Early morning, in the small dining hall where the maids ate.
Lilian placed the bread on the plate in front of her and fell into deep thought.
Lilian felt ashamed of herself.
Yesterday, she had been restless over a trivial matter.
Eleanora noticed it, and Lilian ended up staying in her arms for such a long time.
And she even kind of enjoyed it!
Though Eleanoraโs embrace was indeed very comfortable.
Butโฆ
This shouldnโt be happening!
It really shouldnโt!
A true man born under heaven and earth should neverโ
Though she was no longer oneโฆ
Still, leaning on someone elseโs embrace, relying on anotherโit was so embarrassing.
And what did she say? โThank youโ?
Eleanora had responded so gently with a soft โMhm.โ
โUghโโ
What on earth was she doing?
Lilian grabbed her face and rubbed it, her shoes tapping anxiously on the floor.
This isnโt real, isnโt real, isnโt real.
Your brother must be dreaming.
โLilian, what are you doing?โ Irene asked from beside her, mouth full of food, cheeks puffed, her face full of confusion as she looked at Lilian.
โNothing.โ Lilian lowered her hands from her face, putting on a calm expression.
It was just a flare-up of her embarrassment.
After finishing breakfast, the two of them headed, as usual, to Eleanoraโs bedroom.
Irene slipped inside and found that Eleanora had gotten up early again today.
Eleanora felt ashamed.
Yesterday, when she saw Lilian so restless, she had, on her own accord, used the way Lilian in her past life had treated her to comfort her.
She had held Lilian for so long!
And had actually enjoyed it herself!
Though Lilian was soft and fragrant, and holding her was really comfortable.
Butโฆ
This shouldnโt be!
It really shouldnโt!
She was supposed to make Lilian dislike her!
Not comfort her like this!
And Lilian even said โThank youโ?
And she herself responded with โMhmโ?
โAhhโโ
What exactly was she doing?
Eleanora rubbed her face with her hands, trying to snap herself out of it.
Itโs all fake, all fake, all fake.
I must be dreaming.
Irene stood nearby, puzzled.
What was going on with the young lady and Lilian today?
Why were they both rubbing their faces?
Were their faces hurting?
โMiss? Are you alright?โ
โIโm fine.โ Eleanora lowered her hands and put on a calm expression.
Iโm thinking about happy things.
ใCombed hair for the master, Maid Experience +1ใ
ใCurrent Experience: 98/100ใ
Lilian naturally completed the task of combing.
For some reason, Eleanora was exceptionally quiet today.
Throughout the whole process, Eleanora barely said a word, sitting quietly and letting Lilian comb her hair.
Because of what happened yesterday, Lilian didnโt dare to speak either.
Caught in this awkward in-between state.
However, when only a tiny bit of progress remained, Lilian immediately pushed yesterdayโs incident to the back of her mind, roughlyโฆ
โMa-Master.โ Lilian stammered as she called out to Eleanora.
No matter what, seeing Eleanora reminded her of being held yesterday.
It was still so embarrassing.
โWhatโs the schedule for today?โ
Since the Knights’ Training Ground was closed to the public, Lilian had to stay in the countโs manor these past few days.
Based on the previous routine, unless Eleanora requested otherwise, Lilian would have to stay by her side all day.
โWhat schedule? Didnโt we agree youโd teach me magic today?โ
All day?
โWhat about work?โ
Lilian remembered Eleanora still had some paperwork to handleโnot troublesome, but time-consuming.
โI canceled it.โ
Oh, really?
Lilian had thought Eleanora would just squeeze out some time to teach her magic.
She hadnโt expected it to be the whole day.
A warm feeling blossomed inside Lilianโs heart.
โThank you, Master.โ Lilian bowed deeply, expressing her sincere thanks.
Eleanoraโs heart beat uncontrollably faster.
That silly Lilian, always saying thank you.
Yesterdayโs scene seemed to replay before her eyes.
The girl in her arms completely relaxed, as if relying on her entirely, whispering thanks.
โUghโโ
Eleanoraโs ears flushed red.
โDonโt, donโt misunderstand! Itโs just that work was too boring, I thought teaching you magic would be more interesting. Itโs not like I canceled it especially for you, did you hear that!โ
โYes.โ Lilian nodded obediently.
Since Eleanora said so, she had no choice but to comply.
ใMade masterโs heart race, Maid Experience +2ใ
ใMaid Lv.1 โ Lv.2ใ
The stats seemed to have changed a bit, but not much.
ใMaidใ
ใEvaluation: Judging from housekeeping skills, you are not yet qualified. But your understanding of how to please your master has deepened. Anyone, as your master, would quickly become addicted to you.ใ
ใExperience: 0/100ใ
ใSpecial Ability Unlocked: Exclusive Maidใ
ใWhen interacting with the master, the masterโs mood improves positively, stress and anxiety decrease, desire slightly increases, and instincts will guide you on how to satisfy the master.ใ
What does โdesire slightly increasesโ mean?
What instincts to satisfy the master?
Is this really a proper maid?
No, why is it this kind of ability?
Lilian had thought after leveling up, the system would grant her something like โHousekeeping Mastery,โ making her more skilled and less prone to mistakes.
But the reality was totally different.
Just thinking it over, Lilian understood the situation clearly.
โHard work brings rewards,โ but the rewards depend on the direction of your effort.
Lilian had been earning experience by making Eleanora happy, shy, and satisfied.
So naturally, the ability gained after leveling up would help her satisfy Eleanora even more.
The Maid System was indeed a deityโs system.
There was no longer any humanity left.
From the moment she learned that โinteracting with Eleanora and making her happy grants more experience,โ there was no turning back.
Honest work and experience gain was the right path; pleasing the master like this was pure evil maid tactics!
But there was no way back now.
Lilian looked at the shy, fidgeting Eleanora.
She realized that her instinct was telling her to rush forward and hug her.
Hold Eleanora in her arms and stroke her gently, like petting a small animal.
Could this really satisfy Eleanora?
Was she so starved for love sheโd become like this?
Lilian was dumbfounded.
Eleanora was already lost in her own world, completely unaware of Lilianโs reaction.
Her heartbeat raced because of Lilianโs thanks, replaying the afternoonโs embrace over and over.
Occasionally, her daydreams transformed into Lilian holding her instead.
And these fantasies kept growing clearer and more frequent, even beginning to overshadow yesterdayโs actual memories.
How wonderful it would be if she were the one being held.
Soft, gentle Lilianโฆ
She so wanted Lilian to hold her.
Such thoughts began to fill Eleanoraโs mind.