Before ascending to the second floor of the labyrinth, Eliza suddenly threw a surprise question at me.
“Do you have anything to say to me, who has been working hard?”
The question itself wasn’t particularly special.
It was a simple sentence composed of really straightforward words.
If an ordinary person had said something like that in an ordinary situation, there wouldn’t be any reason to think too hard about it.
But the problem was that the subject asking the question and the situation in which it was asked were anything but ordinary.
The fact that a hidden boss was asking such a question on the first floor of the labyrinth was undeniably a very strange situation.
‘She’s never asked me so directly before.’
Moreover, the most bizarre thing was her attitude.
Despite everything, I had been Eliza’s master for quite a long time.
Naturally, I knew a lot about her personality beyond what the game revealed.
From my assessment, she wasn’t the type to ask me to do something together or to inquire about how I felt about her in this manner.
Normally, she would watch me with an unreadable expression, but she wouldn’t interfere like this.
Yet now, she was asking me so openly.
This situation was undoubtedly unprecedented and extremely peculiar.
‘Why is she asking such a question?’
As a result, I was in a state of unparalleled confusion.
I was racking my brain to figure out why she had asked such a question and what her intentions were.
Was it because she was irritated that I had teamed up with the protagonist?
Or was there some other special reason?
Why wasn’t she killing me right now?
It was a situation filled with questions that I couldn’t answer no matter how hard I tried.
‘I need to choose my words carefully.’
But one thing was clear: she was testing me.
And depending on my answer, I might be able to survive.
Of course, my life could also be at risk, but I saw this as an opportunity.
“Do you have something to say?”
“Just say whatever you’re thinking right now.”
A chilling coldness swept over me, and cold sweat dripped down, but I decided to try my best to answer well.
# # #
Eliza, closing the distance to her master by a hand’s breadth, asking if he had anything to say to her.
Eliza was somewhat surprised by her own actions.
‘Ugh… I didn’t mean to do this.’
Because normally, she would never act like this.
Originally, she didn’t accompany her master, Rovan, in this way.
Of course, her position in the mansion was higher than his, so this behavior wasn’t problematic, but she still maintained the decorum expected of a maid.
She didn’t interfere unnecessarily, always observing from a distance.
But now, she was doing the exact opposite.
Accompanying her master through the labyrinth and directly asking him how he felt about her was a first.
Why was she acting this way?
She couldn’t help but ponder for a moment.
‘I couldn’t help myself.’
Her thoughts didn’t linger for long.
In fact, she already knew the answer.
The reason she was acting this way was undoubtedly due to a change in her emotions.
Yes… she was feeling extremely anxious right now.
‘There are just too many women around Master.’
And the source of her anxiety was the women hovering around her master, Rovan.
Rovan had always been quite popular.
At first, she didn’t feel much attraction, but the longer she stayed with him, the more she understood why people couldn’t help but like him.
He wasn’t aware of it himself, but Rovan received a lot of affection from various quarters.
‘I don’t mind them increasing.’
But Eliza didn’t really care.
Perhaps it was due to the environment of the Kaltz family?
The women around Rovan were far from ordinary.
Many of them were so twisted that they couldn’t express their feelings.
Of course, Eliza was included in that group.
In such a situation, Eliza didn’t feel particularly anxious.
It could even be said to be peaceful.
‘But they’re becoming more proactive.’
However, that peace was gradually being shattered.
It started with Rovan’s sister, Laura Kaltz, the proxy of the Kaltz family, who began to approach Rovan.
Despite the fact that Rovan had clearly saved the Kaltz family, she expressed her feelings very openly.
Seeing this, Eliza felt a sense of crisis for the first time in a long while.
It wasn’t for nothing that she had tried to separate them.
‘And then there’s that bitch, Ribel.’
Even so, if it had just been that, her behavior wouldn’t have changed, but teaming up with Ribel was something she couldn’t overlook.
Having served Rovan since childhood, Eliza had met Ribel when they were young.
The Ribel she met back then was extremely unpleasant.
Was it a feeling that they could never get along?
It was as if they were destined to fight, and that was the primary reason she disliked her.
The most important reason was that her master paid more attention to Ribel than to her.
‘What is it about Ribel that makes Master dote on her so much?’
Even though she was also cherished and loved by her master, he was far more attached to Ribel.
She didn’t know why, but her master was incredibly attached to this woman named Ribel.
She was superior and stronger, so why was he so fixated on that woman?
Unable to understand the reason, her jealousy grew day by day.
She even entertained the extreme thought of killing her, but…
‘There was no need for that.’
Since Ribel seemed to dislike her master, she didn’t go through with it.
Ribel made efforts to distance herself from her master, so even if left alone, their relationship wouldn’t progress.
Eliza didn’t know why Ribel kept her distance, but she was satisfied with the situation.
‘No matter how I think about it, Ribel is a no-go.’
But she couldn’t help feeling worried.
Eliza couldn’t shake the thought of what would happen if Ribel’s feelings changed.
Ribel owed her master a great deal, and she was aware of it.
There were plenty of reasons for her to develop feelings.
That was something she absolutely didn’t want.
She didn’t mind others, but she especially didn’t want to lose her master to Ribel.
Moreover, if her master ended up with Ribel, she felt he would be extremely unhappy.
That’s why she had to act now.
‘I’ll manage the labyrinth. I’m strong enough.’
And running the labyrinth wasn’t so bad.
In fact, it was quite enjoyable.
Her master wanted to explore the labyrinth.
For her, accompanying her master through the labyrinth wasn’t work at all.
She could even consider it a date.
Eliza was quite satisfied with the situation.
She even went out of her way to defeat monsters.
‘But… couldn’t he praise me a little?’
However, couldn’t she indulge in a little more desire?
Was it too much to hope for just a small bit of praise?
That’s why she was asking this question.
‘Just a little praise would be nice.’
Right now, Ribel was only wishing for a small desire from her master.
Couldn’t she receive a little praise for diligently exploring the labyrinth? That was her small wish.
# # #
Ribel’s sudden question left me at a loss for words, forcing me to think for a moment.
I had no idea what to say.
“Why aren’t you saying anything? Just say whatever you want to say.”
In this situation, her urging grew more intense.
Ribel was pressing me to answer quickly, and I realized I had no more time.
Right now, at this moment, I had to do something.
In this tense moment, I ended up acting on instinct.
Pat pat.
“…!”
My hand was stroking Ribel’s head.
My hand gently ran through her long silver hair as her expressionless face looked up at me.
‘Crazy.’
And I despaired.
Hey, my hand, my hand. I told you to do as you please, but did you have to do something so insane?
Now I was sure I’d be quietly assassinated in the labyrinth today, but…
“…”
Fortunately, there was no murderous intent directed at me.
She just silently watched me with a blank expression, being petted like a cat.
Seeing Eliza like this, I was also quite flustered inside.
Wait, was this the right answer?
Why was this the right answer?
I didn’t know the reason, but I felt like I had narrowly escaped death…
“Master. If you keep petting me like this, I feel like something might hatch.”
Yes???