"Make sure no area is left unclean," the maiden ordered.
"Yes, ma'am!" the idiot complied without any argument, as he should. He was determined to clean the entire manor floor as instructed by the maiden.
It was her sweet revenge for his attempt to attack her in the kitchen earlier. She glared at him, her fury evident. He sweated under the pressure, fully aware that Ram's word was law.
"Um...Ram?" the pervert dared to ask.
"WHAT?" the maiden snapped, her tone sharp with anger.
"I am sorry about yesterday, so please can we stop this here? I promised Beako I would tell her some stories," the idiot tried to use Beatrice-sama as an excuse.
"Haaah, if that's true, then you're free to go," the maiden said with a sigh of annoyance.
"Yes!" the idiot trash pig celebrated, jumping in the air with joy, only to be immediately reminded to continue cleaning without stopping until dinner. He still needed to learn his lesson.
"Ah! I am exhausted," the lazy pervert groaned. He stood up for a brief second to wipe the sweat from his brow with his handkerchief. He was wearing only his white shirt, with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. Seeing Barusu sweaty and noticing the defined muscles in his forearms from his continued training under Clind, the Maiden couldn't help but feel a faint blush creep onto her cheeks. She stared at him for a couple of seconds before instinctively looking away.
She hesitated but eventually spoke, "That's enough for now. Ram doesn't wish to be on Beatrice-sama's bad side because of you, Barusu."
"Is this also my mistake!" he exclaimed in a sarcastic tone.
"But you have to do the rest as well, as your punishment," she added.
"Oh, come on," the idiot retaliated.
"Haaah!" the maiden prompted, her voice laced with anger.
"I'm sorry, Ram-sama, please excuse this ignorant fool," the idiot pleaded, joining both his hands. Peeking slightly, he noticed she was facing away from him, confused, he just stared.
"Now leave before I change my mind," she ordered, and the idiot dashed away.
Seeing him leave, the maiden clenched her heart, which was racing. She gritted her teeth. "Why am I suddenly acting so unnatural?" she asked herself. She realized she had been holding back a lot, mostly trying to catch a glimpse of the idiot, seeing his face not by chance but instinctively searching for him, like a ritual she was subconsciously starting to feel the need for. She hated it, unable to understand why this sudden development, what caused this sudden spark in her heart.
Her mind couldn't differentiate; the only classification she could give this emotion was love. She had fallen for him since the day he arrived. She hated this useless fool, but somewhere, a faint curiosity resided within her. She was somehow searching for herself in him, powerless yet never giving up, a disability that was life-threatening yet he still overcame challenges. This unwavering motivation struck her as his only charm that she admired. Of course, there was more, but let's not talk about them.
"Unhand Betty right now!" Beatrice-sama cried out at the pervert who was seemingly preying on innocent girls. The pervert, with a bright smile, patted Beatrice-sama's head, messing up her hair. But even though Beatrice-sama was scolding him for this unruly behavior, her face betrayed a different story. The maiden watched them from the corner of the hallway. She noticed Beatrice-sama's joyful smile, and she would be lying if she claimed she didn't have a strong urge to receive headpats and even praises from him, an unknown motivation to seek validation from Barusu. Her lips quivered, and as he looked down, a blush crept onto her face. She hid her face, holding her cheeks between the palms of her hands.
"Enough... Haha, enough, I suppose!" Beatrice-sama's laughter grew louder and louder. The maiden felt a pang of jealousy, her foot tapping restlessly, her envy evident.
"There, there, hahaha," the idiot continued his antics. Even so, she was jealous. She breathed out a loud sigh and peeked again, looking at his face. His usually furious eyes now seemed to have softened, which felt so unnatural. If she used makeup to change her eye color and hair, the rest of the camp members wouldn't be able to tell the difference between her and her supposed sister that she didn't recall, but that idiot claimed existed.
She smiled, her heartbeat quickening. She felt unnaturally hot as her body temperature rose, the smile so sweet it gave her a sugar rush. She kept staring, unable to get enough of him: his raven hair, his sharp, mean-looking eyes, his small nose, and most importantly, his soft and sweet lips.
The maiden immediately pinched her cheek as the vivid imagination filled her mind. "What his lips might taste like?" she wondered, only to feel a surge of anger as the thought lingered. "That pervert Barusu has even started to influence me!" She gritted her teeth in anger, but the contrasting blush on her cheeks remained as she clenched her fists, resolving to walk towards the two of them.
Thud*
Thud*
"There, there, hahaha," the pervert continued his act, until he realized he wasn't alone. Hearing the approaching footsteps, he slowly turned to face the horror.
"Uh... Hello, Ram," he addressed the maiden, her face a mask of anger and bloodlust. A bead of sweat trickled down his forehead as he offered a weak, broken smile. "Ah, ahaha... HA..." he stammered, only to be forced back into cleaning the hallway.
"Make sure to clean it like a mirror," she ordered.
"Yes, ma'am," the idiot agreed, as he should.
"My dear Ram," the great, mighty, handsome, beloved Roswaal-sama called out to the maiden.
"Yes, Roswaal-sama," she responded, holding her head high to face her lord. She looked cheerful, a bright smile gracing her features, the only time one might see her visibly happy. The pervert stole a glance at her conversing with the lord, noticing her pink bangs, fluffy and swaying as she gestured with her head. Her expression was vivid, and her sweet smile with her pink, plump lips made him think, "How magnificent." The maiden before him seemed like a different person, as the idiot had never looked at her this way before. A slow feeling of attraction began to develop within him, a blush creeping onto his face. He even felt a sugar rush as he continued to look at her, losing awareness of his surroundings as he spaced out in his own thoughts.
Kick*
The maiden abruptly kicked the pervert to the side and yelled, "Creepy pervert Barusu!" As she walked away, behind her, Barusu clutched his hip in pain, sitting amidst the freshly washed hallway. The maiden walked off, her eyes hidden by her bangs, but the crimson blush on her cheeks and her failing attempt to hide her smile spoke volumes.