“You’ve worked hard this morning, Miss Vanessa.” The busy morning shift had come to an end, and Luna, counting the morning’s earnings, handed Vanessa a cup of hot tea with a smile.

“Thanks to you, the profits from just this morning are almost equivalent to a whole week’s worth before.”

“Not at all, it’s all thanks to your excellent guidance, Madam Manager.” Vanessa took the tea and sipped it elegantly.

Luna watched Vanessa’s subtle movements with a smile but said nothing.

“It’s lunchtime now, Miss Vanessa. Have a meal and rest for a while. Recharge your energy, as the afternoon might be even busier.”

“Understood.” Lunch was served in the inner room of the maid café, which had a dedicated area for staff meals. Those who wished to could even live there, like Mioka, who was a maid living in the café.

“Mmm, this is so delicious, meow~!” After a morning of hard work, all three of them were starving. However, compared to Mioka, who was eating messily with sauce all over her face and even considering ditching the spoon to eat with her hands, Vanessa’s dining manners were a stark contrast.

Elegant yet not pretentious, every movement refined and graceful, her demeanor ethereal and poised. Each action was both tasteful and unique, showcasing her excellent upbringing to the fullest.

After finishing her meal, Vanessa elegantly took a napkin and wiped the food residue from the corners of her mouth.

“Miss Mioka, remember to wipe your mouth after eating, okay?”

“Mioka already wiped, meow!” True to her cat-like nature, Mioka couldn’t sit still after eating and was ready to jump off her seat.

“Wait a moment.” Just as Mioka was about to leap off her seat, her chin was gently held by two soft hands, turning her face toward a stunningly beautiful visage.

“Don’t move~” Vanessa’s gentle tone soothed Mioka’s restlessness. As Mioka met Vanessa’s heart-shaped eyes, which seemed to possess a magical allure, it felt as if her entire heart was being drawn in.

Those dazzling heart-shaped eyes were filled with seriousness and tender affection, like a mother’s care, gently and softly wiping away the food residue from Mioka’s mouth.

“Meow, meow?” The scent of white tea flowers wafting toward her made Mioka freeze, her face turning red.

“All done, Mioka. Go and rest now.” After discarding the napkin, Vanessa gave Mioka a gentle smile.

“Meow meow!? Got it!” Mioka covered her face, her cat ears twitching wildly, and quickly ran off.

This child is quite shy.

It was Vanessa’s first time encountering a demi-human like Mioka, and she couldn’t help but feel tempted to touch those adorable cat ears.

If it weren’t for her good upbringing preventing her from such impolite behavior, she might have given in to the urge to see if they were as soft as a cat’s ears.

After resting through the noon, the maid café reopened in the afternoon.

<!–

–>

Vanessa continued her role as the star attraction, and the number of customers in the afternoon didn’t decrease from the morning — it even increased.

The flow of customers became even more intense, and Vanessa grew busier.

However, at this moment, Luna suddenly called Vanessa over.

“Madam Manager, is there something you need?”

“Hehe, little Vanessa, leave the main hall for now and go serve the guest in the private room upstairs. Mioka and I will handle the main hall.” Luna stuck out her tongue.

“?” A hint of confusion flashed across Vanessa’s face. With so many customers in the main hall requesting her, Luna was asking her to serve a single guest in a private room upstairs.

It couldn’t be that they were turning down money, so it was likely that the guest upstairs was someone important, probably a top-tier VIP or something similar.

“I understand. The guest in the private room is a distinguished client of our café, correct?”

“Yes, yes, that’s right.” Seeing that Vanessa understood without needing further explanation, Luna was quite pleased.

“Little Vanessa, your performance today has been excellent, far beyond my expectations. Along with your outstanding sales, all of this will be included in your salary for today. Of course, serving that guest will also be part of it. So, you understand, right? Make sure that guest is satisfied.”

“Understood. You can leave it to me.” Vanessa smiled faintly.

Someone who could secure a private room in this maid café must have spent a considerable amount here.

No, “considerable” might be an understatement.

Vanessa carried a pot of coffee and the café’s signature cake and desserts upstairs to the private room where the guest was waiting.

Pushing open the door, she instantly put on a sincere and warm smile, her voice sweeter than the red velvet honey cake on the tray, her service attitude at its peak, ready to provide the utmost emotional value.

“Hello, my esteemed master~ Thank you so much for requesting me. Your maid is delighted to serve you. Here is the coffee and ✪ Nоvеlіgһt ✪ (Official version) cake you ordered. Please allow your maid to pour it for you. If you wish, I can also feed you the cake…” Vanessa slightly bowed, lowering her head in a respectful gesture. But when she raised her eyes and saw the figure sitting in the private room, her elegant smile froze.

Virtue +300.

Current Virtue: 1004.

“Oh, my~ Such a beautiful maid offering to feed me cake? How could I refuse?~” The silver-haired girl rested her chin on her interlaced fingers, smiling mischievously at Vanessa. Her cat-like eyes were filled with cunning, gazing at Vanessa with a look that said, “I’ve caught you.”

“My, my, this maid looks somewhat familiar, doesn’t she?”

“…” The atmosphere instantly turned icy.

“Hmm? Miss Maid, didn’t you just say you’d feed me cake? Why are you standing at the door, not moving?” Aesphyra stroked her pearly nails, smiling sweetly at Vanessa. Her breathtakingly beautiful face wore an enchanting smile, one she had never shown to anyone else — only when she saw the pink-haired girl before her.

“…What are you doing here?” Vanessa’s smile was almost completely shattered.

“I heard this maid café has an exceptionally beautiful and gentle cherry blossom-haired maid with top-notch service. Curious, I decided to come and take a look.” Aesphyra tilted her head, resting her cheek on her hand, her smile blooming like a flower. “And what a jackpot I’ve hit, haven’t I?~”

“My apologies, I must have entered the wrong room.” With that, Vanessa smiled and took a step back, closing the door as if checking the room number.

Strange, had she remembered the room number wrong? Why did the number seem correct no matter how she looked at it?

Vanessa rubbed her chin.

It must have been the way she opened the door.

So, Vanessa opened the door again, and this time, the silver-haired fairy was right in front of her.

Vanessa stumbled slightly, almost losing her balance.

“Careful now.” Aesphyra reached out to steady Vanessa’s hand. “Miss Maid, am I that terrifying? Why are you so eager to avoid me?”

“Also, I’m quite certain you didn’t enter the wrong room. I specifically requested you, and the manager did tell you to serve the guest in the private room well, didn’t she?” Aesphyra narrowed her beautiful eyes.

Vanessa took two steps back, slightly trembling, and freed her hand from Aesphyra’s grip. Despite Aesphyra being shorter than Vanessa, the power dynamic between them was completely reversed.

“Miss Aesphyra, are you… a VIP member of this maid café??” Vanessa never expected that person to be Aesphyra, though it wasn’t surprising or unreasonable for her to be a VIP member of a maid café.

Miscalculation.

“Is that not allowed? Also, miss maid, have you forgotten how to address me? What should you call me?” Aesphyra looked at Vanessa with a teasing smile.

Vanessa still wore a smile, but her expression took a sharp turn for the worse.

“Hmm? Miss Maid? Is this your service attitude? I heard you were a perfect maid who excelled in every aspect, but it seems the rumors were a bit off, weren’t they?” Aesphyra feigned disappointment, shaking her head. “My evaluation of you might not be so favorable, you know?”

“Mas… Master.” Vanessa bit her lip lightly, and in the next moment, a flawless smile returned to her face as she bowed in apology. “My apologies, Master. Please forgive your humble maid for her earlier rudeness.”

Virtue +100.

Current Virtue: 1104.

The way her Virtue was increasing, one might think she was the one being out-virtued by Aesphyra.

Who’s really winning in this game??

“Since Miss Maid has apologized so sincerely, it would be unkind of me to hold a grudge. What can I do? You’re just too beautiful, miss maid~” Aesphyra smiled contentedly.

Aesphyra sat back down, crossing her alluring black-stockinged legs, making it clear that she wanted Vanessa to come over and serve her.

“Master, my apologies for the wait. Here is your deep blue coffee and maid red velvet cake. Please enjoy.” Vanessa reluctantly set the tray down, poured Aesphyra a cup of coffee, and then tried to make a quick exit.

“Miss Maid, where are you going?” Aesphyra, of course, wouldn’t let Vanessa leave and called her back.

“My esteemed master, the café is very busy today, and there are many masters in the main hall who need me. I hope you can understand…”

“Eh? Didn’t the manager tell you? This afternoon, you only need to serve me in this private room. Did you not understand, or did the manager not explain it clearly?” Aesphyra tilted her head curiously.

“Let me make it clear for you, then.”

“This afternoon, you are my personal maid~”

“So, you can’t call anyone else ‘master.’ This afternoon, I am your only master, understand?”

“Understood, my esteemed master. Is there anything else your maid can do for you?” Vanessa’s eyes showed a hint of resignation, her gaze dull as if she were serving a prison sentence, standing by Aesphyra’s side.

She could only blame her bad luck. Out of all the people in Carillian Academy, she had to run into Aesphyra while working at the maid café. She had no choice but to accept it.

At this moment, Vanessa truly felt the hardships of life. For the sake of money, she had to serve as a maid to someone she really didn’t want to encounter.

But since things had come to this, Vanessa couldn’t just abandon her impending salary and run away.

Her sense of responsibility and her perfectionist tendencies compelled her to see this job through to the end.

Fine, so what if she had to call Aesphyra “master” and serve her for a while? What was the big deal?

Thinking back to her recent behavior of trying to out-virtue the heroines, Vanessa sighed inwardly.

Perhaps this was just karma.

But why did time have to pass so slowly at a moment like this??

Vanessa looked up at the ceiling, her charming heart-shaped eyes filled with confusion.

“Well then.” Aesphyra smiled mysteriously and pointed at her cake. “Miss Maid, have you forgotten something?”

“? Please enlighten me, Master.” Vanessa was puzzled.

“This cake… it’s not delicious enough~” Aesphyra propped her chin on her hand and chuckled.

You haven’t even tasted it, how do you know it’s not delicious?

Vanessa thought this internally but didn’t dare to say it out loud. Instead, she bowed respectfully. “Would you like me to replace it for you?”

“Miss Maid, you’re not understanding me. Compared to the other dishes here, this cake seems to be missing something. Like, perhaps, your magic~”

Vanessa immediately understood what Aesphyra was hinting at, and her face instantly flushed with embarrassment.

“Mmm~?” Aesphyra looked at Vanessa, her smile widening.

Vanessa fiddled with her apron, her head lowered, saying nothing.

“Eh? Miss Maid, are you not even willing to grant this small request of mine?” Aesphyra put on a pitiful expression. “You keep calling me ‘master,’ but you’re so stingy with me compared to others? It seems I’ll have to have a serious talk with the manager about this.”

“I… I understand.” Hearing this, Vanessa quickly responded. “My apologies for neglecting you, Master. Please forgive me.”

“No worries, no worries. So, miss maid, you know what to do now, right?”

Vanessa pursed her lips, feeling as if she were about to cry, but she forced a smile and made a heart shape with her hands.

“Maid magic, biubiu~! Overflowing with love, let this food sparkle with deliciousness~!”

“My, my, how wonderful! The cake has become so much better now. Miss Maid’s magic is truly impressive, isn’t it?” Aesphyra exaggeratedly expressed her amazement.

“Master, you flatter me.” Vanessa felt like this was the darkest day of her life.

Please, just let it end quickly!

Vanessa closed her eyes for a moment, but when she opened them, she saw that Aesphyra hadn’t touched the cake.

“Miss Maid, what are you waiting for?”

“? What?”

“If I recall correctly, when you entered, you asked if I wanted you to feed me the cake, didn’t you?”

“I agreed, didn’t I?” Aesphyra’s lips curled into a sly smile.

“…”

“So, it was just empty words, then?” Aesphyra looked utterly disappointed. “Just like the ‘master’ you keep calling me and your service attitude, it’s all just talk, isn’t it?”

“What a lousy maid.”

“…Please, Master, open your mouth.” Vanessa’s fingers trembled slightly as she picked up the small spoon and held the cake.

“Ahh~”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep