“Ahaha—nothing happened at all.” Lillian chuckled awkwardly, trying to brush it off.
“So I heard from Eileen that you seemed to be in a bad mood today?”
Phew, thankfully it’s not about Ophelia.
But hearing Eileen’s name in that sentence made Lillian clench her fists.
That Little Maid must have exaggerated something.
Even though Lillian’s tone wasn’t great at the time, it wasn’t like she was in a really bad mood, right?
Lillian mentally made a note about the Little Maid.
“It’s not like that, I just suddenly thought of some things, feeling a little irritated, but definitely not that bad.” Lillian directly denied Eileen’s assumption.
“Can you tell me what it is?”
What’s with Eleanora today?
Why does it feel like she’s going to keep pressing until she gets the whole story?
But no way was Lillian going to reveal what really happened.
Tell her she’d made a deal with the Empire’s Second Princess and was planning to make a fortune and run away?
Or that she’d just found out her debt had multiplied sevenfold and was having trouble accepting it?
“Nothing… don’t worry, Mistress, I can handle it.”
Eleanora tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, a faint blush spreading across her cheeks.
“I want to help Lillian.” She didn’t dare meet Lillian’s eyes, instead staring at the floor beside her.
“Because of this, you don’t even want to call me ‘Mistress’ anymore.”
Lillian sucked in a breath, feeling a chill in her heart.
She’d been naive—was it really because of this?
Of course it was you, Eleanora!
But she also blamed herself.
She’d said she wanted to get into work mode, but she’d still unconsciously called Eleanora “Mistress” all along.
When Eleanora’s mood was disrupted, no experience points were granted—this was unacceptable.
Next time, she had to be careful about her attitude!
Lillian reflected on herself silently.
Then she put on a businesslike smile.
“So that’s it, Mistress~ Sorry, I was overthinking and forgot about this morning’s promise.”
【Made Mistress happy, Experience +3】
【Current Experience: 67/100】
Eleanora’s face seemed to flush even more under the dim lighting, her head lowered, so Lillian barely noticed.
Seeing the experience points increase, Lillian felt her mood lighten considerably.
The 14 million coins debt didn’t seem so serious now.
If she could earn 2 million, she could earn 14 million too!
It was just a matter of time and complexity.
There were still two to three years before the Earl’s manor would be sacrificed, so she still had time.
If things got desperate, she could crush the danger in its cradle.
With persistent training and study, her strength should reach the level needed to handle the cult problem, right?
But all of that depended on having enough freedom and time to act.
So she had to quickly build a good relationship with Eleanora.
Lillian felt her thoughts clearing up a lot.
This dinner was a good opportunity to boost affection and experience points.
“So, Lillian, you still haven’t said what’s really bothering you…”
“Hmm—do you really want to know?” Lillian pretended to be reluctant.
“If you don’t want to… forget it then…”
Hearing Lillian’s answer, Eleanora looked a little downcast, her hands nervously knotting under the table.
Lillian sighed in her heart.
This girl might be a bit of a genius, but she still cared a lot about her.
Besides, Lillian didn’t want to make Eleanora sad.
“Actually, I’m worried about the studies after this.”
“Eh?”
Eleanora looked surprised as she lifted her head.
“Wh-what is it?”
“Mistress, I actually don’t have much talent for learning Magic…” Lillian said with some regret.
“I knew from childhood that I wasn’t gifted in Magic, or else I wouldn’t have become a physician.”
“If I had talent, I’d be a Potion Master.”
“So I was thinking, if you work hard teaching me Magic, and in the end, I don’t learn it, wouldn’t that be a waste of your time?”
“That won’t happen! Lillian, you will definitely learn Magic, I promise!” Eleanora said resolutely.
Not to mention that as a Demon Lord, she had profound knowledge of Magic and runes; she was confident she could teach even someone with average talent to at least get started.
Besides, Lillian wasn’t as talentless as she claimed.
Eleanora clearly remembered that in her previous life, Lillian was no top prodigy, but she was definitely a rare talent on the scale of one in a hundred or even a thousand.
That was why Eleanora could make such a promise.
“But if I don’t learn, I won’t be able to protect you properly…” Lillian looked a little guilty.
Her acting wasn’t perfect—it was obvious she almost burst out laughing.
But Eleanora’s mind was full of that phrase, “protect Mistress properly,” and she didn’t notice.
She felt a little dizzy, her face warming, and her gaze wavered.
【Made Mistress dokidoki, Experience +5】
Sigh, to tie that reason and that phrase together, this guy really is a genius.
Lillian chuckled secretly in her heart.
Dinner was ready, and the maids began bringing out dishes one after another.
The appetizer was a few slices of steaming buttered bread, crispy on the outside and soft inside.
The soup was creamy mushroom, very fresh.
The starter was river shrimp, looking similar to the ones from Lillian’s previous world.
The main course was, of course, steak, cooked well done before being served.
The side was a vegetable salad, with familiar vegetables from Lillian’s world and some local specialties—tangy and sweet.
Throughout the meal, Eleanora was unusually quiet.
Eileen, having finished her tasks, stood nearby, observing the two quietly.
Seeing Eleanora shrink into a turtle-like shell made her anxious.
What’s Mistress doing? Come on, snap out of it!
Eleanora ate absentmindedly.
Her mind was filled with the image of Lillian’s earlier self-blame, and the lively Lillian she’d seen at the little playground.
“Protect Mistress.”
Hehe, heheh.
If it weren’t for Lillian sitting right in front of her, Eleanora would have already burst out laughing.
All her earlier plans to make learning Magic difficult for Lillian were long forgotten.
clink.
The last dessert was brought out.
It was pudding.
Lillian took a small spoonful—sweet and quite tasty.
Eleanora remained motionless, staring blankly at the pudding, her spoon unmoving.
Lillian remembered when she fed Eleanora steak before.
The first time they did a feeding play, she gained a full 10 experience points.
How much would it be this time?
So Lillian repeated the trick, scooping a small bit of pudding and holding the spoon out to Eleanora.
“Mistress, ah—”
W-what is this?
Eleanora stared at the growing spoonful of pudding shaking on the spoon.
But her attention wasn’t on the spoon.
Beyond it, Lillian sat with her head propped on one hand, eyes full of adoration, her delicate nose above pink lips slightly parted, with a hint of a smile.
Lillian’s lips.
They must taste just like pudding—sweet and tender, right?
Eleanora instinctively opened her mouth and ate the pudding Lillian fed her.
Then she suddenly realized she was still holding a spoon.
Eh?
Lillian, with the spoon in her hand, parted her lips and took a small bite of pudding herself.
Eh!?
Eleanora stared blankly at Lillian’s lips.
Her heartbeat sped up rapidly, a rush of heat flooding her cheeks!
“Ugh—” an uncontrollable whimper tried to escape her mouth.
Most of the maids nearby wore expressions of satisfaction; the head maid even wiped her eyes with a handkerchief.
Eileen covered her face with both hands, peeking through her fingers.
Her eyes gleamed.
Oh oh oh!
What a scene, what a scene!