Chapter 59 : Chapter 59
Volume 1
Chapter 59 : The Student Need Not Be Inferior to the Master
Morning.
A faint mist shrouded the little lakeside village.
As though it had not yet awakened, it lay in the stillness of slumber.
Now and then, birds skimmed across the horizon, only to hurry away again, seeking the warm south before the chill of late autumn arrived.
Everything was as usual, so peaceful and serene.
A dignified young woman in a black-and-white maid outfit stepped into the village, treading through the morning dew.
“There’s no mistake.”
Standing at the village entrance, Ann narrowed her eyes as she swept her gaze over the tiny fishing village of no more than a few dozen households.
Her delicate nose twitched, as though she were distinguishing something.
At last, she declared with certainty,
“Young Master came to this place, and it was within the last few hours!”
“I’ve finally found you.”
A beautiful smile could not help but bloom on Ann’s lips.
Carrying the anticipation of finding her beloved Young Master, she stepped into the village.
“Hm?”
Ann suddenly turned her head and looked toward a very inconspicuous house.
Behind those tightly shut windows, deep in the darkness where not even a sliver of light could reach, something seemed to squirm.
But when her gaze fell upon it, there was only an empty room behind the broken wooden window. Nothing was there.
“Was that my imagination?”
Ann spared it a glance, then paid it no further mind.
She had come to find her beloved Young Master.
Everything else was unimportant.
...
“I love you.”
...
Knock knock.
Following her intuition, Ann arrived at the small courtyard of the house where Young Master’s scent was strongest, then knocked on the door.
“Who is it?”
A familiar voice came from inside the courtyard, still heavy with drowsiness.
Ann froze for a moment before recognizing the owner of that voice, inwardly wondering whether it could really be such a coincidence.
But before she could think further, the front gate creaked open, and a newlywed young wife, still not fully awake, poked her head out while rubbing her eyes.
“So early in the morning. What is it?”
“Eluca?”
“Hm?”
Hearing a familiar voice as well, Eluca forced her eyes open.
The moment she clearly saw the person in front of her, most of her sleepiness vanished.
“Master!”
Eluca rushed forward in delight and grabbed Ann’s arm.
“What are you doing here?”
“I—”
“Did you come to see me?”
Before Ann could answer, Eluca spoke again, even more delighted than before.
“Huh, that’s strange. I don’t think I ever told you my exact address, Master. I only mentioned roughly where the village was, didn’t I? How did you find this place?”
I followed Young Master’s scent.
Ann had intended to say exactly that, but Eluca was chattering away so excitedly that she gave Ann no chance to speak.
“Forget it, I won’t think about something like that right now. Master, come inside quickly. It’s cold outside.”
“No need. I just—”
“Mm, Master, you made such a rare trip all the way here, and now you won’t even come inside and sit for a bit?”
Eluca put on a sorrowful expression and squeezed out two fake tears. “I’m so heartbroken...”
“...”
Ann let out a sigh, somewhat helpless.
Forget it.
This little bit of time would not make much difference.
“All right, then. I’ll sit for a little while, but only for a moment...”
“A moment is enough.”
Overjoyed, Eluca pulled Ann into the house.
Along the way, she chattered nonstop like a sparrow in spring.
“Master, are you wearing a maid outfit? It’s so cute.”
“Master, you look thinner. Have you not been eating properly lately?”
“Master, why did you come so early? Did you travel overnight?”
“Master, you...”
...
After entering the house and being forcibly seated by Eluca, Ann instinctively looked around the room.
Sure enough, the Young Master’s scent was very strong.
He had definitely stayed here!
And it had been not long ago!
“Eluca.”
“Yes, Master? Is something the matter?”
Eluca, who was busy in the kitchen making tea, poked her head out.
“Have you...”
Ann carefully chose her words.
“Had any guests here recently?”
“Guests? Aren’t you one, Master?”
“No, I mean before I came.”
“Before Master came... You mean Mister Muen.”
“So he was here after all?”
Joy burst into Ann’s eyes.
Her hard search over the past two days had not been in vain.
It seemed she was finally about to see results.
Young Master, this time, I absolutely will not let you escape again.
Ann silently clenched her fist.
“Yes. He was still here last night, but he already left.”
“He left?”
“Mm. I think I may have frightened him.”
At this point, Eluca blushed like a young maiden and said shyly,
“It’s all Mister Muen’s fault, really. Who told him to peek into my bedroom in the middle of the night?”
“Peek into your bedroom?”
Ann’s breathing faltered.
Without her even noticing, the fist she had clenched tightened further.
Young Master, when I sleep at night, I never even close my door, yet I’ve never seen you come peeking.
So why would you peek into another woman’s bedroom?
Are wildflowers really more fragrant than the flowers at home?
“Ah, no, it’s not what you’re thinking, Master.”
As though she had seen through Ann’s thoughts, Eluca waved her hands in panic.
“Mister Muen didn’t see any indecent scenes. He only saw me and my husband playing a little game to improve our feelings for each other.”
“Your husband?”
Hearing that form of address, Ann could not help but blank for a moment, but she quickly understood.
“You succeeded?”
“Yes, I did.”
Eluca revealed a blissful smile.
With her hands behind her back and the tip of her foot lightly tracing the floor, she said shyly, “After you talked things through with me two days ago, Master, I confessed to Ade that very night!”
“Is that so?”
A faint smile also appeared on Ann’s face.
“That’s wonderful.”
Ann did not ask about the result of the confession, nor did she ask about the whole process.
Because to her, none of that mattered.
What mattered was completely possessing every part of the one she loved, no matter what means had to be used.
And from the looks of it now, the girl had succeeded.
Still, the fact that her disciple had achieved her goal before she, the master, had, made Ann feel a little irritated.
It seemed that the next time she found Young Master, her methods would have to be a little more forceful.
“Ah, right, Master, would you like to take a look?”
A light flashed in Eluca’s eyes, and she clapped her hands excitedly.
“Take a look at the fruits of all my hard work.”
“Well...”
Ann had originally wanted to refuse, since she was busy looking for a Young Master.
But then she suddenly thought that one could not handle this sort of thing by shut-in theorizing alone.
Though nominally she was the master, there was no harm in absorbing more of other people’s experience.
“All right. Let me have a look, Eluca.”
...
“Ta-da, Master, look. This is my dearest, dearest, dearest husband.”
Inside the room, Eluca introduced Ann to her beloved, whom she had painstakingly “trained” and who was still crawling on the floor like a pet dog, as though she were unveiling some grand ceremony.
“Oh? So this is how you play it? Interesting.”
That was enlightening.
Looking at the man on the floor wearing a collar and crawling about in nothing but simple underwear, Ann showed no sign of surprise.
Instead, she thoughtfully rubbed her chin and praised,
“Well done, Eluca.”
“Hehe, but compared to you, Master, I’m probably still far behind.”
After receiving praise, Eluca scratched her head shyly.
“I think if it were you, Master, you would definitely make your beloved submit completely, both in body and in heart.”