Chapter 4 - Part 17 (Book 1 - Fantasy World)

---------------------

Valessandria still felt her body shiver. However, she felt as though her mind was beginning to clear. In the air, she could smell something unique that permeated throughout the room. She didn't know why but breathing in the scent helped to clear her mind and help her body to stop trembling in fear.

"What is this noble?" Valessandria glanced at the attendants as they waited patiently for their master to require anything from them.

It was a drastic shift compared to earlier.

She could admit that her behavior was rude and unbecoming of someone of her status, representing the prestige of Illumin Academic City. As the head of the Disciplinary Committee, it was vital that she maintained a level-headed attitude regardless of whether she interacted with a noble or commoner.

So the way she barged in and demanded answers from a noble, particularly without knowing their rank, was something she often chastised recruits.

Valessandria mentally groaned, thinking about how the President often warned about her hot-headed character flaw. He would talk about how it would get her in trouble someday with someone she couldn't afford to offend.

Never before had she experienced such dense killing intent, feeling as though she was being drowned in a bottomless ocean. She didn't know if it was due to losing her breath, but the room appeared to have darkened as though a shadow enveloped everyone. When the miasma receded, and she was able to breathe, the room returned to being bright as any other room in the inn.

"Tea?"

Valessandria jumped, startled by the innocent voice. She turned her head to see a maid in a frilly black uniform with a white frilled apron. It even had a puffed-out skirt with intricate symbols on the black fabric.

What startled her more were the floppy black bunny ears on top of her head. A second passed as she realized it was a bunny girl beast person with shiny black fur covering her body.

The maid stood there patiently, not seeming bothered by how Valessandria gaped at her.

Realizing what she was doing, Valessandria pulled herself out of her daze. She gave a stiff nod.

Giving a smile in addition to the slight wiggle of her pink nose, the maid walked away from the sofa towards what appeared to be a serving room for the staff.

Valessandria noticed the young noble looking at her, his brown eyes twinkling with amusement. Her face turned scarlet, knowing how she had behaved. She also realized that it was thanks to him that she was still alive. Though the staff appeared friendly now, they would've killed her even before she could blink.

Placing her hand on her neck, she couldn't help but imagine her head tumbling down as it looked up at her standing corpse. A shiver passed through her again.

"My Lord, I would like to offer my sincere apology for my earlier behavior," Valessandria bowed her head deeper than any time in the past, desperate to believe the noble would accept her sincerity. "Regardless of my emotions at the time, there was no justified reason for me to act rudely."

"Raise your head, Lady Knight," His voice was calm.

Lifting her head, Valessandria couldn't help but feel her skin slightly call as she looked into his eyes and the mocking smile. Blinking, the noble returned to his normal appearance as though it were all a hallucination on her part.

"My Lord...," Valessandria said.

"Please, call me Yi. I think we have both gone through some difficult times today." The noble said.

Hearing light footsteps, Valessandria turned to see the bunny girl maid from earlier carrying a decorative metal tray.

Not saying a word, the maid stopped next to the couch and presented a cup filled with a golden liquid with a bit of steam gently rising from the surface. The bone-white cup and saucer enhanced the color.

"Thank you," Valessandria attempted to smile while carefully lifting the saucer.

The room was filled with the clinking sound of the cup rattling on the saucer, her hand still not having recovered. She glanced at the cup, noticing vines with stars and moons expertly painted on the surface. Raising the cup closer to her nose, Valessandria breathed in the vapors.

A soothing energy slowly spread out from her body, her hand ceasing to tremble as much.

"I hope the tea is to your liking," Yi took a sip of his tea as the red-haired maid continued to use her fingers to massage the boy's head.

Sensing Valessandria's eyes on her, the woman casually glanced at her, though Valessandria couldn't help but feel a slight stabbing pain in her chest as a sliver of killing intent leaked out.

"Brittany, you are being rude to our guest," The black-haired woman chastised her associate.

The corner of the woman named Brittany's mouth slightly turned down as she looked at the black-haired woman before returning her full attention to the young noble.

Valessandria's chest felt the pressure lift, her lungs able to smoothly carry the air into them.

"I apologize for Brittany's behavior," The black-haired woman slightly bowed her head, her straight glistening hair flowing over her shoulders. She raised her head and placed a porcelain hand on her bountiful chest, "I am Helania. I handle all the duties related to my Master's personal affairs and estate, coordinating with his family." Seeing the cup in Valessandria's hand, "The tea will help to calm your nerves."

Despite the soothing words flowing out of the woman's mouth, Valessandria was slightly unnerved by the woman's deep purple eyes. She didn't know if it was her imagination, but the irises seemed to crackle with energy, leaking out hints of some eldritch secrets contained inside the captivating exterior.

"Yes." Valessandria raised the cup to her lips and drank the slightly hot liquid.

Her eyes widened as the golden fluid entered her mouth, introducing flavors she'd never encountered, even with her status inside the Academic City. Just as Helania, the black-haired woman, had said, her body felt as though it were being cradled in a warm fluffy blanket -- the chill that permeated her body being exorcised.

Seeing Valessandria's expression, Helania smiled.

Returning the cup to the saucer, Valessandria continued to hold the items in her hands. The tiny white cup was a shield that protected not just her body but also her mind -- tenuously held together by healing liquid. In her mind, the drink was akin to an otherworldly elixir.

As she sat on the couch, Valessandria couldn't help but imagine herself lost in an accursed land untouched by even the gods and demons of old, ruled by eldritch cosmic beings of unspeakable powers beyond anything her feeble mortal mind could imagine. Even with the armor on her feminine body, she couldn't help but imagine herself as a child wearing a chainmail created from grass while holding a stick to protect herself.

Once again, she was reminded how much of an error she had made, encountering such a being as the young lord.