"I… Iaier… um… I found… I found that the young master was asleep when I got up at night, so… so I came to cover him with a blanket."
She lowered her head shyly.
Of course, this was a lie. She hadn't left at all!
Perhaps it was the story she had read in class today that made her shiver—especially after she had substituted the owner and the beagle in the story with the young master and herself. Her mind was full of the image of the young master turning back and saying, "I don't need you anymore," and then leaving with the little fire dragon.
So she deliberately left the door ajar.
Then she watched Will's body slowly sink into the chair, even hearing him snore lightly.
But she would lie!
As a loyal maid… how could she spy on her own young master? What was wrong with her?
Oh… it must be because she had been reading Three Hundred Questions about Darkness before bed.
"Huh? Didn't you go back? But that's strange…"
Will glanced sensitively at the moon outside the window. He realized he hadn't slept long—maybe only ten minutes. I didn't sleep long… is it really a coincidence that Yiel knew I was asleep so quickly and came to cover me with a blanket?
"Hmm!"
Yi Ai'er, sleepy moments ago, now had perky ears, bright eyes, and a curled tail. She looked alert. The young master was too perceptive—how could she hide it?
Yiel had to confess and hope for leniency.
"Then… that… that… Yi'er was copying Three Hundred Questions of Darkness…"
"Oh? And?"
"There's… there's a question inside… it's about… what if the man you like… closes the door and won't let you in…"
Will's ears twitched.
"It… it said to peek through the crack of the door, so my mind got confused and I wanted to try it… Then I saw the young master slowly falling onto the table, and I thought he must have fallen asleep… I'm sorry! Next time, I'll—eh?"
Before Yi Ai'er could finish, Will hugged her.
The hug was firm, holding her as if to reassure her.
Will didn't speak immediately, but Yi Ai'er could feel his relief through the embrace.
In the brief silence, she listened closely to her young master's breathing—so steady, so calm—while her own heartbeat raced.
This was the first time Will had hugged her.
For some reason, from the very first time they met, the young master had always kept a "respectful" distance—unlike the perverts who often took liberties with their maids.
He almost never made physical contact without consent. Even when tugging her clothes, he would carefully check if it hurt.
So… this was unusual.
It made Yi Ai'er anxious.
What had he dreamed about just now? And why did he call her name? Was it related to her?
"Master… did you just have a nightmare?"
Will's face was close to her ear, his deep breathing audible.
"Phew… it's okay. It's great that you can really learn something…"
But Yi Ai'er felt him hug her tighter. He patted her back in encouragement.
Will's words were always playful, teasing. Sometimes it was hard to know what he truly meant.
But Yi Ai'er felt that this time, he truly meant it.
He really wanted to graduate from Dark Love Science.
"Hold on."
"Ah?"
"I will let you be reborn in the fire, strengthen your body and mind with hatred, hold a heavy shield of ice, coat yourself with plain ice, behead dragons, destroy stars, and make the person you love kneel before you forever—"
Yi Ai'er didn't understand a word. She wondered if the young master had somehow learned to dream while standing.
"Master… you should go to bed early. You… you're more… more intense than usual. Yiel is… very scared…"
"Yawn… I really didn't get enough sleep last night. I shouldn't have spied on the young master…"
The next morning, Yi Ai'er kept yawning.
She stood in front of the mirror, staring at the dark circles under her eyes, and put the collar on the table around her neck. The icy flow against her skin made her jump.
Today, Will told her that doing something big would consume too much of her physical strength and magic power. He canceled her training this morning and asked her to wake him up so they could go together to prepare the training ground.
She rubbed her eyes and walked through the corridor. Perhaps it was the first time she had worn the collar while moving around Will's house, and she could hear many whispers.
"As expected, Will isn't really a good person either."
"Hmph. I saw he was serious about learning magic, and his grades are good. I thought he was different from the previous brothers."
"Isn't that the collar you put on your personal maid?"
"Stop talking. He's going to enter Entak First Academy. I'll take care of him. Let him have fun when the time comes."
Yi Ai'er clenched her fists. She turned to shout, *"Young master isn't like that!"*—only to notice the gossiping maids were ten meters away.
She touched her ears. Perhaps her training had paid off; her magic circuits were fully mobilized, and her senses had improved. Her wolf ears could clearly pick up sounds from that distance.
But…
She stopped outside Will's door.
The young master devoted almost all his time to cultivating her, staying up late every day. Such a good young master… misunderstood by so many behind his back. Perhaps he could hear those words too…
Thinking this, Yi Ai'er felt a pang of sadness. She needed to become stronger—to protect her young master!
Determined, she knocked on the door.
*Boom, boom, boom.*
"Come in, I'll be up soon."
As the door opened, her smile vanished.
Will was lying on the bed, shirtless. On his back rested a medium-sized slime in a cage, its viscous liquid slowly flowing down his body.
The young master wore his glasses and held the draft paper he had written with excitement last night, reading it carefully.
"Don't be surprised. I thought that if you weren't training alone, I couldn't either. I need to adapt to my destiny as well."
He pushed up his glasses and lifted the trembling slime from his back.
"This is a trial. Since our fate can't be changed, we can only adapt from now on—"
"At least wear some clothes, Master."
"Fate tells me that when I face it in the future… I will be naked."
"Master, please be normal."
Yi Ai'er felt too sentimental, worrying about Will like this.
He always did his own thing, caring little about others' opinions.
But…
The same young master who always went his own way had hugged her last night, as if afraid she would leave.
Thinking of yesterday, Yi Ai'er felt happy.
"It's okay, it's okay. There's something big today. I've prepared the operation for the Extreme Flame Meteor. Let's get started…"
Will stepped off the bed confidently—and then stepped in the slime that had just dripped down.
Yi Ai'er only remembered the moment his glasses flew off, and she struggled to hold back her laughter.
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