Chapter 69: Sweat and Sheets

“So hot… wind, please…”

In the mansion’s courtyard.

A wave of heat rolled by. Aurora wiped the fragrant sweat from her forehead with her sleeve, shielding her eyes with one hand as she peered through her fingers at the cloudless sky above.

She had just finished hanging up the washed clothes to dry. The faint scent of Silvergrad Flower lingered in the courtyard—not drifting in from the garden, but wafting up from the damp laundry itself.

This fragrance came from a special laundry potion Beatrice had concocted. Every time Aurora washed clothes, she would add a little, making them cleaner and imbuing them with her favorite floral scent.

But truth be told, after smelling it for so long, the scent could get a bit cloying.

Another wave of heat swept past.

The hair on her forehead clung to her moist, fair skin as beads of sweat trickled down her cheeks, dropping onto the scorching ground.

The folds at her collar were thoroughly soaked by the sweat trickling down her neck. Beneath the thick maid uniform, her chest—hidden away—was even more of a disaster zone. The round, full curves once concealed by white fabric now faintly showed through, made visible by sweat, the fabric sticking and rubbing against her soft skin with her every movement.

Sunlight shone directly on her silvery-white hair, as if intent on melting away every trace of white on her body. It wasn’t enough to dissolve the snowy whiteness of her skin; it wanted to take her silver hair as well.

“So hot…”

She exhaled a long, heated breath, as if thinking she could expel all the heat from her body that way. Of course, it brought her not the slightest relief.

She was reaching her limit.

The maid uniform she wore was, unbelievably, the autumn-winter version. It was tolerable in spring, but the moment summer arrived, it became a torture device—wearing it was pure suffering.

She had actually tailored herself a short-sleeved maid uniform, but Beatrice didn’t seem to like it. She’d said she preferred the thicker style, so Aurora had no choice but to keep wearing this while working.

Next, she still had to wipe the windows, clean the living room, water the flowers in the garden, and make lunch for Beatrice. She couldn’t imagine if, after all that, her clothes would end up like the just-washed laundry—able to be wrung out for half a basin of water.

The fragrance.

If that really happened, the half basin of water certainly wouldn’t smell as pleasant as before.

Suddenly, a red chain appeared around her neck, the other end drifting toward Beatrice’s bedroom.

She knew at once—Beatrice was calling her back.

She passed through the stuffy living room, climbed the stairs to the second floor, and saw Beatrice’s door still tightly shut.

The chain passed through the door into the bedroom. From inside, the sound of the chain shaking could be heard, growing more urgent as if urging her on.

She knocked twice on the door, and a moment later, Beatrice’s lazy, husky voice came from within.

“Come in and dress me.”

“Yes, Mistress.”

She opened the door and saw Beatrice in white sleepwear, looking drowsy and half-awake.

Clearly, she hadn’t been up long.

Her dark hair was a bit tousled, the white sheet slipping down from her chest, where traces of last night’s intimacy still lingered.

Beatrice yawned, her gaze landing on Aurora with a hint of displeasure. “What are you spacing out for? Hurry up and help me get dressed.”

“But, Mistress, I’m all sweaty. I might get you dirty.”

Hearing Aurora’s words, Beatrice squinted and looked closely at her face.

“How did you sweat so much?”

“…Because it’s hot, Mistress.”

Aurora walked to the window and yanked the curtains open.

In the blinding sunlight, the once dim room was instantly filled with light, making Beatrice squint, nearly unable to open her eyes.

Actually, since she entered, Aurora had felt something odd. On such a hot day, Beatrice hadn’t sweated at all and was even sleeping under such a thick blanket. Did she draw some weird Magic Circle inside the sheets again?

“Tch, damn it.”

One day, I’ll invent a spell to control the sun and moon, so that whenever I want to sleep, I can just make the sun clock out.

“Mistress, maybe you should dress yourself.”

Aurora turned to leave and continue her chores.

Just as she reached the door, a sharp pain shot through her neck, and she froze in place.

“Did I say you could leave?”

Beatrice yanked the chain hard, pulling Aurora from the doorway straight onto the bed.

“Sweat will dirty the sheets.”

There was no panic as expected, and this made Beatrice, who was just thinking of teasing her, feel a surge of irritation.

For the past few months, Aurora had felt off to her. Although she’d become much more obedient than when she first arrived—doing whatever she was told, no matter how excessive—Beatrice hadn’t seen her flustered or tearful in ages.

That wouldn’t do. Satisfying her own desires wasn’t enough; she wanted to see Aurora’s pained expressions, to see her cry, to see her afraid.

“If there’s nothing else, I’ll just—”

Snap.

A crisp finger snap rang out.

Aurora suddenly felt the bed beneath her go soft, and her body began to sink downward.

Everything around her became as soft as the sheets, enveloping her as she fell.

Suddenly, the falling stopped. She felt as if she’d landed on an even softer bed, and all around was silent, except for the hot, damp breath on her earlobe.

She was wrapped up in a gigantic blanket, stifling and hot. She tried to push it aside bit by bit, but no matter what, she couldn’t get out.

She knew, it had to be Beatrice’s Space Magic trapping her again.

“Do you like it? This is a Space Magic I made just for sleeping.”

Sweat now streamed freely from Aurora, soaking the sheets wherever her body touched.

“Mistress, your world-of-blankets is about to be drenched in my sweat. Are you really okay with that?”

Beatrice didn’t reply. In here, only Aurora’s own breathing could be heard, along with the sound of her body rubbing against the pristine sheets.

She didn’t know how much time had passed, but Aurora’s cheeks grew flushed, her mind growing hazy.

She tried to stand, but the white sheets seemed unwilling to let her go. Every time she got up, they would start to sway, toppling her right back down.

“Mistress… I think… I’m about to pass out…”

Aurora, wrapped up in the sheets, was panting hard. Her face grew even redder, her mind more and more muddled.

“Already at your limit? I thought you could last a bit longer.”

Beatrice’s teasing voice came from beside her ear, and then, without warning, she appeared, pressing down on her.

Seeing Aurora’s pained expression, Beatrice finally felt a flicker of satisfaction in her heart.

She reached out with a cool hand to stroke Aurora’s sweat-slick cheek and said, “Aurora, I haven’t seen you cry in so long. Won’t you cry for me, just once?”

Aurora, now barely conscious, couldn’t make out Beatrice’s words. But when she felt that cold sensation slide across her cheek, she instinctively sought it out, wanting more of that coolness.

Her dazed head turned slightly, as if searching for the chill she’d just felt.

“Do you want this feeling?”

Beatrice seemed to sense her thoughts. She intertwined her icy fingers with Aurora’s, pinning her hands above her head.

She leaned down, whispering in her ear, “Do you like this kind of cold?”

Magic began to gather inside her. Ice Elemental Mana danced around Beatrice, the very spell that kept her body cool.

With absolute command over mana, she could even coat herself in lightning if she wished.

Seeing Aurora’s suffering, Beatrice could no longer suppress her excitement. She began to strip away the sweat-soaked clothes clinging to Aurora’s skin.

Once Aurora was fully undressed, Beatrice eagerly pressed her own soft, cool body against her.

The chill of her skin seeped into Aurora, who unconsciously clung tightly to Beatrice.

“Good girl, I’ll make you even cooler.”

The sheets around them were now completely soaked, sticky sweat and saliva tangling endlessly within the pristine white fabric.