*Knock, knock, knock.*
The bedroom door was knocked upon, followed by the voice of a maid.
“Mistress, breakfast is ready.”
Enya stretched, picked up the Golden Birdcage she had kept on the balcony all night, and walked out of her bedroom.
Guided by the maid, she arrived at the dining room.
The estate was vast, with a large portion of the land dedicated to decoration, and the luxury villa was naturally quite spacious as well.
It took Enya several minutes just to reach her destination.
The dining room was adjacent to the garden, featuring an entire wall of floor-to-ceiling windows that provided a pleasant view of the scenery outside.
Even the decor of the room was exceptionally lavish; various exquisite vases and flowers were meticulously arranged, and a long table that could seat twenty or thirty people spanned the center.
Enya sat at the head of the table and handed the cloth-covered Golden Birdcage to a maid. The maid accepted it respectfully and stepped aside.
Enya then looked to her left.
There stood an elven girl dressed in a long maid’s dress, her light cyan hair reaching halfway down her calves.
Wendy had a slight blush on her face as she stood with her head lowered, her eyes lacking focus as if she were lost in thought.
Suddenly, the corner of the elven girl’s mouth curled up slightly. She was secretly enjoying herself.
To be honest, Wendy didn’t dislike the profession of a maid—she had once dreamed of going to the royal palace to be a lady-in-waiting, as the work was easy and paid well—but she wasn’t fond of this specific dress.
It wrapped around her body so tightly that the sensation made it a bit difficult for her to breathe.
“Not bad, you have a dignified air now,” Enya praised.
She was quite satisfied with Wendy’s outfit.
A maid should be wrapped up tightly; long skirts, long sleeves, and garter stockings were the best!
They ate a simple yet hearty breakfast.
Afterward, Enya leaned against the back of her chair and gave instructions to the maid.
“Prepare a dress for me. A guest will be arriving later.”
“Yes, Mistress.”
After receiving the order, the maid respectfully lifted her skirt in a curtsy before withdrawing.
Enya turned her head to look at Wendy.
“Watch closely and learn well,” she said in Elvish.
“Mm… I understand, Pre—uh… Mistress!”
Wendy had originally intended to call her ‘Predecessor’ like Sophia did, but since her status was now that of a servant, she felt her form of address should change accordingly.
Thus, she imitated the way the maid had addressed Enya.
Hearing that timid ‘Mistress’ caused Enya’s back to straighten slightly. she glanced at the elven maid beside her.
‘Not bad. She’s quite talented.’
“Hehe—thank you, thank you for the praise, Mistress!”
Wendy was very happy to hear that.
Although she tried her best to restrain herself by pursing her lips, her eyes curved into crescent moons.
‘Tsk, a natural-born maid!’
‘But now that you’re following me, it certainly won’t be worse than staying in the Elven Kingdom.’
Enya smiled and stood up to go change.
She had originally planned to head straight for her home base, but after staying the night, she had changed her mind slightly.
She would wrap things up here first to save herself the trouble of coming back later.
Handing the Golden Birdcage to Wendy, Enya went to the dressing room.
After making her selection, she changed into a purple dress that hugged the curves of her body, and a maid applied a touch of elegant makeup.
Enya looked into the Magical Mirror at the grey-haired woman in the purple dress holding a purple fan.
Her bright, mature charm carried a hint of coldness.
She looked toward Wendy, who was standing nearby with the Golden Birdcage, and asked, “Do I look good?”
“Not as good as before?”
“Mm.”
Wendy was an honest child.
The Enya who had suddenly raided her last night possessed a dreamlike beauty, a visage that the current version couldn’t compare to.
If that were a perfect score, Wendy could only give the current Ms. Enya eighty points.
Elves placed more importance on temperament when it came to beauty.
After all, their faces tended to be quite similar; if one didn’t distinguish them by their “flavor” or “vibe,” it was a bit difficult to tell who was who.
Enya struck several poses, examining her disguised self from various angles, and then let out a light chuckle. “This will suffice.”
Cultivating Magic Power really did make a person more beautiful.
The higher one’s Order of Magic, the more refined their physical body became.
As someone who had reached the Nine Steps, Enya’s body could be described as flawless.
She glanced at the Golden Birdcage, the corners of her mouth curling up even more.
Enya walked over to Wendy, took out a pair of thin-framed Translation Glasses, and placed them on the Forest Elf’s nose.
Wendy blinked her dark green eyes in confusion. “Mistress, what is this?”
“It provides a basic translation function. While it won’t let you communicate with humans immediately, you’ll at least be able to understand what they’re saying.”
Enya pinched the girl’s cheek and patted her shoulder.
“Work hard. Following me will bring you plenty of rewards. Do you see this estate? Do you see those maids? One day, you will have all of that too. I believe in you, Wendy.”
“Yes, Mistress!”
Wendy’s ears perked up, and her excited voice rose several decibels.
After handing out the metaphorical carrot, Enya walked toward the hall.
Once Enya lifted the order of seclusion, stacks of letters requesting visits were delivered, some even inviting her to balls.
Enya didn’t even look at a single one, simply ordering the maids to throw them into the furnace to burn.
Soren and Roland, the father and son of the Ophield Family, did not come to visit in person, but they did send a gift.
As long as the gift arrived, the people didn’t need to.
Enya accepted it without ceremony and then casually tossed it to the maids of the house, letting them divide the heavy gift among themselves.
That wasn’t what she was waiting for.
The One-armed Elder who had given Enya the Spirit-Soothing Flower Dagger arrived alone.
As soon as he saw Enya, he knelt on the ground and kowtowed.
“Ms. Enya, Great Mercy and Compassion, thank you for saving all of White Stone City.”
In this world, the phrase “Great Mercy and Compassion” was actually a term derived from the classics of the Goddess Church.
Just as he was about to praise Enya further, she cut him off. Her voice was cold as she spoke.
“I didn’t save any White Stone City. I simply completed the deal between us. Also, you can go back and tell Sharon to remember to bring a grand gift when she comes, or else I won’t open the door for her.”
Snap!
She flicked open her purple folding fan, concealing the lower half of her face. Enya gave a cold smile.
The One-armed Elder was the driver of the carriage called by Golden Town after the battle with Eugene.
His relationship with Sharon… was likely also based on some kind of deal.
The Spirit-Soothing Flower Dagger happened to be able to strip the fragments from the Goddess’s Cicada Wing, and it coincidentally fell into the hands of “Ms. Enya,” who then went to seize the fragment the very next day.
‘This is a case of someone handing you a pillow just as you’re nodding off.’
The Sixth Tier Puppet at the Lord’s Manor, the Sixth Tier Shadow Guard at the Teleportation Array…
The plan Sylvia had originally envisioned was perhaps to let Ms. Enya obtain the fragment and then create a confrontation with the Shadow Hall Master, giving Sylvia the chance to take the Goddess’s Cicada Wing for herself.
In the end, she would sit back and reap the rewards!
Unfortunately, Sylvia thought she had overestimated Enya’s strength, only to realize she had still vastly underestimated it.
Now, Sylvia had become Enya’s exclusive Information Girl, living in a birdcage.
The One-armed Elder was stunned for a moment after hearing Enya’s words, but he wasn’t too surprised. He gave Enya another resounding kowtow.
“I have no way to repay Ms. Enya’s great kindness…”
“Don’t say that. There will be an opportunity in the future.”
Enya chuckled. Claims of having “no way to repay” were always false; it was just a way to try and dodge the debt of gratitude.
Enya had seen it many times before.
The One-armed Elder did not argue.
“I will truthfully relay Ms. Enya’s words to Lady Sharon. Please rest assured, Lady. I shall take my leave now.”
Enya didn’t ask him to stay.
She folded her fan and tapped it against the soft curve of her chest. After thinking for a moment, she looked at Wendy.
Observing Enya’s gaze, Wendy didn’t quite understand what was required. Enya’s mouth twitched as she spoke helplessly.
“Lift the cloth.”
“Oh, oh! Right away, Mistress!”
Wendy lifted the cloth covering the Golden Birdcage. She couldn’t help but peek inside the cage at the still-living woman’s head.
Sylvia opened her eyes and looked at the smiling Enya.
Enya said with a grin, “It seems someone over there has already replaced you.”
Sylvia narrowed her eyes.
Enya rose from her chair and walked toward Sylvia with slow, elegant steps. She reached into the cage with her folding fan and poked Sylvia’s cheek.
Her smile gradually faded as she spoke.
“Sylvia, I know you aren’t the main body, but rather a puppet with its own consciousness. I’ve severed the connection between you and the original. Your main body can no longer control your thoughts.”
“Then should I thank you?” Sylvia looked at Enya with a face full of confusion.
She was currently nothing more than a head trapped in a birdcage, being toyed with and insulted by that elven brat.
Sylvia’s life was worse than that of a dog or cat. Did Enya actually expect her to say thank you?
In her dreams!
However, it was true that her link to the main body had been broken.
Sylvia was a fragment of the original, connected by a soul-tether.
Enya poked her again and smiled. “How about we make a deal too?”
“What kind of deal?”
Sylvia was somewhat curious about what Enya wanted from her, so she agreed with the intent of giving it a try.
She couldn’t do anything else anyway.
The suppression of the Golden Birdcage was too intense; her control over her own hair couldn’t even penetrate the bars.
She was trapped in this narrow space.
Enya withdrew the folding fan, snapped it open in front of her chest, and fanned herself gently.
“I’ll cut off your main body’s head and put yours on instead. The condition is that you, Sylvia, must become my dog.”
Sylvia fell silent.
Enya, however, seemed to have found a new source of amusement, laughing freely behind her fan.
If the head agreed, then so be it. If she didn’t, she could stay in the cage for a lifetime.
Just as Enya was waiting for Sylvia’s choice with a look of delight, the voice of a maid sounded from outside the parlor.
“Mistress, Madam Margaret is here to visit.”
Enya thought about it carefully before finally remembering who that woman was.