Feeling those hands, now matching her own body temperature, roam over her body, Ximo struggled to complete the second-to-last step of getting dressed—she painstakingly and slowly pulled the sheer white stockings up to the roots of her thighs.
Xiliya helped her with the final step. Those hands, now warm, reached around from behind and fastened the garter clips on the suspender stockings, making Ximo feel an itchy sensation at the tops of her thighs.
With the last step done, Ximo finally couldn’t hold back. She panted in short gasps and leaned into Xiliya’s embrace.
Although Xiliya had only let her hands wander over Ximo’s body without doing anything more, for a body whose sensitivity had been heightened by the Slave Seal, this kind of contact was already somewhat stimulating.
Xiliya supported the now-weak-in-the-knees Ximo as she sat on the bed. She looked her up and down—the maid outfit, the cat ears on her head—and nodded in satisfaction.
“Not bad. A pet should look like a pet, after all.”
Ximo reached down to tug at the hem of her skirt, but it was futile. The skirt was simply too short, and the upper half was barely more than a tiny camisole… Compared to a maid outfit, this ensemble was more like erotic battle armor, wasn’t it?
After catching her breath for a moment, Ximo tried to stand, but Xiliya pressed her back down. “Pets don’t walk on two legs, Ximo. How does a little cat walk?”
Xiliya pointed at the bed, so Ximo understood what she meant. She wants me to crawl.
Blushing, Ximo bent down and circled the bed a few times. The stockings rubbed against the soft bedding, producing a soft “swish-swish” sound.
But in this position, the already ridiculously short skirt hem became completely useless as a line of defense—nothing was hidden, and Xiliya could see everything from where she stood.
After a few laps around the bed, Ximo, whose face was red all the way to her ears, really couldn’t take it anymore. She used one hand to barely cover herself and stammered, “M-Mistress…”
“Shh—” Xiliya interrupted her promptly. “Little cats don’t talk, do they?”
“Meow… meow meow…”
Mimicking a cat’s meow was too embarrassing! Ximo squeezed her eyes shut in shame.
“That’s right. Now say it again—what do you want?”
“Meow meow meow…”
“I get it. The little cat wants this, right?”
Xiliya pressed her whole body down, pinning Ximo to the bed and stroking her hair.
No, that’s not what I meant… Ximo anxiously tried to speak up, but she quickly realized that cat meows couldn’t convey her real intentions.
With another person’s warm body heat pressing against her, under the influence of the Slave Seal, the large areas of skin contact quickly made Ximo’s head even dizzier, her eyes growing misty.
“When I custom-ordered this outfit, I specially added a little toy.”
Xiliya pulled out a black Collar, the small bell dangling from it jingling crisply.
“Eh?”
“With this, everyone will know your identity, right?”
Xiliya held the Collar up to Ximo’s neck to measure it.
“Listen up, Ximo. You’re my personal maid, a pet that belongs to me alone.”
“You have no relation to the Camberlan Family. You belong to me—got it?”
As she spoke, Xiliya gently fastened the Collar around Ximo’s neck. The dainty bell jingled sporadically with the rise and fall of Ximo’s chest.
“Well? Answer me.”
“Meow…”
“Good girl.”
Looking at Ximo pinned beneath her, the pale expanse of her neck adorned with the Collar, a flash of possessive satisfaction gleamed in Xiliya’s eyes.
So the next day, Ximo, head bowed as she swept the hallway, quickly caught Annaer’s attention while she was inspecting the work.
“Ximo, what’s that on your neck? Didn’t I mention the dress code requirements?”
“This is a gift from the Young Miss,” Ximo said, her face slightly flushed. “She wants me to wear it all the time…”
Seeing Annaer fall into thought, Ximo, afraid of being misunderstood, hurriedly added an explanation.
“It’s just a regular accessory, like a necklace pendant or something. It’s pretty trendy lately… I think.”
“I’m not so old that I don’t know about the latest fads, Ximo,” Annaer said helplessly. “If it’s the Young Miss’s order, then never mind.”
“Looks like you’re getting along well with her. Keep it up.”
After patting Ximo’s shoulder and leaving, Ximo couldn’t shake the feeling that Annaer’s tone had carried some deeper meaning.
The following days passed peacefully at the Camberlan Mansion. Masha didn’t cause any more trouble for Xiliya, though Ximo knew that Malisi, that brat, had gotten Masha into quite a bit of hot water last time.
A lot of the Chamber’s documents had been ruined. They could get them re-signed, but it was still a hassle that wasted time and required favors.
Xiliya showed no further moves either; her investigation into Masha seemed to be on hold.
But Xiliya wasn’t just sitting idly by. She was waiting for Masha’s next action.
Ever since visiting the Black Currant Chamber, Xiliya had been pondering one thing—where exactly did Masha meet with the Beastmen Clan?
Since Masha needed to draw away the City Guard within the city, it proved the other party came into the city to meet her. And this location wouldn’t arouse suspicion about Masha’s whereabouts, nor would it be easily discovered by others.
The answer was obvious—at least, Xiliya hadn’t noticed any signs of Masha sneaking out at night, so the meetings must have happened right there in the Mansion.
Once that idea clicked, Xiliya recalled various details. In her previous life, Masha would occasionally act especially nice to her, treating her with exceptional grace. She’d thought it was just a trick to lower her guard, but now it seemed there might have been more to it.
With that in mind, she wasn’t in a hurry to strike first. Masha would meet with them eventually; she just needed to bide her time patiently.
Sure enough, one evening about a week later, Masha finally took the initiative and approached Xiliya.
As bedtime approached that evening, Masha knocked on Xiliya’s door with a cup of hot milk in hand.
“Masha Aunt… it’s so late—what’s up?”
When Xiliya opened the door, Masha forced a stiff smile.
“I brought you some hot milk,” Masha said considerately with a smile. “It helps with sleep.”
Xiliya thanked her and took the cup, preparing to close the door, but Masha blocked it.
“The milk won’t taste good once it’s cold. Drink it while it’s hot, and I’ll take the cup straight back to Annaer, Xiliya.”
Seeing Masha’s insistence, Xiliya knew she wouldn’t leave unless she drank it right then. So, with a nod, she tilted her head back in front of Masha and gulped down the entire cup of milk.
“Good night, Xiliya.”
Watching Xiliya drain the whole cup, Masha finally relaxed, took the cup, and left the room.
