Under Eileen’s stunned gaze, Clarette blushed slightly as she stepped forward, knelt down on one knee, and reached out to hold her own small foot wrapped in white stockings.
She took off her little black leather shoe, hesitated for a moment, and then, as if summoning all her courage, stuck out her pink little tongue—
“You—what are you doing?!”
With a whoosh, Eileen retracted her foot, staring at Clarette with a wary expression in her eyes.
Why the sudden approach—and in front of everyone no less… well, not quite everyone.
There were only three people in the tent.
But to do something so shameless?!
Though Eileen wasn’t exactly opposed to this kind of thing, this was way too bizarre!
They had only just met yesterday.
How could things escalate this far so quickly?
Absurd!
And if it was this absurd, then clearly there was some ulterior motive.
Clarette looked up with teary eyes.
“Milady, I beg you, please let me stay by your side! I’ll do anything!”
Eileen frowned as Clarette continued, wiping her tears:
“After you saved me yesterday, I couldn’t sleep at all. I tossed and turned all night thinking of you, and this morning I finally realized—I can’t live without you anymore!”
And that wasn’t even a lie.
From Clarette’s point of view, being cast out by Eileen was equivalent to being silenced for good.
Eileen, however, felt a shiver run down her spine.
Something’s not right with this girl!
Sure, Clarette’s looks hit all of Eileen’s weak spots, but her personality?
Way off.
Eileen wasn’t the kind of person who fell for any cute girl who threw herself at her.
Eileen waved her hand.
“Miss Clarette, please reconsider. You’re a talented adventurer. Becoming one of my retainers would only stifle your potential…”
“No, Milady, I’ve made up my mind. The only place I belong is by your side! Adventurers are the worst!”
Clarette shook her head vigorously, desperate to win Eileen’s favor.
Behind her, Layla’s expression had grown even darker.
With Clarette saying this much, even Eileen felt a little embarrassed to keep rejecting her.
What could she do? She was soft-hearted by nature.
And Clarette really did have potential…
Even as a servant, her future ceiling would be no lower than Serena’s.
If Eileen ever wanted to restart her adventuring career someday, Clarette would be a top-tier companion!
But still… something felt off.
Even if Eileen had saved her from those bandits, wasn’t this a bit much?
Eileen was moved—but only halfway.
She crossed her legs and pinched her chin thoughtfully, her gaze flickering as she stared at Clarette, clearly weighing whether to accept her or not.
Just as Clarette was about to unleash her silver tongue to persuade Eileen, the maid Layla let out a cold snort.
She stepped forward, raised her chin slightly, and looked down at Clarette with a commanding gaze.
“Miss Clarette, it’s not that the young lady refuses to take you in,” she said, “but you came here empty-handed, and yet expect her to trust your sincerity? On what basis?”
“How about this—”
Layla pulled out a rolled-up piece of parchment with a malicious grin on her face.
“You can sign this slave contract. You know what these are, don’t you? Once signed, you’ll forever be the young lady’s dog.”
“L-Layla!”
Eileen’s expression darkened.
Wouldn’t this completely cement her role as the stereotypical ‘villainous noble girl’?!
Trying to clean up her reputation later would be ten times harder!
But then she caught Layla winking cheekily at her, and Eileen instantly understood.
Of course the ‘contract’ was fake! Layla didn’t actually carry something like that around—she was just trying to scare Clarette off.
Just last night, Layla had already suspected something: this girl probably had the hots for the young lady.
Her plan to sneak into Eileen’s tent had been thwarted, so now she was trying to stay close, waiting for the right chance to make a move on her!
Layla wasn’t about to let such a shameless scheme succeed.
Look at it—this was a slave contract.
A blatantly unequal agreement that handed over one’s life and death to the other party.
No normal person would sign it unless they were coerced.
Layla could already picture her rejecting the offer and storming off in frustration.
And yet—
“…I’ll sign.”
What?!
Clarette reached out, took the contract from the stunned Layla’s hand, bit her lip slightly, and solemnly signed her name on it.
This action left Eileen and Layla staring at each other in stunned silence.
What was with this girl?
She actually sold herself without a second thought?
“Is this enough now?”
Clarette looked up at Layla, her emerald eyes shining with resolve.
That level of determination left Layla speechless.
Eileen, too, felt puzzled.
Just what kind of circumstances would drive her to go this far?
The contract was fake, of course—but instead of easing Eileen’s wariness, it only made her more curious about Clarette’s true motives.
But now that the girl had willingly signed a slave contract, Eileen had no excuse to kick her out.
Saying “I’m willing to do anything” clearly wasn’t just an empty line for her.
Eileen sighed softly and looked at Clarette, who still had tears in her eyes.
“Miss Clarette, welcome to the Raven household. Even as a servant, we are very strict. Are you mentally prepared for what comes next?”
Clarette nodded quickly. “I-I’m ready!”
She let out a subtle breath of relief.
At least for now, her life was safe.
As for this damn slave contract… well, she’d deal with that later!
‘Mentally prepared’—was she talking about bathing and getting ready to share her bed tonight?
An inexplicable scene of blooming lilies played across her mind.
The thought alone made her cheeks flush red.
She quickly shook her head, trying to banish those strange images from her mind.
I’m not looking forward to that kind of thing!!
I’m totally straight!
Eileen’s voice brought her back.
“Layla, get her a change of clothes.”
“Yes, my lady.”
Clarette was soon dressed in a cute and dainty maid outfit!
As the saying goes, clothes make the person.
She was already absurdly pretty—even wearing the slightly masculine leather armor of an adventurer, her beauty still stood out.
But now, dressed in this frilly black-and-white maid outfit designed by none other than Eileen the ‘otaku’ herself?
The outfit brought out a new level of charm in her—sweet and dazzling!
Eileen was very pleased.
This particular maid outfit was originally made for Serena, but Serena had firmly rejected it.
The skirt was just too short—those pale, shapely thighs were completely exposed.
To make things worse, Eileen had designed it with white lace garter stockings, which made the whole look even more seductive.
Of course, Clarette noticed Eileen’s eyes practically glowing green as she looked at her.
Feeling shy, Clarette lowered her head. Her freshly tied twin golden ponytails swayed slightly with the motion.
Perfect score!!
Eileen couldn’t help but steal a few more glances before clearing her throat and emphasizing, “From now on, follow Layla. She’ll teach you all kinds of… postures you’ve never learned before. That includes etiquette, and all the duties a maid should know.”
“Yes, Miss Eileen—no, my lady!”
Eileen nodded in satisfaction, then began instructing the knights to pack up the tents. It was time to get moving again.
The knights were extremely enthusiastic about their cute new little maid, crowding around her with all sorts of questions—practically interrogating her like they were taking a census.
Clarette’s face was beet red from embarrassment, and in the end, it was the more mature Ansel, the 24-year-old captain of the knights, who stepped in to rescue her.
Eileen couldn’t help but feel a little proud—after all, it was her maid outfit design that had won everyone’s approval!
The Raven barony wasn’t that far from the border, but the journey still took several days.
As evening approached, Eileen’s caravan arrived at the outskirts of a small town.
She was sharing a carriage with her two maids and was just about to introduce them to the local customs and culture when suddenly, the earth began to shake violently.
She threw open the carriage door and noticed the horses neighing in distress.
These warhorses were veterans of many battles and rarely got spooked like this!
“Captain Ansel! What’s happening?” she called out.
While soothing the anxious horses, Ansel turned back and shouted, “Something’s coming—something big!”
The roadside leading to town was lit by lanterns. Layla nimbly leapt onto the top of one and peered into the distance.
Her eyes widened in shock.
“This is bad, my lady! It’s a Heavy Armored Blackrock Dragon! It’s charging straight toward the town—it looks like it’s already been in a fight. There are sword marks, magic burns—someone’s already fought it!”
An S-rank monster—Heavy Armored Blackrock Dragon?!
What in the world was a monster like that doing here of all places!?
And who had fought it… and let it get away?!?
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Old party, I bet.
Tftc!