“Hah!” With a loud shout, Aria made a cutting motion with her sword against the tree. Her movement was fast and clean, flowing seamlessly as it left a deep cut in the bark of the strong tree.

Two years went by in a flash since the meal with Marian and Aria's previous immature and childish body was going through continuous changes.

She didn't only grow taller and developed a nice pair of breasts, but her childlike facial features were slowly fading away, giving her a confident but playful countenance.

On a side note, as Louise, she had been as plain as a board, and that had been something she hated.

Marian, who had changed little in the past two years, watched everything from a certain distance.

Perhaps it was because Aria continued to flirt with her for the past two years, but nowadays, she couldn’t help but feel more mindful of her lady.

Forget her graceful and smooth movements. The way her blouse was unbuttoned, revealing the tender and cream-like skin of her collarbone; the way her clothes stuck to her skin because of the sweat; and even how when she tied her hair in a ponytail her nape looked really enticing…

Everything was so—

Shaking her head, Marian threw those thoughts out of her mind while berating herself. How could she have thoughts like these about her lady? It wasn't only shameful, but also indicated a lack of discipline on her part.

Little did she know, however, that Aria wanted exactly that.

On the other hand…

While drinking the refreshing beverage served by Marian, Aria observed the changes that happened in her character sheet during the last two years.

[Character Sheet

Name: Aria Tealeaf

Titles: Earl Tealeaf’s Daughter; The One Abandoned by Fate.

Jobs: Noble Daughter (1); Swordswoman (9); Student (9); Smooth Talker (8).

Level: 1.

Strength: D-

Agility: E+

Vitality: E-

Magic: F

Charisma: D+

Luck: E]

The changes may seem minimal at first, but they were the result of intense training and a lot of flirting with Marian. Her luck had also been increasing, and she believed it was because she was no more the original, unlucky Aria.

Because classes were acquired and strengthened by ‘roleplaying’ them, her studies in the evening and intense swordsmanship training in the morning and afternoon had netted her a nice increase in status.

Obviously, she was still far away from being powerful enough.

Above all, she was taking care to not push her still developing body too far, as that could leave lasting damage.

Turning to the side, Aria was going to speak with Marian when she caught sight of a stranger. It was an older maid that did not work under her, but directly for the Earl – the head maid Vivian.

“Miss Aria,” her voice was respectful, through her eyes not as much, “Lord Edward, your father, has sent me to call you.”

At her words, Aria's eyes narrowed as she stared down at the older woman. She stood quiet for a while as if thinking about something. Then, after properly buttoning her clothes, she opened her mouth.

“Lead the way.” After saying so, she did not spare the woman another glance.

It was just that some people did not know their places.

“I am sorry, miss, but I will have to excuse myself. I have other things to settle…”

“Hm? When was it that I asked you that?” Feigning ignorance, Aria threw the woman a supercilious look. “To think the dogs of this house have learned how to bark toward their owners… what an embarrassment.”

Hearing such clear insults, the mask the old maid was wearing cracked slightly, showing her true emotions for a moment. However, controlling the twitch of her lips and brows, she put on an even face and walked ahead without saying anything.

As this clash issued, and although Aria did not notice, Marian twitched slightly at her lady’s words, her calm face crumbling for just a moment.

--- - -

The previous Aria would have felt as if her heart was going to leap through her mouth if she was ever summoned by her father to his office. The current Aria, however, felt her time was better spent imagining what kind of underwear her dear maid was wearing today.

When the head maid Vivian opened the office’s door for her, Aria scowled.

The maid was just acting meek because she was conscious of what the Earl was thinking by calling her here. Maybe it was not only her but, also, all the other servants.

After all, Earl Edward had never called for his first daughter before.

“Mary~~” In a playful tone, Aria turned to the maid that was ready to stand and watch outside the room, “don’t think you can flee now.”

Grabbing her hand in a smooth motion, she walked inside the room while almost dragging the maid together with her.

After going inside, Aria immediately spotted her father sitting behind his desk. She had not seen him even once during the past two years, so this was the first time they meet face to face.

Earl Edward had ordinary features, looking neither handsome nor ugly. However, his rigid and proper posture, and his ever-frowning eyes, were a charm most ladies in the mansion admired.

Aria, however, couldn’t find anything that picked her interest when looking at the man.

“May I ask why the esteemed Earl has summoned me?” Not wanting to waste any time with idle chats, Aria went straight to the point.

Edward peered at her for an instant, taking his time as if he was entitled to her own.

“You are already fourteen years old.” His voice was even and cold, lacking any fatherly qualities. “Since that is the case, and you have lived freely and without any concerns up to now…” Aria felt a squeeze in her hand, “time has come for you to pay back everything you have been given.”

Aria felt her lips twitch, and she almost laughed aloud. However, in the end, she did not say anything and decided to watch this comedy to the end.

“You will soon be debuting as a noble lady, and the family has gone through several prospective marriages for you.” Seeing him speak in such a roundabout way, Aria wondered if all nobles were this boring.

That was why she completely ignored his following words. She had already understood during the past two years that the Earl was an ambitious man, so it wasn’t a surprise that he wanted to use her to strengthen his connection to other noble families.

With that being said, she was paying far more attention to the warm fingers interlocked with her own.

Marian’s hand was far from being soft and the years of work had made them callused. Nonetheless, they felt extremely warm and nice to hold, making Aria unconsciously start to fiddle with her fingers.

“In this envelope, you will find information about your prospective marriage partners.” The Earl indicated an envelope with his chin, looking properly at her for the first time.

His eyes hovered over the intertwined hands for an instant, but he soon ignored it. Aria judged that he was probably thinking she was too afraid to be here without her loyal maid.

“Read it and get prepared to meet those men in future parties and events. As a noble lady of this house, it is your obligation to…” serve as a bargaining chip, “work hard for the betterment of the family.”

Seeing he had nothing more to say, Aria smirked. If he thought she would allow things to go his way, then he was absurdly wrong.

“And what if I don’t want?” Correcting her laid-back posture, she stared sharply at him.

Not having expected such words to be spoken, the Earl was stunned momentarily. Aria could even see the ink trickle down his pen and fall on a document in front of him, staining it.

When he recovered, his words came out in a harsh, berating tone. "Do you think you are in a position to ref…" Using her pinkie to scratch inside her ear, and with a mocking tone, Aria promptly interrupted him.

“No, Earl. The one that doesn’t understand is you.” She glared at him. “Unless you want me to make a fool of myself and sully your dear family’s name, then you better compensate me well enough.”

He stood in silence and mused over it for a moment. "You are in no position to negotiate. It would be easy for me to confine you to your room for your whole life."

As if he would do that, she thought. “I wonder what people would say if the first daughter of an Earl never debuted, or never showed her face in public…” She feigned ignorance.

She already understood what sort of man the Earl was, so playing with him was easy.

Honestly, she was not even afraid he would make a move to erase her. No, Earl Edward was too ambitious and concerned with his image for that. He would never make a move that could possibly stain his name and the Tealeaf's honor.

That being so, there was no need to maintain a cordial relationship, and she’d rather shed all pretenses.

“So, if you want me to behave properly, and attend those boring parties, you will have to accommodate me.” Seeing he had nothing more to say, Aria laughed.

“Well, then, if the honorable Earl has nothing else to say, I will take my leave. Oh, I will be sending someone later, maybe that dog outside the door, with a list of my terms” Without showing any decorum Aria promptly turned to leave, and the man did not stop her.

At that moment, Earl Edward was unable to see, but a cold and mocking smile had formed on Aria’s lips. Only Marian was able to see it, making an unknown thrill course through her body.

Once outside, Aria sent the old maid a mocking grin and left alongside Marian.

Later, in her room, Aria had a small smile as she looked at the mirror.

She hadn’t planned much for the past two years, nor had she interfered with this rotten family. From the start, she had been planning to leave them aside until her coming of age, and yet…

Ah, they did not know with whom they were messing.

The original Aria had been trapped inside this state, not allowed to leave nor to interact with others. The Earl summoning lifted the shackles that had been placed on the girl since her birth, and would eventually mean a huge setback to the Tealeaf Family.

However, as much as Aria wanted to think about her future goals right now, there seemed someone who had other plans.

"My lady," a soft-sounding voice awakened her from her reverie, making Aria look toward her white-haired maid. "May I ask you a question?"

'Hm?' Aria lifted an eyebrow, thinking the maid was acting odd right now. "Obviously. Why would I refuse?”

"Then," Marian turned her head aside, as if not daring to look her lady in the eyes, "what you said earlier…" Her words ended in awkward silence.

Aria went through her earlier interactions with the maid, but could not find anything noteworthy. “What I said earlier?” In the end, she could only repeat after her.

“What you said earlier to Head Maid Vivian about being her master…” Her voice quacked slightly, “does that mean my lady is also my owner?”

Aria's eyes went wide for a moment, doubting her ears. However, when she finally comprehended what was going on, her lips parted into a wide, heartfelt, and mischievous smile.

“Hm… I wonder~” Sitting on her bed, she giggled at the maid and observed her. Seeing the almost imperceptible blush on her face, Aria’s eyes seemed to glow. “Mary, this is an order~ look at me.”

The maid hesitated for an instant but, eventually, turned her head to meet her master's eyes.

That instant when their eyes met seemed to last a breathtaking amount of time, and when Aria looked away, Marian let out a breath she did even know she was holding in.

However, she felt a foreign expectation bubble from the bottom of her heart.

When Aria looked toward her maid again, there was a playful light in her golden eyes.

With calm and lazy movements, she removed her shoes. Then, with a grace and charm she usually did not show, she started to take out her stockings – revealing the smooth and cream-like skin of her legs and thighs.

She made sure to make her movements as sensual as she could, provoking the maid in such a way that Marian unconsciously gulped.

Once she had removed her stockings, Aria spoke toward her servant.

“Did you know?” Her perverted thoughts almost made themselves known through her tone. “Good dogs love to lick their owner’s feet~”

Aria had always been on the dominant side, and it just so happened that a submissive, white-haired maid was totally in her striking zone!

‘I have been holding myself back for two years already… don’t blame me when you say something like that with such a straight face!’ She complained inside.

However, it was with absolute delight that she watched as the maid’s gaze wandered all over her body, paying particular focus to her exposed skin as her eyes moved toward her swinging feet.