There’s No Way My Maid Is a Villain

Departure

After listening to what her sister said, Yinhua realized the severity of the situation and put away her playful expression.

The so-called Spirit Selection was a global sacrificial ceremony; during this event, one hundred chosen ones would each receive their own companion spirit. This ritual was called 'Spirit Pact'.

The companion spirit was closely tied to its master's life—if the pact-bearer died, the companion spirit would be buried together as well; if the companion spirit died, the pact-bearer would also suffer grave injury.

Generally, the companion spirit would have a very high degree of similarity to its owner: if you were a genius, he wouldn't be much worse; if you were a strategist, then the companion spirit—let's just call them "spirit companions" for convenience—would be equally intelligent.

Spirit companions could be sung-of heroes, cursed demons, or even gods from the Trayastrimsa.

Most importantly, some of the abilities of a spirit companion could be shared with the pact-bearer—talents, insights, magic, tactics, and so on.

So for Yinhua, this was a rare opportunity, perhaps her last chance to learn magic.

"How much time do we have left until it starts?"

"Noon, three days from now."

"That soon? Why didn't you inform me earlier?"

"Oh, please, my foolish little sister, I rushed here all the way from the Imperial Capital, and you changed your comm-stone's frequency! How could I have found you so easily? If it weren't for my status as a Princess, I might not have managed to bring you word until Spirit Selection was over—by then, everything would have been too late."

"I—I see... hahahaha..."

Realizing it was her own fault, Yinhua awkwardly laughed.

"Time is tight now. Gather your things and hurry back to Zilin Palace with me. By the time we see the Emperor, it'll just about be time. We can't waste even a minute now."

Who was it who had just been sleeping so soundly a moment ago?

"I get it. Aili!"

"Reporting. Mistress, all packed up,"

Aili said, holding a suitcase in her hand.

"So fast!"

"Hey, hey, hey, there's something off about this maid, isn't there?"

"No, that's just the standard for a maid."

Aili's tone was as calm as a still lake.

"What kind of standard maid is that? How did you pack so fast? Am I just losing my mind?"

"Yes. Perhaps you forgot to wind yourself up before leaving the house today. Your brain cells have stopped functioning, ceased entirely, leaving you lying on the roadside as a corpse, waiting to be gnawed clean by stray dogs—no one would care anyway."

Aili murmured the last two sentences in an almost inaudible voice.

"You just said something extremely horrifying, didn't you?!"

Liqin cried out in horror.

"No, perhaps your eardrums shattered, too."

"From that tone, I bet you said something even more terrifying just now—am I right?!"

Still as sharp-tongued as always, but it seemed even harsher now.

But looking at Sister Liqin's expression, for some inexplicable reason I felt... was I about to awaken some extraordinary new talent?

"Don't worry, Aili is one of the friends I trust the most; nothing will go wrong."

"Ah, why only 'one of'? ... So sad."

Aili's expression became increasingly unwell.

"So cold... Isn't it spring already?"

Liqin felt the air growing colder.

"Calm down—we really need to get going,"

Yinhua hastily said, sensing that things were getting a bit out of hand.

"Y-yes, O-okay, S-s-so cold... ahhhhh..."

Looking back, Yinhua found her dear sister had already turned into an ice sculpture. If a master artist walked by, he might have knelt in awe.

"Big sis Liqin!!!"

***

"Honestly, it's all because of you, Big sis Liqin. We wasted so much time."

"??????"

Liqin with a question mark.

"By the way, little sister, what about your school? Will it be alright?"

"Rest assured, I just finished contacting them. I took a sick leave,"

Aili said.

"??????"

Liqin with a question mark.

"Right, before we leave, I'd like to go visit Xiya—even just to let her know about this."

........... Silence.

"Hey, my dear and mighty mistress, did you know? Even if a person loses all four limbs, they can still survive."

"Aili, you're breaking character! You've been acting weird since this morning!"

"Ara, I can become anything for your sake."

Aili held a Snowsoft Flower in one hand and a hatchet in the other.

"Ahahaha... We need to hurry up. If we don't reach Mengxi before sunset, the teleportation array will close and we won't be able to leave today. We'll just swing by Xiya's place for a quick look—a quick look!"

Sensing her life was in danger, Yinhua rushed her words.

"You really are... well, consider this my thanks for this morning."

Actually, Aili already knew Yinhua would never just 'take a look and leave', but as a servant, she had to respect her mistress's wishes, even though her murderous intent remained undiminished.

"Let's go. I haven't left Shayuola City in such a long time."

"Please walk slowly and watch your step."

Unlike other magic users, if Yinhua had an accident, the consequences could be dire.

After the two had gone, Liqin's expression turned grave. She had certainly noticed the earlier exchange, though she hadn't interrupted once.

Seeing the white flower in Aili's hand, she saw it was laden with sealing runes of the highest order—something an ordinary maid could never achieve.

"Was she warning me just now..."

Liqin said heavily.

"This maid named Aili has a terrifyingly high level of vigilance. That's not necessarily a bad thing, but why would someone like that be so attached to little Yin? She's been by Yinhua's side since long ago, but was she always like this?"

After thinking long and hard without an answer, Liqin sighed.

"Well, with her by little Yin's side, maybe I really can rest easy."

-------------= Clacky's Corner -------------=
【ദ്ദി(⩌ᴗ⩌)】