Chapter 173
Chapter 26: Roy’s Character
Today, the two girls once again headed to the cafeteria of the Academy to have lunch.
The cafeteria had several tiers of payment options, but even the lowest tier wasn’t cheap. After all, even commoners typically had enough money to spare as Extraordinary Beings.
A penny can’t kill a hero, but a silver coin can starve a little fairy.
Originally, Nia, being the daughter of the chief of the Verdant Council, could have been granted admission by privilege, but she naturally couldn’t use her real name to hide her identity.
Although she had earned a decent amount of money working part-time as an Adventurer, the spendthrift girl used most of it on food, drinks, and fun, leaving her with hardly anything after she realized just how exorbitant the tuition fees were.
After days of chomping on hard black bread that could double as a killing weapon, Nia finally had enough.
“Alice, please help me out a bit! At this rate, I’m gonna starve flat!” Initially, Nia had only half-jokingly cried out, but to her surprise, Alice actually paid for her meal.
This girl is something else!
From that moment on, Nia’s fondness for Alice skyrocketed.
Today, as she gazed at the delicious lunch Alice had ordered, tears of gratitude welled up in her eyes.
But even with her thick skin, Nia felt a bit embarrassed: “But really, is it okay? The food prices here can’t be cheap, right?”
“It’s fine,” Alice calmly replied, then casually turned to the girl across from her, “And for Nia, I don’t mind.”
Nia was momentarily taken aback.
The earnest and genuine words of the girl made her heart flutter, stirring up a strange excitement.
The warm sunlight spilled through the floor-to-ceiling windows onto Alice, softening her demeanor and adding a serene touch. Under the afternoon sun, the sight of the girl delicately nibbling her bread, looking like a squirrel enjoying a pine cone in the woods, made Nia feel an overwhelming urge to hug her tightly and ruffle her hair.
Nia was an action-oriented person. As soon as the thought crossed her mind, she put it into action.
“Cute looks, warm heart, and a bit of a rich girl—Alice, how can you be this great?!”
“Mm…!”
Alice didn’t mind Nia’s fragrant, soft embrace and didn’t dislike the jasmine-like scent; she realized that among girls, this level of physical contact wasn’t a big deal—most importantly, Roy didn’t have any objections and even encouraged her to be affectionate with friends, as long as it wasn’t unpleasant.
However, the overly creamy and plush softness from Nia’s chest felt like a form of torture for Alice.
I-I can’t catch my breath…
Fortunately, Nia had some sense and released her after a moment, allowing Alice to escape that terrifying weapon.
“Oh dear, but seriously, since Alice is so good to me, I don’t have anything else to repay you with, so maybe I can offer myself instead,” Nia said with a teasing smile, throwing a flirty wink at the girl.
“Offer yourself?” Alice blinked in surprise.
Nia playfully pointed at the girl, teasing, “It means I’d give you my body and soul~”
Nia was just saying it casually, not really meaning it, especially since one of the reasons for her running away from home was to escape a loveless marriage.
But Alice didn’t pick up on the joke; instead, she seriously replied, “I’m sorry, but Nia is a good person, but Alice has already given her body and soul to her master.”
“Ugh…”
Nia’s cheerful expression instantly froze.
After saying that, Alice lowered her head and continued eating her meal.
Meanwhile, the sprightly little elf put down her utensils, picked up her cup, and took a tactical sip of water.
Oh no, did I just say something wrong?!
Also, yeah, I heard Alice is Roy’s maid, and there’s even a rumor that she was bought by him as a slave!
How could someone work as a maid under that ‘roguish scoundrel’ and possibly be happy about it?
How could I mention that with no thought at all?!
Saying ‘dedicating body and soul to a master’ sounds light and breezy, but for Alice, it must feel like a nightmare.
Nia imagined all sorts of scenes straight out of forbidden publications, feeling a heaviness settle on her chest, guilt washing over her.
With her earlier cheeriness gone, Nia lowered her head weakly, “I’m sorry, I said the wrong thing.”
“?” Alice couldn’t follow Nia’s sudden shift in mood.
Misinterpreting Alice’s silence as sorrow and pain, Nia became concerned, “It must be really tough being a maid under Roy, right?”
“If he dares to bully you, just let me know and I’ll help you teach him a lesson!”
But little did Nia expect that Alice would shake her head.
“No, you’re mistaken. My master treats me very well.”
“Huh?”
“Being able to belong to my master, Alice is very happy.”
“Huh?!”
Now it was Nia’s turn to be lost.
With Alice’s expression being so neutral, Nia found it hard to determine whether her words were genuine or not.
Common sense would suggest that no girl would genuinely like a scoundrel who plays both sides, right?
Although, not necessarily. People’s preferences can’t always be generalized…
While Nia’s mind raced, Alice’s gaze sharpened.
In fact, Roy had already advised her—“If your friend misinterprets me as the bad guy, please help me explain.”
That’s right; Roy had anticipated that this moment would inevitably come.
There was even a similar situation in the original story.
The poor little maid was so used to the bullying from ‘Scoundrel Roy’ that she believed it was only natural for her to suffer as a maid until Nia pointed it out, making her realize she had been living in darkness all along, developing a yearning for something beautiful.
However, Roy aimed to turn this around, using Alice to influence Nia!
Naturally, Alice wouldn’t let her master down!
Alice fixed her straight gaze on the silent girl and said emphatically, “Nia, you’re wrong. My master is not a bad person.”
“Huh? But I heard everyone saying…”
Halfway through her sentence, Nia suddenly closed her mouth.
Right, there were plenty of rumors about Roy, but she had never seen him mistreat Alice!
The tales of teasing princesses, training maids, and being a horrible two-timer sounded infuriating, but they weren’t necessarily true!
Nia had sat at the back during the entrance exams and was too busy stuffing her face at the welcome banquet to actually see Roy, so she couldn’t judge his character at all.
And the girl in front of her, Roy Ainbrad’s dedicated maid, was the one who had the most say on this topic!
“So…”
Nia paused, filled with curiosity and apprehension, and cautiously asked, “What kind of person is Roy Ainbrad really?”
