Chapter 45: The Maid’s Devotion

“Eileen! Are you alright?”

“What could possibly be wrong with me?” Eileen patted Setia’s shoulder, relieved that she was safe. This time, Eileen had nearly dragged Setia into trouble.

“It’s fine, everything has been taken care of. Life can return to normal tomorrow.”

Setia nodded into Eileen’s embrace.

“Miss Liana must have told you already, right? You won’t have to wear that disguise tomorrow,” Eileen said.

“Eh?” Setia looked up at Eileen.

Though her bangs obscured Setia’s face, Eileen could clearly sense a hint of disappointment from her.

Eileen offered a helpless smile. “Setia, just how much do you love that outfit?”

“No, no! So, does that mean I can wear my old maid outfits again tomorrow?” Setia asked.

“Yes,” Eileen nodded.

“Then, does that mean I can become your maid, Eileen?” Setia inquired.

“But aren’t we both maids? Why do you specifically want to be *my* maid?”

“I already asked you that before,” Setia retorted, rolling her eyes at Eileen.

“Mine was for a mission, alright!” Eileen countered.

“I don’t care. I want to try being your maid too. That way, you can also help me see if there’s anything I’m not doing well,” Setia explained.

Eileen looked at her, realizing this request was impossible to refuse.

Still, they would be returning after tomorrow, so letting her be a maid for one day wouldn’t hurt. “Alright then.”

The next day, Eileen awoke from her sleep to the sounds of the streets outside, which seemed to have grown livelier.

When Eileen rose from the bed, Setia was no longer beside it. As Eileen wondered where she had gone, Setia’s voice drifted in.

Along with her voice came a fragrant aroma.

“Good morning, Miss Eileen.” Setia entered, carrying a tray.

No, Eileen couldn’t quite stand that address. “Just call me Eileen.”

“That won’t do. A servant must have absolute loyalty to their master,” Setia declared.

“But shouldn’t a servant also obey their master’s commands?” Eileen countered.

Setia offered a helpless smile. “Indeed, it seems Eileen and I are still quite far apart in our understanding.”

Eileen smiled faintly and approached the dining table.

Eileen wasn’t a picky eater, and she quite enjoyed Setia’s breakfast. During her initial period at the Golden Dragon Temple, Setia had almost exclusively handled Eileen’s meals.

However, that only lasted about a month. Once Eileen became familiar with the various facilities of the Golden Dragon Temple, she started preparing her own meals.

It had been a long time since she had tasted Setia’s cooking, come to think of it.

The taste was just as she remembered, with no significant changes.

Moreover, perhaps to accommodate Eileen’s habits, Setia had prepared more vegetables, with the ratio of meat to vegetables roughly one to one.

“How is it?” Setia looked at Eileen with a hint of expectation.

“Mm, it’s delicious,” Eileen nodded. It was still the taste she remembered.

“Really? I thought your tastes might have changed over these five years, Eileen.” Setia breathed a sigh of relief.

Eileen was not a picky eater, nor did she have any particular favorites. If she had to choose, perhaps she had a slight preference for sweets.

As long as it wasn’t anything too strange, Eileen was usually fine with it.

“Eileen, are we returning today?” Setia asked, a touch of reluctance in her voice.

Once they returned, their relationship wouldn’t be able to remain as it was now.

Eileen pondered for a moment. “The matter was resolved much faster than expected. Perhaps we can linger in Gran Town for a little while longer?”

“Really?!” A joyous smile bloomed on Setia’s face.

“Yes, Lady Faltis gave me a deadline before. As long as it was completed within a month, it was fine,” Eileen explained. “I just didn’t expect it to be handled in only half a day…”

Eileen scratched her head. The matter had been resolved so simply, which surprised her. Were Izawa and his group… too weak?

Or had she grown stronger? Or perhaps… it was that strange individual.

In any case, the current outcome was…

Aside from having personally killed a human, everything else was quite good.

Eileen gazed at her palms, fair and delicate, yet she vaguely perceived a few lingering specks of blood.

“Eileen? Eileen!” Setia reached out, waving her hand in front of Eileen. “What’s suddenly wrong?”

“Nothing,” Eileen smiled faintly. “Are we almost done? Let’s change and head out, shall we?”

Eileen habitually began to clear the plates, but Setia was quicker, snatching the dishes from Eileen’s hands. “Today! You are the young lady. Leave these things to me.”

Eileen shrugged. She was almost too lazy to even comment on herself now, having begun to adapt to this kind of life.

She opened her travel bag, only to find that it contained either white maid outfits, black maid outfits, or black-and-white maid outfits…

She seemed to have no formal attire.

One maid serving another maid felt rather peculiar.

However, there was nothing to be done about it now. Eileen didn’t have many requirements in this regard anyway.

Moreover, while these outfits were called maid uniforms, they were made from the finest fabrics.

They felt incredibly comfortable to the touch and could even resist some low-level spells.

Eileen’s hand paused on a black-and-white maid outfit. This was the style she wore most often.

She finished changing, holding a pair of white stockings in her hand.

“…” Eileen looked at the stockings in her hand, feeling a faint sadness.

*Sigh… I’ve grown used to it.*

Just then, Setia walked over and took the stockings from Eileen’s hand. “Allow me!”

“Wait…”

Wait for what? Slender fingers slowly traced down Eileen’s thigh as Setia held Eileen’s bare feet in both hands.

Fair, delicate, and slightly rosy feet appeared before Setia.

She gazed at the perfect toes, like a work of art, admiring them slowly as if cradling a precious treasure.

She swallowed hard, her breathing quickening. A strange thought stirred within her.

She desperately wanted to slide her hand into the space where Eileen’s feet met, feeling Eileen’s softness. She wanted to pry open the gaps between the toes, rubbing her fingers within those crevices.

She wanted to…

“Setia?” Eileen looked at Setia, who had been holding her soles for a long time, her pretty face tinged with a faint blush.