Marina takes out the butler outfit. Confusion etched on her face. Although it's supposed to be a male outfit, this one seemed to be more refined. It leans towards a more subtle feminine cut.
"Say, did you tailor this yourself?" She asked, raising a suspicious brow.
Alwin stepped beside her, brushing his fingers along the delicate fabric of the outfit.
"No, no. It's the Florence family standard-issued attire for servants and maids. Fortunately, they prefer presentation over... frills."
Marina held the coat against herself. It seemed fitting with her slim body and her height. She grimaced. "Hmph. So you expect me to wear this and role-play as a faithful servant in your stead?"
Alwin brings up his notebook to her again. Threatening Marina with debts startled her a bit.
"Of course, you could always pay me back instead."
Marina's shoulder slumped in defeat. After all, she has no choice but to obey. Suddenly, her eyes narrowed. She points a finger at Alwin.
"Fine! But if things go south, you'll do the rowing!"
Alwin smirked in triumph. He raised both hands in a mock surrender. "If I do the rowing, then you'd better start navigating. William may be young, but he doesn't tolerate clumsiness."
Marina dropped the outfit back into the suitcase with a heavy sigh. "This is the worst day I've had in years..."
Alwin clicked his tongue. "Why are you putting it back inside? Get changed, we'll depart soon."
Marina jumped slightly, her eyes widened in horror — her whole body was trembling at the weight of his word.
"S-s-soon..? Like.. right now..?"
Alwin leans closer, smug as ever.
"Obviously. Don't want to keep them waiting now, do we?"
Marina was still trembling in her boot. She took a step back and followed with a grunt. She looked away from him in resentment.
"Tsk, fine! I will change. But don't you dare peek, you pervert!"
Alwin's smug turned into a frown and a hint of annoyance. He rolled his eyes.
"Do you really think so low of me? Besides, who would want to see your flat chest?"
Marina snapped; now she's above enraged. She walked up to Alwin, her height might be smaller, but in the next second...
SMACK!
Marina slapped Alwin across his face, throwing him into a chair and knocking him out cold on the table. It seemed he'll be taking a nap for a bit while waiting for Marina to get changed.
A few minutes later, Marina got changed into the new butler outfit, the fabric gripped her body at every right curve. Seeing Alwin still asleep on the table, Marina takes a bucket of water and splashes it on Alwin's face.
Splash
Alwin jolted awake, and he lost balance on his chair, making him fall backwards. "W-woah!"
"Rise and shine, annoying bastard. Nap time is over."
Marina said sarcastically — a gesture to repay Alwin's questionable remarks.
Alwin was about to be mad at her, but once he got up, he was stunned to see Marina in the butler's outfit. His jaw dropped as if seeing a new person.
Seeing his flustered expression, Marina raised a brow. Alwin quickly gathered himself together, afraid he might have looked like a creep.
"Y-you look stunning, Marin. I guess I've never seen you in a... different fashion before."
Marina crossed her arms — suspicious of Alwin's sudden compliment.
"Uhm.. thanks? Can we go now?"
He stands up and fixes his clothes, his hair damped from the splash of water earlier.
"Right, let go now."
With that, both of them make their way out of the cabin. Just as they reached the door, Marina halted, placing a hand on Alwin's shoulder.
"W-wait, how long do I have to babysit the heir for?"
Alwin looked over his shoulder, then turned to face her.
"Well, in the contract I received, I was supposed to protect him for two weeks. So you'll be staying for fourteen days."
Marina dropped her bag that she was carrying — too stunned to move or speak.
"F-four-fourteen.. days...? I-i can't do that—"
Before Marina could protest, Alwin pulled out his notebook again as a reminder. Marina turned completely shut, as she slumped in surrender. She picked up the bag on the floor and followed Alwin outside.
They begin to walk a few miles into the woods before eventually stopping after they reach an open field.
"Alright, this place is big enough."
He pointed his hand to the ground beneath his feet.
"Ignis Volātus."
Alwin started chanting a spell. Below him, a fiery column starts to form. He offered his hand to Marina, waiting for her to accept.
"Climb aboard, Loner Witch. We don't have all day."
Marina crossed her arms in stubbornness but accepted it anyway.
"Hmph, I could fly by myself!"
Alwin let out a small chuckle. Slowly, they started to take off from the ground, as a cocoon of fire enveloped them completely. With a final boost, the blazing cocoon flew to the sky at high speed.
The cocoon made its way through a couple of villages and a few bustling districts. Azrya, until today, has been striving under the protection of the Supreme Sages and the Dome of Hope.
A moment later, they arrived at the capital of Azrya — Kuala Iris, the most advanced city of its time, with buildings reaching heights unimaginable. One of them was the infamous Iris Tower, which was built during the uprising of the Aryans against oppression.
However, following the recent terrorist attack by a group of tax extremists, the tower was critically damaged and is now under reconstruction.
Their journey towards the noble housing passes in a blur, with the occasional chirping of the birds who flew along with them.
Then, they finally arrived at the Florence family's housing. But they did not land in the front yard; instead, they landed in the backyard, where a maid was waiting for them. The maid approached them, bowing slightly before greeting them.
"It's good to see you, Lord Alwin. I assume this is the new maid you speak of?"
The maid's gaze turns to Marina.
"Your assumption was correct, Miss Lily. This is Marina Evergreen. She'll be working here for two weeks."
Marina looked at Alwin, raising a brow.
"Evergreen? My name is— Mhf!" Alwin quickly shut Marina's mouth using his hand, muffling her words.
Alwin laughed awkwardly, trying to cover up for her. "Don't.. mind her, she speaks some nonsense sometimes."
He leans closer to her ear, whispering.
"Just follow what I do and do not reveal your identity, understood?" His voice was low, but audible. Marina nodded as Alwin let go of her mouth, allowing her to breathe.
"Well, everything's done here. I'll take my leave. You take care, Marina."
Alwin starts casting a flight spell.
"W-wait, you can't just leave me like this! Alwin!"
Alwin intentionally ignored her plea.
"Sorry, can't hear you! Ignis Volātus!"
With that, he flew away from the backyard garden, leaving Marina with the maid, Lily.
She turns around, seeing Lily just standing there, looking up at the sky where Alwin had left. Then, she turned her attention to Marina, who was standing in front of her.
"Greetings, miss Evergreen, my name is Lily. Looking forward to future collaboration."
Her greetings were quite enthusiastic; she bowed her head slightly as a symbol of acquaintanceship. Marina also bowed slightly, perhaps... things won't be as bad as they seemed.
—Penning a new chapter...