Chapter 821: That Face
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 821: That Face
"You jerk..."
In a room dominated by a large bed, Ariel set down the transmission stone and indignantly swatted at the man behind her who had been intentionally making trouble.
"I was talking to Liya! What do you think you're doing?"
"Don't you like it?"
Muen leaned in close to Ariel’s ear, nipping at the lobe. "You looked like you were enjoying it to me."
"Who—who would enjoy this! What if Liya found out?"
Ariel huffed in dissatisfaction. She had been startled when the transmission stone rang in the first place and hadn't wanted to answer while they were doing something so... shameful. But this cursed blonde bastard had insisted she pick up.
Not only did he make her answer, but he had deliberately messed with her while she was speaking, clearly trying to make her lose her composure!
"Your mouth says no, but your body is being very honest."
Muen quickened his pace, causing Ariel’s body to tremble slightly. She nearly "tripped" again, but before she could actually fall, Muen tightened his grip on her slender waist and offered a tender consolation. "Don't worry. As long as she doesn't see it with her own eyes, I don't think Liya would ever believe such a thing."
"Mm... I guess... I guess you're right."
Ariel narrowed her eyes, feeling her spirit gradually soaring. Her gaze drifted involuntarily toward the full-length mirror nearby.
Through the glass, she saw her own flushed cheeks and blurred, misty eyes. Her trademark rebellious smirk had long since vanished, replaced by the tip of her little tongue peeking out from between her parted cherry lips with every rhythmic wave of sensation.
Forget Liya—even Ariel herself, just a month ago, would never have imagined that the great Ariel Bugard would be bullied to this extent by a wretched blonde bastard.
"Wait, you did the same thing when Liya called before, didn't you!" Ariel suddenly gritted her teeth.
"What?"
"Don't play dumb. Back in the Holy City, when I called Liya on the transmission stone."
Ariel suddenly remembered something and jabbed her elbow back at the blonde bastard. "I thought Liya’s voice sounded strange back then. She said something about doing 'deep squats.' I didn't understand it then, but thinking back on it now... it was you then, too!"
"Ahem... pure coincidence, pure coincidence." Muen rubbed his nose, looking slightly embarrassed.
"Ha, coincidence? It’s bad enough you use the same tricks, but it’s the same two people, just with the roles reversed. Are you happy now?"
The more she thought about it, the more embarrassed and annoyed Ariel became.
Two beautiful girls who were childhood sweethearts being toyed with by the same man—this was supposed to be the kind of thing she used to daydream about. Instead, she and her childhood friend were the ones being "enjoyed" together by this damnable blonde.
Sometimes, the word 'fate' likes to throw a bizarre curveball exactly where you least expect it.
"My dear, let's not talk about things that happened so long ago."
Ariel’s elbow strike was useless; instead, Muen used the movement to find a better angle and pushed deeper.
"Why don't we talk about something more recent?"
"Wh-what recent thing?"
"For example..."
Muen gave a wicked, mischievous grin. "How is it that someone who explicitly said she wasn't coming ended up here anyway? And so early, too? An is still in the shower."
"Ugh... I didn't..."
At the mention of this even more embarrassing fact, Ariel’s attention was instantly diverted.
"Nonsense, I didn't come early on purpose..."
She hadn't come early intentionally. It was just... just... she just happened to get caught while passing by this room.
Yes, that was all it was.
*
"Therefore, we can completely rule out Ariel as the thieving cat."
After a round of rigorous and reliable deductive analysis, Liya naturally crossed out the result that was impossible from any angle.
In fact, the very idea was preposterous.
After all, that was Ariel—the brave, resilient, unyielding, confident, and independent Ariel Bugard! Even if Liya pushed her little brain into overdrive, she couldn't imagine Ariel submissively yielding to the blonde bastard she hated most, let alone putting on lace-trimmed erotic lingerie to actively seek his favor.
It seemed her strange premonition from earlier was just a result of being too obsessed with the thieving cat, combined with a weird mental association triggered by Ariel’s name appearing in the pile of information.
"The only remaining possibilities lie among these maids."
"What does Your Highness plan to do?"
"Let me think..."
Liya rubbed her smooth chin. She had never realized that catching a little thieving cat would be such a brain-burning task. Yet, as she did this, a strange emotion flickered in her heart—she couldn't tell if it was excitement, anger, or something else...
After all, she had always been the one caught as the thieving cat before. This was her first time being the one doing the catching!
"I'm done thinking!"
Liya suddenly crumpled the intelligence reports in her hand and said crossly:
"Thinking is useless. I'm not a detective; I can't determine her identity through these tiny clues!"
"Oh? Does the Saintess mean..."
"Infiltration."
Liya spoke with total gravity. "Search the premises and confirm it with my own eyes."
"..."
Lin was momentarily stunned.
It was normal enough for an ordinary woman to secretly tail or infiltrate a place to catch a love rival or a mistress. Even Lin, who grew up in the Holy City, had heard female believers sharing tips on how to tell if their husbands were fooling around and how to catch them in the act.
But the person standing before her was no ordinary woman.
Though she wore a black robe large enough to hide her graceful figure and a hood that concealed half her face, the night breeze occasionally ruffled her pale golden hair, revealing a glimpse of an exquisite floral crown woven of crystal and silver. It radiated an aura of holiness and nobility at all times.
The Immaculate Saintess, Liya Angel.
The Saintess who was most holy, perfect, and lofty in the eyes of billions of believers—someone they wouldn't even dare look at for too long for fear of profaning her—was now planning to sneak into someone’s manor like a common shrew to see who the thieving cat was?
And then what? Catch her on the spot and use her status as the "official girlfriend" to humiliate her?
Get a grip, Saintess... technically speaking, you... you aren't the "official" one either!
"Your Highness, is this perhaps..." Lin hesitated. "A bit inappropriate?"
"Is there a problem?"
Liya spoke with the confidence of someone who knew she was wrong but didn't care.
"Tonight, I'm temporarily not the Saintess. I'm just an ordinary girl worried about her lover, afraid he's been deceived by some seductive vixen from who-knows-where. Isn't it normal to do something like this?"
"This..."
"Besides, I was going to do this anyway. The investigation was just for the sake of caution. Since the investigation failed, I obviously have to go see for myself."
Seeing Lin’s hesitation, Liya immediately changed her expression. She pouted, grabbing Lin’s sleeve and shaking it, looking pitiful.
"I've worked so hard as the Saintess for so long. I haven't even eaten cake lately because I was afraid of getting fat. Lin, won't you satisfy even this one tiny request?"
"...Sigh."
Lin, unable to withstand this tactic, let out a helpless sigh.
"I don't have the authority to stop you, Your Highness. I only hope you remember your special status. Your business with Muen Campbell must never be leaked, even if the other person is another of his lovers. Do you understand?"
"Don't worry!"
Liya was overjoyed.
"I won't confront her directly. I'll wait until I've confirmed her identity. If I don't know her, I'll arrest her on the charge of offending a Church Knight and give her a good 're-education.' I won't give her a chance to cause trouble!"
Liya ground her teeth, showing a mischievous, delinquent-like grin, as if she had already planned exactly how to punish that shameless thieving cat.
She hadn't spent her time away from Muen without growing!
As for whether she could handle it... Hmph, she had already survived those two "Hell Mode" rivals. Why would she fear some stray cat of unknown origin?
Could this thieving cat be harder to deal with than that seductive vixen of an Empress or that seductive vixen of a Sword Bearer from the Silence Bureau?
Even if she was, Liya wasn't afraid. This time, she had brought a secret weapon specifically designed to deal with such vixens!
"As for if I do know her..."
Wait.
Liya paused.
How could she know her? Aside from Muen, she shouldn't have any acquaintances in this mansion.
So, she just needed to follow Plan A.
"Anyway, I'll be careful!"
Liya took Lin’s hand and pleaded, "I'll have to trouble Lin to keep watch."
"Sigh!"
Lin sighed heavily. "I just hope you don't get too carried away."
"How can you call this 'playing'?"
Liya pouted in protest, then turned toward the mansion gates. She pumped her fist, chest out and head held high.
"This is war! A war to the death!"
*
"This is war! A war to the death!"
Somewhere in the garden, the little maid Noah held a broom, baring her teeth at a corner.
"You damn cockroach, watch me kill you!"
Smack!
Noah swung the broom with the force of a gale, her movements sharp and extraordinary. The "little monster" with eight legs and two antennae scurried out of the corner in terror, but before it could escape into the safety of the shadows, it was crushed to pieces by Noah’s broom.
Hmph. A mere pest invading the Duke's Estate—how could it be a match for a maid of the Campbell house?
"Job done!"
Noah clapped her hands triumphantly and shouldered her broom, walking off with a rough, un-maid-like swagger to attend to her other chores.
The Head Maid was clearly preoccupied with some physically and mentally taxing business; she hadn't shown her face much over the past two days. Consequently, Noah and the other maids had become much more relaxed. Without An watching them, they were far less restrained. Some had even gathered to place bets on who would last longer: Head Maid An or Miss Ariel.
Of course, the first round had clearly gone to those who bet on An. Late into the night, Miss Ariel’s pleas for mercy could be heard from quite a distance outside the door, making the group of innocent little maids blush and their hearts race so much they couldn't sleep.
None of that mattered to Noah, though. Because she had helped Young Master Muen "aid and abet his villainy" previously, she had been exiled by An to clean the backyard. She was stuck here all alone and couldn't go back until she finished.
How pitiful, how tragic. All of this had nothing to do with a weak, helpless, and hungry little maid like her; she was just following the Young Master’s orders.
Fortunately, the Young Master didn't just give orders; he also gave her a raise.
"I love cleaning, I'm in a good mood, hum-de-hum-de-hum..."
At the thought of her income, which was now far higher than before, Noah felt a surge of joy. Even her footsteps became...
"Huh?"
She suddenly shivered.
"What was that?"
Noah stopped halfway, hugging her shoulders and looking around. She muttered in confusion, "Why did it feel like a cold wind just blew past? Is the temperature dropping early?"
*
The bathroom.
Mist filled the air.
Warm spring water flowed steadily from the mouth of a lion sculpture, causing the flower petals floating on the surface to dance.
An was submerged in the bath. Unusually, she wasn't in a rush to wash; instead, she relaxed completely, letting her beautiful body merge with the pure spring water.
Because of the promises she had been forced to make, she no longer had to rush to eliminate the "pests." This left her with a strange sense of aimlessness, as if a long-held goal had suddenly vanished from the world.
But An didn't actually feel much resentment.
She still hated those pests, of course. She wanted nothing more than to completely destroy their seductive bodies—the ones they used to tempt the Young Master—until not even ashes remained... But just like when the Young Master had finally satisfied her last night, he would give her more... and more... so much that it overflowed, just to stop her from acting.
The satisfaction that came after he deliberately made her crave him to the extreme was enough to make her soul go numb. She didn't want to wake up from it.
So... letting them go for a while wasn't out of the question.
Temporarily.
Only temporarily.
There would always be other chances to clear out the pests later.
An raised her hand, her palm brushing over the red hickeys scattered across her skin. Her hatred for the pests faded, replaced by a heart full of sweetness.
Although her intimacy with the Young Master wasn't perfect because another annoying pest was present, this experience—which allowed her to fully savor the Young Master’s love—would surely continue tonight...
"I'll have to work harder tonight so that pest doesn't take too much... Who's there?"
Suddenly, An cut off her monologue. Sensing something, she bolted upright in the bath, her sharp gaze darting toward a corner of the room.
Steel surged, and in an instant, the air was thick with killing intent.
But... once she was on guard, she saw nothing.
It seemed that a magic stone in the bathroom had merely flickered, making her think someone was peeping.
"Is the magic stone getting old... Noah and the others really aren't doing their jobs properly."
An frowned, displeased.
"They didn't replace a magic stone that's about to fail. It seems I've been too lenient with them lately..."
*
"Whew... that was scary, that was scary."
In a deserted courtyard, Liya emerged from a cluster of Holy Light, clutching her chest nervously.
As expected of someone the Church’s intelligence identified as possessing the Steel God's Blessing—and who might be related to a powerful ancient Demon—An was formidable. Even though she was officially just a maid, the killing intent and threat she released in that instant made even Liya, a Saintess, feel a chill.
"That was close. I almost got caught."
Liya breathed a sigh of relief. Judging by the killing intent the maid named An had released, she would have undoubtedly attacked the moment she realized someone was watching.
That would have turned into a major incident.
Fortunately, Liya’s control over Holy Light had improved significantly during her time as Saintess. She wasn't so easily detected by a Fifth-Tier Martial Artist.
However...
"That's strange."
Liya knit her brows slightly.
"One is cleaning, and the other is bathing. Neither of them is with Muen right now... Miss Noah and Miss An, the two most likely candidates among the maids, don't seem to be the thieving cat. Then who... who is it?"
Was it because it was too early?
No, no. She understood Muen very well. It was already this late; there was no way he would ignore the beautiful girls he had on hand. No matter how busy he was, he would definitely find time to do "favorite things" with them.
After all, that’s how he was back in the Holy City. During the day, she would receive the pious worship of the believers, and at night, she would be dragged into a room for a massive session. He wouldn't even let the small window of time before morning prayer go to waste. There was no reason for Muen to change his nature just because he was back in his own home.
"If it's not those two, could it be..."
Liya thought for a moment, realizing she shouldn't let stereotypes cloud her judgment.
She couldn't focus all her attention on Miss An and Miss Noah just because they were the most likely. Even if it wasn't them...
It could be any of the other maids!
"Right. Keep going, keep going. I can't give up!"
Liya encouraged herself. Holy Light surged, and she transformed back into a phantom, vanishing into the depths of the mansion...
*
An hour later.
The previously undeterred Liya reappeared, panting for breath. After a brief rest, she widened her beautiful eyes and looked at the mansion, which remained grand and imposing even in the dark of night.
What was going on?
She had searched the entire Duke's Estate and checked every single maid listed in Lin’s intelligence reports, but she found...
None of them were the thieving cat?
The night was late. Some maids had already gone to sleep, but most were gathered together, excitedly discussing something. To avoid being discovered, Liya hadn't gotten close, so she didn't know what they were talking about. She only knew they seemed to be placing bets on something. But anyone with a brain knew these maids couldn't be chatting with their colleagues while simultaneously doing shameful things with Muen.
So, they were ruled out as well.
"...Who is it? Who exactly is the thieving cat?"
Liya looked at the intelligence report in her hand, now covered in red 'X's, her hand trembling slightly. She had never imagined that simply identifying a thieving cat would be this difficult.
"If it's not someone from Lin’s report, could this thieving cat be so powerful that she can completely evade the Church’s eyes and ears?"
Liya straightened her back, her face full of solemnity.
Yes, think about the people that blonde pig had provoked before: the Empire's Empress, the Sword Bearer of the Silence Bureau, the Church's Saintess... It wouldn't be strange if this thieving cat was a member of some hidden, massive power.
The Stone Cauldron Association? The Tower of Origins? Or perhaps royalty from another nation?
Liya took a deep breath.
She had already approached this unknown thieving cat with the utmost seriousness, but the opponent was even harder to deal with than she had imagined.
She hadn't even met her yet, and she already felt immense pressure!
"But I won't back down so easily!"
Magical flames suddenly flared up, incinerating all the intelligence reports into ash.
Liya’s gaze was resolute, her fighting spirit rising like the flames.
Since she couldn't find out who it was in advance and couldn't even find a trace of her, she would stop beating around the bush!
"Mm... ah..."
Carried by the breeze, a faint, sweet moan drifted from deep within the mansion. Liya’s round of intelligence gathering hadn't been entirely useless; at least she knew where Muen’s room was. And as she expected, Muen was currently in that room doing shameful things with the thieving cat!
"Since indirect methods won't work... I'll just have to go see for myself. Sorry, Lin..."
Liya murmured under her breath.
After all that circling around, she still had to use the most direct method and do the most dangerous thing.
—A face-to-face confrontation with the unknown thieving cat, with neither side prepared!
"Get ready, you little firecracker..."
Holy Light swirled around Liya, making her look incredibly solemn.
"The wrath of your senior isn't something you can easily endure!"
Liya secretly decided that she would increase the intensity of this thieving cat’s "re-education" by five times... no, ten times!
A full ten times!
*
A few minutes later, with the help of the Holy Light, Liya successfully reached the window of Muen’s room without a sound.
As the room of a Duke’s son, it was naturally protected by anti-peeping magic. She couldn't simply look through the window and see everything safely like she had that first time she opened the "adult door" at the Academy.
This time, to see everything clearly, Liya had to actually enter this dangerous room that was already saturated with lust.
Fortunately, for the current her, this was no longer a difficult task.
"Holy Light Incorporealization."
Liya whispered the incantation.
In an instant, her body glowed brightly, as if she had completely merged with the Holy Light.
Then, the light dispersed, turning into several fluttering butterflies that passed through the glass and entered the room.
The Holy Light butterflies flapped their wings silently. The two people in the room, focused on their intense battle, didn't notice the faint aura of Holy Light at all.
Unfortunately, Liya had no vision in this state. Thus, the butterflies circled the room once before diving under the bed—the only place to hide—and reforming into Liya’s body.
The heart-pounding sounds were right next to her. Lying under the bed, Liya had no time for second thoughts. She gritted her silver teeth and said:
"Let me see just who you are, you wretched thieving cat!"
With that, because her chest was a bit of an obstacle, she struggled to crawl a short distance under the bed until she reached a position where she could see the two of them. She poked her head out slightly...
"Mm... ah... no... slower..."
Sweet cries filled the entire room.
Right across from the large bed, a girl with skin like cream was wearing scraps of cloth even more daring and lewd than what Liya had seen before. She was leaning against the dressing table, legs slightly bent, actively arching her rear in a stance similar to a horse stance.
And the blonde man Liya had been pining for was riding wild behind the girl.
Everything matched the scene Liya had imagined.
The thieving cat was so seductive, so wanton, and so shameless. The sounds coming from her mouth were enough to melt not just Muen, but even Liya herself.
But the one thing that made Liya’s head spin, the one thing she hadn't expected...
Through the reflection in the mirror, she saw a familiar face:
"Ariel???"