It was night soon, so it was time to head to bed. However, the threat from before still said that Layla needed to be cautious when the night approached.

After about half an hour of being alone, someone finally knocked on the door.

Mary quickly went to receive the person and talk to them, but when she returned, her face had a foxy expression.

"Young miss, I will have to leave for the night. These gentlemen need my services tonight, and they are inviting me outside. But I don't want to leave you alone to go and have 'fun.' What should I do now?"

From her position on the bed, Layla could see outside, and she noticed the grin on the inviter's face.

They had likely fallen for Mary's beautiful face and had decided to come up to her to invite her out to play.

But little did these kids know that their idea of 'playing' differed greatly from Mary's.

One of these sides would not return tomorrow, and Layla doubted it would be Mary.

"You want to leave me alone tonight? Fine, I don't mind. As long as you act quickly tomorrow, I don't mind what you do tonight. But make sure this mess is cleaned up nicely."

Layla warned her maid as she pulled the covers over her head.

There was no point in stopping Mary from going out to have fun, and there were a few reasons for it.

First, Mary would not listen to Layla, even if she asked her maid to stay back or keep an eye on things. Mary was just not the kind of person to hear.

Second, the announcer stressed to Layla that she would be taken out by force if she did not follow the path in front of her.

It likely meant that there was a plan in place to kidnap and remove her tonight. And those people likely accounted for Mary's presence as well.

"Now that the competition is all but a sham, I should stop worrying about ending it too early and getting these people into trouble. I might as well bust that slave ring and earn extra credit with the Duke."

It was a shame that things ended this way, but Layla could not do much about it.

The world was unfair, so she needed to live with the conditions she had been dealt with.

...

"Miss Mary, you are a beautiful lady. What do you say to a glass of wine and relaxing in my room? We can have some fun in there."

The kidnapper who came to separate Mary from Layla proposed.

Mary was a demon, so she could feel this man's desire and how he leaned back on his heels in a way that enticed people.

Even Mary felt charmed, but it had to do with the magic this man was using. He likely used this magic to take unsuspected people away from their rooms before having fun with them.

"Hmm, what to do? I want to come with you but don't want to be indoors tonight. The moon is so beautiful tonight, and I want to look at it more."

The man raised his eyebrow as he heard Mary's words before he took a look outside.

The 'moon' Mary was talking about was nowhere to be found. The clouds dominated the sky, giving it a gloomy look and atmosphere.

No one would have found this situation as romantic or engaging. But the man was different. He was here to seduce Mary before he had to kidnap her for selling.

That was why he matched Mary's pace and agreed with her when she spoke like this.

"You are right. It is, indeed, a beautiful moon out tonight. Shall we head out and see it from another spot? I can take you to a secret one that I know of."

The man promised as he extended his hand toward Mary. The action made the maid giggle, and the man, in turn, flashed her a smile.

'Ah, it is so easy to entice maids of low-class families like this. A sweet word here, a helpful gesture, and they fall right into your hands. This maid is no different. I can use her and then discard her.'

The man felt sure of himself and led Mary to the secret place in the forest he had constructed.

He had modified this place so no one would find him here while doing the deed.

"Miss, please come in. How do you like this place? It is nice, right? Now, shall we do something more-"

The man tried to reach for Mary's face, but the female clasped his hand to get Mary's face.

Mary's face had an ambiguous smile when she looked back at the man, and he felt his breath hitch in his throat.

"Oh my! I expected you to be forward, but I did not expect you to be this forward with me. Are you sure you can handle my passion? Frankly, I don't think you have the guts to have 'fun' with me."

Mary taunted the man with her smile, speaking in such an innocent voice that it did not even sound like she was taunting him.

His smile stiffened, but the man looked at Mary with a dotting expression.

"Believe me when I say that I can show you heaven tonight. Just let me take the lead-"

The man tried to touch Mary again, but her giggle stopped him. He suddenly realized something was wrong, and he stepped back.

His instincts finally worked, and they yelled at him to run.

After all, Mary's glowing eyes were inhuman. He had never seen eyes like these before, and they scared him.

"W-What are you? Are you even human? No, what did I bring out here with me? I need to run-"

The man tried to run, but Mary was faster than him, and she clasped her hand around his shoulder in a tight grip that prevented this man from being able to run.