“Fine, just this once.”
Maev rolled up her sleeves briskly, skillfully taking fabric and scissors from the cabinet.
A shimmer of mana flickered on the cloth and scissors as they floated quietly around her. She circled Gavi, measuring the other’s body with her hands before finally nodding.
Maev was currently in her early forties. Her chestnut-red hair was styled in a bun, and her makeup was so exquisite that it was difficult to tell her exact age.
Her tailoring technique was so precise that there was hardly any extra sound; even professional tailors would not necessarily be better than her.
“Since she is the second young lady’s personal maid, she shouldn’t look too shabby,” she said as her fingers controlled the scissors to glide quickly through the fabric.
Silver-white thread shimmered under the light. She selected several dark pieces of fabric and took a small amount of soft metal wire from a drawer to weave in, enhancing durability and elasticity.
“I’m afraid this child Gavi’s range of motion will be larger than a normal person’s. Ordinary fabric might not hold up,” Maev muttered under her breath as she continued cutting, sewing, and stitching.
In less than four hours, a maid uniform that was both elegant and practical appeared in her hands.
It was the typical style of Duke Olivia’s mansion — black with white trim, featuring smooth lines, a tightened waist, and a hem that draped naturally so as not to feel restrictive during movement.
What made it unique was the hidden mechanisms at the shoulder, elbow, and waist joints.
The excellent elasticity perfectly adapted to Gavi’s body structure, ensuring it wouldn’t hinder her wide range of activities.
“Hmm, I feel like something is still missing from the face.”
Looking at Gavi, Lille scanned her up and down, finally resting her gaze on one side of Gavi’s cheek.
“Let’s put some makeup on her. Cosmetics can definitely make her look softer, but that kind of powder is too easy to rub off. It’s not practical.”
Maev rested her chin on her hand, thinking for a moment, then her eyes suddenly lit up. “How about we use painting instead?”
No sooner said than done.
She brought paint and fine brushes, detailing the colors on Gavi’s bionic face stroke by stroke. She used a light color as a base, then used a faint red to create the tone of the cheeks.
Her touch was extremely light, as if she were glazing porcelain.
At the corners of the eyes, she painted fine eyelashes and light shadows, giving Gavi’s empty sockets a bit of spirit.
The boundary between metal and paint was carefully blended; at first glance, it was almost impossible to tell the real from the fake. It was like a piece of art with a soul.
Considering Gavi had no hair, Maev ultimately gave up on the wig idea.
Instead, Maev used a special treatment — she found a large amount of pale gold silk thread in the warehouse used for decorating noble gowns. She wove them into bundles and fixed them to the attachment points on Gavi’s head.
This thread was soft yet had a metallic luster, and the color was bright. Although it was slightly different from real hair, after Maev’s treatment, it already looked as natural as real strands. She also thoughtfully told Gavi how to take care of this special hair.
When everything was finished, Maev stepped back, looking at her work with satisfaction.
At that moment, Gavi stood there quietly, the pale gold ‘hair’ falling over her shoulders, and her painted face showing a faint texture. Though she was half-human and half-puppet, from a distance, no one would notice anything amiss.
Lille watched, dazed, and whispered, “This is even more beautiful than I thought.”
Maev put away her brush, the corners of her mouth curling up slightly. “She isn’t just a simple puppet. This is the second young lady’s successful ‘masterpiece’!”
“On my honor as the head maid, I can’t let her look bad.”
Gavi stood there quietly, her black and white skirt falling below her knees. One half of the mask reflected the candlelight, while the other half revealed soft, girl-like lines. The ruby necklace shimmered at her neck, adding a bit of natural vitality to the once cold puppet.
“She really looks the part,” Lille sighed. She stepped forward to take a closer look and then nodded in satisfaction. “Perfect.”
Maev couldn’t help but smile slightly. “This way, even if she follows the second young lady into a crowd, as long as people don’t look closely, ordinary people shouldn’t realize this is a golem, right?”
***
Over the next few days, Gavi officially began her ‘training’ as a maid.
Lille personally served as her mentor — from folding sheets, wiping utensils, and organizing cabinets, to pouring tea, sending letters, and coordinating with her master’s daily habits. She taught every task in detail.
However, to Lille’s surprise, this seemingly cold puppet learned at an incredible speed. She almost never needed a second explanation.
Any movement, procedure, or step, once taught, could be precisely replicated without a single mistake in detail.
“Hold the cup with your left hand, support the tray with your right, take three steps forward, toes pointed outward — yes, just like that.”
Lille watched her smooth movements and couldn’t help but sigh softly, “Heavens, even her posture is so perfect that no one could find a flaw.”
Gavi simply stood there quietly, her hands folded in front of her, the points of light in her eye sockets soft like candlelight.
She didn’t understand what praise was, but she instinctively felt that as long as she could satisfy her master, it was right.
During this time, Helos witnessed new changes in Gavi almost every day.
“Hey, Gavi, your window-wiping movements are even faster than yesterday.”
“Gavi, you actually know how to brew tea?!”
“Ah — you even organized my notes for me?!”
The girl’s series of exclamations echoed through the workshop. Her silver-white hair swayed back and forth, and her whole person was as happy as a child.
In just one week, Gavi had completely mastered everything Lille had taught. Her movements became more and more natural, and she could even complete what Helos needed before she even spoke.
Helos truly felt for the first time how happy it was to have a personal maid. Someone to prepare meals, someone to organize documents, and someone to clean up experimental tools.
She could finally focus on her own research without being bogged down by chores.
“This is the life of a noble —” she sighed, looking up, her voice full of satisfaction.
Just then, the door was pushed open gently.
“So noisy. I thought you were doing some explosive research again.”
A helpless voice came from the door. Without even turning her head, Helos immediately recognized the newcomer as Julius.
“Huh? Why are you back?” The girl smiled as she went to meet him, her expression full of joy.
“My training for today is over. Master Cedric said that if you’re done with that thing, you should hurry back and continue practicing.”
Julius spoke as he looked around, noticing Gavi standing quietly in the corner. “Hmm? This… a maid? What a big change.”
“Of course!” Helos pulled Gavi’s hand toward him like a child showing off a toy. “Look, not only can she move now, but she can also help me clean, brew tea, and even cook!”
Looking at her excited appearance, Julius’s lip twitched slightly. “So, does this mean I’m almost useless now?”
“Oh, you guy with the big eyes and thick eyebrows, are you seriously jealous of Gavi?” Helos narrowed her eyes, teasingly poking him. “Do you want to be my personal maid, too?”
“Are you serious?”
“Of course not.” She playfully stuck out her tongue, her hands on her hips. “At most, you’d be good for carrying things, but Gavi has already covered everything.”
Julius raised an eyebrow, looked at Gavi, and sighed. “Sigh, Miss Gavi, don’t spoil this girl too much, or she’ll turn into a useless person sooner or later!”
“Huh?! Are you saying I’m lazy?”
“I didn’t say anything.”
“Your expression already said enough!”
The workshop suddenly became lively. Helos glared at him with her hands on her hips, Julius spread his hands innocently, and Gavi simply watched the two, the points of light in her eyes flickering gently.
She didn’t understand what “jealous” meant, nor did she quite understand why the identity of a maid made her master so happy.
But she knew that as long as her master was smiling, the warmth in her heart would grow a little stronger.
‘Perhaps, this is what it feels like to be alive?’
i suppose so.