Chapter 46 : Please Conduct Yourself Properly
Chapter 46: Please Conduct Yourself Properly
The walk back to the study—Lilia felt as if she were stepping on cotton.
The ring at the base of her finger was no longer hot.
She pushed open the heavy door of the study.
That suffocating sense of pressure had eased slightly.
Hera walked straight toward the wide desk.
Just as Lilia was about to habitually go stand in the corner at her “exclusive surveillance spot” as punishment, she heard a voice drift from ahead:
“Sit.”
Hera didn’t even lift her head, her fingers lightly tapping twice on the desk.
She was referring to the small desk right next to the main seat, one that reeked of overworked office labor.
Lilia’s current feeling was: she didn’t dare move.
But the consequences of disobeying an order were even worse—the dark red pattern around her left finger tightened slightly.
Lilia immediately moved like a wind-up doll, walking stiffly with synchronized limbs and sitting down properly.
Her back was straight.
Her hands were placed flat.
Even an elementary school student in class wouldn’t sit more properly than she did.
Hera tilted her head slightly and glanced at her.
That gaze was faint, yet it made Lilia’s scalp tingle, as if every hidden thought in her bones had been seen through.
“I’m going out for a while.”
Hera suddenly spoke.
Lilia froze for a moment.
Going out?
Where?
Am I going with her?
Before she could organize these question marks in her mind, Hera had already stood up.
Her tall figure cast a shadow, completely enveloping Lilia.
“Stay here.”
“Finish processing the remaining defense reports from yesterday.”
Lilia let out a sigh of relief.
Overtime was good.
Overtime made people happy.
As long as she wasn’t made to follow into some strange interrogation room or arena, she would even be willing to scrape clean every crack in the Palace of Eternal Night’s walls.
“Yes, Master.”
Lilia responded crisply.
Hera turned and walked toward the door. Halfway there, as if she suddenly remembered something, she stopped.
Without turning back—
“Oh, right.”
“I had someone call Camilla over.”
Lilia’s hand, which had been organizing documents, suddenly froze.
A thin sheet of parchment crumpled in her grip.
Who?
Camilla?
A string of terrible possibilities instantly flashed through Lilia’s mind.
Whipped to death, scratched to death, drained dry by charm magic…
She suddenly sprang up from her chair, her knee hitting the desk leg with a dull “thud.”
It hurt.
“M–Master!”
Lilia’s voice trembled. Ignoring all etiquette, she rushed a few steps forward and knelt several meters behind Hera:
“Um… how about I go with you instead?”
“I’m your Personal Maid—how can you go out without someone to serve you?”
Her words fired out like a machine gun.
Calling that madwoman here and then leaving?
What kind of move was this?
Hera turned slightly.
Her golden vertical pupils narrowed faintly as she looked down at the trembling little maid on the ground.
A faint curve appeared at the corner of her lips.
“No need to be afraid.”
She raised her hand and lightly pointed in the air toward Lilia’s left hand.
The ring?
Lilia subconsciously touched her left middle finger.
If Camilla really went mad, was she supposed to raise her hand and shout something like “Balala Energy” to make her disappear?
“No need to worry.”
Hera withdrew her gaze and resumed walking, her black skirt drawing a cold arc through the air.
The door slammed shut.
The study returned to silence.
Only Lilia remained, kneeling on the cold floor, completely disheveled in the wind.
The logic made sense.
Lilia climbed up from the floor.
She forced herself to focus on the documents in front of her.
“Report on the Overpopulation of Icefield Demon Wolves in the Northern Region Leading to a Shortage of Provisions for the Border Army.”
What kind of nonsense was this?
If there were too many demon wolves, then just eat the meat—wasn’t the border army lacking provisions?
Wouldn’t that form a perfect closed loop?
While internally complaining nonstop, Lilia used a feather pen to draw a mind map on the parchment—something only she could understand.
Trying to numb herself with work to resist the fear that was about to arrive.
However—
What she feared came true.
“Click.”
The study door opened.
The sound of high heels stepping on marble.
Tap.
Tap.
Tap.
She didn’t raise her head.
Pretending to be an emotionless document-processing machine.
As long as I don’t look at her, she can’t see me.
As long as I don’t speak, I don’t exist.
Of course, that was just self-deception.
The footsteps stopped about two meters from the desk.
“Heh.”
A soft laugh.
Three parts mockery, three parts cold indifference, and four parts casual killing intent.
“Look who this is?”
Camilla’s voice.
That distinctive smoky tone, as if hooked with barbs, now sounded like a beautiful serpent flicking its tongue.
“I thought Her Majesty called me here for some important military matter.”
“Didn’t expect…”
“That it was to let me see how a rat pretends to work at its master’s desk.”
Lilia took a deep breath.
This conversation was doomed.
Starting off with a personal attack.
She put down the feather pen.
Looked up.
Trying her best to make her expression appear respectful, humble, and completely non-threatening.
“Duke Camilla.”
“Her Majesty has gone out on urgent business.”
Camilla wore a fiery red deep-V dress, the slit reaching all the way up to her thigh, revealing that breathtaking stretch of pale skin with every step.
But in Lilia’s eyes, it was a crimson python ready to strangle someone.
Camilla ignored Lilia’s words.
She slowly circled the desk, her gaze sweeping over Lilia without restraint.
From the maid headband on her head, to the black collar on her neck, to the maid outfit tightly outlining her figure.
Finally—
Her gaze stopped on Lilia’s left hand.
Her pupils suddenly contracted.
It was the instinctive reaction of a predator sensing extreme danger.
But soon, that shock was drowned by even stronger jealousy.
Camilla walked up to Lilia.
Too close.
The cloying scent of roses made Lilia want to sneeze.
Camilla leaned toward Lilia’s neck and took a deep breath, like a dog sniffing.
Then she revealed an extremely shocked expression.
“It’s all Her Majesty’s scent.”
“Last night…”
“You?”
Lilia’s heart pounded wildly.
This woman really was insane.
She even dared to pry into the Queen’s private life?
If Hera heard this, would you even keep your position as a duke?
“Duke, please conduct yourself properly.”
Lilia spoke with difficulty, trying to free her chin from the claw gripping it.
“I am Her Majesty’s Personal Maid.”
“You acting like this—”
“Smack!”
A crisp sound.
Before Lilia could finish speaking, she was interrupted.
Camilla didn’t dare slap Lilia’s face.
Instead, she waved her hand and swept all the documents Lilia had just organized—along with the ink bottle—onto the floor.
The ink bottle shattered.
Black ink splattered everywhere.
That report about the demon wolves instantly became useless scrap paper.
Lilia was stunned.
That was the result of all her hard work drawing mind maps just now!
That was her workload!
This was basically dancing on the bottom line of a working person!