Chapter 28

After that self-introduction in the meeting room, a week had slipped by without Lisbeth noticing. She was now settled into life as a Personal Maid. Though both Lisbeth and Stalos were officially the Demon King’s Personal Maids and assistants to Head Maid Hilda, their daily tasks were no different from ordinary Maids.

"Ugh... I'm dead tired. When will this ever end?"

Lisbeth and Stalos were cleaning a massive room—one of the few largest in the Demon King's Fortress. Dusting every item and washing the carpets was grueling work. Normally, at least four or five Maids would handle it together.

But only Lisbeth and Stalos were here now. That’s why Stalos had just complained. Hearing her, Lisbeth shot Stalos a fierce glare. "This is all your fault for blabbing nonsense! Stop whining and get back to work."

"Hey! Don’t act like it’s all on me! If we were even slightly competent, we wouldn’t be stuck cleaning this huge room alone!"

Ten minutes earlier—

"Lady Lisbeth! Lady Stalos! Please take care of us today!"

"Ah, yes. Same to you," Lisbeth replied stiffly.

"Mm, likewise," Stalos added.

Though Lisbeth had been here a week, she’d spent the first days shadowing Hilda to learn Maid duties. Today was her and Stalos’s first time working independently in a full room.

Hilda had assigned four ordinary Maids to help, given the room’s size. But Lisbeth was new, and Stalos had mostly slacked off under Hilda. Now, the eager stares of the Maids made them both uneasy.

"Working with two Personal Maids today is such an honor. We hope to learn valuable skills from you both."

"Ah... hahaha... I hope you do..." Lisbeth stammered, cold sweat soaking her back.

"Psst, Lisbeth. Over here." Stalos tugged her sleeve and pulled her aside. "Idiot, don’t look so guilty! We’re Personal Maids—even if we suck. If this gets around, our reputation’s ruined."

"I know! But I can’t just say I don’t know anything. If that old hag Hilda finds out, it’ll be worse!"

"Then follow my lead."

Stalos flashed a sweet smile at the Maids. "Sorry, everyone. Head Maid Hilda said Stalos and I will clean this room alone today. Could you please move to another area?"

"Huh? But this room is huge. Are two people enough?"

The Maids looked puzzled but didn’t question Stalos—she was their superior. They only worried about the workload.

Lisbeth caught on and nodded, forcing a smile. "Don’t worry. We’re Personal Maids. This is nothing for us."

"Understood. Since you’ve decided, we’ll head to the next room."

"Mm, take your time."

Truly, the Demon King’s Fortress trained disciplined Maids. No matter how flimsy Stalos’s excuse was, they obeyed without doubt. After watching them leave, Lisbeth and Stalos each sighed deeply.

"Hah... whatever. Almost done. It won’t be as spotless as that old hag’s standards, but hopefully no dust shows."

"Yeah. If we matched her standards, we’d be doomed."

After hours of cleaning, they finally finished. Wiping the last speck of dust, they collapsed—one sitting on the floor, the other sprawled flat. Then Stalos gently tugged Lisbeth’s fox tail.

"Hey, Lisbeth. Since it’s just us now... I can say this."

"Hm? What is it? If it’s about touching my chest, forget it. Only I get to touch my own chest."

"Obviously! I’m asking—wanna make a deal? Help me steal a breast-enlarging magic item from Ovelia’s lab."

"Huh?"