Aether looked at the boy, who had light brown hair and striking purple eyes. His expression was flat as he tried to hide Snowflake, his pet.
“Empress’s Maid,” Aether said, voice flat and accusatory.
The boy flinched and stammered, “W-What are you talking about? Empress’s Maid? Who? Me? Of course not, I am not that revered, famous Marisandra Naiadia’s Maid.”
Aether wore an expression of ‘You cannot be more obvious than this.’
The boy’s face flushed even more as he continued, “B-Believe me… I am not—”
“Yeah, yeah… I believe you, Mr. Empress’s Maid, so no need to worry,” Aether replied nonchalantly.
“Sigh, I guess the cat’s out of the bag,” the boy said. In an instant, he transformed into a woman. Aether watched, slightly impressed at how quickly the disguise was shed and a maid’s uniform appeared in place of the boy’s attire.
‘She is really good at changing clothes,’ Aether thought, observing the Empress’s Maid, who now stood before him in a perfectly arranged uniform.
“How did you find out?” she asked, clearly baffled. She had been sure her disguise was flawless.
“Hmm… It’s just your eyes,” Aether said, maintaining his nonchalant tone.
“My eyes?” The Maid frowned.
“Yes,” Aether confirmed.
The Maid frowned even more. “It’s not like I am the only one who has purp—”
“Each eye is unique and different, and I can literally remember details,” Aether said with a proud smile. ‘Come to think of it, Stella and her sister also had the same eyes…. maybe they were blood-related,’ he thought but shrugged.
“So, you remember my eyes?” the Maid asked.
“Yes”
[+10 Affection]
Aether blinked, momentarily taken aback by the unexpected affection from the maid, before regaining his composure. He refocused his attention and inquired, “Why are you here?”
The maid hesitated, considering her response carefully before answering, “Actually, it’s my duty to support the Princess. However, she rejected me, claiming she chose you…” Anger flickered in her eyes, betraying her frustration at the Princess’s decision.
‘Those flames could literally burn me to death,’ Aether thought, feeling the intensity of her gaze.
Undeterred, the maid continued, “But I cannot leave the Princess in the hands of a womanizer… So I registered as Selene’s servant.”
“I see…” Aether nodded, though he wondered about the ‘womanizer’ part.
However, Aether’s curiosity was piqued, prompting him to question, “Then why are you disguising yourself?”. He wondered why she was disguising herself if she registered as a servant.
Suddenly, the Maid flinched and averted her gaze from Aether as she stammered, “I-I was kind of… you know…”
Aether took slow steps forward, closing the distance between them. The Maid froze in place, her cheeks flushing slightly as she leaned back instinctively.
When Aether reached her, he stared at her intently, as if trying to peer into her soul. The Maid’s heart raced, her breath catching in her throat. She never expected Aether to be so bold, especially when they were alone.
Then, to her surprise, Aether placed a hand on her shoulder, causing her to startle. “W-Wait!! What are you doing?!” she exclaimed, her voice betraying her nerves.
The Maid was taken aback by Aether’s sudden forwardness. She knew she had to put a stop to any advances from this womanizer, especially interacting with her Princess otherwise Princess would be suffering just like how Empress suffering now.
In truth, the servant assigned to the Princess was someone else entirely. It was the Empress who had tasked her with safeguarding her daughter while gathering information about …..Aether.
The Maid remembered it all too clearly…
Whenever the Empress blush…. she immediately breaks everything surrounding her… The palace became the most chaotic place and it was all due to this man.
‘This man is really dangerous,’ she concluded, her thoughts swirling with apprehension. Throughout the day, she had observed Aether closely, noting how he seemed to effortlessly forge connections with Queen Aria and even Ashara Nightfire(albeit with few words)… It was clear to her that he wielded a dangerous charm.
“I know…” Aether’s calm voice broke through her thoughts, causing her to startle.
“Y-You know?” The Maid flinched, taken aback by Aether’s awareness.
“Yes…” Aether confirmed, his expression serene.
The Maid sighed inwardly, resigning herself to the fact that Aether wasn’t that dumb…
“What the hell did you do to the Empre—”
“Cosplaying… I won’t judge,” Aether interrupted, his words catching her off guard.
“C-Cosplaying?” The Maid’s expression twisted into one of disbelief.
“Yeah, don’t worry… You can dress however you want. I won’t judge you!” Aether reassured her with a placid smile.
“Tsk,” the Maid clicked her tongue in annoyance, her frustration mounting. “You are the first idiot I’ve ever seen in my life.” fɾeewebnoveℓ.co๓
“What?” Aether was taken aback by her sudden hostility. He had only been trying to offer his support, yet it seemed to have backfired.
“Anyhow… tell me about that snake you have,” the Maid asked as she changed the topic.
“Hmmm? What are you talking about?” Aether attempted to play dumb.
“Sigh… Did you register at the Academy?” She pressed on, disregarding his attempts to evade the topic.
“Register? Do I need to do that?” Aether feigned surprise, hoping to deflect her inquiries.
The Maid sighed, her patience wearing thin, as she explained that any tamed beasts were required to be registered in the Academy’s records. Failure to do so would result in punishment for the owner.
“I see…” Aether nodded in understanding, ‘I suppose no more hiding it’ but then he hesitated before asking, “Could you keep quiet about this?” He dreaded the thought of others finding out, especially considering Kai’s potential interest in Snowflake.
The Maid shook her head firmly, “No, I cannot do that. It would be a problem if others found out… I suspect the Principal may already be aware. You really need to register, otherwise it could cause trouble for Princess Aqualina.”
A sour expression crossed Aether’s face as he contemplated his options. ‘What should I do now?’ he wondered, feeling uncertain. He resolved to consult Aqualina about the matter, despite his concerns that she might try to take Snowflake away from him.
“I will be at the top,” the Maid declared, signalling her intention to retire for the day after a long day of following him….
“…” Aether remained silent as he mulled over the situation, deciding to leave everything for tomorrow’s Aether to tackle.
“Sss~~”
Snowflake swirled around the top of his chest as she also slept peacefully though she glared a the top bed.