Chapter 1378 - 587: A Date with My Head Maid

Chapter 1378: Chapter 587: A Date with My Head Maid

"Are you questioning my ability?" Laine asked with a smile. "Or doubting my strength?"

"... Please, Laine, help my father. He’s over fifty this year, and the Oster Territory is a cold and harsh place; he’s old and can’t bear it." Sylvia’s complexion changed; waves of emotion surged in the head maid’s purple eyes. She was about to kneel on the spot, her voice filled with urgency and plea: "I’m begging you, Laine. My father is not an excellent general, but he’s more than capable of assisting you with administrative affairs. I guarantee it!"

After speaking, the head maid intended to kneel directly on the road.

Sylvia ultimately did not get to kneel. Just as her knees were about to touch the ground, Laine had already reached out with both hands to quickly support her: "No, don’t do this, Sylvie. You’ve served Surya for many years, constantly contributing silently without complaint; I’m merely offering the help I can manage."

Seeing this resilient and serious head maid yield so easily, Laine suddenly gained a deeper understanding of the power he held.

Just how seductive and terrifying power is, at his level, often just a word or a gesture can make any problem seem non-existent because he controls everything.

In this environment of absolute authority, a person’s temper and personality can easily change; they start to become arrogant, conceited, and domineering because everything revolves around them.

Over time, very few can completely ignore such influence, just like Sylvia here; the head maid’s strong, serious, and stubborn personality consented to Laine with just a word.

Laine thought it’s no wonder Lake God Witch Mogiana’s tone and temperament seemed so forceful, because with such an environment, Mogiana, as the actual representative of the highest power of the Lake Fairy in the mortal world, makes many military and political decisions on her own, and over time her temperament naturally became that way; Mogiana has already restrained herself quite well.

But at the same time, making Sylvia surrender in this manner cannot be considered particularly honorable, just as people always sympathize with the weak and resent the strong and those in power. In his heart, Laine silently reflected, reminding himself to never forget his original mission for coming to this world and this kingdom. He could not, and should not, force Sylvia to surrender this way.

"Thank you, Lord Laine." Sylvia’s face was flushed uncontrollably. Since she couldn’t kneel, she immediately bent forward to bow: "Thank you very much."

"So how will you repay me?" Laine suddenly became interested, wanting to tease this serious head maid who often clashed with him.

"Uh... repay... repay?" Sylvia turned red. "What could I possibly have to repay you? Whatever you fancy, just take it."

"Then let’s not be so serious between us, just like ordinary friends going out for a drink; you’re no maid, and I’m no duke." Laine thought and simply made a request that wasn’t excessive.

"Isn’t that a date then?" Sylvia was still caught up in this.

"When we go out in the evening, isn’t that a date? What else do you think it could be?" Laine quipped, "It can’t be a work report, can it?"

"... Alright."

Thirty minutes later, at the Holy Grail Praise, the best tavern in Gene Town Center.

The place is luxuriously decorated and sells the most precious wine of the Old World, "Lady’s Collection", a priceless treasure that only the Holy Grail Knights favored by the Lady can drink after making a significant contribution.

Laine booked a private room on the second floor and extended his hand to Sylvia: "Follow me."

"Mm." The head maid was somewhat unaccustomed to the change in roles, but her determined personality meant that once she agreed, she would go all out, so she could only pretend as if she really was Laine’s girlfriend, placing her small hand in Laine’s large hand.

The feeling was very complex, particularly since the secret meeting with Laine made Sylvia feel a faint sense of excitement and guilt, as if in a daze being led into the room by Laine, and then each ordered a coffee.

The two sat together under the dim magic lamp; Laine looked at Sylvia’s nervous and uneasy state, smiling: "Does this feel a little like a date?"

"I... don’t know, I haven’t experienced any of this, I don’t know what a date is." Sylvia blushed deeply and kept shaking her head in response to Laine’s words, looking both shy and curious: "I can only say this... feels strange but not unpleasant. Laine, is this how you and the Madam go out on a date?"

Laine almost spat out his coffee; Sylvia was twenty-five and still so innocent?

But on reflection, it made sense. His head maid’s life was quite simple, focusing on personal martial valor and Surya’s affairs; besides, her life was a blank slate.

"It’s not like this, of course." The duke slyly remarked: "We do this and that, not just coffee drinking; sometimes, we just need an excuse, an excuse to be together."

"Excuse? Excuses are wrong, incorrect; it’s deceitful!" Sylvia argued seriously: "Lord Laine, you’re a model of the Knightly Path, you shouldn’t do such things!"

"... I don’t know how to talk to you now, Sylvie." Laine was completely speechless, and he replied resignedly: "Well then, you ask me questions. What are you interested in?"

"Interested in?" Sylvia thought for a moment, then suddenly nervously said: "That... Laine, will you marry me off? I’ve heard rumors in the territory that you’ll marry me to someone else; I’ve sworn to stay with the Lady for life..."

"Of course not, who spread that rumor?" Laine found it strange.

The duke never intended to marry Sylvia off; as the head maid, she knew many secrets, including Laine’s and Surya’s. Both emotionally and rationally, he wouldn’t send Sylvia away, especially considering Sylvia’s competence in internal affairs, having managed the castle well since becoming head maid.

"Really?" The head maid’s expression relaxed a little but immediately recalled something. She scoffed and moved herself a bit further from Laine: "Since you don’t have that plan, then don’t blame me for having opinions of you!"

"???" Why’s she displeased again? Laine was full of question marks; what’s the issue with this head maid? He said he wouldn’t marry her off, so why was she unhappy again?

Women’s thoughts are truly hard to guess.

He could only try to change the topic: "Sylvie, did you see those two noble knights seated in the booths downstairs?"

"They seem like nobles from the north." The head maid looked over as instructed and indeed saw two knights in noble attire sitting below, drinking with somewhat desolate expressions: "That’s ... the yellow and black fleur-de-lis crest! Are they nobles from Musillon?!"

"Correct! They are scheduled to meet tonight with Count Durin and Count Larot!" Laine nodded; the duke turned toward his head maid: "They’ve specifically come here to meet me; together, they practically represent the entire Southern Leonais faction of the Old Musillon nobility."

"That territory?" Sylvia, indeed distracted by the subject change, furrowed her brow: "They must have come seeking guarantees for their status and benefits or aid."

"Exactly." Laine laughed: "But I deliberately kept them waiting for a while, letting them feel uneasy; this is necessary since they’ve never been my people, newcomers, not to mention new forces looking to join would certainly overthink."

Your people? Sylvia felt a bit sour and downcast; she knew she had to play along with the dating role, so the head maid followed Laine’s lead: "What are your plans, Laine?"

"Do me a favor, Sylvie, and call them up." With his fingers interlocked on the table, Laine’s blue eyes pulsed with waves of spiritual energy.

"I need a change, make them realize now is the best time, some rules must be established now!"

"It’s time to elevate my royal authority!"