Chapter 180 : Don’t Worry, It’s Very Simple
Chapter 180: Don’t Worry, It’s Very Simple
Lilia extended her slender fingers and lightly tapped twice on the tabletop.
“Dong, dong.”
The crisp sound echoed through the silent midnight kitchen, each knock striking directly at Lucy’s heart.
The silly smile on Lucy’s face froze.
Her rationality regained control.
She suddenly remembered—this bowl of rice wasn’t free.
Just now, Lady Lilia seemed to have said… this bowl counted as a loan? And there would be extra work tomorrow?
Thinking about those man-eating plants with teeth from earlier, and that fertilizer bucket full of “natural fragrance,” the warmth in Lucy’s heart instantly cooled by half.
She swallowed nervously and carefully looked at the silver-haired beauty across from her, her voice trembling:
“Th-that… Lady Lilia…”
“This bowl of rice… what do I need to do to repay it?”
Seeing her on the verge of tears, Lilia almost couldn’t hold back her laughter.
She shifted into a more comfortable posture, crossing her legs. Beneath her black dress, the edge of white stockings wrapped around her calves was faintly visible.
“What are you thinking?”
Lilia rolled her eyes and pulled out a handkerchief, tossing it over.
“Wipe the oil off your mouth. It’s annoying to look at.”
Lucy hurriedly caught it and wiped her mouth in a panic, staring wide-eyed as she awaited judgment.
Lilia slowly stood up, walked to the stove, poured herself a glass of water, and took a sip before leisurely speaking:
“Relax. I don’t need your legs, and I don’t need your life.”
Lucy instinctively glanced down at her still-thin but recovered body and inexplicably felt relieved.
Great.
So being skinny was actually a life-saving advantage.
“Th-then… what exactly do I have to do?” Lucy asked weakly.
If she wasn’t being turned into fertilizer, then there had to be another use.
Could it be… some kind of evil dark ritual? Or something unspeakable…
Lilia turned around, leaning against the stove, her gaze sweeping up and down Lucy like she was inspecting a decent cabbage at the market.
“Can you do laundry?” Lilia suddenly asked.
Lucy froze. “Huh? I… I can, a little.”
Back in the village, she had hand-washed the priest’s robes—even the toughest stains, she could scrub clean.
“Can you clean? I mean the kind where even the dust in the cracks of the floor gets dug out.”
Lucy nodded vigorously. “Yes!”
“Then… can you organize documents?”
Lucy felt the questions getting stranger, but still answered honestly: “I haven’t organized documents before… but everything else, I did while serving the priest in the village.”
The red glow in Lilia’s eyes brightened.
That damned Church had actually thrown away such a top-tier support-type talent into the swamp as cannon fodder?
What a waste of natural resources!
Lilia suppressed the upward curve of her lips, maintaining her cold and dignified witch-like demeanor.
She walked up to Lucy, looking down at her, and raised a finger, swaying it slightly in front of her.
“Very good.”
“Tomorrow morning at eight, come find me.”
“As for what exactly you’ll be doing…”
Lilia deliberately paused, satisfied to see Lucy hold her breath nervously.
“Don’t overthink it, and don’t be nervous.”
She patted Lucy’s stiff shoulder, her tone turning unusually gentle, even carrying a strange sense of kindness:
“Just some… very simple, everyday, trivial little tasks.”
“Compared to fighting sludge monsters in the swamp or having your leg blown off by that crazy woman, it’ll be ten thousand times easier.”
“You just need to obey, do as you’re told, and don’t ask questions.”
“Understood?”
Lucy’s eyes lit up instantly, shining even brighter than when she saw the fried rice earlier.
“Understood, Lady Lilia!”
“I’ll definitely obey! If you tell me to go east, I won’t go west! If you tell me to catch a dog, I won’t chase a chicken!”
How was this a demon?
This was clearly a living saint!
Lilia nodded in satisfaction at Lucy, who had been completely fooled.
“Alright, go back and sleep.”
“Remember, eight in the morning.”
Lucy jolted, immediately springing up from the stool and snapping into a salute.
“Yes! I won’t be late!”
With that, she hugged the now-empty porcelain bowl like it was a priceless treasure, dashed out of the kitchen, and disappeared into the night.
Lilia stood at the kitchen doorway, watching the direction Lucy vanished, and finally couldn’t help but curl her lips into a smile.
She turned around, looked at the empty kitchen, stretched lazily, and let out a comfortable sigh.
Humming an unknown tune, Lilia happily turned off the kitchen lights and walked toward her room.
……
In the small house beside the back garden.
Lucy lay on the not-so-soft wooden bed, yet felt it was the most comfortable place in the world.
Moonlight streamed through the window, illuminating her thin but now slightly rosy face.
She touched her round belly, then moved her intact left leg.
How wonderful.
There was no priest here deducting wages, no disgusting hypocritical prayers, no fear of being used as bait and discarded at any moment.
Although this was the Demon Realm, the hell spoken of by humans—
The demons here healed her leg, gave her a house, and even made her egg fried rice.
As for tomorrow’s work?
Lucy turned over, finding a comfortable position.
It was probably just washing and cleaning anyway.
She had done that for over ten years in the village—she was already used to it.
That Lady Lilia might look fierce, but she was actually quite kind-hearted.
And she had said it herself—it was easy, simple work.
So it definitely wouldn’t be tiring.
Compared to facing that giant-mouthed flytrap today, washing clothes and wiping floors was basically a vacation!
“Tomorrow… I have to perform well.”
Lucy thought drowsily, a satisfied smile on her lips.
“For fried rice…”
“For the house…”
“For Lady Lilia…”
In less than three minutes, soft snoring echoed in the stone house.
Lucy had a dream.
In the dream, she wore a brand-new maid outfit, standing in a magnificent palace.
Lady Lilia smiled as she handed her an even bigger plate of golden fried rice than today—there was even a large chicken drumstick added.
And all she needed to do was wave a feather duster, and all the dust around her would disappear.
Life was full of hope.
……
The next morning.
The sky had just begun to pale, and the moon of the Demon Realm had yet to fully fade.
Lucy suddenly opened her eyes, quickly put on her faded linen clothes, splashed her face with cold water, and simply tied her hair behind her head.
Looking at herself in the mirror, she took a deep breath, clenched her fists, and encouraged herself:
“Come on, Lucy!”
“This is your first official day working in the Demon Realm!”
“You must let Lady Lilia see your value!”
“Only by working hard can you eat more fried rice!”
Carrying boundless hope for a bright future, Lucy pushed open the door, stepped into the morning breeze, and ran lightly toward Lilia’s room.