Chapter 23: All Members Are Villains
Even the best of times must come to an end.
By morning light, the two were so engrossed that they lost track of time, only to realize the party had long since ended, leaving just the two of them in place.
The guards on standby watched with dark circles under their eyes, filled with awe.
It’s not unusual for young lovers to go out and party all night, but finding a couple who can dance the entire night until the campfire has gone out multiple times is quite a rarity.
Finally aware of how long they had been dancing, the young maid panicked and apologized, but her legs suddenly gave out, and she bumped right into Roy.
“Uh, um… sorry, my legs just gave up all of a sudden… Master?!”
“The one who should apologize is me.” Looking at the pale dawn in the distance, Roy felt embarrassed himself. “I didn’t expect us to dance for so long.”
Thanks to his “Insomnia” trait, he wasn’t even the slightest bit drowsy!
Dancing all night is quite a burden, even for an Extraordinary Being.
Seeing the young girl’s delicate toes visibly reddened, Roy didn’t hesitate to swoop her up into his arms like a princess.
“As long as Master is willing, Alice can dance with you forever.” Alice said earnestly.
“I appreciate the thought, but if we continue dancing, I’m going to feel bad.” Roy paused, tapping the little maid’s nose, making her let out a gentle squeak, “If you want to dance again next time, I’m always up for it.”
“Okay!”
After a brief rest, Roy joined the travel group for the return journey.
Before leaving, Douglas personally came to see him off, and Roy took the opportunity to express his gratitude to the enthusiastic senior.
Notably, after learning that the gold jewelry was sponsored by Douglas, Charlotte and the others viewed him more favorably, subtly expressing their thanks through Roy.
The prince of gold was quite pleased, smiling as if he’d accomplished something worthy of leaving a mark in history, making Roy once again marvel at how hospitable this senior was.
“I’ll keep an eye on the order for the ‘Platinum Workshop’ that we discussed. Aside from this, if you need anything else in the future, feel free to come to me.”
“Thank you, senior. You’ve really helped me out this time.”
“You’re too kind, Mr. Roy. With our relationship, such small favors are nothing; it’s I who will trouble you in the future.”
Thanks to Douglas’s willingness to cooperate, the young maid could dance the night away without a care, not to mention all the thoughtful hospitality.
They say that the royal family is the most heartless, but Douglas is truly an exception.
With gratitude towards Douglas, Roy said his goodbyes solemnly.
However, in the end, Roy couldn’t figure out what exactly he had done to deserve to be favored by the prince of gold.
With the school trip successfully completed, Roy officially returned to the Academy, stepping back into campus life.
After that, Alice returned to normal, no longer deliberately distancing herself; she was even a bit more proactive than before.
“Master, um, when Charlotte and the others aren’t around, can I come sleep with you?”
For a budding girl to share a bed with a male felt a bit off.
But if it was Alice’s request, it was no problem at all!
It was rare for the child to take the initiative; how could he refuse?
Through this trip, Roy had come to realize he hadn’t shown enough care for Alice.
He couldn’t help but wish Alice would be even more proactive in cuddling up to him!
Besides, Alice was such a pure child, even struggling with something as simple as dancing; could she really do something inappropriate with him?!
Approved!
“Sure, but you also have to sleep alone sometimes.”
“Okay!”
The girl’s expression seemed stable, but she radiated a bright aura.
Even her dishwashing motions became lighter, her maid’s bow swaying as Roy couldn’t help but chuckle.
What he didn’t know was that since the trip, the maid’s thoughts had begun to multiply.
She could sleep with her master again!
Should she snuggle up to him? But diving straight into his arms would also be nice!
Hehe, Master looks so cute while asleep; should she buy some Extraordinary items to capture that moment?
And as the weather gradually warmed up, her master’s pajamas became increasingly skimpier, inevitably brushing against her skin.
Alice had completely realized that she couldn’t and didn’t want to suppress her feelings for Roy.
In that case, within the limits allowed by her master, indulging a little now and then wouldn’t be so bad.
She would just snuggle a bit, nothing too excessive!
Occasionally doing things only girls do, surely her master wouldn’t mind!
Just the thought of cuddling up to Roy in dreams made Alice’s face heat up, and she washed the dishes three times faster without even noticing.
Even if the main character was oblivious, the distance between the master and maid was subtly decreasing.
And all of this was observed by a third party.
One night, after bathing, Alice was about to return to her room when Nia suddenly jumped out from the side.
“Alice, are you free tonight?”
“I am, is there something up, Nia?”
“Yes, an extremely important matter!”
The elven girl had a serious look as she pulled Alice into her room.
As soon as they entered, Alice’s nerves tensed up immediately.
Charlotte, Leanna, Xue Nuo, and behind them, Nia—these girls were all gathered, bringing a sense of inexplicable pressure.
Nia kindly handed over a cushion, “Alice, sit down.”
“Oh.”
Alice blankly agreed, parting her delicate legs to sit on the cushion, only to find the four girls looking down at her from their seats and the bed, causing her heart to tremble instinctively.
It felt like being a pitiful little squirrel being eyed by a pack of carnivorous animals; she was totally at a loss.
What were they planning?
Could it be they disdained how close she had gotten to her master?!
Under such unexplainable pressure, Alice didn’t dare speak.
Charlotte took a slow sip of her tea before finally asking, “Alice, you’ve been in a good mood lately.”
“R-really?”
“Definitely.” Nia chimed in, grinning approvingly, “You really enjoyed that school trip.”
“Ever since you came back, your mood’s been fantastic, hasn’t it?”
Shock!
So they really were upset about how close she had gotten to her master!
After all, the previous trip meant she’d spent a bit too much time with him, leading to them missing many chances for alone time with him; it was only natural for them to feel disgruntled!
Alice lowered her head guilt-ridden, “W-well, it might be an illusion?”
Leanna was amused by this.
While examining her nails, she casually mentioned, “An illusion? But I, your senior, feel that people in a bad mood wouldn’t dance all night, you know?”
“!”
No words could be said in reply.
In all fairness, Alice was genuinely speechless about dancing all night!
As Alice fell silent, the silver-haired girl looked over, delivering a final conclusion.
“Alice, you like Roy, don’t you?”
Direct hit, mental blow!
She had been found out!
What would happen if her master’s girlfriend discovered her feelings?
Lacking Alice’s experience, she was at a loss on how Charlotte and the others would react and could only seek answers from books.
Yet, according to her research, this situation looked far from optimistic!
All kinds of devious schemes and betrayals were the least of it.
Some even got into physical fights out of rage, some harbored grudges and stabbed each other in the back, while others teamed up to target the male, pulling a complete dismantling!
Thinking back to the brutal scenes every time Charlotte and the others found out about new girls approaching Roy, Alice couldn’t help but tremble.
No, no, no, NO!
She absolutely had to deny it to the very end!
At least let it be directed at her, don’t hurt her master!
So Alice forcefully steadied her breathing and calmly faced the four girls.
“As a maid, isn’t it natural to have feelings for my master?”