Chapter 4

Chapter 4: A Caged Beast in the Witch’s Domain

But things had come to this, and complaining would do no good.

“I’d better think about how to escape from that Witch.”

Years of experience accumulated amid flashing blades and swords allowed Lilinai to calm down quickly.

It was fine—having been through so many storms and waves, it wasn’t as though she’d never encountered scenes more perilous and hopeless than this.

It was merely a slight deviation from the plan she’d envisioned. Calm down a little, Lilinai, you can set everything right again!

“Whew…”

Lilinai adjusted her breathing.

She left the soft bedding and paced over to the window.

The room she had woken up in was unfamiliar, and the scenery outside the window was unfamiliar too.

To escape a Witch’s residence, it would be best to know the direction of the nearest city—unfortunately, Airiya had knocked her unconscious on the way here, so she had no idea at all about the surrounding routes.

Even if she wanted to plan an escape, Lilinai had no leads.

“I need to think of a way to gather some intelligence.”

Just as Lilinai was thinking this.

Knock knock—

A knock came at the door.

Lilinai turned her head warily.

Was it Airiya? But judging from that Witch’s earlier conduct, she probably wasn’t the sort to bother knocking.

After hesitating a moment, the girl still walked over and opened the door.

“Good morning, Miss Lilinai.”

A maid wearing a maid’s dress, her flaxen hair tied in a long braid, was waiting at the doorway.

She bowed slightly toward Lilinai and spoke in a flat tone, as though she had been waiting for some time.

“It seems you’ve woken. I am the head maid of this mansion. You may simply call me by my name, Aoleila.”

“Oh. Good morning…”

Lilinai smiled awkwardly.

She instinctively wanted to cover her collar, but quickly realized it was futile, so she gave up.

“You look somewhat tense. Has something happened?”

“It’s nothing.”

Lilinai swallowed guiltily.

Everyone in this mansion had probably already learned that she’d been bought as a slave. The other party was clearly acting on Airiya’s instructions, staying here to watch over her.

It was just that she didn’t quite understand why the one guarding her would be a frail-looking maid.

If it proved necessary, she wouldn’t mind dealing with the mansion’s maids along with everything else… it was all for revenge, after all, so being a little cruel couldn’t be helped.

“Lady Airiya instructed me to bring you to the dining hall once you awoke.” Aoleila spoke in a strictly businesslike manner, her tone revealing neither any emotion nor any indication of what she thought of the collared slave girl. “Since you’re already awake, please follow me—Lady Airiya wishes to have breakfast with you.”

“Ah… right now?”

Lilinai tugged at the somewhat loose nightdress on her body.

“But my clothes—”

“While you were asleep yesterday, we already took your measurements. New clothes have been commissioned according to Lady Airiya’s instructions and will arrive in a few days. Until then, please bear with it for now—rest assured, without Lady Airiya’s permission, no idle persons will appear inside or outside the mansion, much less anyone who might spy on you.”

“All right.”

Lilinai agreed for the time being.

The maid’s tone brooked no argument. As a slave, Lilinai’s standing here was perhaps even lower than these maids’.

Since she had no leads, she might as well go along with the current for now and gather some intelligence.

Lilinai made her plans in secret and answered.

“In that case, I’ll do as instructed.”

“This way, please, Miss Lilinai.”

——————————

There were many rumors about “Witches,” and Lilinai had heard a few of them. One of the more famous was this: Witches mostly lived in seclusion away from the world, and each of them had a tower of her own. That tower concealed evil and dark secrets, tempting people into depravity, making them bow at the devil’s knee—or beneath a Witch’s skirt.

Now Lilinai knew: this was no rumor.

As she passed through the corridor, she gained a rough understanding of this “Witch’s lair’s” structure: the tower stood at the edge of a clear lake, but it was not a solitary tower—rather, the tower itself was only one part of the building. The lower levels of the structure were no different from the wealthy mansions one saw everywhere in ordinary cities; it was simply that a separate tower had been built rising above the main body of the mansion, making it look more like a castle of mixed styles.

The mansion’s ground level was very spacious, with a great many rooms. Following in the maid’s footsteps, Lilinai grew increasingly astonished.

Even though she came from a chancellor’s household, Airiya’s home still held many luxuries she had never seen before, things that not even the royal palace of Luolunbao could compare with. She saw a diamond marten fur coat said to be worth an entire town, touched a sofa made from the hide of a snowfield lynx, and discovered a lavish bathroom built of marble and mosaic—the bath so large it could hold a full 30 people.

Just as Lilinai’s eyes were unable to take it all in, the maid stopped in front of her.

“Please go in,” Aoleila said, stepping aside. “Lady Airiya is waiting for you.”

Lilinai nervously gripped her sleeves.

The maid pulled the door open for her, and Lilinai stepped inside.

At the far end of the dining table, which ran over 10 meters long, the girl with snow-white long hair held a knife and fork, fastidiously slicing the grapes and tomatoes on her plate. She likewise wore a nightdress, clad all in pure white like an angel. Once the door had closed, she raised her head, her violet eyes revealing a warm smile, and greeted her first.

“Good morning, Miss Lilinai.”

The Witch’s voice was just as intimate and pleasant to the ear as yesterday.

“It seems yesterday’s journey left you quite exhausted. Are you getting used to sleeping here?”

“Guh…”

Lilinai’s face flushed crimson.

In the vast dining hall, at this moment there were only the two of them.

For a long while, Lilinai stared fixedly at the other without saying a word.

She couldn’t guess what Airiya was thinking, but instinct was warning her: the Witch sitting over there was more dangerous than any enemy she had ever encountered.

“How long are you going to stand there looking foolish?”

It was Airiya who broke the silence first.

She set down the knife she’d been using to cut fruit and beckoned. “Come over here.”

Lilinai lowered her head and approached. She felt like an idiot.

“Sit.”

Airiya pointed to the seat at the side of the dining table nearest to her.

Lilinai plopped down into the chair, and was suddenly seized by a moment of disorientation.

When her father was still alive, the seat he had occupied was the same head-of-table position as Airiya’s.

Back then, he had sat at his father’s side—the same position as now.

The only difference was that the Airiya of the past had been the obedient maid standing behind him, serving him;

whereas now, she sat above her, holding power over her life and death, having become the one she must serve.

“Do you remember? Back then, I stood right behind you.”

Airiya’s words were proof enough that she had done this deliberately.

“Becoming your personal maid was probably around three months after I entered the Kaoenxier family, wasn’t it? From then on, I was permitted to attend the family’s breakfast gatherings. Compared to me back then, your situation is far more privileged—at the very least, I’m allowing you to sit here. Hm? Shouldn’t you be a little grateful to me?”

“…I’m deeply grateful.”

Lilinai answered sullenly.

Before she understood the other party’s arrangements, it was better not to act rashly.

Lilinai thought to herself.

Otherwise, who knew what this Witch might do to her next…