Chapter 11 : Would You Like a Cup of Black Tea
Chapter 11: Would You Like a Cup of Black Tea?
Hera walked past Lilia, who was still frozen in place, and came to her side.
A faint scent, mixed with a certain cold fragrance and the smell of blood, slipped into Lilia’s nose.
She could feel that Hera was standing right beside her.
Very close.
So close that she could even hear the faint rustling of silk fabric rubbing beneath that luxurious skirt.
Every second was a merciless torture to her nerves.
She had already bet her entire fate on that lie full of loopholes.
Success or failure depended on this single move!
The corridor once again fell into a long, suffocating silence.
Lilia felt as if her heart was about to leap out of her throat.
Finally.
【Ding!】
A crisp, heavenly notification sound exploded in her mind!
Lilia almost burst into tears on the spot.
System! My dear savior!
【Daily Mission: Prelude of Dawn】
【Mission Status: Completed】
【Evaluation: S (In a desperate situation where the mission was about to fail, the host displayed a strong will to survive and outstanding adaptability, successfully turning the crisis into an opportunity and perfectly achieving the mission objective.)】
【Mission Reward: E-Rank Life Skill · Temperature Perception】
【Special Reward: Due to obtaining an S-rank evaluation, Feminization Index +1, Loyalty +1.】
A stream of information cascaded before Lilia’s eyes like a waterfall.
She was completely stunned.
S-rank evaluation?
That ridiculous lie she had just told—even she thought it was absurd—was actually judged by the System as “outstanding adaptability”?
And there were rewards?
Both the Feminization Index and Loyalty increased by one?
Before Lilia could think further, an overwhelming surge of joy from surviving a disaster instantly drowned her.
She survived!
She wouldn’t be erased!
Just as her heart was overflowing with ecstasy, almost losing control of her expression—
A cold finger, clad in a black silk glove, gently lifted her chin.
Lilia’s entire body trembled. All the joy vanished in an instant, leaving behind only bone-chilling cold.
Her head was forced to slowly lift.
That cold, breathtakingly beautiful face once again appeared clearly in her vision at close range.
Hera slightly leaned down, examining her with a scrutinizing, somewhat inquisitive gaze.
Those brilliant golden eyes were no longer filled with pure emptiness.
There was an extra trace of… curiosity.
Like a child who had obtained a novel toy that made strange noises.
She wanted to take it apart and see what was hidden inside.
This thought made Lilia’s heart, which had just calmed down, leap back into her throat.
She suspects me!
She never believed my nonsense at all!
She just finds me, this “toy,” interesting and wants to see what other tricks I can pull!
Lilia’s body trembled even more violently.
“You…”
Hera finally spoke. Her voice was very soft, yet like an ice spike, it pierced fiercely into Lilia’s eardrums.
“…are very interesting.”
After saying that, Hera released her finger and straightened up.
As if she had just done something trivial, she turned around, took a step with her long legs, and walked toward the depths of the bedchamber.
That heavy obsidian door silently slid shut behind her.
“Bang.”
With a soft sound, Lilia and that terrifying Demon Queen were separated into two different worlds.
Lilia’s legs gave out, and she collapsed onto the ground.
She gasped heavily, her chest rising and falling violently. Cold sweat from her forehead slid down her cheeks and dripped onto the icy floor.
Those short few dozen seconds had been more exhausting than running ten thousand meters.
She stared at the tightly shut door, with only one thought in her mind.
She doesn’t believe me.
She absolutely doesn’t believe me.
“Very interesting”… these three words, in the Demon Queen’s dictionary, were definitely not something good!
It meant amusement, meant investigation, meant that she could be crushed at any moment if she failed to satisfy the other party’s curiosity!
No!
This won’t do!
Struggling, Lilia climbed up from the ground, her back tightly pressed against the cold wall.
Right now, she was like someone standing on the edge of a cliff, able to fall at any moment.
She had to do something!
She had to do something to prove her value! To prove her harmlessness! To prove her… loyalty!
In a flurry, she summoned the System panel in her mind.
A pale blue light screen unfolded.
【Host: Lilia】
【Level: Apprentice Maid (0/100)】
【Core Attributes】
【Feminization Index: 6】
【Loyalty: 6】
【Talent: S-Rank · Absolute Senses】
【Skills: D-Rank · Magic Shockwave (Cleaning Version), E-Rank · Temperature Perception】
【Function Modules: Maid Wardrobe (Unlocked), Maid Workshop (Locked)】
Her gaze locked tightly onto those two core attributes.
Feminization Index: 6.
Loyalty: 6.
Just now, after completing the mission, both had increased by one.
This “Loyalty” was like a needle, stabbing fiercely into Lilia’s eyes.
That’s right! Loyalty!
What did the Demon Queen need the most?
A servant who was absolutely loyal and would never betray her!
Her little clever tricks just now were utterly worthless in front of a being like Hera.
Rather than racking her brain to fabricate lies, it would be better… to display absolute obedience and loyalty from the very beginning!
A crazy idea began to grow in Lilia’s mind.
Yes!
She wanted Hera to know that she was not an “interesting” toy, but a “useful” tool!
A tool that completely belonged to her and could be controlled at will!
After figuring this out, Lilia’s heartbeat gradually calmed down instead.
She took a deep breath, adjusted the brand-new yet slightly restrictive Maid outfit on her body, and then shifted her gaze to the E-rank skill she had just obtained.
【Temperature Perception】
【Rank: E】
【Effect: The host possesses extraordinary sensitivity to temperature changes within a thirty-meter range. Precision: ±0.1°C.】
【Note: Perhaps you can use it to decide whether to wear an extra layer today? Of course, that’s assuming you have other clothes to wear.】
Precision to 0.1 degrees Celsius?
Lilia’s eyes lit up.
This skill… was practically tailor-made for her!
She placed her palm against the obsidian wall behind her. With a thought, she activated 【Temperature Perception】.
In an instant, a completely new world unfolded before her.
She could “feel” that beneath the cold surface of the wall, there was an extremely faint flow of magical power. The trajectories of that flow were 0.3 degrees Celsius warmer than the surrounding stone.
She could “feel” the magic crystal lamps at the end of the distant corridor, radiating heat that formed faint currents of warmth in the air.
Even… she could “feel” behind that tightly shut obsidian door.
Hera’s presence had not gone far.
She was standing right behind the door.
Lilia could even “see” a tall humanoid silhouette emitting a constant temperature of 36.8 degrees Celsius, standing there quietly.
She’s… observing me?
This realization caused Lilia’s heart, which had just calmed down, to tighten once more.
As expected!
She’s still testing me!
Cold sweat instantly soaked Lilia’s back again.
All or nothing!
She clenched her teeth, no longer hesitating in the slightest.
She walked to the tightly shut obsidian door. Her knees gave way, and with a “thud,” she knelt straight down!
The hard stone floor struck her knees painfully.
But she couldn’t care less.
She bent her upper body deeply, her forehead gently and respectfully pressed against the cold ground.
This was a full prostration.
A posture that cast aside all her dignity, a complete submission.
“Master.”
Her voice, transmitted through the vibration of the floor, sounded somewhat muffled, yet exceptionally clear.
“It is now Demon Realm time, exactly four in the morning.”
“Your loyal servant, Lilia, awaits your command here.”
“May I ask… would you like me to prepare a cup of refreshing black tea?”