CHAPTER 58: SPOILING A DILIGENT MAID

Villy’s small hands tightened on the steering wheel as she guided the black car into the wide garage of Vanessa’s mansion.

The sleek vehicle purred to a halt, its headlights flickering off as the engine quieted. The dwarf woman exhaled softly, straightening her posture in the driver’s seat.

This wasn’t the first time she had come here.

In fact, she had made the trip countless times, ferrying her Mistress back and forth after long meetings, after stressful guild raids, or simply on days when Vanessa was too tired to even lift a finger.

Villy knew the house’s layout almost better than her own quarters — every polished hallway, every creaky stair step.

Still, she hesitated a moment before unbuckling.

’Lady Emilia must be inside,’ she thought grimly, bracing herself as though preparing for battle.

If Villy had to describe the woman in a single word, it would be lazy.

Lazy to the point of artistry. And she was obsessed — absurdly obsessed with breasts.

The number of times Emilia had tried to grope her on previous visits was almost criminal. Each time Villy had barely escaped with her dignity intact.

She sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose.

’I should prepare mentally. That woman’s hands are worse than pickpockets.’

From the seat beside her, Lucius stirred faintly. His head leaned back against the leather cushion, his usually sharp eyes dulled with exhaustion.

"Are we here yet?" His voice was low, rough.

"Yes, my lord," Villy replied, already slipping out of her seat.

She hurried to his side, opening the passenger door. Though she was half his height and nowhere near his build, she moved without hesitation, slipping an arm beneath his and helping him lean against her.

Despite being a dwarf and him a tall human, she bore his weight with surprising steadiness like earlier.

Together, they approached the grand front door. Villy shifted him slightly so he could stand with some dignity and rapped her knuckles against the polished wood.

’Please, let it be anyone but Emilia.’

The door opened with a creak.

Villy’s eyes flicked upward and blinked in surprise. It wasn’t Emilia at all — it was another familiar face.

Headphones rested loosely around her neck, her bright purple hair a little disheveled, dust smudging her cheeks as though she had been tinkering with something.

Her wide eyes widened further when she saw them.

It was Luna.

She was a fan of her streams well before Lucius came into the picture too.

"Lucius?" she gasped, her voice sharp with alarm. She yanked her headphones up, her gaze darting between him and Villy.

"What happened to him?" Luna asked urgently, stepping aside to let them in.

"He just formed his second mana heart," Villy explained calmly as she maneuvered him inside.

Her tone efficient. "I’ll be here today to watch over him."

"O-okay," Luna muttered, biting her lip. She glanced at Lucius’s pale face, then back at Villy.

A swirl of emotions churned inside her chest. She was filled with guilt, worry, and a gnawing sense of inadequacy.

Because while it might look like she hadn’t been doing much these past few days... that couldn’t be further from the truth.

She wasn’t awakened, true, but she was brilliant with machines.

She had been spending nearly every waking hour upgrading the drone, coding systems, adjusting its sensors, integrating new features.

People were already asking when the next stream would be. Donations had begun trickling in. There was demand, there was momentum and it all depended on Lucius.

’I need to make sure I’m useful,’ Luna thought, her fists tightening at her sides.

She hated this feeling — standing by, powerless, while others carried him. She remembered, suddenly, the soup her grandmother used to make when she was sick.

Her heart skipped, Maybe she couldn’t fight, but she could do this.

With newfound resolve, Luna spun on her heel and darted toward the kitchen.

Villy, meanwhile, adjusted her grip on Lucius as she made her way up the staircase. Vanessa had told her exactly where his room was — third floor, at the end of the hall.

Each step felt like a slow march but she continued.

When she reached the top, she nudged open the door... and froze.

Her violet eyes widened, disbelief crashing through her mind like a hammer.

There, perched on the edge of Lucius’s bed, was Emilia.

And in her hands was his burned uniform from yesterday. She was clutching it to her face, nose buried deep, inhaling like a starving animal catching its first meal in days.

’What the hell...’ Villy’s thoughts stuttered. ’His uniform was burned. Why is it here? And why is she sniffing it like some... some dog?’

Emilia jerked upright like a criminal caught in the act, the fabric dropping from her grasp.

Her ears reddened instantly. Her eyes darted to the door, to Lucius, to Villy’s shocked expression.

Villy, to her credit, didn’t let her disgust slip too far. Lucius was currently unconscious now.

She merely narrowed her gaze, dragging Lucius into the room with practiced composure. "What are you doing, Lady Emilia?"

Emilia scrambled, snatching the cloth and tossing it aside as though it were nothing. "I — I was... checking if the clothes were dirty," she stammered lamely, rising to her feet.

Villy carefully laid Lucius down on the bed, pulling the covers gently over him. His breathing steadied, soft and even, blissfully unaware of the nonsense around him.

She brushed a lock of hair from his forehead, then turned back to Emilia with a stare that could slice through steel.

"Checking if the clothes were dirty," Villy repeated flatly, her tone drenched in skepticism.

Emilia fidgeted, then tried to tiptoe toward the door.

"I’ll be telling the Mistress," Villy said coolly.

Emilia froze.

Her face drained of color.

"Alright, alright!" she blurted, throwing her hands up in surrender. "It’s not my fault, okay? I swear! I just came in and... took a whiff. That’s all. His scent is just so good!"

Villy’s lips pressed into a thin, unimpressed line.

She had long known Emilia was perverted, but this... this was even worse than expected.

Emilia, however, only grew bolder in her desperation. "Come on. Just take a whiff. You’ll understand."

"What?" Villy blinked in outrage.

"Seriously," Emilia said, sidling closer, the glint of mischief sparking in her eyes. "Don’t act all high and mighty. One whiff and you’ll see what I mean."

"I will not—"

But Emilia was already pressing the cloth toward her.

She pleaded, coaxed, tugged at Villy’s arm with surprising strength for someone who usually couldn’t lift a book without sighing.

Finally, with a long exhale, Villy relented.

’Just once,’ she told herself. ’Just to make her quiet.’

She brought the fabric cautiously to her nose and inhaled lightly.

Her eyes widened, her composure fracturing for a split second.

Because... Emilia was right.

The scent was intoxicating. It curled into her senses, soothing and addictive all at once.

She inhaled again, this time longer, before she caught herself and yanked the fabric away, her cheeks warming.

Emilia smirked knowingly. "See? Addictive, isn’t it?"

’Hoho~ I’ve successfully corrupted an uptight maid.’ Emilia thought in victory.