very air was thick with honeyed sweetness.
“May I cast a spell to make your omelette rice even more delicious?”
The girl seated in the hall hunched her shoulders, like a thief afraid of being caught, not daring to raise her head.
She nodded slightly, indicating she wanted this service.
Iana’s fair hands formed a heart shape over her chest as she energetically danced the maid’s steps.
Paired with her exquisite beauty and the intricate, elaborate outfit she wore, the sight was truly a delight.
“Polly, polly, polly, saka, saka, saka, please make Mr. Omelette Rice even more delicious.”
“Is there anything else you require, Master?” Having finished, Iana stood there calmly, as if completing all this was an ordinary, everyday task.
“No, no need, you can go now.” The girl lowered her head even further, stammering like a frightened little rabbit facing a lion.
“Master, are you sending me away so quickly? I might get punished for this.” Iana pouted, a trace of fear flickering on her face.
“Is thatā¦ really so? This is my first time here, so I’m not familiar with these rules.”
“Would you like me to feed you, Master?” Iana flipped her silver hair and smiled seductively, her voice like that of an irresistible succubus tempting the girl’s innocent heart.
“C-can I?”
“Of course, it’s the duty of a maid.” Iana took up her silver spoon, scooping a bite of omelette rice and lifting it to the girl’s lips.
“Welcome home, Master.” Two nearly overlapping sweet, youthful voices sounded from the entrance.
Iana paid no attention; after all, this voice rang out hundreds of times a day, and she only needed to focus on her own tasks.
The next guests would be served by other maids.
Soon after, a woman dressed in a silver-white slit dress with extraordinarily intricate patterns stepped in.
Her legs, fair and smooth as white jade, were adorned in soft white stockings that resembled creamy caramel, highlighting her noble status.
Her silver hair reached her waist, and her icy blue eyes scanned the cafƩ as if searching for something.
“Master, please allow me to serve you.” A beautiful maid approached and began attending to the guest.
“Can I specify which maid I want?”
“Yes, if the maid you request is available.”
“I want to request Maid Iana.” The woman’s cool voice rang out, carrying an undeniable air of authority.
“Ianaā¦ Sorry, Master, but we don’t have a maid by that name here. There is a maid named AnAn, but she’s currently serving another guest.”
“If you want to request her, there will be a bit of a wait.”
“Take me to see her.”
Before long, the cool woman was led to the table behind where Iana was serving.
But as she passed by Iana, watching her call the girl in the chair āMaster’ with such devotion, her expression darkened slightly.
Still, she made no aggressive move and simply walked to the back with the maid.
“Master, the one over there is AnAn, one of our cafĆ©’s maids. Her skills are truly top-notch.”
“She served dozens of guests all by herself just yesterday, and every single one praised her highly.”
Hearing this, the cool woman visibly paused and asked, “You’re saying she served dozens of guests yesterday, and each one was full of praise?”
“Yes, Master. I believe she will serve you well. I’ll leave you to her now, as I have other Masters to attend to.”
“Is it tasty, Master?” Iana fed the girl the last spoonful of omelette rice, her voice so sweet it seemed to fill the entire room with a rosy glow.
“Y-yesā¦ it’s delicious.” The girl answered timidly.
“Welcome to come again, Master.” After seeing the girl off, Iana sighed and stretched, looking somewhat tired.
Tonight was the annual Romance Ball held by Saint Roland Magic Academy.
If Lillian didn’t pair up with Ethelrina tonight, her mission would be considered a failure.
From what Iana knew of Lillian, this mission was most likely doomed to fail.
The punishment for failure was a payment of three thousand gold coins to the system, and as a poor maid, Iana could never afford such a sum.
To prepare for this looming debt, Iana had to work part-time at the Starry Dream CafƩ to earn money.
“AnAn, there’s a Master who specifically requested you, but she seems to have moved to a private room.”
At the mention of a specified order, Iana’s eyes sparkled like two shining stars ā the specified orders paid much better than random ones.
And it was in a private room, meaning the Master was definitely not short on money. If Iana could serve her well, she could earn a lot.
“Alright, I’m heading there now.” Upon receiving the news, Iana hurried off to the private room.
She pushed the door open, revealing a room adorned with luxurious decorations: red silk-like carpets, golden bright chandeliers, and jade-green plants, all emphasizing the noble status of those allowed inside.
But when Iana saw who was seated inside, she instantly felt the urge to retreat ā it was none other than the original story’s heroine, Ethelrina.
She was also the star of tonight’s Romance Ball.
According to the original story, all the female leads were expected to make their romantic advances toward her tonight.
Why was she here?
Iana glanced at the time ā the ball was about to start.
If Ethelrina didn’t go, who else would Lillian and the others confess to?
“AnAn, maid, why are you just standing at the door?”
“Isn’t your skill supposed to be strong? Why are you just standing there staring at me?” Ethelrina’s voice dripped with jealousy, as if her jealousy stand had been toppled.
“M-master, what service do you require?” Iana forced herself to step forward.
She wondered if she had any enmity with Ethelrina ā surely Ethelrina wouldn’t treat her badly.
Iana reassured herself that she had been careful to avoid the original heroine, so she had no reason to fear her.
Ethelrina’s icy blue eyes fixed on Iana’s face.
“AnAn, you seem very nervous.”
“N-no, Master.” Iana felt a wave of unease bubbling inside.
“But you weren’t like this with that previous āMaster.’ Your voice was so sweet and cute ā why the sudden change with me?”
Iana’s heart skipped a beat.
She hadn’t realized Ethelrina was paying such close attention to her every move.
“I’m sorry, Master.” Iana bowed her head and apologized, “I will do my best to serve you well.”
“Then feed me.” Ethelrina demanded like a spoiled child.
“Alright, Master.”
Iana just wanted to get through this as quickly as possible.
She had a strong feeling that staying with Ethelrina much longer would lead to trouble.
“Is this okay, Master?” Iana held out the silver spoon from a distance, as if Ethelrina was a nuclear contamination source, feeding her from very far away.
Ethelrina frowned, clearly displeased.
“Come closer. You weren’t like this before. You were almost pressed against her earlier.”
“Why am I special when it comes to you? Am I less beautiful, or do I smell strange?”
“No, Master. It’s just that the cafĆ© has rules ā employees aren’t allowed to have overly intimate contact with Masters.”
Iana’s weak explanation did nothing to satisfy Ethelrina, who instead found her own long-suppressed feelings stirred.
Ethelrina stood and moved closer, pushing Iana back until she had nowhere left to retreat.
“Please don’t do this, Master.” Iana panicked, stepping back hurriedly.
She was truly afraid Ethelrina might do something drastic.
Soon, Iana’s back touched the cold wall ā she was cornered.
Ethelrina placed both hands on the wall, leaning over so that her ample form pressed against Iana.
She gently lifted Iana’s chin with her delicate hand, forcing her to meet her gaze.
“Please don’t do this.” Iana didn’t understand why she felt so weak in front of Ethelrina.
It was as if she owed her something.
Normally, if anyone treated her like this, she would have called security immediately.
“We promised to be together forever, yet you flirt all over the place. Tell me, how should I punish you, you little silver-tongued lustful dragon?”
Ethelrina ran her hand over Iana’s body, then produced the Senro Breath Pearl and deactivated it.
“???”
Iana was stunned.
How did Ethelrina know she had the Senro Breath Pearl?
And why hadn’t she asked for it back, especially since she valued it so much?
After a strange series of actionsā
“That could be misunderstood.” Iana curled up in the corner like a newborn dragon.
“Misunderstood? Misunderstood about what? What is there to misunderstand between us?” Ethelrina’s other hand climbed mischievously onto Iana’s body.
“Don’tā¦ don’t do that. Youā¦ if you act recklessly outside, someone will be unhappy.” Iana panted, speaking brokenly.
“Unhappy? Who would be unhappy?”
“Those who like you, and those you like.”
Ethelrina smiled mischievously and asked, “Then tell me, who likes me, and who do I like?”
“Isn’t that obvious? So many like you, I can’t even list them all. As for who you like, I guess it’s Lillian.” Iana stuck to her promise with Lillian, offering her some support.
But her guess clearly had little effect and might have even backfired.
Ethelrina shook her head. “Wrong, guess again. If you guess wrong, there will be a punishment.”
“Could it be Veronica?”
“Don’tā¦ don’t push in there.”
“I said if you guess wrong, you have to accept the punishment.”
“Thenā¦ then it must be Princess Sophia or Princess Flora.”
“Stop it, don’t come in.” Iana quickly covered her skirt, cutting off Ethelrina’s advance.
Because of Iana’s continuous wrong answers, Ethelrina’s eyes glimmered dangerously.
“Are you playing dumb on purpose? If I don’t hear the right answer next time, guess what I’ll do?”
Iana thought hard, then suddenly brightened like a student who just solved a tough math problem in an exam.
“I got it! The answer is you like them all.”
Iana thought her answer was flawless.
She lifted her head, hands on hips, smugly saying, “Now, you can reā”
A cold sensation touched her lips ā soft, warm, and scented with jasmine.
After a strange sequence of eventsā
“No, that’s not right.” Iana shook her head, voice trembling.
Her mind was blank, and she was no longer thinking before speaking.
She had never seen Ethelrina so dominant before, nor imagined she would do these things to her.
“According to the original story, you should attend tonight’s Romance Ball and live happily with them.”
“The original story, them?” Ethelrina didn’t quite understand what Iana was saying.
She seemed not to have accepted reality yet.
Another strange incident passed.
“Now, do you understand my feelings?” Ethelrina’s icy blue eyes flowed with warmth, as if the last shard of winter ice in spring had melted away.
“You’re going to that Romance Ball tonight. Consider it my plea.”
“Oh, AnAn maid, why do you want me to attend that so-called Romance Ball? Are you trying to make things official between us there? If so, we can leave right now.” Ethelrina’s heated breath and subtle fragrance brushed against Iana’s face, making her nose twitch.
“N-no, that’s not itā¦” Iana faltered.
“Then I won’t go.” Ethelrina cut her off sharply.
Her suppressed tone made Iana uneasy.
She hadn’t expected things to escalate so quickly.
She lowered her head and timidly glanced at Ethelrina resting on her.
“Are you short on money?” Ethelrina suddenly asked.
Iana nodded, stunned.
“Don’t be a maid anymore, okay? If you’re short on money, just tell me.”
“Do you know how heartbroken I was when I heard you serve dozens of āMasters’ every day?”
“We promised as kids to be together forever, yet you hid everything from me, even now trying to push me away.”
“I’m telling you, you’ll never leave me. I’ve got you hooked.”
With that, Ethelrina released Iana, no longer pressing her against the wall.
“Promised to be together forever as kids?” Iana muttered softly, struggling to understand what Ethelrina meant.
‘Forget it, never mind. Better run first.’ Just as Iana thought she was free to leave, she heard words she couldn’t believe.
“Come to my place now, I want toā¦ you know.” Ethelrina cast a knowing look at her.
“No way, that kind of thing is absolutely impossible.” Iana tried to run, but Ethelrina was right in front of her.
How could she escape?
“This isn’t up to you.” Ethelrina embraced Iana, the big and small bodies pressed close.
If anyone saw this scene, they’d be overwhelmed by the beauty ā silver-white dragon horns paired with a stunning face gave Iana an exotic charm, and Ethelrina’s beauty was no less striking.
If news of this embrace spread, it would surely break many hearts.
“Do you remember? When I first arrived at the orphanage, you didn’t mind my dragon traits.”
“When I was bullied by other kids for being a demon, you stood up for me. I will never forget these things. We promised to be lifelong friends.”
“Eh, eh, eh.” Iana was breathless in Ethelrina’s embrace but noticed a flaw in her words.
“You said we’d be lifelong friends as kids, but is this how friends behave?”
Ethelrina seemed to have anticipated Iana’s words, prepared in advance.
“Because I later realized my feelings for you were never just friendship. You’ll forgive me, right?”