The two portions of European-style stew on the table had gone cold, even forming a thin skin on top. The atmosphere seemed to freeze.
Yelena gripped the small wooden spoon, which still had residual tomato sauce on it, but her wrist was trembling.
Ivette held her water glass, a head full of question marks.
After reviewing the last few lines of dialogue, a huge exclamation mark uniformly floated above the two young ladies’ foreheads.
‘Didn’t save anyone? Self-rescue?’
‘Then who is lying?’
‘And also, why tell Ivette? So embarrassing…’
…
“Ladies, haven’t you finished your lunch yet?”
The door pushed open, and Anna stepped into the entryway carrying a basket of fresh fruits, vegetables, and meat.
Two gazes immediately snapped onto her.
Anna had just changed out of her soft-soled black ankle boots into house loafers when she noticed the two at the table staring at her unrelentingly.
She involuntarily froze, and a cabbage slipped out from the basket hooked on her arm, falling to the floor.
The low pressure in this room felt off…
“Anna.”
Yelena tapped the table. “Come over here.”
Ivette pointed to the empty chair beside her, crossed her fingers, placed them under her chin in the iconic pose of Commander Ikari, and gestured for her to sit.
Anna had no choice but to reluctantly move over and set down the vegetable basket. She really didn’t feel comfortable sitting, so she stood ramrod straight like a model soldier.
“Um…” Yelena said through gritted teeth. “Ivette said that she never helped me dispel the Charm, and moreover, she passed out herself.”
“So what exactly happened last night?” Ivette asked, crossing her arms.
“Didn’t you tell me earlier that Yelena dispelled it herself? Hmm?”
Anna’s back began to sweat profusely.
Woo, the jig is up that fast…
Last night, in order to forcibly suppress Yelena’s Charm state using a Talisman, she had used Fox Clan magic. If this were exposed today, her identity as a maid who came with the dowry would be completely impossible to hide.
Her mind raced.
Anna cleared her throat twice and began to bluff without changing expression. “Ladies, you misunderstand. The true situation last night is…”
“Lady Yelena, in a state of extreme embarrassment, suffered a great mental shock.”
“Huh?” The little fox girl was stunned.
“Yes, that feeling of extreme shame activated the latent Nine-tailed Celestial Fox potential within you!”
The more Anna made up, the smoother she got, and the more excited she became, even waving her hands a few times with great seriousness. “Under your subconscious defense mechanism, you performed a deep self-hypnosis, ultimately forming a sort of Reverse Dispelling Technique, completely purifying the Charm power!”
…
What’s scariest is the sudden silence in the air.
Ivette’s brows were knit, and she kept raising an eyebrow.
This is too ridiculous, isn’t it? Can extreme embarrassment really awaken reverse dispelling? This isn’t some trashy bargain-bin light novel with forced stupid power-ups!
“Anna, are you sure?” Ivette was about to press further.
“Yes! That’s right!”
Suddenly, Yelena slammed the table and stood up.
The little fox girl’s entire face was red like a ripe tomato, and even her fox ears looked like they were about to bleed.
“I, I was just… just too embarrassed! And then, whoa! A sudden flash of inspiration! This potential awakening is completely reasonable!”
As long as they didn’t continue discussing the specific details of last night’s events, even if Anna said she detoxified by sucking someone’s essence, she would wholeheartedly agree!
Ivette opened her mouth but stopped as she watched Yelena’s eagerness to cover up her embarrassing past. ‘What, this one is on her side…’ ‘Fine, whatever makes you happy.’
The red-haired girl ultimately swallowed her doubts.
“Ha…” Anna let out a long breath, knowing she had managed to blunder through for now.
But before she could fully relax, a surge of indescribable restlessness suddenly rose from deep within her body.
Oh no, it seems that thing has come…
The side effect of undoing the bloodline disguise—Anna hadn’t forgotten that she was in the Backlash Period. Before this, in order to conceal her Fox Tribe identity, she had used a Secret Technique for years to suppress her Fox Tribe bloodline. She had stayed at the Sword Saint’s Mansion two years ago to serve Ivette, also to have a backing while searching for Yelena. But she would never harbor any ill will toward the Sword Saint family. Last night she really had no choice but to release her power, and this morning she had to forcefully seal it back.
Her Aftereffects were continuously manifesting. The most intuitive reaction was naturally losing control over some Fox Tribe preferences and habits.
She glanced at the prepared whole chicken in the vegetable basket. ‘It smells so good.’ ‘I want to eat it raw.’
Anna swallowed, desperately suppressing her urge to bury her face in the vegetable basket.
“I’ll go prepare the meal, Lady Yelena.” She tossed out the line, then picked up the vegetable basket and headed straight for the kitchen.
But the moment she turned, Anna instinctively felt an itch on top of her head. She raised her left hand and rapidly scratched at the air three times at a spot that to others would seem empty.
‘Huh?’
This tiny movement was still caught by Ivette.
The red-haired girl pinched her chin, squinting as she thought.
How is this action… how does it look so much like a small animal scratching its own ear? But on top of Anna’s head, there was nothing at all!
Ivette continued to stare at Anna’s retreating back with suspicion.
…
Time came to the afternoon.
In winter, such brief sunlight was rare. Ivette lounged lazily on the balcony recliner, taking a nap.
Maid Anna, on the other hand, was holding a feather duster, cleaning dust in the living room.
The perfect maid who usually worked efficiently and was meticulous in every detail was today frequently distracted. Today she kept unconsciously looking toward the kitchen, and from time to time, a very low-frequency purring sound came from her throat.
Ivette, again attracted by the strange sound, began to secretly observe what Anna was doing.
Anna’s walking today was completely unlike her usual gait. Her steps were much lighter than usual, resembling a feline or canine patrolling its territory.
It seemed very similar to that girl napping in the boudoir…
What was even more suspicious was that movement.
Anna stood in front of the bookshelf, but the feather duster in her hand stopped mid-air. She suddenly raised her left hand and scratched back and forth a few times at a spot about two inches above her ear. It was a subtly pleased expression; she slightly squinted her eyes in comfort. Even her heels unconsciously tapped twice on the floor.
“What are you scratching again?”
A sudden voice came from behind Anna.
She shuddered all over, showing a bristling reaction similar to Yelena’s.
Too similar—the same stress reaction as that animal due to being frightened…
Ivette leaned against the doorframe, but her gaze was fixed on Anna’s left hand, still hovering in the air.
“My hair… is a bit messy, sorry, Lady Ivette… I’ll finish cleaning the living room right away.”
Anna quickly put down her hand and pretended to tidy the stray hairs by her ear.
“When you usually fix your hair, do you directly touch the air?”
The red-haired Sword Saint pressed closer, feeling she was approaching the truth.
“I’ve been watching you for half an hour. You’ve scratched at your head at least ten times.”