Strongest Maid In Another World

The sun was shining elsewhere in the Royal Capital, the beams of light entering through the windows of a powerful nobleman.

The chandeliers beamed and twinkled as they reflected the light, shining it all around the room. One of the beams reflected on a man with short blonde hair and blue eyes, a glass of wine in his hand as he stirred the liquid around with a unsettling calm.

The man was a powerful figure in the Royal Capital, belonging to one of the top families in the entire city. He was the eldest son of the Lionheart family, a powerful Legendary Talent wielder, a prodigy in his own right.

A soft knock came from his door, a gentle voice aged with the passage of time echoed from behind it, humble and respectful. "Master, I bring urgent news. May I come in?" The voice spoke, a moment of silence passing.

A few seconds passed as the man took a sip from his wine, the red beverage meeting his lips as he sipped. "You may enter," The man spoke, his voice thundering through the room.

The door opened slowly, a well dressed man entering the room, it was a butler, and his face was serious as he walked up to the man in the chair, standing a few feet away from him as he was facing his back, the man’s gaze looking outward into the Royal Capital.

"What is it?" The man asked, looking over his shoulder at the butler.

"Sir, one of our gangs were under attack." The butler spoke, the man looking unphased. "The Royal Guard had found them knocked out and on the brink of death, they were all arrested and are being kept in prison." He explained.

The man didn’t really seem phased by the news, he had multiple criminal organization’s in the Royal Capital, he didn’t bother to care if one of his gangs were disposed of, he could just as easily hire more anyway.

"So what? I thought it was more important than that, we can just replace these men anyway." The man spoke, visibly annoyed.

"But sir...." The butler spoke, his voice turning more serious. "The gang in question was Jack’s gang."

The moment those words left the butler’s lips, the seated man tensed visibly, his fingers twitched slightly, the glass in his hands cracking under the slightest pressure of his might, his brows furrowing as his gaze turned dead serious.

"Jack’s gang?" He asked, slowly spinning around in his chair to face the butler in front of him, his piercing gaze sending a wave of pressure to the man in front of him, the sheer bloodlust and anger enough to make the butler struggle to breathe, cold sweat breaking on his face.

The butler nodded solemnly, eyes glued to the floor as he didn’t want to meet the wrathful eyes of his master. "Yes sir...they were all defeated, every single one of them." The butler said.

"And the ring?" The man asked, his voice low and full of rage as he gently sat the glass down, red rivulets of wine slipping through the cracks and pooling on his desk, but he didn’t pay it any mind.

"It was...stolen." The butler said in a defeated tone, a grim sigh escaping his lips.

The master remained silent for a moment, processing the words relayed to him by the butler in front of him. The [Ring Of Storage] he had given Jack was stolen, he couldn’t believe his ears.

He glanced at his hand, where 4 [Rings Of Storage] were locked around his finger, each Item a Legendary Item that pulsed with the powerful enchantments tied to it. He remembered the struggles he had to go through just to have these created by some of the capital’s most brilliant talents, and now one of his rings were lost?

He wouldn’t let that go so easily, not when these rings were already a fortune on their own, let alone the things inside them, drugs, weapons, and other valuables he had entrusted Jack to keep and grow, but the fool just had to go ahead and lose them.

"Where are Jack and his men located?" The man asked, slowly rising from his chair as he made his way towards the door, his fists clenched tightly, the magical pressure radiating off him enough to make the room tremble in his presence.

"Allow me to lead you there, sir," The butler bowed respectfully, before walking beside the man, stepping out into the mansion’s halls.

’Who the hell could’ve done this?’ The man thought inwardly. As far as he knew, nobody was aware of their organization, so he didn’t have many known enemies, as all who uncovered his plans were swiftly dealt with.

But some brave soul managed to escape with his treasure, and beat his men while they were at it.

It was an insult, a slap to the face that he wouldn’t let slide so easily.

’I’ll find whoever did this and tear them apart with my own hands!’ The man said inwardly, gritting his teeth in pure rage and bloodlust.

__________________________

Back at the Ashbourne mansion....

Loraine moved through the halls of the mansion with [Aura Of Haste], using the Skill to boost her movement and efficiency without making it too obvious and overdoing it.

She swept the floors with her broom in hand, her [Clean] Skill efficiently cleaning the halls and rendering them spotless, too spotless as the maids around her began to notice just how good at cleaning Loraine had become.

’Damn it, I shouldn’t have overslept! It’s so difficult hiding your abilities when everyone’s eyes are on you!’ Loraine thought inwardly with a sigh, having swept the halls and the Great Hall as well, grabbing a pair of gloves and tools as she prepared to tackle the garden next, when she was stopped by a familiar voice.

"Loraine! Wait up!" Christine called after her, a surprised look blooming on Loraine’s face as she turned around, raising a brow as she saw the young cook run toward her.

’What’s wrong? Did something happen?’ Loraine thought inwardly, glancing at the place she had come from. The dining hall, an anxious expression on Christine’s face as she approached her.

’This can’t be good...’

"What’s up? You look stressed..." Loraine asked, commenting on Christine’s expression. The cook walked up to her, eyes showing a strain of panic, and a slight hint of concern.

"You’ve been summoned," Christine said, sighing as she placed her hands on her hips. She jerked a thumb behind her, directing the head of her thumb at the dining hall behind her, "Kain wants to have a word with you. The food we prepared...wasn’t good enough." She said, her words surprising Loraine.

’Oh....’ Loraine thought with a nervous gulp, her hand covering her face as she facepalmed. ’I forgot I did most of the cooking last night, so of course it doesn’t hit the same.’

"Alright, lets go." Loraine said, taking off her gloves and gardening tools as she placed them on a nearby table, she was going to tackle those tasks after this was over.

Christine nodded, walking beside Loraine as they made their way towards the dining room. Christine’s eyes wandered over to Loraine, taking in her confident walk and relaxed posture, she was far different than the shy, timid, and often overlooked maid everyone made her out to be.

This Loraine was confident, and she liked that.

"How’s the practice going?" Christine asked, interrupting Loraine’s train of thought. "Any progress?"

"Seriously? Right now?" Loraine asked, a bit annoyed as she raised a brow. She was going over multiple scenarios in her head, as the more she thought about it, the more terrified she became about what awaited her behind those doors.

"It’s...taking a while." Loraine admitted, a disappointed sigh escaping her lips as Christine smiled smugly at her side, her brown locks fluttering in the air as she cocked her head to the side, trying to grab Loraine’s attention.

"Oh? How far have you managed to comprehend?" Christine asked curiously, an amused chuckle escaping her lips. "5%? 10?" She gasped, her hand coming to cover her mouth. "Don’t tell me...20%? Loraine...you must be a genius!" Christine said enthusiastically.

"!????" Loraine’s face contorted in confusion, "Are you messing with me? Of course not! I’m not a super genius!" Loraine said with a bit of a grind to her teeth.

’Unlike learning [Eyes Of Appraisal], this was far more difficult. Christine’s not the best at teaching, so now I’m forced to recall her terribly explained prinicipals and somehow get them to work, this is so infuriating!’ She thought inwardly, a vein popping at the side of her head as Christine only giggled at her annoyed expression.

She sighed, her body slumping forward in a defeated manner as she spoke. "2%...I only managed to comprehend 2%..."

Christine blinked at Loraine’s words, a stunned expression forming on her face as she stared at her like someone discovering sliced bread for the first time. A loud, heartfelt laugh tore from her throat, her head cocked back as she laughed at Loraine’s predicament.

’.....’

’Are we serious?’ Loraine thought, facepalming once more to cover her embarrassment.

"Whatever...we’re here." Loraine said, standing in front of the door to the dining hall.

’Alright, stay calm.’