The Villainous Noblewoman Is About to Be Forced into Love, Isn't This Wrong?-Chapter 91: Mepeilu maid

On the way back to Mepeilu's place, Mepeilu didn't say a word.

Normally, Mepeilu would be full of endless chatter when with Liana, so this silence was unusually rare.

This sudden change made Liana nervous—

No, what was she thinking! There really hadn't been anything between them; she just needed to explain things clearly.

"Lord of the Palace, welcome, Princess Liana, you've returned," Olivia greeted them at the door.

"You're really dedicated," Liana remarked.

This phrase could almost be said to describe Olivia, who would stand at Mepeilu’s residence, not even leaving for festivals. And even though magic had changed, she didn’t react, she... well, Liana thought of something.

"This is just the most basic duty," Olivia responded like an NPC, repeating the few phrases she usually said in front of Princess Mepeilu, which meant she probably wouldn't say anything too harsh to herself.

"You've worked hard, but now you can go and rest. Minoja is still with me," Mepeilu told her.

"Alright," Olivia nodded. With Minoja around, there really was no need for her to stay.

Although Liana had seen Lord Minoja at the hospital, she knew Lord Minoja definitely had secrets hidden somewhere.

Then the three of them took off their shoes at the entrance, storing them in the shoe cabinet, and switched to indoor slippers.

"Shall we eat first? Or take a bath? Or, shall we talk now?" Mepeilu leaned against the wall, looking at Liana.

"Let's take a bath first. I overexerted myself a bit just now, and I'm a bit sweaty," Liana felt she needed some time to prepare, especially since she still had things to explain later.

"Alright," Mepeilu nodded.

The three of them headed upstairs, where the maid had already prepared everything to welcome them.

She placed one hand over her chest, lifting her skirt slightly in a curtsy, "Princess, Princess Liana, you have returned."

"Right, I haven't properly introduced you to my maid."

"Because Loraviel was also present yesterday, Mepeilu’s maid only showed her face briefly and then left."

"I haven't seen this person before," Liana had no recollection of this woman, at least not from five years ago.

"You must be Princess Liana, right?" the maid curtsied towards Liana.

"Yes," Liana nodded.

"My name is Vivian, I am Princess Mepeilu's servant, and I have been by the princess’s side for four years. During this time, I often saw Princess Mepeilu so engrossed in conversations, frequently mentioning Princess Liana's name, and I often saw her holding a photo of someone. Now I understand..." Vivian hadn't finished speaking when Mepeilu covered her mouth.

"I told you to introduce yourself, not to say these things!" Mepeilu exclaimed.

"Liana, don't listen to her nonsense, she likes to say weird things," Mepeilu said helplessly.

Liana tactfully ignored those details, realizing they wouldn't be beneficial to either of them.

This was the first time Liana seriously looked at Vivian.

Vivian's delicate, ash-blonde hair was tied into braids behind her ◈ Nоvеlіgһт ◈ (Continue reading) ears, her gray eyes calmly gazing at Liana.

Slim yet poised, with a long neck marked by a beauty spot at the left corner of her eye, her skin was tender pink, and her lips were a light cherry shade. She always kept a smile, which was basic for a maid.

Her black maid's outfit had silver embroidery at the collar and cuffs, with a cobalt gold brooch pinned on her right shoulder that held the key to the room.

Her hands were covered with pure white gloves, leaving no trace of her presence in the room.

"Vivian, is dinner ready?" Liana asked.

"Dinner is ready, and the bathwater has been prepared. The temperature is maintained with magic, and the room has been cleaned, with bed sheets and blankets freshly laundered," Vivian replied.

"Mepeilu: You're messing with my bed sheets and blankets!!!"

"You should rest now," Mepeilu suggested.

"It seems I must give Vivian some instructions tomorrow."

"Understood," Vivian curtsied and left.

The upstairs living room was left with just the two of them, Liana feeling somewhat restless.

"Mepeilu, are you angry?" Liana asked.

"Angry? About what?" Mepeilu countered.

"Then why were you so quiet all the way home?" Liana said, feeling a bit hurt.

Mepeilu patted his thigh, indicating Liana should sit there.

"This... this is too much..." Liana felt this would be very embarrassing, and moreover, "I haven't bathed yet. I sweated today and might smell odd."

But Mepeilu kept patting his thigh, not speaking.

Following Mepeilu's silent command, Liana had no choice but to move closer, patting her skirt before sitting on Mepeilu's thigh.

Mepeilu hugged Liana tightly, burying his head in her platinum blonde hair. Despite some sweating, there was no strange smell on Liana.

"Why would you think I'd be angry?" Mepeilu asked.

"Because you looked like you were angry," Liana felt guilty, "I really didn't do anything with Loraviel. The dress was just difficult to wear, so I went in to help."

"Why didn't you say that initially?" Mepeilu's grip tightened slightly.

"Because I've told you before that I like girls, and I was afraid you'd misunderstand this about me, so I wanted to keep it hidden," Liana had thought through her explanation.

In reality, she wasn't sure why she felt the need to hide this fact, as if admitting what she did in the moment would only complicate things further.

"Misunderstand? Misunderstand that you like Loraviel?"

"Sort of."

"What do you have to be afraid of?"

"I don’t know..." This was the truth.

"Who you like is your own business. Even if it's not a misunderstanding, even if you really do like Loraviel, it’s nothing to be afraid of, nor is it something to hide from me, right?" Mepeilu embraced Liana firmly.

"But still, I hope that when you find the girl you like, you'll talk to me about it. After all, I'm your sister, and I'll definitely care about you."

"I know, sister Mepeilu."

"I really haven't fallen for Loraviel," Liana admitted sincerely. Her feelings for Loraviel were at most a sense of debt for having unwittingly dragged her into this troublesome main storyline.

But she couldn't just let her go, as Loraviel's potential as the heroine was undeniable.

Even if several years were to pass, it was highly likely that she would seek her out again, so Liana truly felt sorry for Loraviel.

But the number of people she felt sorry for seemed to be a bit too many, especially the girl currently embracing her.

"Liana, what type of person do you like?" Mepeilu asked.

"Better than not knowing, at least someone gentle like Sister Mepeilu, who treats me well?" Liana joked.

This made Mepeilu, who was hugging Liana, blush instantly, but fortunately, in their current position, Liana couldn’t see Mepeilu’s flushed face behind her.

"Have you finished all your tasks for today?" Liana asked.

"After all, it's a festival, so there isn't much to handle in the Lisat Kingdom."

"And since I've delegated these tasks to others, I've been rather free lately, aside from some nobles asking me about magic," Mepeilu said lightly, not wanting Liana to worry.

But how could Liana not know?

Besides, in such situations, a princess couldn't just go out shopping, but speaking too much about it might let too much real information slip out.

Soon enough, the news would spread across the continent, potentially affecting relations with the Elf Forest and neighboring countries. They might even send envoys to discuss matters.

"Don’t wear yourself out, okay?"

"I know."

"I’m going to take a bath now, Mepeilu. You don’t need to wait for me; you can start eating."

"Okay."

Liana entered Mepeilu's room, casually picked a nightgown from the closet, and then stepped into the bathroom.

She soaked alone in the bathtub, the warm bathwater bubbling comfortably, cozy and warm.

But then, the bathroom door opened, and Mepeilu, wrapped in a bath towel, walked in.

Mepeilu had missed her chance yesterday and did not want to miss it again today.

It was just a common thing, two sisters bathing together.

"Mepeilu?"

"Liana, can we bathe together?" Mepeilu asked.

You're already in here, how could Liana refuse!

"Of course."

At this point, Liana had no choice but to agree, reluctantly grabbing the towel, even though she was in the water, trying to cover herself.

Even though they were both girls, being seen naked was still embarrassing.

Mepeilu held two bottles of skincare products in her palms. After all, she had worn makeup today, and using traditional methods could irritate and damage the skin.

"Liana, you actually thought of this kind of thing," Mepeilu marveled again. "If this were released, it would definitely cause quite a stir. Those noble ladies care about skincare, it might sell for a good price."

"Even though you, Liana, don’t care about the money, it could be a good way to slightly change those people’s view of you."

"I suppose I had that idea too," said Mepeilu as her body soaked in the water, making a 'dap dap dap' sound.

"That’s right, after all, you are Liana, how could you not think of that?"

"You make me sound like a superhero," Liana quipped.

"Superhero? What's that?"

"Liana, even you forgot about it, it means someone very powerful."

"Then aren’t you a superhero, Liana? You're really amazing."

Luckily, she managed to divert the conversation...

After removing her makeup, Mepeilu felt much more comfortable. Her face was clean and pretty, fair and tender. Makeup only made Mepeilu more striking, but it's considered impolite not to wear it during important events.

"Ah, the affairs of nobility are truly troublesome, thankfully you, Liana, don’t need to worry about them."

After removing her makeup, Mepeilu unwrapped her hair and let it down, water droplets cascading down her sleek neck, creating a beautiful scene.

Washing hair can take a long time, especially if it's long and you're alone.

"Need help?" Liana offered.

"Would you?" Mepeilu responded.

"Of course."

Liana knew how to wash hair; after all, she had been in this world for two months and had washed her own hair often enough to know the trouble it involved.

"People of the Lisat royal family all seem to have blonde hair," Liana remarked, looking at Mepeilu's smooth golden hair.

"It's a characteristic of our Lisat royal lineage."

"Is it?" Liana wasn’t particularly concerned. "How is your everyday life at home with the maids, Mepeilu?"

"How should I put it? They hardly ever appear in my daily life," Mepeilu squinted her eyes, enjoying Liana’s skillful hands.

"You must have noticed, Minoja hardly ever shows up, usually hiding in the shadows, not disturbing my life, especially lately, she’s been very scarce, and I'm not sure why."

Mepeilu always had a bad feeling about this...

"As for Vivian, she's just a maid, responsible for my daily care, preparing food and warm water for when I return, and promptly cleaning up after I have eaten. When I leave the house, she comes to my residence to tidy up."

Vivian was the very definition of a standard maid, not meddling in any affairs, just performing her duties well.

"Why did you choose her?" Liana asked, curious about what made Vivian stand out among so many maids in the royal capital.

"Why her?" Mepeilu closed her eyes, letting Liana rinse the foam off her body. She stood up, approached the edge of the bathtub, "This might take a bit long, shall we talk while soaking?"