Chapter 866: Royal Vanity, Maid Authority ( 866 )
Kliatana froze mid-step, her hand resting on the door handle. Then, almost shyly, she turned back around, fidgeting with her fingers.
"Umm... L-Liana?"
"Yes, Lady Kliatana?" Liana replied softly, her usual gentle tone carrying that refined grace that could calm anyone.
Kliatana looked down, her voice small. "C-Can you... show me where my room is? I... still don’t really know the way."
Javier, sitting lazily on his chair now, chuckled. "Heh. Liana, just show that bratty where her room is before she gets lost again."
"As you wish, young master~" Liana smiled sweetly and stepped forward, bowing her head slightly toward Javier before turning to Kliatana.
"Now, lady Kliatana," she said, still smiling. "Allow me to show you where your room is."
But as she said that, her tone shifted. Her eyes narrowed, her voice lowering with subtle authority.
"I wonder," she continued, gaze sharp now, "where the two maids who were supposed to be assigned to you this morning by Lady Francesca have gone~"
Javier stiffened instantly. He knew that tone. That was the Liana-is-serious tone, the one that made even hardened knights sweat.
He gulped, pretending to fix his robe.
Oh no... someone’s going to get scolded again...
Kliatana blinked, her heart skipping a beat at the sudden shift in Liana’s aura.
W-Why is she scary all of a sudden!?
Liana’s expression softened again, her warm, graceful smile returning as if nothing had happened.
"Now, now, Lady Kliatana," she said cheerfully, her eyes gleaming behind that calm expression. "Let’s go. We shouldn’t make Master Heres wait, shall we?"
Kliatana blinked and nodded rapidly. "R-Right!"
As she followed Liana out of the room, Javier slumped back into his chair, wiping sweat from his forehead.
"Damn... it’s been so long since I’ve seen Liana like that..." He turned his head toward Gloria. "Right, Gloria?"
But the moment he saw her expression, his casual smirk faded. Gloria’s face wasn’t calm or teasing. It was serious. The kind of serious that made even Javier straighten up instinctively.
"Ara~ I do wonder which maids could have done that..." Gloria murmured softly, one hand resting near her chin as her eyes narrowed behind her glasses.
"Those assigned under Lady Francesca’s orders should already be at their post by this morning. When we are appointed as personal maids, it’s our duty to report, confirm, and remain ready to serve or escort at any time."
Javier swallowed hard, feeling a bead of sweat forming on his forehead. "E-Er... Gloria?" he muttered cautiously.
She tilted her head slightly toward him, her tone still gentle but her eyes gleaming with maid-discipline intensity.
"Young master, you don’t understand. Being a personal maid isn’t just a title, it’s an honor."
She adjusted her glasses with a faint, elegant motion and continued.
"It comes with privileges and responsibilities far beyond those of the household staff. Personal maids are trusted with their master’s privacy, their safety, and their well-being. They’re allowed to sit, rest, and even read when accompanying their assigned master or lady, but that doesn’t mean their vigilance ever fades."
Javier blinked, watching her posture, the composed, noble tone that carried authority without a single raised word.
Gloria’s voice softened, though her expression didn’t. "To neglect that role, even for a moment... means betraying that trust. I can understand why Liana was upset."
Javier sighed again, rubbing the back of his neck nervously.
"R-Right... that’s why she got that scary face earlier, huh? Guess I’ll be praying for those two maids then."
Gloria gave a quiet hum of agreement, her tone polite but sharp. "Ara~ I suggest you do, young master. Because if Liana finds them before I do..."
She smiled faintly.
Javier froze, pale-faced. "Y-Yeah... got it..."
Inside his mind, he groaned.
Damn these two... ex–heads of household maids. All those strict rules and regulations about maid conduct...
He exhaled heavily, rubbing his temple. Ugh... I don’t even want to imagine the report they’ll file if they find those missing maids.
"Anyway, young master~"
Javier felt something soft brush his neck. Gloria’s arms slid gently around him from behind, her chin resting near his shoulder. Her tone turned sweet, lilting. "Since Liana is busy..." she whispered, her voice tickling his ear. "My kiss~"
A slow grin spread across Javier’s lips. He turned slightly, meeting her gaze.
"Heh~ okay, my second wife~"
Their lips met with a soft tender kiss.
BAM!
The door suddenly swung open.
Both of them froze.
Standing at the doorway was Liana, her posture graceful and composed, her smile serene.
"My my~ Gloria," she said softly, her tone like silk and ice at once. "How bold of you... to receive a kiss from our future husband before me, the first wife?"
Javier’s eyes widened. "W-Wait, Liana...."
Before he could finish, Gloria smirked knowingly and leaned forward, capturing Javier’s lips again in a quick, triumphant kiss.
Meanwhile.
Kliatana stood in the middle of her new room, heart pounding with a mix of excitement and nerves.
The moment she looked at the bed, her eyes widened in awe. Spread across the sheets were several beautiful dresses, each one shimmering with fine fabric and delicate embroidery. They had been personally prepared for her by Lady Francesca herself.
"W-Whoa..." she whispered, touching one gently. "These are better than the ones I wore when I was still a royal princess..."
She held up one of the gowns against herself, the silk so light it felt like air. The design, the stitchwork, the soft gleam of the threads, it was perfection.
"I knew Armand was rich," she muttered to herself, pacing around the bed, "but I never imagined this kind of rich. The fabric, the design... even the scent, it’s like something only royalty could wear."
Her eyes softened as she thought back to the last council meeting.
"No wonder Lady Athine looked so elegant that day... her dress was breathtaking. Beautiful, refined... just like her." She smiled faintly, feeling a flicker of admiration.
She slapped both cheeks lightly with her palms, jolting herself back to focus.
"Focus, Kliatana! This is your chance! Your chance to be closer to Heres!"
She hurried to the mirror, still muttering under her breath.
"Pick your dress fast! Comb your hair! Spray the perfume! This might be the only opportunity!"
Her reflection looked back at her, face flushed, eyes bright.
"Don’t mess this up," she told herself quietly, taking a deep breath.
Her voice softened, her gaze turning dreamy as she picked up the perfume bottle Javier had once recommended, after a few serious punch on his gut.
A soft floral scent, subtle and gentle. She sprayed a little on her wrist, smiling at the faint fragrance.
"I have to make him feel comfortable around me," she whispered, clutching the fabric of her chosen dress.
"If I can talk to him... laugh with him... maybe he’ll start seeing me differently."
( End Of Chapter )