Creak.

Creak.

Strange noises came from the corridor. Liszt, who planned the rest until noon before the lunch, opened the door and discovered a little blue elf dancing around the pillars of the corridor.

A few maids were serving the little elf.

Noticing Liszt, the little elf flew to him and hovered before him. It observed Liszt curiously and creaked now and then. There was no telling what it was trying to express.

“Mr. Liszt.” The maids followed and greeted him.

Liszt asked, “What’s this elf?”

“It’s a thickleaf little elf. It’s only three years old,” a pretty maid answered and even looked at Liszt boldly.

There was uncanny enthusiasm in her eyes.

Not noticing her gaze, Liszt extended his hand and pointed at the elf remotely. “Does it have a name?”

Tilting its head, the little elf was confused. “Creak?”

The maid answered, “No. There are many elves in the castle. You can call them by their wormgrass. This is the naughtiest of all the elves, so we need to keep a close eye on it in case it causes trouble.”

Elves were a marvelous species of nature. Most of them were docile, but some could be peculiar.

“What trouble can it cause?” Liszt did not think it was a big deal. Every maid could tend to an elf. To him, the maids seemed to be dawdling over their job.

Before the maids could explain, the hovering elf suddenly pouted its lips and spat on Liszt’s face.

It was so sudden that he couldn’t react at all even though he was an earth knight.

By the time Liszt realized what had happened, the little elf had flown away, chuckling.

“Mr. Liszt, this elf is very naughty and often spits at guests of the castle. We’re sorry. We hope you don’t mind.” The enthusiastic maid then turned to her partners. “You follow the elf and make sure it doesn’t disturb more people. I’ll lead Mr. Liszt to wash his face.”

Then, she extended her hand gracefully. “Mr. Liszt, please allow me to help you wash your face as an apology for the elf’s behavior.”

“Okay.”

Liszt had planned to wipe it with cloth. He was not bothered by the elf’s spit, which was not dirty. However, since the maid put it that way, he could certainly wash his face again.

Fetching a basin of water, the maid wrung the towel out and was about to wipe Liszt’s face.

“Thank you. I’ll do it myself.”

“It’s part of a maid’s job.”

“I’m used to washing my own face.” Liszt coughed. He knew that the upper class had servants catering to their every need, but he would never get used to it.

After wiping his face, he handed the towel back to the maid.

The maid’s eyes glittered. “Do you want to wipe it again?”

“That’s unnecessary.”

Disappointment flashed across her face. The maid rose with the basin and said, “Then, I’ll be on my way… Right, Mr. Liszt, my name is Anna. If you ever need me, I’ll be glad to serve you.”

Liszt smiled. “All right, Anna.”

The wet hair on his forehead made him even more handsome. Dazzled, the maid lowered her head and left quickly.

After she was out of the room, she felt that her heart was pounding and her face was flushing.

“What are you doing?” somebody suddenly asked.

It was a valet of the castle who had been asked to tend to Liszt. He had just fetched some milk tea from the kitchen before he saw Anna leaving the room with a basin.

“Mr. Liszt needed to wash his face. I served him.”

“Did you? It’s not the maid’s place to do that. Anna, don’t embarrass Taro Castle!” the valet declared ruthlessly.

Anna did not stop. “Leski, you’re not the butler. You don’t tell me what to do!”

“I’ll report it to the butler!”

“I was just doing my job. You can do whatever you want.”

After Anna disappeared at the turn of the corridor, Leski sniffed. “What a bunch of bi*ches!”

Then, he hurried to conceal his anger and put on the solemn and graceful expression expected of a valet.

He knocked on the door. “Mr. Liszt, here’s the milk tea you asked for.”

“Come on in.”

…

Anna returned to the group that tended to the elf.

The maids immediately cackled. “Anna, did you touch Mr. Liszt’s face?”

“Is Mr. Liszt’s face particularly smooth? Did your heart race? He’s as handsome as the young lord.”

“Lucy touched Mr. Liszt’s face when she washed his face a few years ago. He was so gorgeous even before he became an adult.”

Anna shook her head in disappointment. “No, Mr. Liszt washed his face on his own. He did not like a maid doing it for him.”

“Why? Is… Is he into men like Viscount Ophis?”

“Probably not. I saw Mr. Liszt last year. He couldn’t move his eyes away from Sister Luya’s ass.”

“Sister Luya has the best ass. I envy her.”

“You need to slap it every day, or you won’t have any ass.”

“Right, Mr. Liszt is already an adult. He must’ve been enfeoffed, right? What’s his title? I think he’s a viscount. The Tulips’ Coral Island is a big place.”

“I don’t know. If Mrs. Melisa were still alive, he would’ve been a viscount, but the Earl of Coral Island married another woman. I think Mr. Liszt is in an awkward position.”

“How I want to comfort him.”

“Stop daydreaming. Do the nobles ever need the concern of a maid? I suggest you focus on your work. An ugly duckling can’t turn into a swan. The offspring of a duck will remain a duck; only swans can give birth to swans.”

“So what? I’ve decided to stay unmarried for the rest of my life. Can’t I create a romantic encounter for myself?”

The maid fantasized, holding her chin. “A handsome, unappreciated noble fell in love with a maid in a castle… Because of the obstacles of family and society, they had to separate when dawn came after a kiss of love. Oh, my tears are running out.”