The bedroom possessed a bed, a wardrobe, a desk and a chair. Although simple, it was a luxury for servants working in the castle since most of them shared a room. Yet, one recently hired maid was given a bedroom all to herself.

Inside the room prepared for her exclusive use, Ava was going through her routine training. Of course, since there wasn’t much space, she was only doing simple exercises such as pushups and setups. It was basically what she always did in Faywood. The only difference was that her current room was a bit smaller, it didn’t have a bathroom and she was wearing a red dress instead of the usual white ones. Her current clothes were what she received from the slave merchant when he told her to dress up appropriately before meeting royalties. Since she didn’t own anything else, besides the maid outfit and the other stuffy dresses that the queen prepared, the red dress became her default choice.

Once Ava was done, she then sat on her bed and trained her powers. To increase her proficiency, the half-elf would repeatedly summon Shadow Puppets until her stamina was completely exhausted. During the process, she would also test any ideas that came to mind to learn all that her elven magic could do.

However,

Gh!” [Ava]

She could no longer do it.

A bolt of pain traveled through her body as her attempt to invoke the black smoke on her left hand failed. Her powers had been sealed shortly after escaping from Faywood. She did not know who did it or what method they used, except that the white dresses she always wore might have played a role. The reason was because when she felt the sudden pain constricting her body, which then resulted in her elven magic being sealed, her attire had mysteriously turned black at the wrists, neck and waist.

Pulling up the sleeves of her red dress, the half-elf saw these same marks from before appearing on her skin like ink slowly staining paper. Black bands on her wrists like cuffs had made themselves visible and from each, two lines spiraled up her arms like helixes. Picking up the hand mirror on the desk, Ava confirmed that another black ring was on her neck, which was where the lines on her arms connected to.

Although her clothing hid her body, she knew that two more slithered down her chest from her neck, curving around her breasts and travelling down to her waist. Four more snakes took the route from her nape to her back, avoiding her shoulder blades along the way as they drew undulating paths on her skin.

Around her waist was the fourth and final black band, which was where all of the lines on her torso gathered at. From this same ring, one line crawled down each leg as it reached her inner thigh before coiling around her shins.

Whenever Ava tried to invoke her powers, a sharp pain would assault her senses and these marks would appear on her skin like tattoos before vanishing shortly after.

Her powers were sealed. After her great escape, she had lost her greatest weapon.

“Crap.” [Ava]

Ava cursed under her breath after confirming that the marks fully faded away.

----------------------------------------

“Crap.” [Ava]

Ava cursed under her breath while looking annoyed.

“Ouch!” [Ava]

Which promptly earned her a whipping from the queen herself.

“Must I once again remind you to behave like a lady at all times?” [Louise]

Louise stern’s voice reached her long, pointy ears just as well as the slapping sounds of the black horse riding whip that was used to hit her.

“Mind your language.” [Louise]

The queen said for the umpteenth time as she repeatedly smacked the whip on the palm of her hand.

“… I beg your pardon, your majesty.” [Ava]

“Good.” [Louise]

She nodded satisfyingly.

“But there’s nothing vulgar about crap since it’s a natural part of life. I produce tons of crap throughout my life. You, me, and Zo-ouch!” [Ava]

Slapping the half-elf’s back, Louise sighed tiredly.

Every day since the black-haired girl arrived, she had been giving her lessons on manners and made time in her schedule to teach her. Yet, the results weren’t showing at all.

A queen was personally teaching a maid. It was a weird sight, but the four female attendants that accompanied Louise got used to it.

“Molding you into a proper lady may be a fruitless endeavor.” [Louise]

“What kind of lady needs to balance five books on her head?” [Ava]

Ava asked while making sure that the five books stacked on top of her head didn’t fall as she walked around the well-furnished room where her lessons took place. Apparently, it was an exercise to keep her back straight and maintain a dignified posture at all times.

“The kind of lady that always slouches, always yawns and always asks for a butler uniform.” [Louise]

“In my humble opinion, butlers are cooler since, one, I want pants, and two, combat butlers are really just plain cool. Well, it’d be a different story if the maids around here could pull out grenades from under their skirts, but-ouch!” [Ava]

“Let’s try adding another five books. It might be a good idea to come up with a different form of punishment for you as well.” [Louise]

By Louise’s instructions, one of the attendants stepped up with a pile of books in her hands.

And so continued another fruitless lesson.

----------------------------------------

In the evening, Dreck, wishing to see Ava, decided to head to the knights’ training grounds. Thanks to his family’s authority, she was allowed to train there, despite being but a maid. Sure enough, in a wide open space of about five hundred meters long and two hundred meters wide, he found her sparring against someone.

Fighting in the middle of the field was a man of well-trained proportions and a half-elf of delicate features. The two, wearing easy to move in clothes, clashed using wooden swords. They strongly stepped on the beaten earth and swung their weapons under the clear blue sky as knights present watched them from a distance of about fifty meters. Some were cheering while others analyzed the duel and gave their opinion on who would win. There were also quite a few men who were happily betting on the outcome of the match.

When Dreck showed up, the knights who noticed him offered a respectful greeting before the prince told them to relax. It was only then that they spoke to him more amicably since, although he had trained with and befriended the knights, he was still the First Prince of the country. It was important to mind their manners.

“Good evening, your highness.” [Gary]

Bowing to him was Gary, the resident lady killer loved and hated by women and men respectively.

“Each and every time. You’re not having an audience with me, so stop it with the overly respectful act. It doesn’t suit you.” [Dreck]

“We’re in the royal castle now. Manners before anything else. But, as you wish. Then, Dreck, you’re here to check up on your PERSONAL maid?” [Gary]

Gary asked while emphasizing the word “personal” and grinning.

“Yes, since unofficially, she’s a guest here under my care, I’m worried about her getting injured during training.” [Dreck]

In response, Dreck smiled charmingly and ignored the implied meaning behind the good-looking knight’s attitude. Seeing no opening, Gary temporarily gave up and, along with the prince, watched the half-elf spar against one of his comrades.

The black-haired girl was quick on her feet as she exchanged blows with her opponent. It was obvious to those around them that she was skilled in the use of the sword. However, the man she was up against was no slouch either. Moreover, he had the advantage in terms of strength. As such, Ava focused more on dodging than blocking since every hit numbed her hands.

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“She’s starting to get pushed back. It’s no wonder, giving the difference between a slim girl and a burly man.” [Gary]

Gary said while carefully observing the match along with his peers.

“But, Ava makes up for it with her swordsmanship.” [Dreck]

Dreck added without taking his eyes off the black-haired girl.

“That’s true. Wonder where she learned those moves. I’ve never seen anyone fight like that.” [Gary]

While the two were talking, the duel was coming to an end. The knight, having attacked Ava, managed to destabilize her and create an opening thanks to his superior strength. Not letting that chance go, he powerfully lunged forward and brought his sword down. However, that was only a feint, bait that the half-elf laid out to grasp victory. While looking like she was stumbling back from the last blow, Ava secured her footing in that moment. She stepped to the right with her right foot and pointed her toes inward. Her left foot was diagonally to the back and her sword was on the left side of her waist.

As the knight moved to attack, Ava sidestepped to the right by using her right foot as a pivot. Simultaneously, she raised her wooden sword up over her head. The tip wasn’t pointed at her enemy, but diagonally downward. Supporting the training weapon by the handle with her right hand and by the the blade with her left, Ava let her opponent’s sword slide off hers. The knight, surprised, couldn’t react in time as she swung her sword and stopped right before hitting his throat.

“… I yield.” [Knight]

The man accepted defeat and, with his words, ended their duel. The spectators cheered at the display of skills from both sides. A part appeared rather happy while others had bitter expressions as they forked over the promised money after losing their bets.

Gary, watching the victorious Ava, whistled and smiled wryly.

“A beauty, a half-elf, a maid and a capable swordswoman. You’ve fallen for quite the outrageous girl.” [Gary]

His words earned him the beautiful smile of his country’s prince.

“Please take care not to spread any unwanted rumors about me.” [Dreck]

“O-of course! Anything for a fellow man pursuing lov-no, I didn’t say anything. Understood.” [Gary]

His bright expression didn’t warm up the lady killer’s heart at all though.

Ignoring the shaking Gary, Dreck observed Ava and noted how fast she was improving. At the beginning, she was only swinging her sword and training by herself. Later on, the half-elf requested the other knights to duel her. Although the men went easy on her at first, they quickly learned not to underestimate her once she floored the first few challengers. Unbelievably, the number of people Ava lost to could be counted on one hand. Truth be told, it damaged their pride as knights that they were being beaten by a maid.

However, that was normal since Ava was doing what she always did on the rooftop of Sanctuary Academy with Goro. Like dueling the dragon, sparring against the gathered knights allowed her to get used to her body so that she could move the way that she wanted. The half-elf already possessed a wealth of fighting experience and knowledge. What she needed to urgently do was to build up her strength and engrave movements into her flesh so that they became instinctive.

It was very important considering her power was currently sealed.

“Well now, I guess it’s my turn.” [Dreck]

Stepping forward, Dreck approached Ava who was exchanging a few words with her opponent.

“Finally! Hey guys! I want in!” [Gary]

Behind him, Gary quickly went to see his comrades that were temporarily working as bookmakers.

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“That was a very refreshing exercise.” [Dreck]

“Exercise? You wiped the floor with me.” [Ava]

Ava and Dreck were walking down the castle’s gorgeous hallway after the half-elf wiped off her sweat and changed her clothes.

The match between the two ended in five minutes, mostly because the prince didn’t attack and only parried her strikes at the start until decisively ending their bout by knocking the sword out of her hands. So far, the half-elf never won against him once. A few knights used to bet on her when Dreck first suggested a match with him. Needless to say, all of the bets were now always on him and the knights were reminded how strong their perfect prince was. As a result, the bookmakers were thinking of refusing any bets whenever he was involved.

“Maybe so, but you’ve gotten stronger again. It took me sixteen tries before I managed to knock your sword away. My moves are being remembered at an astonishingly fast rate.” [Dreck]

Dreck said, noting how Ava was quickly learning and adapting to his fighting style. It was becoming harder and harder to defeat her without inflicting any injury.

“You’re a very strong maid, Ava. A very strong maid, indeed.” [Dreck]

The brown-haired prince complimented her rather teasingly, which prompted the expected reaction.

“Don’t call me a maid.” [Ava]

The sleepy-looking girl walking three steps behind him frowned and showed clear displeasure on her beautiful face.

“I want pants. Training is great since I get to wear pants.” [Ava]

During training, she wore a baggy beige tunic and a pair of dark brown pants that was kept in place by a belt. Now, having returned to her job, the half-elf was donning her black and white maid outfit.

“Shouldn’t you be used to it by now? You’ve been working here for almost a month.” [Dreck]

“Oh yeah, it’s already been that long. Autumn is coming.” [Ava]

“Indeed. The days are starting to get colder. People are already making preparations for winter.” [Dreck]

It has been a month since Ava began working in the castle. She was known as the eccentric half-elf that served the First Prince as his personal attendant.

“Anyhow, let’s hurry back to my room. I’d like to enjoy a cup of tea.” [Dreck]

To Dreck, it had been a blissful period since he could always see the girl he liked every day.

“Get someone else to do it already. I suck at brewing tea. Your mom also said I suck at it before whipping me with that stupid horse whip.” [Ava]

“It’s fine. Yours will do. I’m sure you’ve improved after my mother’s lessons.” [Dreck]

“Yeeeaa-no, not really. Despite what she says, I still think that real men wear pants.” [Ava]

Dreck turned his head and looked at the half-elf who was dutifully walking behind him. Despite her attitude, Ava made sure to do her work properly. After all, she was getting paid. Since she ran away and didn’t own anything but the clothes given to her, gathering money was important.

“… What’s with that look?” [Ava]

“I just don’t understand what you’re unhappy about. You look charming in those clothes. That pure white headdress, honestly speaking, contrasts well with your black hair and makes you simply adorable.” [Dreck]

“So the best part of a maid outfit is the headdress. Nice to know what you’re into.” [Ava]

“Please don’t form any strange opinions about me.” [Dreck]

Dreck chuckled and turned around to face Ava. The two stood in the hallway devoid of people.

“I’m not into maid outfits. I simply think you’d look gorgeous in anything.” [Dreck]

“Womanizer! We’ve got a womanizer here! You’re just like Gary! The second Gary is here!” [Ava]

Hearing that familiar name, the prince’s smile stiffened and his eyes narrowed slightly.

“… Are you close with him?” [Dreck]

“Not really. That pretty boy’s strong, though, so it’s always good to fight him. During the times we do talk, he mainly tells me about the girls he’s seduced.” [Ava]

“… I see. It’s good that he’s not after you. Otherwise, I’d have to warn him.” [Dreck]

“You know, your smile’s really scary right now. It’s freaking scary. Stop smiling.” [Ava]

“Sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you.” [Dreck]

While apologizing, Dreck stretched out his arm and gently patted Ava’s head.

There was an awkward silence as Ava wordlessly stared at the brown-haired prince who was surprised by his own action. The cause might have been that his self-control grew lax after a great sense of relief washed over him.

“… Why are you suddenly treating me like a kid?” [Ava]

“I’m sorry. My hand moved by itself.” [Dreck]

“Make sure you don’t do it again. I’m way older than you, brat.” [Ava]

“Come to think of it, elves possessed long lives and you have their blood. How old are you actually?” [Dreck]

“Eight hundred thousand years old.” [Ava]

“Really? I don’t recall elves being able to live that long.” [Dreck]

“Well, technically, I was born sixteen years ago. But, you know, that’s just a small detail in the grand scheme of things.” [Ava]

“… Pfft!” [Dreck]

Hurriedly, Dreck stifled a laugh and his shoulders shook. Ava looked at him quizzically, not realizing that the young man’s life had become so much more fun and bright ever since he met her.

----------------------------------------

When the sun set and night fell, in a private room, the king and queen sat together on a sofa.

“She has a strange dislike for dresses, her mouth is crude and some of her favorite pastimes are, according to her words, napping, fighting and messing with people. Frankly, I wouldn’t be surprised if someone told me she was actually a man.” [Louise]

Louise tried to tell Glen about her impression of Ava, but her husband was busily touching her thighs. When he attempted to lift the hem of her skirt, the queen slapped his hand away before sighing tiredly while blushing.

“Honestly. You and your lack of control. I hope our son won’t turn out like that.” [Louise]

“Just a bit is fine, isn’t it? I worked hard today. I worked incredibly hard.” [Glen]

Glen said, sounding like a spoiled child. However, despite his attitude when around his wife, he was a capable ruler that was always on top of things.

“You’re the one that asked me to do this, so listen to the end. As I said before, that half-elf just isn’t suited for playing the role of a model lady of high birth.” [Louise]

“But?” [Glen]

“But, she isn’t ignorant or uneducated. I’ve confirmed that much after having spoken with her every day for a month during our lessons. She’s been perfectly fulfilling the work assigned to her as well. All but anything related to cooking. Her inability to prepare even tea is like the gods cursed her.” [Louise]

As his wife made her daily report on Ava, Glen finally stopped bothering her and quietly listened with a serious expression. Since having hired the half-elf, the king had kept her under surveillance and his subordinates reported anything that they learned. The most important piece of information that he wanted, unfortunately, never arrived.

“She doesn’t appear to be a bad girl, but there’s still too much unknown about her.” [Louise]

“That’s alright. We already have a general idea about her circumstances. All we need to confirm it is to see what sort of elven magic she uses. But, asking her directly might put her on guard. That girl’s no fool. If she is who I think she is and her situation is what I think it is, then it’d be better to wait for a bit longer. I want to earn her trust. Make her see us as allies. For now, we should focus on controlling any information on her that goes in and out of the castle.” [Glen]

“You truly wish to pull her to our side. Faywood will be infuriated.” [Louise]

“What? Don’t elves hate half-elves? We just hired someone that they don’t like as our maid. It’s not our fault that said maid was actually an asset that they wanted to keep. Perhaps Faywood shouldn’t have sent her to Sanctuary Academy and out into the world by herself.” [Glen]

“It’ll sour relations between our countries. Maybe even spark a war.” [Louise]

“Leave it to me. Avoiding war and lying to rulers is my job. That’s why I wear the crown.” [Glen]

Seeing her husband’s unwavering confidence, Louise sighed tiredly and shook her head.

“Please don’t be too ambitious.” [Louise]

“I won’t. Just enough to keep Troyas prosperous. If it gets too dangerous, I’ll withdraw.” [Glen]

“Remember those words, Glen. If you don’t, I won’t ever let you touch my thighs again.” [Louise]

“Faywood is our friend forever! Peace is the best! Please let me touch your thighs!” [Glen]

“*Siiigh* … Dreck, please don’t become like your father.” [Louise]