Early morning.

A faint veil of mist enveloped the small lakeside village, as if it had yet to awaken, wrapped in a tranquil slumber.

Occasionally, birds darted across the horizon, but they were in a hurry, seeking the warmth of the south before the chill of autumn arrived.

Everything remained unchanged, in peaceful harmony.

A dignified young maiden dressed in a black-and-white maid outfit walked into the village, her steps glistening with the morning dew.

"This is it," she murmured.

Standing at the village entrance, her narrowed gaze scanned the small fishing village of merely dozens of households. Her delicate nose twitched as though trying to discern something.

Finally, she spoke with certainty:

"The young master was here, and it was within the last few hours!"

"I've finally found you."

A gentle, enchanting smile appeared on Ann's lips. With her heart filled with anticipation to reunite with her beloved young master, she stepped into the quiet village.

"Hm?"

Ann suddenly turned her head toward an inconspicuous house.

Within the depths of its tightly shuttered windows—the pitch-black corner where no light could reach—something seemed to stir.

But as her gaze focused on the window, the dilapidated wooden frame revealed nothing but an empty room.

"Is it my delusion?"

Ann cast it one last glance but paid no further heed.

She was here to find her young master. Everything else was inconsequential.

...

I love you.

...

*Knock, knock.*

Following her instinct, Ann arrived at the door of a courtyard where lingered with the strongest temperature of young master. She knocked.

"Who's there?"

Inside the yard, a familiar voice spoke, still tinged with the drowsiness of slumber.

Ann froze briefly before recognizing the voice's owner, wondering at the uncanny coincidence.

Before she could ponder further, the door creaked open, revealing a still-sleepy newlywed lady. Rubbing her eyes, she peeked out.

"So early. What's the matter?"

"Aluka?"

"Huh?"

Aluka's eyes widened. Upon fully identifying the visitor, whatever remained of her sleepiness vanished in a jolt of excitement.

"Master!"

Aluka joyfully dashed forward, grabbing Ann's arm.

"What brings you here?"

"I..."

"Did you come to see me?"

Before Ann could answer, Aluka continued, her joy bubbling over.

"Wait, that's strange. I don't think I gave Master my exact address, only mentioned the general location of the village. How did Master find this place?"

Ann wanted to reply: "I followed the scent of the young master."

But Aluka's chatter was so animated that she hardly had the chance to get a word in.

"Forget it. Come on in, Master. It's cold outside."

"No need; I just—"

"Oh, it's so rare for Master to come over, and you're saying you won't even come in for a moment?"

With a deliberately sorrowful expression, Aluka conjured up two crocodile tears. "I'm so hurt..."

"..."

Ann sighed, somewhat helpless.

Fine, a little detour wouldn't hurt.

"Alright, I'll come in, but just for a while."

"A while is more than enough!"

Aluka cheered, pulling Ann into the house with the exuberance of a springtime sparrow, chirping away nonstop along the way.

"Master, are you wearing a maid outfit? You're so adorable!"

"Master, you look slimmer. Haven't you been eating properly?"

"Master, you're here so early. Did you travel through the night?"

"Master, you—"

...

Inside the house, Aluka seated Ann despite herself. Instinctively, Ann began observing her surroundings.

Indeed, the young master's scent was intensely lingering here—he had definitely stayed in this house.

And not long ago!

"Aluka."

"Yes, Master? Any questions?"

From the kitchen, Aluka peeked out as she busily brewed tea.

"This place..."

Ann carefully chose her words.

"Have you had any visitors recently?"

"Visitors? You’re the only one, Master."

"No, I mean before me."

"Oh, before you... You must mean Mr. Moen."

"So, he was here?"

Ann's eyes sparkled with joy. The past two days of searching had finally borne fruit.

Young master, this time, I won't let you escape.

Ann silently clenched her fists.

"Yes, he was here just last night, but he's already left."

"Left?"

"Right. Maybe I scared him off."

Speaking of this, Aluka's face flushed like an embarrassed young woman. She pouted shyly:

"It's his fault, sneaking a look into my bedroom late at night."

"Sneaking a look into your bedroom?"

Ann’s breath caught.

Without realizing it, her clenched fists tightened further.

Young master, I've never so much as closed my bedroom door at night—yet you’ve never come to take a peek.

Why would you peek into another woman's room?

Could it be that wildflowers truly smell sweeter than those at home?

"Ah! It's not what Master is thinking!"

As if reading Ann’s thoughts, Aluka waved her hands defensively.

"Mr. Moen didn't see any inappropriate scenes. It was just him spotting me and my husband playing a little intimacy game."

"Husband?"

The mention of this term made Ann pause for a moment. But she quickly understood.

"Did you made it?"

"Yes, I did!"

Aluka smiled radiantly, clasping her hands behind her as her toes traced the ground. She shyly confessed:

"Two days ago, after Master’s advice, I went and confessed to Rod that evening!"

"Did you?"

Ann smiled lightly in return.

"That's wonderful."

Ann didn’t bother to ask about the details of the confession or its process. To her, those were irrelevant.

What truly mattered was completely possessing the one she loved, by any means necessary.

From Aluka’s expression, it was clear the girl had succeeded.

Yet, the thought that her own disciple had achieved this goal before her sparked a flicker of irritation in Ann.

It seemed that the next time she found the young master, a more aggressive approach would be necessary.

"Oh, right! Master, do you want to see?"

Aluka's eyes lit up with excitement as she clapped her hands.

"See my hard-earned achievement!"

"This..."

Ann wanted to decline—after all, she was preoccupied with searching for the young master.

But quickly, she reconsidered. Some lessons couldn’t be learned in isolation.

Even though she was the "master," there was no harm in gleaning insight from others’ experiences.

"Alright, let me take a look, Aluka."

...

"Ta-daa! Master, look—this is my most beloved husband!"

Inside the room, Aluka unveiled her “achievement” with the air of a grand ceremony: a man, still cowering like a pet dog on the ground, now well “trained.”

"Oh? Is this the method? Interesting"

Ann mused, stroking her chin.

"Interesting. You've done well, Aluka."

"Ah, I’m sure I still have much to learn from Master," Aluka replied bashfully, scratching her head in embarrassment at the praise.

"I think if it's the Master, you must have made your beloved completely submissive both physically and mentally."