“So this is what a kiss feels like.”

Rina was so deep in her fantasies, remembering the feeling on her lips, that she didn't even realise she was muttering those words out loud for everyone in the room, the brunette girl, Duke Thalas Lumiére, his two guards, and Arland, to hear.

“So, now that you can move, can we talk?”

That was why Rina's already red face, blushed even more when she heard the Duke's voice. But then she remembered the seriousness of the current situation, so she shook her head to get rid of her embarrassment and confusion.

Only afterwards did she realise that she could move her body almost normally again. So she quickly formed a magic seal on the floor to pull everybody in the room down... but failed again.

Seeing the red-haired girl's actions, Thalas sighed in annoyance. “I'm not stupid enough to cure you of that what seals your Mana. So don't try it... Like I said, calm down, so we can speak.” The Duke intensified his glare. “I don't like repeating myself.”

Because of the pressure, Rina had no choice but to follow the command, and so she sat back down on the couch.

“Good girl.” Noticing that was Rina obeying him, Thalas' mouth formed a subtle smile. “Now, what do you think?”

“What are you talking about, Duke Lumiére?”

Thalas pointed at the brunette. “Do you like her?”

As Rina's gaze followed his fingers, eventually landing on the girl she had kissed earlier, she felt her face heat up again.

Looking at the red-haired girl's reaction, the Duke didn't need any confirmation. “Before you're wondering, information is one of the most important resources in the world. Needless to say, I know everything about you...”

Rina cooled down almost immediately when she heard those words. After all, they implied that he even knew about her hidden feelings for her mistress. She knew that she had to keep them to herself at all costs. After all, even though Eric had entrusted Clara to her, in Rina's mind, it was only as Clara's personal maid. In other words, Rina feared that the Dragonherz family would still kick her out if they found out about her impure feelings. That was why, if the Duke were to know about them, it would be bad news for her, as he could use that information as blackmail material.

Naturally, those fears were written all over Rina's face, so Thalas had no trouble reading her thoughts. “No need, to panic, little girl, no, Rina. I want to have a friendly relationship with you.”

Those words managed to calm Rina down for a bit, but she still eyed the Duke suspiciously while keeping her guard up. After all, she had been attacked earlier, and Fran and Clara seemed to hate that man. There was no way, she could be on friendly terms with him.

“So, back to my question. Do you like this girl?” Thalas asked ignoring Rina's suspicion while once again, pointing at the brunette.

Rina nodded weakly. The brunette maid was someone she had shared her first kiss with. There was no way, it wouldn't leave a lasting impression on her mind and emotions. After all, Rina had always been someone who fell in love easily. Too easily, in fact. That was also why she had literally gone through hell in her past life.

“I see... You know, your feelings for your mistress are not meant to be, never. A commoner has to know their place and keep their filthy hands off those with noble blood. The same goes for you.”

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Even though his words were beyond harsh, deep down, Rina felt them resonate deep within her. She, too, thought that someone as dirty and ugly as herself should stay away from someone as pure as Clara.

“So, how about I give her to you?” He looked at the brunette. ”She currently serves my household as a maid, but I can give you full control over her. You can do whatever you want with her. I think it's a good offer, don't you too?”

“What do you even want from me? Is it... Is it because of my magic?” Rina was reluctant to ask her second question at first, but when she remembered that Arland had probably betrayed the Dragonherz family, or that he had even been working with the Duke from the beginning, Rina lost her hesitation.

“Oho, I thought you were just a stupid child who couldn't control her emotions, but you seem to be more than that. Colour me impressed.” Thalas praised Rina without any hint of sarcasm. “That's right. I want you to serve my family. With the impending demon invasion, I need as many strong individuals as possible. But it's not only your Dark magic or swordsmanship that I desire.”

Having said this, Thalas clapped with his hands. This prompted the uninjured guard to leave the room again, only to return a few seconds later. But this time, instead of a girl following him, the guard held a sealed small box in his arms.

The guard then looked at the Duke and received a nod from him. So, he unsealed the box and opened it.

Before Rina could even realise what was happening, an eerie feeling crept up her spine, as a dark cloud escaped from the box. The cloud gathered in the middle of the room, not too far away from everyone present. At this, Rina jumped to her feet, ran to the brunette, grabbed her hand, and pulled her to the edge of the room, as far away from the cloud as possible.

Rina knew what she was seeing. It was a Demon-Spawning-Cloud. After all, she had touched one two years ago. At that time, she had literally gone through hell, for the physical and mental pain she had felt back then was unbearable. It was as if her loved ones had personally ripped off her skin and tortured her to death. She had hoped to never encounter that fog again.

So her instinct was to get as far away from the cloud as possible and to take with her the girl she had shared her first kiss with.

Only when Rina was convinced, that the cloud posed no immediate danger to her or the girl, she turned her attention to the one responsible, namely Duke Lumiére.

“W-what have you done!?”

“Calm down.”

“How!? With the Demon-Spawning-Cloud here? Won't demons crawl out of it soon?”

“Yes, they will soon.”

“Then how can I stay calm? Why are you doing this?”

“As I said, it's not only your magic and swordsmanship that I desire... Now, touch the cloud.”

'I should touch it?' Rina couldn't believe what she was hearing. She was determined not to obey this command. Just remembering the pain she had felt two years ago made her want to puke.

Unfortunately, the world was a cruel place and the Duke didn't come unprepared. So seeing that Rina hesitated, he continued. “If you don't hurry up, demons will come crawling out of there.”

“... I can defend myself. I doubt that the demons would ignore you, so your guards and Sir Arland will surely fight.”

“Oho? Clever girl. Yes, you're right, they will fight to protect me. But then, I have another question for you. Do you know where we are?”

“How should I know? You're the one who drugged me and brought me here!”

“Well then, look around.”

Only then did Rina realise that she hadn't even checked where she was. So she looked around the room. Unfortunately, there were no windows, so she couldn't see outside. Still, she had the feeling that she'd seen this room before, but she couldn't quite put her finger on where and when.

Annoyed by Rina's slow thinking, the Duke spoke up. “Haaaaaah, we are still in the Dragonherz mansion.”

“Wha-!?”

“Now imagine. You have invited many of this kingdom's nobles to your Social Debut, only to have them injured or even killed by demons running amok during the festivities”

Only after these words from the Duke, it dawned on Rina what he meant. She couldn't let that happen. Wasn't she determined to ensure Clara's happy future?

Rina let go of the brunette's hand and slowly approached the cloud while trembling in fear of the pain she was about to experience.

“Yes! Your mistress's life as a noble would be over! No, maybe she, no, the entire Dragonherz family could be even accused of treason for working together with the demons. In that case, only the gallows would await them!”

With each step Rina got closer to the dark cloud, her trembling became more and more intense.

“That's right, Rina! Touch the cloud. Suck it into your body. Show me your true potential...”

With the Duke's words in the background, Rina reached out her hand and touched the Demon-Spawning-Cloud.

“... if you don't want your beloved mistress to suffer!”