Ch.46Plan – 8

“……An empty position, you say?”

“That’s right. I was wondering if there might be any left?”

Beatrice paused for a moment before answering.

“Creating an empty position wouldn’t be a problem, but may I ask why you’re inquiring about this?”

“It’s nothing special. I just have a new maid candidate, and I was hoping you could train her if that’s alright with you.”

I had been thinking about Nika’s situation, and this seemed like the right approach. Being a maid in a noble household is a profession that guarantees a certain social status, so her background wouldn’t be scrutinized much.

Especially if it came with my recommendation.

Above all, from the students’ perspective, Nika was essentially an outsider, making it difficult to keep her at the academy.

A person no one had seen or heard of for the past month suddenly appearing as a first-year student and attending lectures? And with looks as striking as Nika’s? That would raise more than enough suspicion.

I had considered a scenario where she had passed the entrance exam but couldn’t attend due to personal circumstances or illness, but apparently that would be difficult since the list of new students had already been submitted to the Emperor.

Besides, staying at the academy would significantly increase the chances of running into Roxanna. Given Nika’s nature, she’d probably struggle to even breathe properly if she encountered Roxanna. Her identity might even be exposed.

That’s why I thought it might be better to send her to the main house and disguise her as a maid.

“……Young master.”

“What is it?”

Beatrice’s voice sounded unusually grave. It was much more subdued than usual, almost frozen.

“When I requested to follow you to the academy to serve you, didn’t you refuse, saying you could manage on your own? So why, why are you now selecting a maid to keep by your side? Have you truly forgotten that I, Beatrice, am always ready to serve you?”

“……”

I understood the reason for that cold voice.

I hadn’t said a word about keeping Nika by my side, but from Beatrice’s perspective, it might have sounded that way. I tried to clarify before the misunderstanding grew.

“That’s not it, Beatrice. I don’t mean a maid to keep by my side, but at the main house—”

“However, as your maid, I will gladly follow your wishes, Young Master Mira.”

Her frosty voice cut off my words. She normally wouldn’t act this way unless something was seriously wrong—the shock must have been considerable.

“I shall prepare to welcome the new maid. I, Beatrice, will test with all my might what level of skill this maid whom you ‘personally’ selected possesses. Even if she fails to meet the standards, please do not worry. I will educate her with all my strength so that she will not bring shame to the position of a Crate family maid, nor shame to your side.”

“Wait, that’s not what I—Beatrice? Beatrice?”

Click. The communication was cut off. For her to end the call before me—this too was something she wouldn’t do unless she was truly upset. I seemed to have touched a nerve.

“…Did you fail? Did she say I can’t be a maid?”

Nika asked with a tense expression beside me. She was wearing clothes that, while better than what she had on before, were little more than underwear.

She wouldn’t actually wear such clothes in the future; the exposed skin was necessary for inscribing the obedience mark.

There were three obedience marks inscribed on Nika’s body: on her tongue, upper cleavage, and lower abdomen. Each was designed to inflict pain on her brain, heart, and womb respectively.

I thought the tongue alone would be sufficient for such a purpose, but the chairman warned me not to let my guard down, as she was still a demon despite her pitiful appearance. It was a valid point, so I silently reflected on it.

I was told that for a succubus, that particular location was far more effective than the head or heart, so I decided to leave it as is. Nika seemed to understand her position and accept it quietly.

“No. She agreed to make a position for you.”

“Then why did she say that?”

“Beatrice seems to have misunderstood. I had refused her offer to stay at the academy and look after me during the entrance ceremony. Now she thinks I’m having another maid serve me instead.”

“Ah……”

“So she said she’ll thoroughly examine you.”

“Eeeek?!”

Nika shrank back and trembled. I sent another message through the communication device asking if she could come to the academy for a while.

Whatever the case, misunderstandings should be cleared up in person. I didn’t want to give the impression of making flimsy excuses, which could make things irreparable later. Besides, it’s not like I had no means of contacting Beatrice.

Beatrice promptly accepted and sent word that she would ask my parents for permission and then travel via dimensional gate, asking me to wait 30 minutes.

“Now put on proper clothes. She’s coming here.”

“Y-yes. Understood.”

Nika hurriedly gathered the uniform draped over the sofa. The chairman had measured her size and made one on the spot. We couldn’t keep her in that perverted outfit typical of succubi.

“Ugh…! Ungh…!”

I heard what sounded almost like groans. It was Nika struggling to button up her shirt.

The chairman had tried to make that part a bit looser, but in order to match the size of other parts, it was difficult to make just the chest area too large.

“Haah… haah… I’m dressed…”

Nika stood before me looking extremely uncomfortable. The buttons around her chest seemed to be screaming in protest. Through the gaps, glimpses of black underwear were occasionally visible.

Her hip and buttock lines were in a similar predicament. For a moment, I wondered if the uniform had always been such a provocative garment.

“Can’t you reduce your size?”

“No… I can temporarily increase it, but I can’t reduce it…”

“Can’t be helped then. Unbutton it and cover up with the coat.”

Nika faithfully followed my instructions. With the buttons undone all the way down to just below her navel, her upper chest was clearly exposed, but the coat covered it reasonably well.

“Before we meet Beatrice, who are you?”

“I’m Nika Yustera, a student who withdrew from Bellium Academy. I’m a commoner with exceptional talent, but I overexerted my mana during an exam to get good grades and suffered internal injuries. The chairman gave me a grace period because he valued my talent, but I ultimately couldn’t recover and chose to withdraw.”

“Good. You remember well. Keep this in mind. You must never reveal your true identity to anyone except those I permit. Not even to my parents.”

“And those you’ve permitted are…?”

“Priscilla Agnes and Rozaella de Michaela, and…”

I glanced at the magical device. She said it would take about 30 minutes, but she arrived much earlier.

“The person we’re about to meet.”

“Hello, Beatrice. It’s been a while.”

“Yes. It has been a while, Young Master. Have you been well?”

It took very little time for Beatrice to arrive. Though it had been almost three weeks since I’d seen her, not much had changed. She still had looks that would turn the head of every man, and her maid uniform was as impeccably maintained as always.

But her face showed emotions much colder than usual, and her voice was equally icy.

“I’ve been fine. How about you?”

“I’ve been well too. Though I never expected that during our time apart, you would seek a new maid.”

Beatrice looked at Nika with cold eyes. Nika trembled. Beatrice scanned Nika up and down and snapped:

“What an indecently shaped body. Did you seduce the Young Master with that? Let me tell you in advance, if you harbor any rose-colored fantasies about the relationship between a maid and her master, it would be best to shatter them immediately.”

“N-no! It’s not like that!”

“Did you just say ‘it’s not like that?’ Where did you learn such improper speech—”

“Wait, Beatrice. Let me speak first.”

When I stopped Beatrice, she halted with an expression full of resentment. I barely managed to suppress a laugh that threatened to escape. It had been a while since I’d seen Beatrice so openly sulking.

“I understand what misunderstanding you might have, but it’s not for the reason you think.”

“Pardon?”

“Before that, Beatrice, you’re on my side, right?”

“Of course. If I am not by your side, who else would stand beside you, Young Master?”

“No matter what happens?”

“Yes. Even if you were to betray the Empire, I would—”

“That’s enough. I understand your feelings. Then you can keep any secret, right?”

“Naturally I can.”

“What I’m about to tell you must be kept absolutely secret. Even from my parents. Understood?”

Beatrice nodded with a serious expression. I turned to Nika and said:

“You can reveal yourself.”

Nika then revealed her horns and demon tail that had been concealed by magic. Seeing them, Beatrice’s face filled with confusion and bewilderment.

I immediately explained everything about Nika. Beatrice wore a serious expression when I explained what had happened at the academy, and was shocked when I revealed Nika’s true identity.

And when I mentioned the obedience tattoos inscribed on her tongue, cleavage, and lower abdomen, she made a peculiar expression.

“…Is it alright to share such significant secrets with me, Young Master?”

“You said it yourself. That you’re on my side. I believe those words, and I believe in you. That’s why I’m telling you this. Because it’s you, Beatrice. I’m planning to keep this from my parents as well.”

“Because it’s me…”

Beatrice, who had been absently repeating my words, nodded with a resolute expression.

“I understand, Young Master. I, Beatrice, will keep this secret even at the cost of my life.”

“No, don’t die… So, can I ask this of you? She’s a succubus, but thanks to the obedience magic, she can’t harm us, so don’t worry.”

Beatrice looked at Nika. Her gaze had softened considerably compared to before. Then, slightly crossing her legs and gently lifting the hem of her skirt, she bowed politely and elegantly.

“I will gladly comply, my Young Master.”

“Good. Nika?”

“Yes, yes! I look forward to working with you—Ouch?!”

With a snap, Beatrice struck Nika’s mouth with a flexible switch that she had produced from somewhere. Nika made a tearful face after being unexpectedly hit on the mouth.

Beatrice smiled sweetly and said:

“When did I ever tell you to use such undignified language?”

It seemed Nika’s path of suffering would continue.