Chapter 2: Stocking Hell!

“Yes, Madam, but… you are currently…”

“Now, no fussing. Stand straight, head held high, chest out, and your hands neatly clasped over your lower abdomen. Yes, exactly like that… Excellent, truly excellent.”

Aida circled Merlo, her gaze sweeping over her repeatedly, nodding now and then with an air of profound satisfaction and approval.

Merlo, now clad in a black-and-white maid uniform, stood rigidly, her back perfectly straight, her posture impeccably poised.

A faint unease, however, tinged her expression, leaving it uncertain whether it stemmed from Aida’s intense scrutiny or the inherent shame of donning women’s attire for the very first time.

Perhaps, it was a combination of both.

Observing the delicate blush that had bloomed across Merlo’s cheeks, Aida offered a playful smile, then inquired, “So, how does it feel, Great Hero Sir Radiant Knight, to wear a girl’s clothes for the very first time?”

Merlo instantly flushed with acute embarrassment, her small face deepening in hue, while a flicker of indignant shame sparked in her eyes. “Please… please stop calling me a ‘Great Hero’,” she stammered. “I am no Radiant Knight, and certainly not… certainly not ‘Sir’.”

Though the transformation was an undeniable reality, and she was now undeniably a girl, her heart still struggled to acclimate to the profound change.

“Alright, alright,” Aida conceded, a wider smile gracing her lips. “I’d be even happier if you accepted the title ‘Miss Merlo.’ Now… tell me, what are your impressions?” Aida showed no sign of abandoning her inquiry into Merlo’s thoughts.

The mature beauty had discovered that eliciting such acute embarrassment from Merlo—a former Great Hero, one of the twenty-eight most formidable Title Knights in the world, and quite possibly *the* strongest Radiant Knight—proved immensely stimulating and deeply gratifying.

In that moment, she suddenly grasped why so many men found themselves compelled to fantasize about powerful women in high positions; such a profound sense of conquest was truly intoxicating.

Faced with Madam Aida’s relentless teasing, Merlo felt utterly mortified.

Her cheeks aflame, she averted her gaze slightly, her voice barely a whisper, “It’s… it’s so light and airy, it feels… almost as if I’m not wearing anything at all.”

By the time she finished, even Aida, standing so close, had to strain to catch Merlo’s words.

Yet, Aida showed no triumphant glee at her successful prank. Instead, she thoughtfully stroked her chin, her eyes once again appraising Merlo.

“Hmm… ‘light and airy,’ and ‘feels like not wearing anything,’ you say.”

Upon hearing Aida repeat her words, Merlo’s pretty face deepened to an even fierier red. Finally, unable to bear it any longer, she mumbled indignantly, “That’s only because the outfit you provided, Madam, is far too… too short! If I were to make even a slightly larger movement, wouldn’t everything be exposed?”

In a fit of mortified indignation, she tugged desperately at the hem of her skirt.

While it was indeed a maid uniform, the one she wore felt undeniably, disturbingly wrong!

Why was this skirt so incredibly short? Any higher, and it would practically expose her upper thighs!

Merlo harbored a strong suspicion that if she were to bend over at that moment, her backside would undoubtedly be on full display.

Aida, however, seemed to have an epiphany, her eyes sparkling mischievously. “Oh, it wouldn’t come to that,” she chuckled. “I wouldn’t dream of letting my adorable Miss Maid offer such ‘benefits’ to any man. Yet, your words have indeed reminded me: you are still missing two absolutely crucial items! Just wait here!”

With that, she dashed out of the room with a flurry of motion.

It was evident that the current matriarch of the Esbell household was in exceptionally high spirits at that moment.

****

What more could Merlo possibly say? She could only sigh in resignation.

After all, she had, in a sense, ‘sold’ herself to this very woman.

Though ‘sold’ felt too harsh a word, too distasteful.

No, she was merely repaying a debt of gratitude.

After all, it had been Aida who had rescued her from the brink of death, Aida who had offered refuge to her, a homeless wanderer, and Aida who had bestowed upon her a new name and a new identity.

Most significantly, Aida had even pledged her support for Merlo’s quest for vengeance!

Merlo vividly recalled how Aida’s eyes had shone with such fervent intensity the moment she declared her desire for revenge.

Aida had confided in her that her own husband had once been a Title Knight, a title earned in the knightly arena. While its prestige might not rival Merlo’s, which had been forged through military achievements, the name Esbell had once resonated powerfully throughout the Federation.

Tragically, her husband had perished due to a treacherous plot, and with his demise, the once glorious name of Esbell had plummeted into ignominy, dragged through the mud.

Now, she and her daughter were forced to subsist on her husband’s posthumous inheritance, retreating to this remote, minor kingdom to live a life bordering on reclusion.

She could never forget the words of her husband’s final letter, which implored her and their daughter to keep far from the Central Capital, far from the Federation, far from knightly competitions, and most emphatically, far from all Title Knights!

Yet…

She refused to accept it!

She craved vengeance!

After five arduous years of investigation, countless inquiries, and the exhaustive use of all her connections, Aida had gradually unearthed a horrifying truth: her husband’s death was inextricably linked to the ruthless power struggles among the Federation’s highest echelons!

In essence, her husband, Mr. Esbell—a towering figure in the knightly arena, recognized as one of the twenty-eight most powerful individuals of his era—had been ruthlessly sacrificed in a political power struggle!

She was consumed by an incandescent rage!

Yet, she found herself utterly powerless to act.

The unexpected arrival of Merlo, however, had ignited a flicker of hope within her.

Merlo’s plight mirrored that of her late husband with such uncanny precision!

And, crucially, Merlo possessed the very capacity for vengeance that Aida herself lacked!

Merlo was to be the sharpened blade she would plunge into the hearts of her husband’s murderers!

Aida had not concealed anything from Merlo; she had openly confessed her deep-seated hatred and candidly expressed her fervent hope that Merlo would exact vengeance on her behalf.

And Merlo, in turn, had agreed.

This, then, was one of the reasons she now stood here, clad in a maid’s uniform.

Though, she now strongly suspected that the maid uniform itself might be solely Madam Aida’s personal indulgence.

She would swear that this particular maid uniform had been deliberately tailored by Madam Aida, precisely to her specifications.

Purely for her own amusement!

Moments later, Aida reappeared, two bags clutched in her hands.

Madam Aida, resembling a little girl who had just received a new doll, excitedly emptied the contents of both bags onto the bed in a single, eager sweep.

Merlo’s brow furrowed into a deep frown as she surveyed the scattered array of items now strewn across the bed.

Stockings…

Stockings…

Nothing but stockings!

Black stockings, white stockings, nude stockings, and even some that shimmered with an iridescent, color-changing sheen!

Every conceivable variety of hosiery!

Moreover, they came in every imaginable denier (TL Note: Denier is a unit of measurement for the linear mass density of fibers, indicating the thickness and sheerness of stockings), from the sheerest to the most opaque!

Beyond the dazzling, abundant array of stockings, the remaining items were…

High heels!

This had to be a nightmare!

Merlo’s breathing grew markedly heavier, and a sudden, overwhelming urge to flee this veritable ‘stocking hell’ washed over her.

“Here, try these first!”

Aida rummaged through the enormous pile of hosiery, finally selecting a pair of pristine white thigh-high stockings.

Merlo took them, her fingers tracing the delicate sheerness and softness of the fabric. Within her, a peculiar impulse began to stir, faint yet persistent!

‘Perhaps… I should try them on?’

‘They might actually feel quite comfortable.’

It was as if a stocking demon had materialized beside her, whispering seductive temptations into her ear.

“Just try them on; they’ll certainly feel wonderful!”

‘Oh, alright! It really *is* there!’

‘Aida, you fiendish stocking demon!’

Merlo’s gaze involuntarily flickered to Aida’s legs.

Despite being a woman of thirty-five, the years had left not a single trace on her face, and her figure remained impeccably svelte, showing no signs of age!

Merlo wondered if this remarkable preservation was the result of Madam Aida’s diligent skincare and fitness regimen.

What was even more striking was Madam Aida’s pair of beautiful, remarkably long and slender legs!

At this very moment, those elegant, long legs were encased in a pair of deep purple stockings.

They exuded an aura of profound, alluring mystery!

The last vestige of Merlo’s resistance, a fragile thread within her mind, was utterly severed by the sight of Madam Aida’s long legs, which seemed to cut through her resolve like a pair of sharp scissors.

Ultimately, she succumbed and donned the pair of pure white stockings, symbols of pristine innocence.

“Hmm… something feels a little off,” Aida mused from the sidelines, offering her assessment.