4-49 - How Could the Villainous Young Master Be a Saintess?

**Volume 2, Chapter 49~ Are You Serious?** Author: Han Tang's Return Updated: 2025/5/28 20:30:01 Word Count: 4225 "Virtue +100." "Current Virtue: 5004." What’s with this villainess protagonist? She’s so bad! Vanessa's thoughts were full of resentment. Earlier, she pretended not to care and even started eating at the table just to deceive her, right?? Did she already know that Vanessa would react this way?! How long has she been waiting here to see all of Vanessa's embarrassing moments?! Vanessa's face was flushed with the shy, red hue of a young girl. She pursed her glossy lips, silently staring at Aesphyra with countless unspoken words. Her eyes reflected anger, embarrassment, shame, and a bit of grievance. Everything lay unsaid. "Sorry, sorry, Vanessa, your pouting, sulking face was just too cute to resist. I couldn't help but steal a few more glances," Aesphyra admitted, realizing she might have pushed Vanessa too far. "Who was sulking? Why would I sulk?? I wasn't sulking," Vanessa's voice faltered slightly as she spoke, turning her head away from Aesphyra. "Okay, okay, Vanessa isn’t sulking. I was mistaken. It's dinner time now, let's eat~?" Aesphyra laughed, scooping a spoonful of beef soup and offering it to Vanessa. Baby? Who's her baby?? So, all my reactions were indeed seen by her. It was intentional after all. "Please refrain from using such frivolous terms for others, Miss Aesphyra," Vanessa insisted, trying to maintain her composure despite her growing annoyance. How could someone be so bad?? "I said I'm not hungry," Vanessa's stomach protested otherwise, but she stood her ground, unwilling to eat the food Aesphyra had prepared. "Sure, sure, Veronica says she's not hungry, but it's mealtime, and I tried out a new recipe. Would you please taste it and tell me if it's good?" Aesphyra coaxed, her tone akin to persuading a child to eat. "If that's the case, why doesn't Miss Aesphyra taste it herself?" Vanessa retorted. "One needs a second opinion, right? If I cook the dish myself, my judgment might be biased." At this point, Vanessa was a little tempted. "I indeed acted wrongly just now, but it wasn't intentional. I just can't help but get distracted by Vanessa's charm," Aesphyra added. Smooth talker—and it worked. Vanessa, while realizing this was Aesphyra's ploy, decided to go along with it, partly due to hunger. Her principles remained intact; it wasn't about wanting to taste Aesphyra's cooking but about appearing magnanimous and helping Aesphyra get some feedback. However... In her current condition, she couldn't even hold a spoon, meaning she had to let someone else feed her, and that someone was Aesphyra?? Vanessa found this hard to accept. "I can do it myself," Vanessa muttered bashfully. "Do it yourself? It would be great if you could, Vanessa, but you can't even lift a finger right now. How will you manage?" Aesphyra teased. "..." Vanessa said nothing, knowing full well her request was futile, a last stand of defiance. "Come on, open wide, sweetie~" Aesphyra brought the spoon to Vanessa’s lips. Blushing deeply, Vanessa hated being spoon-fed, but her hunger continued to gnaw at her. The sight and smell of the steaming tomato beef soup were hard to resist. Aesphyra waited patiently with a smile, watching Vanessa. Vanessa was conflicted. She disliked others watching her eat, let alone being fed. Realizing she had no choice, Vanessa reluctantly opened her lips slightly like a blooming flower, averting her eyes, her cheeks tinged with pink. Aesphyra's smile widened. "Virtue +50." "Current Virtue: 5054." Does being hand-fed someone else's food also add to her virtue? Is Aesphyra elated by this? Whenever Vanessa was with Aesphyra, she desperately wanted to know who exactly was benefiting from this virtue gain. While it seemed as if she were absorbing Aesphyra's emotional energy, in truth, it felt as if she herself was the one being exploited. Even in her famished state, Vanessa maintained perfect etiquette, slowly and elegantly eating without gobbling or showing any unseemliness, looking every bit like a noble lady being served by a maid. Aesphyra's culinary creations were both exquisite and small, much like her essence—delicious with a certain detailed complexity. She appeared to have a unique grasp of cooking, altering each recipe she learned, thus infusing them with distinct flavors superior to their original forms. If Vanessa's cooking skill was an innate talent, then Aesphyra’s was a product of passionate interest and innovative experimentation, leading to her signature style. In no time, the dishes on the table were almost finished. After eating, Vanessa felt the fiery agitation in her heart subside, possibly because her hunger was sated. Everything seems worse when you're hungry. And maybe because of Aesphyra’s focused effort in feeding her without eating anything herself. "My honorable lady, was the taste satisfactory?" Aesphyra asked, her voice dripping with playful irony. "Mm, not bad at all... Aren’t you going to eat?" Although Vanessa found the meal delicious, she tried to maintain a nonchalant demeanor while questioning Aesphyra. "I'm not in a rush. After all, it wouldn't do for a lady’s maid to eat first while her mistress goes hungry," Aesphyra replied, resting her cheek on her hand, her tone light. It seemed she quite relished the feeding experience. "Ara? Is Miss Aesphyra suggesting she wants to be my maid? Given your service, I’d say you barely make the cut, but I might just consider it," Vanessa, now satiated, regained some of her poise, determined to reclaim some ground in their playful battle of words. Vanessa had completely overwhelmed Mirexia in their engagement, leaving her at a loss. As a fellow protagonist, why couldn't she regain her footing against Aesphyra? This wouldn't do. Vanessa felt the need to recover some ground. Yet... "Virtue +200." "Current Virtue: 5254." "What? Miss Vanessa wants to make me her maid? Really? You can't go back on your word now~?" To Vanessa's surprise, Aesphyra played along, her exquisite face leaning closer, her eyes brimming with a sentiment so intense it could almost drip out. "From now on, let me, your humblest and most devoted maid, attend to your every need, from morning till night, never leaving your side~." "Also, please let me handle all your laundry, no exceptions, to ease your burdens~." "Including when you bathe, I'll help wash your hair, scrub your back, and massage your feet…" "Wait, hold on a minute!" Vanessa couldn't take Aesphyra's increasingly invested manner and quickly interjected. When she noticed the virtue increase, she sensed something was off. Wasn't she the last heir of the Gutheris Empire?? How could she utter such words?? Vanessa was bewildered by Aesphyra's unexpected response. Why wasn't she reacting according to the typical script?? Normally, when she said such things to Mirexia or even to a less familiar character like Shikondell, they'd become bashful and flustered, leading Vanessa to edge closer and tease them with, "I was just joking, why so red? Did you think I was serious~?" That way, she would gain some virtue and skillfully wrap up the encounter—a complete victory. But Aesphyra wasn't like the other protagonists; when given a foot, she truly took a mile. Her words felt genuine, devoid of pretense or exaggeration. How was Vanessa supposed to respond to such an opponent?? "Yes? Is there something you need, Miss Vanessa~?" Aesphyra had seamlessly slipped into the role. "I... I was just joking earlier, I'm sorry for saying something so inappropriate," Vanessa said, worried that Aesphyra might have taken her seriously. "Oh, was it just a joke?" Aesphyra raised an eyebrow, a hint of disappointment in her expression. So, she really believed it?? Vanessa was only joking. Her life at the academy wasn't exactly smooth sailing; she simply intended to inject a bit of mischief to make things more interesting. Hiring a personal maid constantly by her side, especially Aesphyra, seemed like courting complications in a life already challenging. Not to mention that with Aesphyra around, all her secrets would be exposed. And Aesphyra’s predatory demeanor was far too risky to have her so close. Who knows what could happen? Speaking of which, it had been a while since she'd reassured Mirexia and Shikondell of her safety. What if they grew worried? Vanessa realized this issue. Once she regained her mobility, she needed to find Mirexia promptly. Having eaten, Vanessa felt significantly better. The earlier sensation of being utterly drained now ebbed, and her energy slowly returned. Now she could even move her fingers. What might Mirexia be doing at present? As the student council president, she was probably overseeing the aftermath. She might even be searching for Vanessa. Watching Aesphyra, with her silver hair, tidying up the kitchen, Vanessa admitted that despite finding her quite irksome, her actions were orderly. Admittedly, Aesphyra had no obligations to her; she had saved Vanessa multiple times. This time was no different, she could have chosen not to intervene but she did, caring for her meticulously. If only she were less mischievous in certain aspects. "Alright, alright~ It's getting late. Does Miss Vanessa want to go straight to bed, or perhaps listen to a bedtime story~?" "Straight to bed, hmm?" At the mention, Vanessa glanced outside; it was completely dark, the residual commotion audible from the aftermath of a significant event, demanding extensive and intricate follow-up actions. This included verifying that all the rescued students were free of demonic elements before releasing them. Furthermore, the wanton destruction by demonic followers had damaged several structures within the academy, necessitating repairs. On this matter, Vanessa believed the academy and Serina should commend Aesphyra for her efforts. Without her defense of Saint Serina’s Cathedral during the battle against the fanatics, the cathedral would have likely suffered severe damage, leading to incalculable financial loss and potentially desecrating Serina’s final resting place. The intact cathedral was entirely thanks to Aesphyra. At that thought, Vanessa deduced one reason why Serina might be matchmaking her with Aesphyra was her diligent protection of the cathedral. So, should she go straight to sleep?? Just like that, not taking a bath, not changing clothes, sleeping on someone else's couch for the night? That seemed far too rough and careless. Vanessa felt a thousand objections but saw no better alternative. Could she really… "If Miss Vanessa is willing, you could sleep in my bed. That way, should anything happen overnight, it’d be easier for me to assist you. Would that be alright?" A soft smile graced Aesphyra's lips as she proposed. "No need, it would be too much trouble for Miss Aesphyra, I'd feel guilty." "No worries, my bed's quite big; it could easily fit five, let alone just the two of us~." Hearing Aesphyra’s tone, a large symbol appeared on Vanessa's head in exasperation. Typically, isn’t the protocol for caring for a patient to offer your bed and take the couch yourself? Who sleeps with their guest?? "There’s no need, I'm already very grateful you're letting me manage on your couch for the night," Vanessa declined. "Oh, I see. Then, should I sleep on the couch too, to be close enough to take care of Miss Vanessa?" Aesphyra tilted her head. 2025/05/31/21/11