28. A Step Ahead
By the time Reina left the mysterious space, it was already time to start work.
Rest started around 11 AM, and work resumed around 2 PM. The schedule wasn’t fixed, prioritizing flexibility—that being said, thanks to her perfectly enhanced body, she wasn’t physically or mentally exhausted by the heavy workload.
The afternoon’s work was cleaning the garden and lawn outside the villa.
Although they were leaving Wood Village for the Dragon Palace in a few days, she couldn’t just leave it uncleaned.
More than that, Reina was worried about whether the workload at the Dragon Palace would increase several times over. If Calysia refused to hire any helpers, she would undoubtedly be the one stuck with all the work!
But the Dragon King’s reputation was also important. At least superficially, the Dragon Palace wouldn’t be dirty or messy. In the minds of all dragons, the Dragon King was a proper queen.
Therefore, there was no need to worry too much.
Meanwhile, Reina had given a name to that skill-point allocation space:
[Place of Prayer]
The reason for this name was entirely because the goddess, identical to herself, was in a praying posture. And the way to enter the space was also through prayer, so calling it the Place of Prayer wasn’t inappropriate.
She could enter the Place of Prayer at any time, and while inside, time in the outside world practically stopped, so she didn’t have to worry about encountering danger while allocating skill points.
But the condition was that she had to think of Calysia.
Not only that, she had to think about Calysia’s good qualities—truly a grave sin!
“That wicked woman…”
Reina leaned on the broom to rest, her entire body weight pressing down on it, her body leaning forward, her waist curving into an alluring arc.
The lawn was finally clean.
Reina carefully walked back to the villa and happened to encounter Calysia reading in the living room.
Moonlight shone on her legs, clad in black stockings. Her eyes, like two glowing gems in the darkness, held a hint of imperceptible annoyance.
“Master Calysia, you’re awake. Shall I prepare afternoon tea for you?”
“Go ahead.”
Calysia’s eyes held a trace of quiet resentment as she looked at Reina.
Reina went into the kitchen and started preparing. The water had already boiled. She skillfully took out a white ceramic coffee cup, placed it on a saucer, and began to brew coffee.
As she worked, she felt something was amiss.
What was wrong with the Dragon King?
She was all over her this morning, and now she seemed to have a problem with her in the afternoon?
Was she dissatisfied with her work? Then why didn’t she hire more servants?!
But Calysia wouldn’t get angry for no reason. She wasn’t someone with volatile moods.
There must be a reason.
But Reina couldn’t figure out what she had done to displease Calysia.
Did she oversleep? Or did she have some strange dream?
That must be it.
Reina came out with a latte and a slice of tiramisu, placing them on the coffee table in the living room.
Calysia picked up the coffee, closed her eyes, and savored it. Then, she cut a piece of tiramisu and put it in her mouth with a small spoon, enjoying the rich milky flavor like a gourmet meal, seemingly quite satisfied with the maid’s handiwork.
To test her theory, Reina couldn’t help but ask:
“Master Calysia, are you satisfied with today’s afternoon tea?”
“Satisfied,” Calysia replied flatly, glancing at Reina with resentment.
“…”
“Do you have any other suggestions for improvement? I hope I can also learn from my work,” Reina persisted.
“No.”
She was definitely angry.
Ahh, I know, she’s playing the emotional card again. This time, she definitely wants me to coax her. In reality, she’s not angry at all, just waiting for me to throw myself into her arms.
In this situation, she absolutely couldn’t fall into the trap.
Reina began to think in reverse.
First, under normal circumstances, she would definitely ask the Dragon King why she was so troubled. If she didn’t try to coax her, based on Calysia’s personality, she would definitely retaliate at night.
Then, Calysia would definitely use a bunch of sweet words to trap her, catching her off guard.
Finally, like a few days ago, she would take advantage of her when she wasn’t paying attention.
Therefore, the best approach this time was to do the opposite, to directly admit her mistake and deprive Calysia of the opportunity to trap her! If she took the initiative to confess, she would have done her duty and wouldn’t have to suffer the consequences of being framed!
That was close, she almost went down the wrong path.
As expected, she was a step ahead!
Reina took a deep breath and walked up to Calysia, taking a seat beside her.
The Dragon King, who was still reading, was startled by Reina’s actions… As expected, she’s surprised. She doesn’t understand why I’m being so proactive.
“Master Calysia, let me give you a massage. I know I was wrong.”
Saying that, she began to massage Calysia’s soft arms. Because of the black lace sleeves, it felt strangely stress-relieving to knead them.
She leaned gently against Calysia’s shoulder.
“Reina?” Calysia was shocked.
That’s right, just like this!
Actions speak louder than words, excellent!
She had already realized that she couldn’t set a trap and was accepting Reina’s overture.
After all, such an enthusiastic massage wasn’t within the scope of a maid’s duties. It was clearly meant as compensation for her previous mistake.
And this vague “compensation” could be used as an excuse to smooth things over.
And Calysia admitted that for a moment, she was truly startled by Reina.
Did she know it was her?
No…
The shock on Calysia’s face turned into a playful smile within seconds.
At this moment, Reina still thought she had the upper hand.
Calysia’s thigh pressed against Reina’s, her touch gentle as water.
My acting is invincible!
“It’s good that Reina knows her mistake. Next time, don’t let me get pregnant, okay~?”
“As Master Calysia says…”
Wait?
Reina was dumbfounded. She was about to continue along the same lines, but the last few words got stuck in her throat.
Wait, that’s not right…
She… she’s pregnant?
When? Could it be from that time the other day… but that shouldn’t be possible!
No wonder she only noticed this afternoon.
She broke out in a cold sweat, unable to believe this outcome. She immediately began to think about how terrifying it was for the Dragon King to be pregnant, the thought swirling in her mind.
For a moment, she was speechless.
No, wait…
Reina suddenly recalled what had happened that day. Calysia had been dreaming, using her as a body pillow. She had been struggling to break free, but accidentally touched the forbidden fruit, jolting Calysia awake.
In this world, women could have children with each other.
But how could she know about that strange method?
Besides, that day, it should have been her who got pregnant!
She had been tricked!
—It only took Reina three short seconds to process all of this.
But these three seconds were enough to prove that Reina was lying.
She looked at Calysia, trembling, and instantly understood everything.
For every cunning plan, there’s a cleverer counter-plan.
“Why did Reina stop talking?” Calysia finally couldn’t hide her smile any longer.
“I’m just… very shocked by this…”
“…”
“Master Calysia?”
Calysia touched her lips before answering:
“I’m thinking about how to punish a vassal who deceives their master.”
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