Eh? Being a maid?
Really?!
Hearing Elena’s proposal, Ai’er blinked.
‘In this mission, the System wants me to enter Elena’s room and retrieve the Magic Stone specifically placed there to disrupt her Mana control.’
‘If I can become Elena’s maid, won’t I have a legitimate reason to enter her room?’
“Don’t look at me like this… I am actually the daughter of the Grand Duke of this duchy—the Duchy of White. And there aren’t many servants in the mansion right now. If you come, Ai’er… your housing and meals can be provided for you.”
Elena’s eyes dodged slightly when she mentioned that there were “not many servants.”
But Ai’er didn’t notice that. She only focused on the part where “housing and meals can be provided.”
Ai’er leaned in close to Elena, her golden eyes blinking again.
“Then—is there a salary?”
“S-salary? Yes, yes. But the amount… I’m not sure. If you’re willing to be a maid, I’ll buy you whatever you want. Is that okay—Ai’er?!”
Before Elena could finish, Ai’er immediately grabbed her hand. Fearing a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity would slip away, her eyes shone with incredible anticipation.
“Young Lady! My dear Young Lady! You’re far too kind! I am your maid; you just have to give me orders!”
‘This isn’t just a maid job; I’m basically a freeloading kept woman!’
‘Not only can I complete the System mission, but I also get free housing and food—most importantly, a noble lady to support me!’
‘This isn’t work; this is a benefit!’
‘The heavens are compensating me for the pain of having my arm cut off; this is the inevitable result of my good deeds!’
Convinced of this, Ai’er flashed a brilliant smile at Elena.
At that moment, the morning sun hit the two of them.
In Elena’s eyes, the light reflecting off Ai’er’s silver hair seemed like a continuation of last night’s moonlight—she didn’t even notice that the moment Ai’er agreed, a hint of crimson from the morning light dyed her own cheeks.
‘Maybe this is what happiness… feels like?’
Elena thought so in that moment. Even if she didn’t know why she felt happy.
At least, not yet.
—
“Young Lady! You’re finally back!”
The moment Elena appeared at the mansion’s entrance, an elderly man rushed over.
“Where were you last night? Why are you so dirty? Are you hurt anywhere?”
“I’m fine, Butler. I just… went for a walk.”
“A walk”—Elena often used this excuse to deflect questions. Every servant in the mansion knew that.
The elderly butler knew it too. Especially after the Madam passed away, the Young Lady he served went on frequent “walks.”
It was impossible not to worry; after all, the rumors of her being a “Witch” had never stopped throughout the duchy.
The old butler had once arranged for servants to secretly follow Elena so they could help if anything happened—but every time Elena went for a “walk,” it was when her Mana was most difficult to suppress.
That night, the servant who secretly followed Elena almost froze to death from the Mana scattering from the girl’s body…
Since then, no servants followed her. Everyone, including the old butler, was at a loss for what to do.
And they knew that the Mana inside their Young Lady had become increasingly difficult to suppress in recent years.
Sometimes, while cleaning Elena’s room, the servants would see massive amounts of condensed ice…
“By the way, Butler, can you take her to see the Head Maid?”
Elena’s voice interrupted the butler’s thoughts. When the elderly butler reacted, a silver-haired girl was pushed in front of him.
“Young Lady, may I ask who this is?”
“Her name is Ai’er, and she’s here to be a servant. Sebas, take her to see the Head Maid.”
A servant?
At a time like this?
Looking at the silver-haired girl who was grinning foolishly, the old butler knit his brows and quickly scanned her with his gaze.
Long before Elena was born, Sebas, the old butler who had watched her grow up, had handled all the affairs of the mansion.
He possessed absolute loyalty to Elena’s late parents and Elena herself. Because of this, he maintained the utmost vigilance toward any suspicious person who approached the Young Lady.
As for this silver-haired, gold-eyed girl… in all his decades, Sebas had never seen such hair and eye colors. She was even wearing strange, wet, and wrinkled clothes.
She looked like she had escaped from somewhere; she was truly suspicious.
“Young Lady, if I may speak plainly. Regarding someone of unknown origin—”
“Butler.”
Elena’s voice wasn’t loud, but it carried an unquestionable decisiveness. She took half a step forward and stood in front of Ai’er.
“She is my savior.”
“Savior…?” Sebas was stunned. A flash of shock appeared in his cloudy old eyes, which then turned into lingering fear.
If his Young Lady said she was a savior, did that mean the Young Lady had been in a life-threatening situation?
Sebas was about to ask more, but Elena suddenly lowered her eyes. Her voice softened, carrying a hint of persistence.
“And… she isn’t afraid of my Mana.”
The moment she finished, Sebas was stunned.
Not afraid? How could she not be afraid? Could it be that she could suppress the Young Lady’s escaping Mana? Or was she—simply a fool? Not afraid of death?
The old man’s gaze flickered back and forth between Elena and Ai’er, unable to say a word for a long time.
An eerie silence spread among the three… Seeing this, Ai’er gently raised one hand.
“Um… I think there are too many things to explain right now. How about we find a place with chairs and talk slowly?”
Standing like this really wasn’t it.
Although she had a new body after transmigrating, mental exhaustion wasn’t that easy to refresh. And at some point, Ai’er started feeling extremely sleepy.
Ai’er really wanted a bed to lie on right now…
‘Why am I so sleepy? Eh, why am I a bit dizzy… Wait, why are there two Elenas?’
‘System? What’s… going… on…’
*Thud.*
“Ai’er?!”
The world suddenly began to spin. When a dull pain came from the back of her head, Ai’er saw a panicked Elena.
In the next moment, Ai’er’s vision went pitch black.
No sound, no light; even the dull pain vanished.
Ai’er only felt as if she had suddenly fallen into a bottomless pit or was swallowed by something.
**[Now for some good news and some bad news.]**
**[Which does the Host want to hear first?]**
The moment the System’s voice rang out, the dizziness surrounding Ai’er temporarily vanished.
‘Can there even be good news in this situation? It wouldn’t be the kind of “good” news like “the good news is: there’s only one piece of bad news,” right?’
‘What’s the good news?’
**[The good news is—the Host has triggered extra progress, gaining 5 extra System Points.]**
**[As for the bad news—the lifespan of the Host’s physical body has been significantly shortened.]**
‘Shortened lifespan? What do you mean? Am I going to die?’
**[Not that quickly.]**
**[Originally, the lifespan of this physical body was 100 years. However, because the Host absorbed the Mana of the Witch Elena, the lifespan has been drastically reduced.]**
**[Currently, the remaining lifespan of this physical body is 5 years.]**
‘Five years? Isn’t that still a lot?’
**[If the Host continues to absorb the Mana of the Witch Elena, the lifespan will continue to shorten.]**
‘So, my sudden fainting was because my lifespan was shortened?’
‘Wait a minute. Setting aside the lifespan issue, when did I absorb Elena’s Mana? I only gave her a ring that can absorb Mana, right?’
‘Could it be the ring’s fault?’
**[The Mana used to create the Host’s physical body and the ring share the same source.]**
**[The Mana absorbed by the ring will also affect the Host’s physical body.]**
**[And due to absorbing Elena’s Mana, the Host’s progress has increased.]**
Ai’er didn’t care about how her lifespan was shortened. After hearing that absorbing Elena’s Mana increased her progress, she felt her eyes light up.
‘I don’t know how it works, but absorbing Mana increases progress? Then I’ll absorb it like crazy! If this body is ruined, so be it. As long as the progress can be maxed out, who cares! It’s just a body in a parallel timeline anyway~’
**[Reminder: The System can only use the magic to shape a physical body once in each timeline. If the current body dies, the Host will be unable to return to this timeline.]**
**[Calculation complete. If the Host continues to absorb the Mana of the Witch Elena, by the time progress reaches 2%, the Host’s current body will die.]**
‘…And here I thought I’d found a shortcut. Fine, then I can only make progress slowly—wait?’
‘Isn’t that ring absorbing Mana all the time?! Then aren’t I doomed?’
**[The ring will only be activated when the Witch Elena’s Mana goes out of control.]**
**[Elena’s emotions are currently stable, so there is no risk of her Mana going out of control. However, if the Host continues to sleep, her emotions will become unstable.]**
**[Therefore, Host, open your eyes.]**
In the moment the voice ceased, Ai’er slowly opened her eyes as if waking from a dream.
It was a ceiling she had never seen before.
Ai’er gently moved her body. She was now enveloped in the softness and warmth of bedding; it seemed she had been brought to a room in the mansion after she fainted.
As Ai’er shifted her gaze slightly, she met Elena’s eyes.
The dark-haired Elena was sitting by Ai’er’s bed. Seeing Ai’er open her eyes, the girl’s eyelashes fluttered.
Overwhelming joy, followed by worry, hesitation, and—fleeting fear? Ai’er didn’t understand why Elena’s gaze was mixed with these emotions.
‘I feel like I’ve seen this scene somewhere before? Waking up in bed and being stared at by a beautiful girl with a complex expression… What is this strange sense of déjà vu -_-||.’
But before Ai’er could think further, Elena, who had been silent with a very complex expression, took a deep breath and spoke:
“Ai’er… are you… not human?”
…Um, O_o?
‘W-why is she insulting me?’