Chapter 40: Wuwuwu, I’ve Been Completely Played

“May I ask how I should address you, Miss Maid?”
Josuna rested her chin on one hand, her fingertip lightly tapping her cheek. Her gaze seemed to carry a hook, firmly locking onto Peletti.

There were even more changes in this life than she had anticipated. Peletti’s witchification happening earlier than expected, and the abnormal movements of the Gluttony Church—everything clearly told her that the trajectory of this life had already diverged completely from the previous one.

It was very possible that even the name of the person before her… would be different.

“Peletti… just call me that,” the maid replied. Her voice carried a barely noticeable hesitation, like a breeze brushing over piano strings, producing a faint tremor.

“Peletti…”
Josuna silently rolled the name around in her mind. A trace of complicated emotion flickered through her eyes.

Compared to the previous life, this self-introduction really hadn’t changed at all.

“Then I’ll call you ‘Lele,’ how about that? I think it sounds great—let’s go with that.”
Josuna suddenly broke into a bright smile, intimate and decisive, leaving no room for refusal.

Peletti parted her lips, wanting to argue, but Josuna didn’t give her a chance to speak. She confidently settled on her own decision, her eyes filled with triumphant mischief.

The scene froze for a moment. Peletti and Josuna stared at each other, the air itself seeming to stop flowing.

“Um…” Peletti tried to break the suffocating silence.

“Mm?” Josuna’s tone rose at the end, playful and urging.

“Esteemed Master, aren’t you planning to order?” Peletti did her best to keep her voice steady and respectful.

“If you’re just going to sit here, then I’ll take my leave first.”
As she spoke, she turned to escape this troublesome place—only for Josuna to swiftly grab the hem of her skirt.

“Is that how a maid speaks to her master? Naughty~ You haven’t even given me a menu—how am I supposed to order?”
Josuna tilted her head, her tone carrying an exaggerated hint of wounded reproach.

That single sentence was like a wake-up call.

Only then did Peletti realize that, due to her nervousness, she’d been in a daze ever since Josuna entered—and had completely forgotten the most basic procedure. A faint blush instantly spread across her cheeks.

“I’m terribly sorry, esteemed Master. That was my oversight.”
She lowered her head, her voice barely louder than a mosquito’s buzz. “I’ll fetch the menu right away.”

Josuna watched Peletti’s hurried retreat with interest, her gaze deep and thoughtful.

Although she’d become a witch, the current Peletti could still be considered normal—nothing like back then, when she muttered incomprehensible gibberish and destroyed everything within her sight…

Before she went dark, Peletti had been as pure as freshly fallen snow—so pure that it was hard not to like her. Perhaps that was one of the reasons those fox-like women had later set their sights on her.

The problem was that Feiye—that “dog” who always followed behind her sister—was here too.

In her previous life, had Feiye appeared immediately after Peletti became a witch?

It seemed… not quite.

Looks like the variables of fate were increasing by the day.

She had to find a way to keep Peletti here—but force wouldn’t work. With Feiye’s abilities, forcibly taking Peletti away wouldn’t be difficult at all.

That woman was practically Peletti’s s*ave—everything she did revolved around Peletti. In front of her, she was as obedient as a well-trained puppy.

Josuna still didn’t know how the former Peletti had managed to train a thousand-year-old witch into such a docile state.

Maybe… she could learn a thing or two herself.

Feiye probably didn’t know about her rebirth yet. She could buy herself a little more time—but she needed a strategy soon.

Killing Feiye would be extremely difficult, but Josuna’s goal had always been the same from beginning to end—

Keep Peletti by her side.

No matter what, she couldn’t let her go to the elves’ territory! In her previous life, it was after going to that godforsaken place that Peletti had completely fallen into darkness.

As long as she avoided the elves, kept Peletti in the human world—somewhere she could see and touch—Peletti shouldn’t repeat that tragedy.

Lost in thought, she suddenly noticed Peletti returning with the menu.

Well, Peletti probably still believed that Josuna didn’t know her true identity, and was secretly relieved because of it, right?

Taking advantage of that misunderstanding, it might be fun to play along for a while. Josuna didn’t want to reveal that she knew the truth too early—if Peletti realized it, she’d flee again like a startled bird.

That was something Josuna absolutely could not allow to happen again.

“Master, sorry to keep you waiting. This is our menu.”
Peletti gently placed the exquisitely made menu in front of Josuna.

Josuna, however, simply propped her head up with one hand, staring unblinkingly at her.

“W-What is it, Master?”
Being stared at so intently, Peletti felt her heart nearly skip a beat—she was barely holding it together.

“It’s my first time here, so I’m not very familiar with the dishes…”
Josuna frowned slightly in feigned distress, then smiled again. “How about the maid recommends something for me?”

“All right.”
With no other choice, Peletti picked up the menu and began to think seriously.

Josuna liked food that leaned toward the sweet side—but not overly sweet, or she’d find it cloying.

Hmm…

Josuna wasn’t particularly picky, but when ordering, people naturally chose what they liked best.

“I’d recommend… the Maid’s Love Honey Biscuit? Or… Crimson Berry Mousse Affection?…”
As she read out the names, Peletti felt her tongue tie itself in knots.
“…As for drinks, I suggest the Blue Curaçao Ice Cream Soda—it balances out the sweetness of the desserts quite well.”

After finishing her recommendations, she couldn’t help but shoot a resentful glare toward Ailberna in the distance.

Why did you have to give the food such misleading names?!!

These names are really hard to say with a straight face!

“Oh?”
Josuna raised an eyebrow, her tone teasing. “I thought you’d recommend something like omurice as a main dish.”

“That won’t do. It’s not time for a main meal yet—dessert can’t replace proper food.”
Peletti retorted instinctively, her words tinged with habitual concern.

“And how do you know that this ‘dessert’ isn’t my ‘main dish,’ hmm~?”
Josuna leaned forward, a meaningful smile spreading across her face.

Peletti panicked under the implication in her gaze and words.
“M-Master, please don’t joke around. Please place your order.”
She felt like Josuna’s eyes were about to devour her whole.

“I’ll take everything you recommended.”
At last, Josuna leaned back in her chair, thoroughly satisfied, waving her hand gracefully.

“Understood. Please wait a moment.”
Feeling as though she’d been granted amnesty, Peletti bowed quickly and elegantly, collected the menu, and almost fled back to the kitchen.

At this hour, there weren’t many customers in the café.

The few who entered after Josuna were all served by Feiye alone. Her petite figure and sweet, adorable appearance instantly captured the hearts of everyone present.

Watching Feiye dart efficiently between tables on her short little legs, Peletti couldn’t help but marvel inwardly—
This kid really runs fast on those tiny legs.

Of course, Feiye had noticed Peletti’s earlier predicament, but she felt fairly at ease about Josuna’s presence.

In her previous life, this woman had been her sister’s number-one simp. Even after her sister clearly stood on the opposite side of humanity, she’d never dealt a killing blow. As a human saintess, she secretly colluded with witches, endlessly playing the emotional card, foolishly believing it would make her sister change her mind.

A foolish human saintess.

The maids in the kitchen worked with remarkable efficiency. Peletti felt she’d only just handed over the order when the beautifully plated, fragrant dishes were already neatly arranged on the tray.

“Master, sorry to keep you waiting. Here are your Maid’s Love Honey Biscuit, Crimson Berry Mousse Affection, and Blue Curaçao Ice Cream Soda. Please enjoy.”
Peletti placed the tray down stiffly and immediately prepared to leave this place that made her skin crawl.

“Please wait~”
Josuna’s voice rang out like a spell.

“What is it? Does this Master have any other requests? If not, I’ll be taking my leave—there are many other masters in the shop who need my service.”
Peletti forced a professional smile.

“No need~”
Josuna wagged her index finger, smiling like a cat that had caught a mouse.

“For now, you only need to serve me. Look—hasn’t anyone unimportant come to bother us? Isn’t that right?”

Peletti cautiously glanced around, and sure enough, although some customers clearly wanted to request her service, the moment they noticed the conspicuous church robes on Josuna, they all chose to back off and yield.

Peletti felt her vision darken.

Where’s your backbone?!!

Just because she’s a candidate saintess of the Church, you give up that easily?!

How would you know she wouldn’t agree if you didn’t even try?!

Peletti was completely out of options. Until Josuna herself decided to end it, this exclusive service from hell would probably never stop.

“Miss Maid, have you forgotten something?”
Josuna spoke leisurely, breaking the brief silence.

“Huh?”
Peletti looked at her blankly. “Forgot what?”

“Is Lele on her first day as a maid?”
Josuna feigned surprise, then smiled indulgently.

“Well, since it’s your first time serving me, I won’t punish you for being forgetful. But after bringing the food to the table, shouldn’t the maid perform the… well-loved ‘magic segment’ next?”

Why does Josuna know the maid café’s service process better than I do?!!

She’s way too familiar with this—she’s obviously a regular who enjoys maid services all the time!

As an elder, Peletti felt a bit indignant about this behavior—but right now, she had no way to deal with Josuna. All she could do was watch helplessly, unable to resist.

During maid training, Ailberna had indeed explained and demonstrated the magic segment in detail… but the incantation and gestures were just… far too embarrassing.

Peletti took a deep breath, as if bracing herself for execution. Her stiff hands formed a crooked heart in front of her chest. She forced one eye shut in an extremely unnatural wink and, in a voice on the verge of tears, rattled off the spell at lightning speed:

“F-Floaty pure-pure… miracle heart-throb… M-Master’s dessert, become delicious!”

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