“Reconciliation?” Xiliya feigned surprise. “I don’t think there’s any grudge between me and Young Master Charles.”
“I’ve always admired Young Master Charles for his youthful achievements. I couldn’t possibly accept any apologies or reconciliations.”
As Xiliya spoke, she moved to leave the meeting room, but Masha quickly grabbed her arm.
“You child, he’s already here—how rude would it be if you didn’t sit with him for a bit!”
Masha tried her best to keep her there, and after watching Masha’s expression for a moment, Xiliya casually agreed.
If she didn’t stay, Masha’s plan couldn’t proceed, and that wouldn’t do—she was counting on turning the tables on Masha instead.
Xiliya naturally remembered what Masha had done in her previous life. While she could have simply ignored the trap and brushed off Masha and Charles, that would have been no fun.
Not just Masha this time—she planned to drag Charles into the revenge as well.
And so Masha left, leaving only Charles and Xiliya in the parlor. Xiliya said nothing, just sat there coldly with a stern face.
Soon, Ximo pushed the door open, carrying a teapot and teacups. She placed a cup in front of each of them and poured tea into Xiliya’s cup. And… that was it.
Charles froze in place, watching as Ximo set the teapot on the table and obediently stood by Xiliya’s side.
Charles was so furious he nearly jumped up. He was the young master of the Textile Merchant Guild—how could he tolerate such blatant insult?
But right now, he couldn’t afford to fall out with Xiliya. If he did and she left the parlor, it would ruin everything—Masha definitely wasn’t ready yet.
Hah, go ahead and act all high and mighty. You’ll only get to gloat for a little while longer… Charles swallowed his frustration. He was growing more eager for what was about to happen.
Xiliya gave Ximo a glance of subtle approval. She hadn’t expected her little maid to pick up such a mischievous streak.
In truth, Ximo wasn’t trying to provoke Charles on purpose—she was just afraid of upsetting Xiliya… Hadn’t Xiliya said she could only be her personal maid? Ximo didn’t dare pour tea for Charles.
“Miss Xiliya, what happened at the party last time was just a misunderstanding. I really hope to get on good terms with you…”
“Then hope away. I’m not particularly interested.”
Xiliya’s single sentence shut Charles down. Seeing his bug-swallowing expression lifted her mood. No matter what she said, Charles had to grit his teeth and keep chatting with her now.
She still remembered that in her previous life, around this time, Charles had come to hand over the City Guard Captain duties, treating her arrogantly throughout, his tone laced with mockery about her being a waste.
Now that she knew what Masha and Charles were up to, the tables had turned. To keep her there, Charles definitely wouldn’t dare clash with her.
And so ten minutes passed. Charles couldn’t keep up the conversation any longer—his anger meter was about to explode. Xiliya shot down everything he said with just one sentence, yet he couldn’t snap back.
Fine, Masha should be ready by now… Charles checked the time and decided to stop talking to Xiliya. Ximo not refilling his tea was perfect—it gave him an excuse to act.
Charles drained the tea in his cup. As expected, Ximo made no move to refill it, so he reached for the teapot himself.
As he poured into his cup, he deliberately placed it close to Xiliya, tilting the teapot sharply. Sure enough, the lid “accidentally” rolled off, and tea leaves and hot water spilled out with a splash, flowing across the table toward Xiliya’s skirt.
Xiliya had guessed what he was up to the moment he lifted the teapot, but to play along, she didn’t move.
“Oh dear, Miss Xiliya, I’m so sorry—my hand slipped.”
Charles put on a guilty face, but inside, he secretly rejoiced at the sight of her soaked skirt.
Hah, let’s see if you can still smile later!
“It’s fine,” Xiliya shook her head calmly. “I’ll just go change clothes.”
As Ximo accompanied Xiliya out of the parlor, she noticed the malicious smirk at the corner of Charles’s mouth.
Sure enough, Masha and Charles were setting up to frame Xiliya. She had to find a way to take the blame herself—what should she do? Should she do like at the last party and proactively claim responsibility?
But… Ximo glanced worriedly at Xiliya. She knew Xiliya must have a plan. If she jumped in to confess and disrupted it, what if Xiliya blamed her?
Back in the room, Ximo helped Xiliya remove her wet skirt and stockings. Just then, a knock sounded at the door.
“Miss Xiliya, are you in?”
Ximo frowned, immediately sensing something off—the voice from outside was faint and sounded distorted.
“I’m changing clothes, so it’s not convenient to open the door. What is it?”
“Sorry, miss, I won’t come in then—it’s just that Lady Selina wants you to come to her room. She has something for you.”
“Got it.”
No further response came from outside. Xiliya played along and agreed. After the exchange ended, Xiliya smiled and used her foot to lift Ximo’s chin as she put on her stockings.
“Ximo, did you recognize which maid was speaking outside just now?”
“Huh?” Ximo tilted her head in thought. “The voice sounded a bit familiar, but when I try to pin it down, I can’t quite place who it was.”
That was exactly right. Xiliya nodded. In her previous life, after she mentioned a maid summoning her to Selina’s room, Masha had boldly called all the estate’s maids for her to identify—without hesitation.
Only then did she realize she couldn’t recall the voice at all. Since she’d been changing and hadn’t let the maid in, she’d stammered and failed to name anyone. Thus, her claim became an unprovable lie.
But this life, the prepared Xiliya already had a counter ready. Even knowing something was wrong, after Ximo helped her change, she headed to Selina’s guest room.
On the way, Xiliya ran into Annaer, who was cleaning the corridor.
“Greetings, Young Lady.”
Seeing the respectfully bowing Annaer, Xiliya casually asked, “Annaer, why aren’t you delivering afternoon tea to Aunt Masha at this hour?”
“The madam had me clean the corridor.”
