Violet County Manor brimmed with extravagantly crafted alchemical artifacts.

Take the violet-gold lamps, powered by violet-gold ore.

Or faucets that dispensed water on demand.

Or the grand bathtub carved from flawless natural crystal, maintaining perfect warmth endlessly.

Even among nobles famed for luxury, only the tiniest fraction of top-tier grand nobles could afford such items.

And even they couldn’t use them freely.

Beyond sky-high creation costs, these artifacts demanded relentless, costly upkeep.

No sensible noble would risk fiscal ruin for trivial comfort.

Taxes belonged to strengthening knightly orders—

only robust knights and stable domains shielded a house from rival conquest and decline.

Truth was, noble life here was far from secure.

Smaller lords lived pinched and perpetually on edge.

Monster tides, disasters, dark mages—and neighboring lords hungry for land.

Lose a war, lose your territory, and even nobles became strays.

Fail to reclaim it within thirty years? Noble status vanished.

Hence, extravagance always had limits.

But Maur had none.

Thanks to Athena’s vast wealth, Maur was wealthy too.

What was Athena’s was Maur’s. What was Maur’s stayed Maur’s.

Daina had filled the crystal tub with perfectly warm water.

Maur sank in, eyes half-lidded, utterly relaxed.

"Young Master Maur, is the temperature alright?"

Her voice came from behind. Soft hands lifted his head, settling it onto something warmer, softer.

Kneeling beside the tub, Daina cradled his head against her chest—a plush pillow coaxing comfort onto his face.

She dampened his long hair with care, lathered shampoo, and massaged his scalp with feather-light fingers.

"Mmm… so good…"

His body melted into the water—warm but not hot, cozy and soothing.

His head rested on soft warmth, surrounded by a gentle fragrance.

Her rhythmic massage lulled his mind to the edge of sleep.

"Young Master… drifting off?" Daina whispered.

Only a muffled "Mmm…" answered.

Her touch grew lighter. She gazed at his peaceful, closed-eyed face—so docile—and stilled her hands.

"Say, Young Master Maur…"

Her voice turned coaxing. "Who were you with last night? Those marks on your skin…"

Red traces scattered where she’d longed—but never dared—to leave them.

"Who left them?"

"Mmm… don’t… bother me…" Maur murmured, sleep-thick and annoyed.

Too drowsy to focus, he caught only fragments of her voice.

Last night… who…?

"M-Mavis…" he barely breathed—then slipped fully into slumber.

His breathing deepened. A sight Daina knew well: her beloved young master, lost in sweet dreams.

"Ah… beaten to it," the Dark Elf maid murmured, her elegant face shadowed. "So frustrating."

Steam curled through the bath. A dark corner twisted—ripped open.

A pitch-black silhouette slithered out.

Pointed ears. Delicate features. Naked, shamelessly flaunting a striking figure.

Identical to Daina—save for the void-black hue.

"Hehe~" Shadow Daina cackled. "Summoning me uncontrollably? How unsightly, Daina."

"I taste the venom in your heart—screaming *Kill him, kill him!* Delicious~"

Daina said nothing. Just stared.

A silent command.

Shadow Daina’s form warped—vanished.

At the last second, her greedy eyes locked onto sleeping Maur.

"Daina’s treasure… ah~ I want… I want so badly—"

Cut off. Banished.

Daina’s cheeks paled.

The water had cooled. Staying longer risked illness.

Swift yet tender, she finished washing his hair, dried it with wind magic, and lifted him from the tub—effortless for a Dark Elf. Delicate in appearance, yes, but once rulers of a feared underground kingdom.

"The young master of Duke Fred’s house, hmm?"

Expressionless, she dried Maur, dressed him in pajamas, and laid him on the plush bed.

"So many marks already… a few more? Young Master Maur wouldn’t notice."

She murmured to herself, head bowed.

What had Duke Fred’s heir done to her cherished boy? Since returning, his body hummed with unnatural excitement.

"This can’t continue. For a boy raised in such tender care… it’s pitiful."

"…Truly pitiful, Young Master. So let Daina… help you."

Deep in Violet County Manor’s shadows, a monster grinned, jaws wide…

…

Maur woke at dusk. The sky bled brilliant hues—so vivid he couldn’t tell dawn from twilight.

"Dinner now, Young Master?"

Daina smiled. A strange, satisfied curve touched her lips.

Maur: "…?"

Odd. Daina was usually listless, dragging through tasks. This bright-eyed energy felt… off.

"You didn’t sneak off and do something naughty behind my back, did you?" he teased.

"Of course not~" She traced a fingertip across her lips, smile deepening. "I simply… tasted something delightful~"