After letting Ximo go, Xiliya didn’t idle around either. She calmed her emotions and arrived at the door of the largest bedroom on the third floor of the mansion.
Without knocking, Xiliya pushed open the door and walked straight in. A cloying, incense-sweet aroma hit her face first, its thick scent making her wrinkle her nose involuntarily.
She disliked this pungent smell. In her previous life, after her father married the second madam, he often carried this exact irritating incense scent on him. During that time, she had deliberately avoided her father.
“Xiliya?”
A fragrance diffuser sat on the table in the center of the bedroom. The woman lounging by the window, sipping tea leisurely, spoke up in surprise. She looked up and met Xiliya’s calm gaze.
Purple hair cascaded over her shoulders, and even the loose, lazy sleepwear couldn’t hide her voluptuous figure. Though the woman was no longer young, her face was well-maintained, exuding the unique charm of a mature woman.
Xiliya smiled mockingly. If the woman hadn’t been so skilled at dolling herself up with cheap makeup and powders, her own mediocre but lecherous father wouldn’t have taken a liking to her, would he?
“Good morning, Aunt Masha.”
The surprise in Masha’s eyes flashed by. She didn’t react to Xiliya’s form of address and simply pointed to the teacup on the table in front of her.
“You’re just in time, Xiliya. Come pour me a cup of tea.”
Xiliya sneered inwardly. Masha was as bossy as ever. The teacup was right there in front of her, yet Masha made her do a maid’s chores as if it were the most natural thing.
However, Xiliya said nothing. She simply stepped forward silently and began pouring the tea.
“Is there something you need, Xiliya?”
Masha assumed Xiliya had come to her for something. This nominal young lady usually kept her head down and avoided her whenever they crossed paths. For her to come proactively today was unusual.
“There is something. I want a personal maid…”
“No,” Masha interrupted without even letting Xiliya finish. “Xiliya, you know the Camberlan Family’s situation right now.”
“There are already so few hands in the mansion, and you want a personal maid—oh, just a half cube of sugar, no more.”
Masha gazed carelessly at the scenery outside the window. Just from her demeanor, Xiliya knew Masha was using it as an excuse to refuse.
Masha had plenty of personal maids herself. Xiliya sneered inwardly. This stepmother was just as fond of bullying her as in her previous life.
But she was no longer the weak young lady from before.
Xiliya strictly followed Masha’s instructions and added half a cube of sugar, then handed over the teacup—before deliberately letting go. The cup tumbled onto Masha, spilling the warm tea all over her luxurious sleepwear.
“Ah!”
Masha cried out in alarm and jumped to her feet. Xiliya calmly picked up the cup and placed it back on the saucer.
“Sorry, Aunt Masha. My hand shook just now; I couldn’t hold it steady.”
“Also, I only came to inform you, Aunt Masha. I’m not asking for your permission.”
“After all, as the Camberlan Family’s heir, hiring a personal maid is such a trivial matter. It shouldn’t require your approval, right?”
Xiliya leaned down and stared straight into Masha’s darkening eyes. The two faced off for several seconds, but Masha suddenly smiled warmly.
“It’s fine. Go ahead with your business, Xiliya. I’ll have a maid clean this up.” She naturally skipped over Xiliya’s last remark.
Xiliya stood up, somewhat surprised. She had expected Masha to lash out right then, but this woman was surprisingly tolerant.
She turned and left directly. Having “visited” her stepmother properly after her rebirth, it was time to find her personal little maid.
After Xiliya left, Masha stared in the direction she had gone, her smile instantly turning icy cold.
Had Xiliya taken the wrong medicine today? This little girl usually didn’t dare say a single extra word in her presence, yet today she openly defied her.
Had she finally come to her senses and decided to compete with her over the Camberlan Family’s assets?
Masha snorted coldly and didn’t take it to heart. She had been married into the Camberlan Family for years and knew full well how useless Xiliya was. She didn’t believe this sickly young lady could stir up any waves.
—
At that moment, in the Camberlan Mansion’s kitchen.
Annaer moved swiftly. She helped Ximo to a nearby chair to rest, wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth, and immediately handed her a cup of hot water.
“Are you okay, Ximo?”
Ximo shook her head silently. She didn’t even know why this had happened to her.
“System, explain?”
Ximo asked inwardly. The System was the only thing she could think of that might have an answer.
“Dearie, the Camberlan Family’s young lady Xiliya has been frail and sickly since childhood. She can’t do strenuous exercise…”
“Stop. Who asked about that? Whether Xiliya is weak or not has nothing to do with me. I’m not Xiliya.”
Ximo recalled the Xiliya from last night who had grabbed her by the throat—that fierce look didn’t seem frail at all.
The System paused, then continued, “Of course it’s related to you, dearie. Your current identity is the young lady Xiliya.”
“Additionally, due to the newbie task failure, we’ve already settled the punishment for you. The penalty is a worsening of your condition. Friendly reminder: every plot task failure comes with a punishment. Hope you work hard to play the plot role well next time.”
“Ha?”
Ximo was dumbfounded. She wasn’t Xiliya—how could the worsening condition penalty apply to her?
In other words, her body had originally been fine, but this scummy System had forcibly slapped a sickly debuff on her?
Wasn’t this forcing her to complete the roleplay tasks? If she failed a few more times, she might actually get done in by this worsening condition debuff!
“I’m not… whatever.” Ximo truly felt the System’s scammyness but couldn’t argue back.
She was utterly speechless.
“Do you feel better now, Ximo? Take the rest of the day off. Later, I’ll take you to see the doctor.”
Ximo looked up and met Annaer’s concerned gaze. The head maid had lost her earlier sternness and didn’t mention the dishwashing punishment anymore.
“It should be nothing serious.”
Ximo let out a long breath. Fortunately, she’d only suffered one System punishment so far; her body shouldn’t deteriorate too badly.
【Congratulations, dearie! Plot task “Be cared for by head maid Annaer (Completed).” We’ll settle your System reward shortly.】
Ximo was stunned. She hadn’t expected to complete a new task by sheer luck, but she felt no joy. She’d muddled through this one, but what about the next? The real Xiliya was still around!
That said, it seemed Annaer was genuinely concerned about her. This woman wasn’t as rigid and strict as she’d imagined.
Speak of the devil. Xiliya’s figure suddenly appeared at the kitchen door.
“Young Lady.” Annaer quickly stood and curtsied.
“I’m here for Ximo. I just ran into another maid who said she might be here.” Xiliya got straight to the point.
