Chapter 5
5
The warm atmosphere at the dining table was like another world to Anna.
Just now, she thought Roy would use dining etiquette as an excuse to torment Alice, after all, the other had committed too many crimes in the past.
But what’s going on now?
Holy light above!
That evil youth Roy would actually have such a gentle side?
Anna even suspected that some evil god had taken over the young master.
“Ugh, master, I can’t eat anymore.”
After another feeding, Alice finally covered her little stomach shyly and shook her head.
For the first time in her life, she was this full.
Alice even felt that she could die satisfied now.
Roy was equally content.
This time, he gained more than twenty points of favorability in one go, just a little shy of bringing Alice’s favorability into the positive numbers!
But there was no rush; the days ahead were long, and with such a bountiful harvest in just one day, he didn’t need to hurry.
“Since you’re full, then rest early…”
“Master, I’m ready, you can discipline me privately anytime!” Alice clenched her little fists, her face calm but her eyes brimming with determination.
Alice understood that there was no such thing as a free lunch, especially not the delicacies of a noble house.
The master had fed her so much in advance, indicating that the upcoming discipline would be quite strict, and she must perform well!
Roy was about to reply but caught Anya’s sharp, thorn-like gaze and immediately swallowed his words.
All new maids on their first day had to endure ‘the young scoundrel Roy’s’ discipline. It was called discipline, but in reality, it was various cruel punishments that made the maids miserable.
In the original story, Alice was whipped in the dungeon.
Of course, Roy didn’t want to hurt Alice, but if he didn’t carry out the discipline, Anya would become suspicious.
Don’t be fooled by Anya’s status as just a maid; in reality, she was an extraordinary being, and in her early years, she was even the childhood friend of Roy’s father, the current head of the Ayn Ayn Brad family, Karl Ayn Ayn Brad, and deeply trusted by him.
“Master?” Alice asked, puzzled.
“Don’t worry, go take a bath and change your clothes first,” Roy said as he returned to his seat.
After speaking, he glanced at the maids beside him: “Take her to bathe.”
Alice had already cleaned herself before coming, so she wasn’t dirty. It was just that she was still wearing a thin white shirt, which wasn’t very elegant, but her slender and petite figure prevented any indecent exposure.
However, since the master requested it, Alice didn’t ask questions and obediently followed the leading maids to bathe.
But one maid stayed behind.
“Young master, is this a convenient time?” Anya’s tone was inquiring, but her sharp eyes carried an undeniable command.
“It’s fine, I was just thinking of having a chat with you.”
Roy gestured for Anya to sit with a ‘please’ motion.
“What are you standing for? Sit down.”
Anya’s brow furrowed slightly.
With her status, she wasn’t fit to sit at the same table as nobility.
Especially since the young master was also wary of her. He would almost never speak unless necessary.
What was different today?
Anya pondered as she took a seat where Alice had just been.
The corners of Roy’s mouth lifted imperceptibly.
Excellent.
Now you’ve entered the range of the Wind and Night’s Tears!
As a transcendent being, there was no reason, nor ability, for Roy to get close to Anya.
But the seat Alice had just vacated still carried the scent of the Wind and Night’s Tears, enough for Roy to achieve his goal.
“Master, I’ll get straight to the point,” the head maid said, catching a faint whiff of lavender, her confusion apparent, yet she never associated it with some transcendent artifact. “You seem different today.”
“I thought you would ‘discipline’ the new child as before.”
Anya emphasized the word ‘discipline’ heavily.
“Do you believe me if I say I’ve turned over a new leaf?” Roy toyed with the dinner knife, speaking casually.
Anya almost couldn’t keep a straight face.
Stop joking.
We’re all family here; don’t we know your true nature?
Incompetent outside, bullying the servants at home, unlearned in business, and utterly lacking in character.
She could only return Roy an awkward yet polite smile, ignoring the previous question.
Seeing this, Roy was also frustrated.
He was mentally prepared, but still felt somewhat hurt by Anya’s complete lack of trust.
But the real drama was yet to come.
“Anya, are you misunderstanding something? Even I wouldn’t be harsh to such a small child, right?”
Before Alice, ‘the young villain Roy’ had never encountered such a young girl.
Of course, Roy knew that in the original story, ‘the young villain Roy’ was a brute even to little girls.
But Anya didn’t know that.
If she still held a sliver of hope for Roy, she would be confused now.
Sure enough, Anya was taken aback.
After all, Roy wasn’t always the villain; he remembered being a simply adorable child.
Even if the young master was despicable, there should be a line.
Suddenly, Anya felt a bit ashamed, reflecting on whether she had misjudged Roy too harshly.
But then she remembered all the vile things Roy had done over the years, and her heart filled with anger again.
She didn’t want to distrust Roy, but reality had slapped her in the face time and again.
“…Really?” Anya was uncertain.
“Of course not!” Roy first emphasized, then put on a mysterious air, and chuckled slyly: “Moreover, that child is special.”
“Special?”
“I’ve actually been wanting to complain.” Roy crossed his legs in a casual manner, reliving the mood of ‘bad boy Roy’, and vented grievances that weren’t his own: “Our house’s maids are too incompetent!”
“Ugly, stupid, and lazy! They’re all useless!”
“It’s not that we can’t keep some useless ones, but I won’t allow these wastes to be my personal maids!”
Hearing this, Anya’s gaze suddenly became strange: “You want to take Alice as a personal maid?”
A personal maid is one who offers her body and soul to her master, serving for life. And only a personal maid would call her service recipient ‘master’.
That’s why Anya and the others call Roy ‘young master’.
“That’s right!” Roy slammed the table, his eyes blazing with fervor!
“Those wastes have grown up, beyond redemption.”
“So, I must cultivate a perfect maid from a young age!”
“She will be as adorable as the morning sun, as wise as a learned sage, as industrious as a bee in the flowers, like an angel, flawless!”
—And as invincible as a phoenix, fierce as a steed!
“This is the maid I want!”
In his relentless speech, as Roy expected, the usually composed Anya was now stunned, standing there like a statue.
Even with the Tears of Wind and Night, Roy didn’t think he could overturn his negative image in Anya’s heart overnight.
This is a long battle.
But making her believe that he has no ill intentions towards Alice is not impossible.
A whimsical, spoiled brat, in order to create the perfect servant in his heart, starts to raise a little maid, and in the end, under the little maid’s companionship, realizes his own sins and reforms!
This is the facade Roy wants to perform for Anya, and the other servants!
To make Anya believe in his goodwill towards Alice, and also plant the seed of his reformation in her heart!
Two birds with one stone!
“Just to confirm, in any case, you won’t discipline Alice like you do the other maids?” Anya, holding her forehead, seemed still a bit overwhelmed.
“Of course. She’s still young, she needs to grow slowly.”
“…I understand, I won’t question your discipline towards Alice today.”
Roy sipped his red wine contentedly, pleased with his successful scheme.
Unbeknownst to him, Anya’s heart was undergoing a tremendous upheaval.
Why does the young master always emphasize ‘she’s still young’?
Recalling Roy’s fervent state when he spoke of Alice, with a gleam in his eyes, Anya shivered inexplicably.
Note the emphasis.
The young master hasn’t suddenly turned over a new leaf.
It’s just that he’s suddenly gentle with a pretty blonde little girl, even talking about some sort of nurturing game!
Other maids, no way!
Blonde girl, very much so!
Could it be that the young master is what they call…
A pervert…
Anya, from another level, started to worry about Alice’s future.