"A-anyway. Adi."
"Y-yes, young Miss?!"
Melinda cleared her throat and tried to make a composed face while turning to the conflicted maid.
"Are you okay with keeping our secret in exchange for a better position and pay?"
"..."
The young lady asked, and the maid slowly raised her head to look at her.
She… did seem serious…
Similarly, the maid did appear to be considering her options.
Melinda and Zene had the advantage of knowing the game, but characters like maids were usually background mobs whose portraits didn't even show eyes - and that, of course, included Adrianna.
In the game, someone like her didn't matter at all, but now…
Melinda's actions could also end up creating additional problems. The maid could end up agreeing to her proposition but still report everything to the family head in secret… things could go bad extremely fast, especially after the display Melinda put out, unable to hold back when presented with an opportunity to get her fill of her beloved Zane…
"...wh-when exactly would I receive the bonus if I agreed…?"
The maid opened and closed her mouth a few times until she finally gathered enough courage to ask a question that was like music to Melinda's ears.
"We can go to my duke Fenrioette right now, and I will ask him to assign you as my personal maid immediately. I can also ask him to pay out the bonus today, too, you know?"
Sensing that the ball was in her court, Melinda went full in on the confident young lady persona and announced while leaning back and giving the maid a confident look.
"..."
The maid gulped down her saliva and bravely kept eye contact with the young Miss.
"I… I would be honored to become your personal maid, my lady."
She then clenched her fists on the sides of her dress and lowered her head, changing how she was addressing the girl, switching to a form that made her sound not like the house servant but a direct subordinate of the noble girl.
"As long as you keep everything a secret, you will never regret this decision, Adi~"
Melinda puffed out her chest and nodded with a satisfied smile.
"Now then, let's go have the talk with the duke…"
"Huh…?"
"Umm.. my lady…? You want to go… looking like this…?"
The girl declared, shimmying her way to the bed's edge. She flinched and stopped when Zane gasped in shock, and Adi's expression turned troubled as she looked her up and down.
"What do you me…?"
Melinda asked, glancing down at her attire. Her mouth hung agape at the sight of the delicate long-sleeved nightgown that wasn't transparent… normally… because under the sunlight coming through the window, the fabric completely betrayed its wearer, exposing her silhouette in a rather indecent way.
"I WAS LOOKING LIKE THIS THE WHOLE TIME!?"
Melinda cried out in panic and jumped right back on the bed, covering herself with a blanket until only her face was visible.
"Why none of you have pointed that out to me!?"
She cried out, glaring between Zane and Adi, very upset.
"..."
"..."
Two servants looked at each other with dumbfounded expressions before staring back at their young lady.
"I… should go for now."
"And I will help you get ready, my lady."
Zane eyes started wandering all over the room before he pointed at the door and left while Adrianna stood back up at her wobbly legs and bowed towards the embarrassed girl.
A short time later, Melinda found herself in the bathtub in the middle of the fancy bathroom, staring at her own reflection in the mirror, taking up an entire wall.
Honestly, her current looks were almost as surprising as the fact that she missed such a large mirror during her nightly endeavors.
Anyway…
She truly became Melinda Fenrioette.
Fluffy golden hair reaching under her shoulders, high cheekbones, and general face structure oozing confidence and nobility. Cute lips that could easily pull off the meanest smirk. Sharp gold eyes used to looking down on others…
Coupled with a petite build that somehow had such supple butt, hips, and thighs that, even with the lacking chest, would get her countless admirers.
It certainly showed why Melinda was the favorite character of the artist behind the game's art direction.
"M-my lady…?"
Melinda's self-assessment was interrupted by the timid maid who not only insisted on bathing the girl but was now waiting for her with a fluffy towel ready.
"Yes?"
Melinda asked, glancing back and letting a pile of bubbles slide off her head.
"I… Well... I was worried about your arm, my lady. Is it really okay after… you know…"
Adrianna asked, worried about the possibility of offending the girl and ruining her own opportunity for promotion.
"Hmm? Oh, the nibble play?"
"Th-that what it was…?! I…! Mean…! Y-yes, my lady."
Melinda furrowed her brows before snickering and raising the arm she put in Zane's mouth above the bubble-covered water surface, making the maid stutter from embarrassment and nod timidly.
"Hmmm… part of it was indeed to make sure that Zane was my Zane."
The young noble tilted her head to the side while staring into her own eyes in the mirror.
"The main reason, though, was quite simple. I dreamed of doing it for so long and wanted to try it out."
"...pardon…?"
Melinda declared, showing her own teeth in a wide grin, bewildering the maid into a halt.
The noble girl didn't continue the subject; instead, she got a hold of the sides of the tub and pulled herself up.
"...!"
The maid shook off the shock and hurried over, spreading the towel, ready for her master to step out.
Still, before doing just that, Melinda moved her hair back with both hands, pressing it down to her nape…
"..."
And froze up after catching her reflection in the mirror.
"..."
Without moving her hands away from her neck, she put her elbows up and tilted her waist and hips to the side, striking a pose…
"My lady…? You might catch a cold. Let me dry you off…"
"Adi, can you help me make my hair stay like this?"
The maid fidgeted, thinking about her master's health and the potential consequences of being scolded for performing her duties poorly, but the unbothered noble lady turned her face to her while pointing at her slick hair.