"Dinner together? Why?"
Dannep couldn't take her eyes off Ilyss's cold eyes. It's as if the moment she falls into them, she ends up being trapped like a serpent traps its prey.
"It seems Silvia didn't mention it. I choose one day a week to eat with one of you, or sometimes I eat with all of you. The last one was Yumi. Tonight I thought that to welcome you, it would be you."
"Maybe it's some kind of test, Dannep. Let's accept and try to please her as best we can."
"Understood, my lord… Ilyss, I will be there," she said, making an effort not to bow; she had already done enough of that with the others.
"Good, I'll wait for you at the main table. If you don't know where it is, you can ask. Ah, and remember not to go to dinner in a towel. Although I wouldn't complain, you might make the other employees uncomfortable."
Ilyss said in a mischievous tone while winking at her. Dannep couldn't help but blush; she had forgotten that the only thing preventing the woman from seeing her naked was a rather light towel, as if it could fall away at any moment.
"And if you'd like, when we're alone you…"
Bang!
Ilyss's words were abruptly cut off when Dannep slammed the door in front of her.
"No, Dannep, what did you do? What did you do? You can't do that to your new mistress. What if she gets angry? What if she kills me? What if she punishes me? What if she punishes Layla?"
She had closed the door out of embarrassment. Normally, when she made this kind of move, Cythian would take care of hitting her so she wouldn't make those mistakes again.
But without Cythian there, the most Dannep could do was open the door to apologize. However, to her surprise, Ilyss was no longer there.
"She didn't get angry, did she? I mean, she's not as childish as Cythian, but… Ah, I need to change," she reminded herself, avoiding thinking about it for now.
To her surprise—or perhaps not, considering how the room looked—the bathroom was completely prepared.
Several towels, some varieties of roses on the windows, and a few perfumes in front of the mirror. And as if that weren't enough, the water in the bathtub was warm and scented so that Dannep could immerse herself in it.
She had never had a bath like this, though she knew a bit about aesthetics from when Cythian would ask her to wash her.
She didn't know what to do now that she had it for herself. It was strange, since she had always showered using the smallest amount of water possible and the least amount of soap possible.
All so she wouldn't bother the others by wasting water or soap. She was the poor one; she didn't deserve to spend anything.
"But all this water is for me," she said to herself, placing one leg into the bathtub. The sensation of the warm water was soothing, drawing her to sink her whole body in.
The scent of the water enveloped her mind more deeply as she closed her eyes and let her thoughts drift elsewhere.
"Maybe Ilyss isn't so bad. Sister Layla, things are getting better. I wish you were here."
For the first time that day, Dannep managed to erase Cythian completely from her mind and simply enjoyed the warm water and its scents.
***
"Forgive my lateness, Lady Ilyss. The bath was very comfortable and I didn't realize how much time had passed," Dannep apologized upon arriving at the main table.
Ilyss was reading a book there. She wore reading glasses and had changed her elegant, dominant dress for a softer, more comfortable one.
"Hahaha, I figured that would happen. How was the water? Silvia and Zafiro told me a little while ago that they spent four hours choosing what kind of scents you might like. They were very excited for the maid from NN to give their approval."
Ilyss winked at Dannep so she would know what she had to do tomorrow when she saw them.
Dannep smiled in response and sat at the table.
"I hope you like the food. I would have liked you to meet the chefs, but someone spent too much time in the bath and they had to go to sleep," Ilyss grumbled as she uncovered the main dish.
Dannep was stunned. All the food looked exquisite and worthy of royalty. How could she even eat something like this?
"Go ahead, serve yourself."
"Can I really just serve myself?" she asked, slightly flushed. She still didn't know what Ilyss wanted from her. If this was her way of earning her trust with incredibly delicious food, it wasn't going to work.
"If you don't eat, I won't eat. Do you want your mistress to go hungry after that journey?" Ilyss asked with a smile.
"With your permission," Dannep said respectfully, beginning to serve herself.
If the food smelled good, the taste completely surpassed it. As soon as Dannep tried a piece of meat, she felt a kind of indescribable pleasure.
It's not as if she had never eaten good things before, and she even preferred the food made by her sister Layla over any luxury in front of her right now.
But there was no denying that what she was eating was delicious. As soon as she saw that Ilyss wouldn't mind, she chose to eat a bit of everything.
She had been quite hungry that week while locked away, and at the previous night's dinner she hadn't been able to eat much because Cythian always required attention. But now she could eat without any problem.
As soon as she felt full, Dannep pushed her plate away as a sign that she was finished.
"Hahaha, it seems that for how thin you are, you eat a lot. I'll keep that in mind. Here's your tea."
Ilyss began speaking as she poured powder into Dannep's tea and handed it to her.
"She's not what people say. She's a very kind woman. Why was I afraid of her?" Dannep wondered, holding the cup.
"Hey, I have some other questions. I'm curious about something."
"What would you like to know about me, my lady? I don't think this orphan has much to say." Dannep took several sips from her cup of tea. It was quite sweet compared to others she had drunk.
"What is your relationship with Princess Cythian? How did you meet? I see she gives you special treatment."
"I'm sorry, my lady. I don't like the idea of talking about her here, not now. Could we…?"
Suddenly, Dannep's nose began to bleed. Her eyes followed the same pattern, and her tongue soon felt a strange burning sensation.
Instinctively, she looked at the diabolical smile forming on Ilyss's face, then at the cup in her hands.
"Why isn't Ilyss drinking tea?" she thought, not doubting what was happening.
She had poisoned her.
"The finest poison in the city. I always carry some with me. Don't worry, Dannep, I have the cure," she said while lifting a small bag into her pained view.
Her smile twisted even further as she spoke.
"But you must start talking. How did Cythian and you meet? You have five minutes."