The Villainous Noblewoman Is About to Be Forced into Love, Isn't This Wrong?-Chapter 75: Take it with gratitude

"I understand. What kind of style do you want?" Loraviel asked.

"I give you a task, and you throw the question back at me?" Liana said, slightly annoyed.

In truth, Liana's hands were a bit clumsy—especially when it came to makeup and hairstyling. Most of the time, she either left her hair down or tied it into a simple ponytail, as those were the easiest options. Anything else was beyond her skills.

"Alright." Since today's outfit had a rather innocent style, Loraviel prepared a—no, wait—twin-tail hairstyle for Liana.

It looked incredibly cute and lively, nothing at all like what one would associate with a "demon."

Liana shook her head slightly, testing the feel of her new hairstyle, and found it acceptable.

"Loraviel, I'm hungry..." Since she had only eaten a little yesterday afternoon, she now felt a distinct hunger.

"I have already prepared everything for you, Liana." Loraviel pointed to the breakfast she had set on the table in advance.

"I used fire magic to keep it warm, so even after half an hour, it is just as fresh as when it was first made."

"And the drinks?"

"I have prepared them as well. Both hot and cold options are available."

"Dessert for after the meal?"

"Also ready."

"I have packed all the clothes and necessities you will need for your upcoming trip."

"There is still about an hour before departure, so there is no need to rush, Liana. Take your time."

Loraviel had practically anticipated and handled everything Liana needed before she even asked.

"That bastard Harvey... You really went this far just to make sure I wouldn't have any complaints?"

Liana mulled over her words for a long moment before finally settling on, "...Not bad. I suppose you're making progress."

Loraviel’s cooking had indeed improved tremendously compared to before, largely because she had so little understanding of taste in the past.

But Nebet’s cooking skills were so exceptional that they made this difference meaningless.

Perhaps... there was still something a little off about Loraviel.

"Thank you for the compliment, Liana."

But even so, she still had to take a hit from Liana.

"Did you move all of this into my room while I was sleeping?"

Liana looked at her desk and wardrobe.

She clearly remembered that none of these things had been there before she fell asleep. That meant they could only have been brought in after she was already asleep.

"Oh, you... You entered my room without my permission?"

"Wait—you let someone else in while I was sleeping?"

Liana raised her hand and swung—

But instead of hitting her target, her strike landed... somewhere else.

Because she was sitting, while Loraviel was standing in front of her. And Loraviel was just a little taller than her.

So, naturally—

Her hand landed directly on Loraviel’s soft chest.

"...Mmph!"

The unexpected sensation made Liana freeze.

She quickly lowered her head in embarrassment, while Loraviel also tilted her head downward, making it impossible to see her expression.

"My apologies, Liana. But I was not the one who allowed Lady Aileen to enter. I am well aware that without your permission, no one is allowed into your room," Loraviel said.

"Aileen?"

"Yes. Lady Aileen also has a key to your room. She was accompanied by Nebet. Since Nebet was still busy preparing your clothing and had yet to finish, Lady Aileen used her key to enter the room. She also had Nebet bring in a carpenter to move things inside."

Th𝓮 most uptodate nov𝑒ls are publish𝒆d on ƒreewebηoveℓ.com.

"...Pfft!"

Liana spat out her juice straight onto Loraviel’s face.

"Cough, cough, cough!"

"Liana, are you alright?"

Liana stood up, lifted her foot slightly, and lightly kicked Loraviel’s forehead.

"Don’t talk about these things while I’m eating!"

"...What things?" Loraviel asked, looking slightly aggrieved.

"I don’t know! Just—just don’t!" Liana said, completely disregarding reason.

"I understand."

Without Liana noticing, Loraviel extended her tongue and licked the juice from the corner of her lips.

"Sweet."

Liana had nearly forgotten about this detail. Plus, since Aileen always knocked when she visited her room, she had also forgotten that Aileen had a key.

Since most of the juice was now spilled, Liana picked up the hot drink beside her instead.

"Ah—hot!"

Liana quickly stuck out her tongue.

Loraviel: ...I want to help.

【Liana's Observation Diary, Entry #6: Liana is cat-like. She cannot handle hot food.】

"Why did she come to my room?" Liana asked.

Aileen was always thinking about something, but Liana had no idea what it was. In the original story, she was a deeply mysterious character.

"She didn’t do much—she just looked around ❖ Nоvеl𝚒ght ❖ (Exclusive on Nоvеl𝚒ght) a bit," Loraviel said.

"Did she say anything?"

"Lady Aileen didn’t say much. However..."

"However, what?"

"She seemed... suspicious of the magic books."

Loraviel hesitated but ultimately did not mention how Aileen had stared at Liana’s sleeping face for ten whole minutes.

"Suspicious how? You didn’t tell her they were yours?"

Liana absolutely did not want anyone to suspect that she could already use magic.

If they found out, Countess Ruth wouldn’t pamper her—she’d try to sell her off instead.

Even though Liana could protect herself with Metahelio’s help, she still hadn't figured out who was behind Countess Ruth.

"I told Lady Aileen that these were materials I needed for my studies," Loraviel said. "She also told me that if I ever need help, I can come to her anytime."

That made Liana relax a little, but then— "You're not allowed to go to her! I am your master. If you have any problems, you come to me, understood?"

It was better to minimize Loraviel's contact with Aileen as much as possible.

"I understand, Master," Loraviel suddenly said.

Liana blinked, caught off guard by the sudden title.

"You should just call me Liana like always."

"Understood, Liana."

Liana clapped her small hands together and flopped back onto the bed. "We still have about half an hour left. That should be enough time to clear the dishes and change clothes, right?"

"The time is a little tight," Loraviel said, "but I will finish as quickly as possible."

She picked up the tray and stepped out of the room, just in time to run into Olivia.

"Lady Olivia?"

"Loraviel? What happened to you?" Olivia's eyes swept over the juice-stained maid uniform. "Did Liana mess with you again?"

"It was indeed Liana who caused this, but this time it was an accident."

"Loraviel is not lying."

"An accident?" Olivia still looked skeptical, but there was no time to argue. "Anyway, what are you doing now? We have half an hour before we leave."

"I need to take care of this first, then take a bath and change. I should have enough time," Loraviel replied.

Olivia took the tray from her hands. "Leave this to me. Go clean up before you stain anything else."

"This is improper. You are an esteemed guest of the Venus estate, and you had matters to attend to, didn't you?" Loraviel hesitated.

"The only thing I needed to 'attend to' was waking up Liana," Olivia scoffed. "I don’t want us getting delayed because someone overslept at such an important time."

"Liana is already awake. She just finished breakfast," Loraviel pointed out.

"I see. Then go wash up. You still have half an hour, which is plenty of time. You already packed your travel bags, right?" Olivia asked.

"Yes, everything is ready. Thank you, Lady Olivia." Loraviel bowed slightly as Olivia turned to leave.

Loraviel made her way back to Liana’s door and knocked.

"Liana."

"Loraviel? That was fast."

"I ran into Lady Olivia. She told me not to waste time, so she took care of the dishes for me and sent me back to wash up."

"Then go wash up," Liana said indifferently.

"Liana, do you not remember? Now that we are sharing living quarters—"

"You already moved in while I was asleep," Liana finished, finally sitting up and glancing toward the wardrobe. Sure enough, Loraviel's clothes were neatly folded inside. They were already living together.

"Come in."

"Thank you, Liana." Loraviel took out a key and unlocked the door.

"If you fall asleep like yesterday, what should I do?"

"Just stand outside and wait for me to wake up," Liana replied.

"Understood." Loraviel nodded. "Then, I will go wash up now."

"Mm."

Liana flopped back onto the bed.

Soon, she could hear the rustling of fabric from the bathroom, followed by the sound of running water from the showerhead. Then, the faint noises of soap lathering and skin rubbing against skin.

"...Are the walls really this thin?" Liana turned on her side. She noticed that the bathroom door had not been shut completely, leaving a small gap—which explained why the sounds were so clear.

"Loraviel really has no sense of awareness... Not even a bit of caution?" she muttered under her breath.

After about ten minutes, the sound of the water stopped.

It made sense that Loraviel finished quickly—after all, it was only a little juice that had spilled on her uniform. It wasn't like that first time when Liana had drenched her in red wine from head to toe.

Now that she thought about it, Liana’s glare back then must have been terrifying.

Loraviel stepped out of the bathroom, her body wrapped in a bath towel. Long, pale legs and an ample chest barely contained by the fabric—

It was irritating.

"Liana, may I use the dressing table?" Loraviel asked.

Droplets of water trickled down her golden hair, still damp from the bath. Since it hadn't dried yet, she hadn’t put on her maid uniform.

"I didn’t want to get it wet again," she explained.

"Do you really need a mirror just to dry your hair?"

"If I bring the hairdryer into the bathroom, it might get damaged. But if I stay in the room, I don’t have a mirror to check," Loraviel replied.

"How troublesome." Liana got up from the bed, grabbed the hairdryer, and handed it to her.

"Turn it on."

"...Liana?" Loraviel looked puzzled.

"I said, turn it on," Liana repeated.

"Understood."

Loraviel placed her hand on the device and infused it with magic power. In moments, a warm breeze flowed from the nozzle.

"Sit still."

Liana pushed Loraviel down into the chair.

"I understand." Loraviel folded her hands in her lap and sat obediently.

Liana held up the hairdryer and began drying her hair.

"Take this with gratitude. Having me dry your hair personally—most people would kill for that."

Loraviel hadn't expected that Liana would actually dry her hair for her.

"It's only because you're such a greedy little thing," Liana grumbled. "And because of the nonsense you spouted this morning, which ended up putting you in this state. I just don’t want to hear Countess Ruth nagging at me again later."

"Hmm." Loraviel simply closed her eyes and began to enjoy it.

Although Liana’s technique was a little rough—her fingers sometimes pulling at the strands and making it sting a bit—Loraviel didn't mind.

Being able to receive Liana’s warmth like this was already a blessing.

Liana was actually drying her hair for her.

"If there ever comes a time when I don’t respond for ten minutes, you can just use the key and come in," Liana suddenly added.

She casually followed up, "I just have a habit of holding onto something when I sleep."

The feeling of holding onto something, the warm breeze by her ear, and that soft voice mixed into it... rather than anything else, it was probably because of that person returning that she had managed to sleep so well.

"Sorry, Liana."

The hairdryer suddenly stopped working—it must have run out of magic power.

"Liana, let me take care of it?"

Liana tapped Loraviel on the forehead. "It’s already done. We need to get ready to leave."

"I understand." Loraviel walked over to the wardrobe and removed her towel, putting on her maid uniform.

Her black-and-white uniform fit snugly to her form, the long skirt draping elegantly over her legs. Underneath, the fine black stockings accentuated her slender thighs, and the uniform perfectly highlighted her curvaceous figure.

Her waist-length light blue hair fell loosely over her back, with a few strands playfully drifting over her shoulder. Below the hem of the skirt, her delicate features emerged—a face with violet eyes gleaming like precious amethysts.

But something seemed to be missing.

Or rather, something essential—something that was almost a matter of Liana’s obsession.

Loraviel put on her black garter and then attached the small concealed daggers she had purchased.

"Liana, I’m ready."

When she turned around, she noticed that Liana had averted her gaze, looking off to the side.

Liana, after all, was still an inexperienced little girl—not that Loraviel was much different.

Loraviel stepped forward. "Liana, allow me to help you put on your shoes."

"So eager?" Liana smirked.

"It’s only a small gesture of gratitude. A master drying her servant’s hair... It’s only right that I fulfill my responsibilities in return."

"Fine." Liana stretched out her foot. "A reward. Make sure to satisfy me properly."

Even Liana thought that what she said sounded perverted, but she didn't realize that for Loraviel, this truly was a reward from her mistress.

Kneeling before Liana, Loraviel picked up a pair of black silk stockings from beside the bed.

She opened the fabric, carefully guiding Liana’s delicate foot into it, slowly pulling it up.

The soft friction of silk against skin filled the air, the sound almost pleasurable.

Especially when she reached the top—a satisfying "snap" as the stocking snugly wrapped around Liana’s thigh.

The other leg was done the same way.

Once Liana had both stockings on, Loraviel cupped one of her stocking-covered feet in both hands, as if she were holding a priceless treasure.

She picked up a pair of small leather shoes, one hand gently supporting Liana’s heel, the other slipping the shoe over her toes.

When she finished, she lingered for a moment—reluctant to move away.

"Liana, it’s done."

Liana stood up and took a few steps. The fit was perfect.

"Not bad."

"Thank you for your praise, Liana. This is simply my duty," Loraviel said.

"Take the luggage. We’re leaving." Liana put on a white sun hat.

Loraviel picked up two suitcases and followed behind her.

As soon as Liana stepped out of the room—

"AHH!!"

"Liana?" Loraviel dropped both suitcases and reached for the daggers hidden between her thighs.

"...Lady Olivia?"

Seeing the person standing outside, Loraviel lowered her blades.

"Liana, why are you screaming like that?" Olivia asked, startled.

"Why the hell are you lurking outside someone else's door?!"

"I was going to wake you up if you didn’t come out soon. We only have ten minutes until departure."

"Not necessary! Even if I forgot the way to Lisaphe’s capital, the coachman would remember!"

"It’s still better to be cautious," Olivia said. "Even in times of peace, there are still bandits. And with so many nobles traveling to Lisaphe, it’s a prime opportunity for them."

"Shut up, you jinx! Always saying unlucky things!" Liana gave her a disgusted look.

She walked toward the entrance, where several carriages had already arrived.

Countess Ruth was there, along with her knight protector, Cain, as well as Aileen, Nebet, and various other nobles, all waiting for her.

"I’m not late, am I?" Liana waved casually.

"Liana, you worked hard to wake up early today," Countess Ruth said approvingly.

"Or rather, most people expected you wouldn’t, which is why Olivia was sent to wake you," someone remarked.

In their eyes, Liana never left her room in the mornings.

Even Loraviel had only seen Liana wake up a few times, and she always went back to bed afterward.

"So annoying," Liana muttered as she climbed into the carriage.

But then—she felt it.

A gaze.

Turning her head slightly, she met Aileen’s eyes.

Aileen mouthed something, her lips moving soundlessly.

Liana couldn't hear her.

But from the shape of her lips, it looked like she was saying—

"See you later."