Yes—after playing with Hermie for a while, Felyn stood up, brushed off his clothes, and headed toward the kitchen to prepare dinner.

Viloti would be staying over for dinner tonight.

And it wasn’t Felyn or Viloti who made that decision—it was the ever-kind and innocent Miss Daiyi who had suggested it herself.

“Felyn, let me help.”

In the small kitchen, Viloti wore a pure white apron over her red-and-white academy uniform.

The contrast between her cuteness and domesticity struck a perfect balance.

She had tied her hair into a high ponytail, and her expression, though cold as ever, gave off an air of quiet confidence.

“Sure,” Felyn nodded.

After cooking with Adelina once before, he’d started assuming that all these gifted heiresses were similar in their talents.

If Adelina could do it, then surely Viloti could too.

But the difference between individuals could be… vast.

“Viloti? Why are you holding the knife so high?”

Felyn turned around just in time to see Viloti standing stiffly, holding a kitchen knife above her head.

With her naturally expressionless face, she looked like she was about to assassinate him from behind.

Thud! She slammed the blade down with full force—just to chop a vegetable on the cutting board.

That was enough for Felyn to immediately take the knife away.

“Viloti, maybe just wash these vegetables instead, okay? Be careful not to cut yourself.”

As long as she avoided the sharp parts and rinsed with water, there shouldn’t be a problem.

Felyn figured a genius like Viloti would pick it up quickly.

But just a short while later, a soft yelp came from the sink.

“Felyn, it hurts.”

She clutched her index finger. Blood trickled down her slender, pale hand.

This wasn’t her home. There were no full-house healing arrays installed here.

The wound wouldn’t just magically disappear.

The injury Viloti had been so curious about… had finally happened.

Felyn immediately set down the knife, wiped his hands on the apron, and gently took her hand, holding it under the faucet.

“Does it still hurt?”

“Mhm… a little.” Her voice was tender and fragile, as if softened by pain.

“Rinsing it under the tap won’t help much with the pain, you know.”

Daiyi’s voice floated into the kitchen as she walked in.

The small kitchen now had three people in it—crowded, to say the least.

Felyn could smell the soft blend of fragrances from the two girls, surprisingly pleasant.

It was like a well-made perfume, with both a top note and a lingering trail—rich and layered.

“You know medicine too?”

Felyn was surprised at how reliable Daiyi suddenly seemed.

“Mhm. You just need to suck the wound gently, and the pain will go away.”

She said it with a perfectly straight face—even though what she said went against every medical principle.

“Where did you even read that?”

“In romance novels, obviously. Don’t they always do that?”

“Are you serious?”

“Isn’t it real? Novels wouldn’t lie, right?”

Felyn looked at her carefully this time. There was no teasing in her expression.

She really meant it.

Romance novels are nothing but lies!

Daiyi might talk big, but like all the other heiresses Felyn had worked with, she had zero actual experience.

She genuinely believed it would help with the pain.

“Hurry up, Viloti’s in real pain, can’t you see how red her face is?”

Only then did Felyn notice Viloti’s head was lowered, her ears flushed red.

But her hand was still stubbornly extended toward him. She hadn’t pulled away.

Can pain really make your ears that red? Definitely not.

“…Should I really put it in my mouth?”

Daiyi’s suggestion had wormed its way into Felyn’s brain.

He started imagining what it would feel like to suck on Viloti’s finger.

Her hand was so soft, so delicate—it probably tasted sweet too.

Wait, what kind of perverted thought was that?!

Daiyi! Whenever you’re around, I start thinking weird things!

“Oh, the bleeding’s already stopped.”

The wound had naturally clotted.

At Felyn’s words, Viloti trembled and slowly lifted her head.

Pink strands of hair clung to her lips, blending with the blush that colored her cheeks.

Her amber eyes shimmered with unshed tears, and a lingering look of hope hadn’t yet left her face.

“Huh?” she blinked, doubting her own body’s healing ability for the first time.

“What a shame,” Daiyi muttered beside her, then casually walked out.

“What do you mean ‘shame’?! Shouldn’t we be glad the bleeding stopped?!”

A few minutes later.

Viloti stood behind Felyn, watching him work in the kitchen alone.

She raised her hand and looked at her index finger, now wrapped in gauze with a little pink heart on it.

It was something Felyn had bought for a client. But now Viloti was wearing it as an emergency bandage.

Because of her overly enthusiastic chopping earlier, she’d been blacklisted from the kitchen.

Only tonight did Felyn truly realize—there could be a huge gap between geniuses.

“Felyn… is there anything I can help with?”

“No need, Viloti. I’ve got this.”

He didn’t scold her. Instead, he reached out and gently patted her head.

Viloti pressed her hands to the spot he’d just touched and pouted.

She’d been rejected…

“Lady Viloti, I know a way you can help Felyn.”

Daiyi, bored and lounging on the sofa, offered her unsolicited advice.

She leaned in close to Viloti and whispered, “You know Felyn likes maids, right?”

Viloti gave a shy little nod.

“All you have to do is whisper in his ear, ‘Thank you for doing so much for me, Master.’ He’ll get super flustered and start radiating a weird kind of energy.”

She purposely raised her voice so Felyn could hear.

“Wha?!” Viloti clapped a hand over her mouth. She blushed for the umpteenth time that night.

But this time, the word Master hit her a little differently.

She stood frozen, unsure of what to do.

“Daiyi! Stop filling her head with nonsense! When did I ever say I like maids?! Enough already!!”

Felyn stood with his hands on his hips, scolding Daiyi.

“He’s embarrassed, which means we’ve hit the mark,” Daiyi said, ignoring him and giving Viloti a gentle pat on the back.

She had planned to teach Viloti the full line:

“Thank you for doing so much for me, Master. As thanks… tonight, I’ll do anything you say.”

But she decided that might be too much for the pink-haired girl to handle.

“Viloti, you don’t have to listen to her. Daiyi likes to joke around sometimes,” Felyn said gently as he came over.

“Okay, okay, I’m sorry, Mister Felyn. I won’t say anything else,” Daiyi said with both hands raised in surrender.

She realized her joke might’ve been a little too much for someone as innocent as Viloti.

Felyn sighed and turned back to the kitchen.

But things wouldn’t end so easily.

Daiyi’s words played in Felyn’s mind like a spell on repeat.

If pink-haired Viloti wore a maid outfit, knelt on the floor, looked up at him shyly, and said with trembling lips—

“M-Master, Master…”

Stop! Cut it out with these crazy thoughts!

Daiyi, you’re the real demon lord here!

Why do I keep thinking these things?!

Felyn turned on the tap and began washing the vegetables.

Suddenly, he felt warm breath at his ear.

He could tell Viloti was standing behind him, inching closer.

Her body heat seeped into him, making his heartbeat spike.

Is that fantasy about to come true?!

But would Viloti really say something like that?

As Felyn’s mind spun into chaos, Viloti rose up on her toes, eyes closed, hands clutching the hem of her apron.

“Thank you for doing so much for me, M-M-M-Master…”

Felyn froze completely.

Dear God, did I just hear that right?!

(End of Chapter)