Chapter 25: Ordinary Maid Training
"Lord Hydra, your dinner has arrived."
Outside the door, a charming and lovely maid knocked gently, her heart filled with both excitement and apprehension as she awaited a response from within.
Even if she could only catch a glimpse, just one look would be enough!
But the maid waited for a long time without hearing any reply from inside.
Just as she hesitated whether to speak again, the door to Lord Hydra’s room… suddenly opened a crack.
"Give it to me."
The low, feminine voice from the crack startled the maid.
While she was momentarily stunned, the voice repeated impatiently: "The dinner! Give it to me!"
As it spoke, a hand reached out from the crack.
It was a hand so beautiful it made the maid feel somewhat ashamed of herself—fair, delicate, slender, and graceful.
On the wrist of this hand was a lace wristband, the same kind worn by the maids of Xiaofeng Castle, which utterly shocked the maid.
—Which maid was bold enough to sneak into Lord Hydra’s room!
"What are you staring at? Give me the dinner, and you can leave!"
The mysterious maid inside urged with clear irritation, leaving the knocking maid even more at a loss.
There had never been such a rude maid in the castle.
Who could this person be—
!
The maid suddenly realized.
She recalled that Lord Hydra had a very beautiful but extremely ill-mannered girl by his side.
Could it be…
After a moment’s hesitation, she said softly: "But Lord Hydra’s dinner comes on a cart. Just… opening the door a crack won’t allow it to be brought in… Miss Hitana?"
This tentative question was met with an almost explosive response from within:
"Who said I’m Hitana! I… I’m not! Just leave, all of you, and leave the stuff there. I’ll bring it myself!"
Such an unreasonable demand left the maid and the servants pushing the cart behind her utterly bewildered and speechless.
"But…"
"No buts! Just—guh!"
After a strange whimper, Lord Hydra’s voice came from inside: "Do as she says."
The maid at the door felt immense disappointment upon hearing this, but compared to the imposter maid inside, she clearly had impeccable professionalism.
Even though Anselm couldn’t see her, she bowed respectfully: "Then we shall take our leave. If you have any needs, please feel free to command, Lord Hydra. May you have a pleasant evening."
About five minutes later, a head adorned with a maid’s headband cautiously peeked out from the crack.
She looked around, and only after confirming no one was present did she warily step out.
This was a maid whose appearance was, in every way, flawless and provocative.
The reason the word "provocative" was used instead of "beautiful" or "cute" was because, compared to the proper, heavy maid uniforms of Anselm’s household, Viscount Xiaofeng had clearly put considerable thought into the revealing nature of his maids’ attire.
This brand-new maid outfit from Xiaofeng Castle, worn by Miss Hitana, was truly… enticing.
The maid who stepped out of the room had a flushed face.
Unlike the full-coverage, ankle-revealing long dresses of Anselm’s mansion, the maid uniforms of Xiaofeng Castle were far too light.
Held up only by lace-trimmed shoulder straps, they exposed Hitana’s smooth, rosy shoulders and, with a slight lift of her arm, a glimpse of tender underarm.
The lace bands on her arms and wrists served no concealing purpose, only accentuating the delicate slenderness of her arms, adding to her allure.
The openwork bodice unabashedly highlighted Hitana’s pert and full figure.
Fortunately, she usually wore a chest wrap, or this girl would likely rather die than put on this outfit.
As for the lower half, the ultra-short skirt barely covered her hips.
Beneath it, white thigh-high stockings with lace tops clung tightly to Hitana’s legs, slightly indenting her firm, shapely thighs.
The white stockings, perfectly suited to her graceful legs, were sheer enough to faintly reveal the color of her skin, exuding both charm and elegance.
Her exceptional physical ability allowed Hitana to walk steadily even in high heels for the first time.
Her dainty feet, encased in white stockings, contrasted with the glossy black of the heels, producing a crisp sound that struck the heart with each step.
"…Pervert, deviant, I misjudged you… ugh…"
Hitana muttered such words through gritted teeth, hurriedly pushing the cart laden with Anselm’s dinner into the room.
Inside, Anselm still sat on the small sofa by the fireplace, but he wasn’t reading.
Instead, he was writing something.
"Are you suggesting I shouldn’t eat hot food right now, Hitana?"
Anselm asked without turning his head.
"…Quit nagging! It’s only been five—guh!"
The girl’s body went limp, half-collapsing onto the cart, her hips unconsciously rising.
Anselm glanced at her.
From his angle, he could see the glimpse of soft white fabric beneath the short skirt—hm, somewhat uninspiring.
"Hitana, as my guard, I can always show you leniency."
Anselm leisurely set down his notebook and crossed his legs: "But remember, you are now a maid. I don’t need you to use honorifics or act overly deferential, but… don’t think I’ll tolerate your arrogance and insolence as I usually do."
For Anselm, gauging Hitana’s anger threshold was something he constantly refined.
In training her, ensuring she endured to the maximum without losing control entirely was crucial for maximizing the training’s effectiveness.
Fuming with resentment, Hitana, after catching her breath, gripped the hem of her skirt and reluctantly pushed the cart to Anselm’s side.
"Are you expecting me to eat off the cart?" Anselm asked, amused, watching the sulky maid who turned her head away in anger.
Knowing that speaking might lead to mistakes, Hitana stayed silent, her face taut as she moved a small table for Anselm.
"Set the meal on the table and pour the wine."
"…" Two veins throbbed on Hitana’s forehead.
She kept telling herself that passing Hydra’s test would let her go home to see her parents and boast about how great she’d become.
This small humiliation was nothing—just serving a plate, right?
With that thought, Miss Hitana endured again—unaware that in less than a week, she had gone from bristling at Anselm’s slightest provocations to quietly obeying simple commands.
—All in less than a week.
"All you do is drink, drink, drink—why doesn’t it kill you!" the girl pouring Anselm’s wine grumbled inwardly, imagining a thousand gruesome deaths for him.
"Stand behind me."
Finally starting his meal, Hitana thought Anselm would settle down, but he suddenly issued another baffling command.
Warily, Hitana moved behind him, only to hear: "Closer. Press against the chair."
Confused, the little maid complied, but as soon as she pressed against the chair, Anselm leaned his head back… directly onto her stomach!
Before Hitana could instinctively pull away, Anselm preempted: "Stand there and don’t move."
"Damn it, you’re insane—guh!"
Since Miss Hitana had said something a proper maid shouldn’t, this shock was, for once, quite intense.
Her legs gave out, but she clung to the sofa’s backrest, barely avoiding collapsing.
Her toes curled tightly in her white stockings.
The bad news was that, in collapsing, her head buried itself in Anselm’s neck, panting heavily in an embarrassingly intimate position, as if greedily inhaling his scent.
Feeling her frantic breaths against his cheek and neck, Anselm’s expression remained unchanged.
He leisurely cut into the tender, juicy meat, spearing it with his fork and chuckling as he waved it under Hitana’s nose.
"Do you miss the dinners my maids made now, Hitana? Do you feel any gratitude for the mercy I showed in providing you with fine food and lodging unconditionally?"
Hitana hadn’t eaten yet, and as Anselm said, she deeply missed the lavish meals provided daily at his mansion.
But gratitude toward Anselm? Not a shred.
Viscount Xiaofeng had given Anselm the highest treatment, likely better than his own meals, so Anselm’s food tonight was far more fragrant than what Hitana usually ate.
Thus, driven by humiliation, anger, embarrassment, and hunger, Hitana did something even Anselm hadn’t anticipated.
"Rawr!"
She opened her mouth wide and chomped down on the meat on the fork, chewing it viciously as if it were Anselm’s flesh.
Raising her chin, she struggled to lift her hand, flipped him the middle finger, and mumbled:
"Want more? Eat air, you jerk!"
Immediately, she seemed ready to gulp it down!
"Gu—urgh!"
Stunned for perhaps two seconds, Anselm reacted swiftly, grabbing Hitana’s neck without a trace of pity, his grip firm, stopping the rude, savage maid’s plundering act on the spot.
"My dear maid…"
On Hydra’s face appeared a rare, very, very, very dangerous smile.
"Your audacity and courage always manage to surprise me—a lesson for me."
Still gripping the wide-eyed, furious Hitana’s neck, he didn’t wait for her to struggle.
He raised his snake-headed cane, aiming its head at her neck.
The peculiar artifact named Gleipnir, as if alive, opened its jaws in the next moment and bit into Hitana’s shoulder!
"!!!"
The girl’s pupils dilated sharply, her limbs thrashing wildly, but soon her eyes lost their light, and her struggles weakened.
"You must always believe one thing."
Anselm maintained his grip on Hitana’s neck, pulling her soft, graceful body to his feet, resting her head on his lap.
The young noble spoke gently: "I know you well, your untamed wildness, so I’m always prepared in ways you could never imagine."
"The alchemical agent just now paralyzed your bodily functions. You can’t move a single finger, but you can still feel everything."
"I also have another agent that could amplify your sensory sensitivity tenfold, turning all sensations, including pain, into pleasure."
This made Hitana’s lifeless eyes twitch sharply.
Anselm smiled with satisfaction: "Don’t worry, that’s something I’d only use if our relationship were truly breaking down or if you gravely angered me."
"After all, overly cruel methods benefit me little. They’d only satisfy a fleeting whim."
He stroked Hitana’s neck, keeping the piece of meat lodged there.
Unable to control her body, glistening saliva slowly dripped from her mouth.
Hitana could feel her own disgrace, but what could she do?
Far from showing disgust, Anselm gently wiped her face with a napkin.
Then, with the whip-blade form of Gleipnir, he hooked a small round mirror from the dressing table, placing it on the dining table to face Hitana’s eyes.
"Hitana, you might be wondering, confused, scared. You’re afraid I’ll do something terrible to you, right?" Anselm smiled, stroking her cheek. "Rest assured, I never force such things. Sometimes, I only act when begged."
"What I’m about to do is simple… hm, first, I need to get that piece of meat that doesn’t belong to you out."
Gleipnir, with a faint metallic clink, retracted its blades, transforming into a slender metal whip.
Like a snake, it… slowly slithered into Hitana’s mouth, pinned open by Anselm, delving into her tender, slender throat.
Soon, it retrieved a piece of meat, dragging out a long trail of saliva.
Anselm tossed the meat to the floor, wiped Hitana’s face and mouth again, and said calmly: "I believe I said that you may only take what I give you. More than your crude gesture or words, this is what slightly angers me, Hitana."
"So next… how about we switch roles?"
Hydra smiled gently yet wickedly: "I’ll take care of you, serve you, this poor paralyzed miss."
He propped Hitana up, letting her lean against his shoulder.
His earlier actions had clearly irritated her throat, causing the girl to drool like an invalid, though Anselm thoughtfully wiped it away.
"I trust that once you regain control of your body, Hitana, you’ll know how to be a good maid."
And so, Anselm truly began to "serve" Hitana. He fed his dinner to the delicate, doll-like paralyzed girl, carefully moving her jaw to chew and swallow, occasionally wiping away the comical drool, while Hitana’s lifeless eyes stared through the mirror at her pitiful self.
Feeding, wiping… Anselm didn’t cross any lines.
Even with the scantily clad, adorable girl helplessly slumped in his arms, at most, he only held her waist.
Gradually, Hitana’s dull eyes… began to show faint traces of emotion.
From burning shame to seething rage, from rage to hysteria, from hysteria to helpless weakness… and after Anselm wiped her drool for the umpteenth time, that weakness turned to desperate pleading.
Her dark red eyes, brimming with tears, conveyed her silent pleas.
Hitana knew Anselm had spared her final shred of dignity—he hadn’t made her drink copious amounts of water.
But if this continued, who knew if he would?
Smiling, Anselm asked Hitana in the mirror: "Do you understand your mistake?"
"…" The girl was silent, but her pleading eyes grew more intense.
So, the young Hydra bit his fingertip, letting a drop of blood fall into Hitana’s mouth.
"Now," he gently instructed the maid, "apologize to me."
"…S-sorry, Lord… Hydra."
Hitana’s voice was hoarse and dry.
"Hm? Lord Hydra?" Anselm raised an eyebrow. "It seems our roles haven’t fully switched back yet. Let’s continue—"
"Master!"
Seeing her drooling reflection in the mirror again, Hitana cried out in humiliated panic: "I… cough… I’m sorry… Master!"
Anselm patted her head, dripping a few more drops of blood into her mouth, and chuckled softly: "Very good, I forgive you, dear maid."
He stood up, walked to the coat rack, and draped a wolf-fur cloak over his shoulders: "That dinner is yours now. I’m going to stroll through Xiaofeng City’s streets to see if there’s a good restaurant."
"Don’t worry." Anselm adjusted his collar. "You’re not my guard right now, so anything that happens won’t count toward the test."
"And so…"
The smiling blond youth tilted his palm toward his opposite shoulder, giving a slight bow to the girl gradually regaining control of her body:
"Enjoy your meal, my dear Miss Hitana."
Humming a playful, teasing tune, he left the room.
Though there were minor hiccups along the way, the results of the training far exceeded expectations.
I absolutely adore your wildness, Hitana.
The wicked Hydra thought with unbridled delight.