episode_0008

Yuria has become Ian’s castle maid or rather, a sex slave, and a month has passed. Under the special care of the butler, Yuria’s daily life was extremely regimented. Even her occasional rest periods were spent learning the magic breathing techniques that her master had instructed, and she only managed about four hours of sleep. Her morning routine began at 5:30 AM, assuming the posture for mana refinement until 6 AM. Then, she would rise, wash her sweat-drenched body, change from her soiled nightwear into a clean maid uniform, and lightly apply specially prepared cosmetics as a gift from her master.

Originally, there was no need to wake up at this time. Each had different tasks such as cleaning, cooking, and basic chores, so there was no rush to wake up early. Initially, as she was effectively working as Ian’s exclusive chambermaid, she could have slept longer, but in order to learn human skills, she always started work by at least 6:30 AM.

“Good morning, Yuria.”

“Yes. Good morning, Master Harzen.”

Around 7 AM, in the kitchen, the head chef was seen preparing breakfast with a ladle in hand. Upon seeing his creation, he exclaimed, “Oh, seems like you’ve put in extra effort today.”

“It’s because I get to see the master from the morning. Would you be willing to taste it?”

She held two bowls of soup. At first glance, it seemed like ordinary corn soup, but upon smelling it up close, one could sense the depth of flavor and care that went into it.

“Hmm… Should I eat the one on the right?”

“Yes, I plan to present the one you don’t choose to the Master anyway.”

“Understood.”

With his usual careful and serious demeanor, he took a spoonful into his mouth, nodding approvingly. Once again, receiving a gesture of approval for perfection, Yuria nodded in response.

I wanted to satisfy Ian by making various dishes that I had mastered, but it was currently beyond my capabilities. By the way, Yuria’s skills were so perfect and fast that she could be scouted by other mansions, as if she were a machine. Even the other maids marveled at her unbelievable speed.

However, because the food for Ian was as important as the food for someone else, I focused on adding various enjoyable elements even to simple dishes, which took a long time.

“Surely… you mentioned an incurable disease.”

But since Ian hadn’t shown any signs of illness so far, I didn’t properly grasp the extent of it.

From the perspective of a vampire, it was more like a curse than a disease. Since I wasn’t used to using it on others, this too remained ambiguous.

…

The day’s work was just beginning. At 12 PM, I would receive private tutoring from Sophia, a former academy professor who was one of Harzen’s acquaintances.

After reporting to Ian, he clapped and said that finally, “it” had come, instructing me to thoroughly master her teachings with a more serious attitude than usual.

Originally, Sophia, a commoner-born teacher who had taught top students at the academy, had a feeling of suspicion towards Yuria and had approached education with a sense of experimentation.

“Wow!!!! Excellent!!! How can you teach spells that take a full semester for even 3rd-year academy students…!”

She showed a daily level of enthusiasm and reaction that was touching, teaching Yuria more passionately than anyone else.

Originally, she thought she wouldn’t teach if the level was low.

Most nobles who came for instruction raised their noses at being commoners and endlessly belittled themselves, blaming their lack of talent for teaching. It was natural in a way.

However, she became interested in the fact that Yuria was considered a maid and a fallen noble. After all, there was no desire to meet a pretty woman.

But what she saw before her was…

“Incredible!! How on earth did you interpret this kind of magical formula?!!”

Love, or the emotion called love, left no room to fill each day with anything but astonishment. He never thought he would teach with such passion.

As Housekeeper Harzen had said, does one understand heat by teaching work? No. In the realm of magic, she was mastering more than a hundred spells. She might not know who taught her, but this maid had a profound understanding of magic and even possessed the ingenuity to create new spells.

“I knew you were an excellent professor at first sight. It’s understandable. Just by looking at the traces of mana in your hands and the appearance of your spells, one can see how much effort you’ve put in. For example, what I’m explaining to you now may seem easy, but creating new concepts introduces entirely different variables. Those above us may not appreciate this struggle and continue to rush us.”

It sounded like something a former academy professor would say.

“Did you… have a similar occupation before?”

“No, I still lack the patience to teach someone.”

“T-then how are you able to understand my thoughts so well…”

“As a student receiving instruction, one should understand to some extent the hardships of a teacher.”

His emotions stirred. Her words resonated with the sentiments and depths of a bookworm immersed in emotion.

Moreover, always polite and speaking as if addressing a superior, she was someone who observed courtesy toward those learning as a rare educator.

Already infatuated with the novelty of teaching, she was willing to write a recommendation for Yuria to Matop, the highest-ranking educational institution where only nobles could attend.

“Yuria, as I mentioned before, Matop is a place where people like you can succeed regardless of social status. If you’re working here at Matop, I don’t mind writing a recommendation letter for you myself. It will be much more beneficial for you to receive education here than from me.”

A young girl with a childlike appearance held her hand and spoke, her eyes sparkling as if putting on a show that was not lacking in any way.

“I’m sorry. Your words are truly more than I deserve, but I have no intention of going to the Tower of Demons yet. I am indebted to Master Ian. Betraying that would go against my beliefs.”

Beliefs.

The Tower of Demons is an absolute forbidden area never to be violated. The girl nodded reluctantly.

“If you ever feel discontent with Master Ian, please tell me. I will come running to you immediately.”

“There’s no need for that. I am gaining a satisfaction here that is incomparable to before. It would be more painful for me to leave this place.”

Despite her slight impertinence, she probed once again, but the answer remained the same.

Yuria, the woman, was dedicating herself blindly to Ian, displaying a talent that she had placed beneath her. For her, Yuria’s talent was tempting enough to reconsider her evaluation of both Briet and Ian.

Of course, Yuria, who had no intention of working as a sorceress in the Tower of Demons, was simply engrossed in magic more than the current situation.

…

4:00 PM.

Having quickly finished all her tasks, Yuria returned to her room and collapsed onto the bed. It wasn’t rest due to fatigue. With a fervent voice, she buried her face in the pillow and tossed and turned incessantly.

What emerged was a small handkerchief. She half-heartedly pressed it to her nose to savor the lingering scent of the vivid bloodstains.

Just the aroma of his blood made her head spin.

“Ah… Hm, um…”

Being a woman in her prime, Yuria couldn’t help but succumb to the heat building up in the room. Normally reserved and cool, she found her desires intensifying as time went on.

Since she stopped restraining her bloodsucking and began consuming minute amounts, her body had started to ache.

Yuria took a shallow breath.

Her lower abdomen and chest hurt.

She writhed on the bed. It was because she had imagined Ian holding her in her delusions. Instinctively, she remembered how he had held her and saved her life in the carriage.

The safety of the master is my top priority. I have taken some measures to supervise the kitchen so that no one can tamper with the cooking. Information about Ian has been thoroughly collected, and I was aware that it was not from his own mouth but from Housekeeper Harzen that he had fallen ill. He clearly mentioned a decline in physical abilities, occasional mental confusion, coughing mixed with blood, and nosebleeds.

When I am closely by his side, I sometimes hope that the event will not occur to me. The symptoms of withdrawal grew day by day to the point where if other maids saw Ian’s blood, envy outweighed concern.

“I need the master’s blood… More. More. More. This little amount is too insufficient. It felt like my throat was burning. It continued to imprint that pleasure on my brain as if something was crawling in my head.”

However, there was a set day for drinking blood. On the day when the full moon rises after a month, Ian provides a very small amount of blood in case of emergency.

“Ugh…”

The handkerchief in my hand twists. My closed eyelids twitched slightly. Because the ecstasy I felt once was so thirsty, I sometimes complained of hallucinations, claiming that things looked strange.

Every time that happened, I secretly alleviated the withdrawal symptoms by calling Ian’s name and licking the finger I had licked before. It was a very disgraceful sight.

It was the first time Yuria caused an accident at the mansion, just a few nights ago.