Fortunately, although the injury on Ximo’s leg was serious, it hadn’t damaged any muscles or bones. After recuperating in Xiliya’s room for half a month, Ximo had finally recovered almost completely.
However, that half month had been a bit torturous for Ximo. Xiliya didn’t let her leave the room much, claiming it was to hide her injury… but surely she could return to her own room to sleep at night!
The good news was that the bed in Xiliya’s room was big enough. The bad news was that size didn’t matter—every night, Xiliya would automatically roll over to Ximo’s side.
Perhaps feeling that Ximo wasn’t proactive enough, Xiliya later came up with a new trick—she wrapped the blanket around herself every night.
If Ximo wanted any blanket, she had to snuggle up close to sleep together. If she wanted to sleep alone on the other side of the bed? Then she could freeze without any cover.
This trick proved highly effective. Winter nights without a blanket were pure torment, and Ximo didn’t last even one full night before she proactively crawled into Xiliya’s blanket.
Now, half a month later, with Ximo’s injury mostly healed, the plan she had proposed earlier was finally put into action.
“What did you do to upset the young lady? Why would she punish you to be a receptionist maid for a whole month?” Annaer eyed Ximo suspiciously.
“Uh… the young lady told me not to say.”
Ximo hadn’t expected Annaer to press the issue and brushed it off casually.
Annaer glanced at the collar around Ximo’s neck… What kind of mistake couldn’t be spoken about?
Moreover, Ximo had holed up in the young lady’s room for half a month, and the moment she emerged, she received this punishment from the young lady. It was hard not to suspect some kind of bizarre punishment game… but what kind of punishment made the other party work as a receptionist maid for a full month?
A receptionist maid—in plainer terms—was basically a gatekeeper. She had to stand at the entrance of the estate, greeting the first visitors to the manor and making arrangements for their hospitality.
Compared to regular maid duties, it wasn’t much more complicated, but standing at the gate all day was tiring. Normally, Annaer rotated the estate’s maids for this task, so she hadn’t expected Ximo to suddenly show up claiming the young lady had punished her to guard the gate for a month.
However, Ximo thought being a receptionist maid was the most convenient position for spying. She had to greet every single visitor to the estate all day, so she could spot Masha coming and going. This way, she could track Masha’s schedule and see who she met each day. Plus, getting “punished” like this fulfilled her daily task. It was killing two birds with one stone.
This was the caliber of a five-star general from a professional—security guard, security guard, safeguarding peace on all sides!
Xiliya felt sorry for Ximo standing at the estate gate for so long and would occasionally come to keep her company, even letting her take breaks. The two of them often whispered sweet nothings right there at the front gate… It was impossible for Annaer not to notice.
This only made Annaer more convinced that the “punishment” was just another part of their little game.
Another week passed quickly. At dusk, Xiliya watched as Masha finished the last sip of wine on the balcony and returned to her room. She then emerged from her hiding spot in the bushes, ready to head back.
Xiliya had no intention of relying solely on the little maid’s efforts. During this time, she had been finding ways to monitor Masha’s movements herself. The estate’s security was nonexistent to her, and after rescuing Ximo from the beastmen last time, Xiliya felt her magic had recovered a bit more.
However, she hadn’t discovered anything in these days. Masha hadn’t gone out much lately—her few outings were either to the City Guard or to chamber-hosted gatherings. Such social events clearly weren’t how Masha contacted the Beastmen Clan.
As for inside the estate, aside from handling official business in the study, Masha spent every evening drinking on the balcony, nothing out of the ordinary. Everyone knew she loved to drink, so Xiliya didn’t even need to spy to learn that.
Masha’s fondness for red wine was common knowledge; otherwise, the Black Currant Chamber wouldn’t send her wine every few days to curry favor.
But Xiliya wasn’t in a hurry to catch Masha red-handed. The one who should be anxious wasn’t her—it was Masha.
Things were different from her previous life now. Masha’s petty schemes hadn’t harmed her at all. If this dragged on for two months, the City Lord position would rightfully be hers. Masha couldn’t just seize it openly, so she should be desperate to deal with Xiliya by now.
Back in her room, Xiliya found that Ximo had already returned. The little maid seemed to have accepted her fate and obediently came to Xiliya’s room every night. Her own room had been empty for a long time.
“It’s weird. Although plenty of people usually visit Masha, none of them seem suspicious.”
Ximo recounted everyone who had visited the estate in the past week to Xiliya. There weren’t many visitors to Masha, and the prominent chamber presidents or anyone connected to the Beastmen Clan were definitely unrelated.
For every guest, Ximo greeted them properly, escorted them to the drawing room, and then notified Masha. She couldn’t eavesdrop on the conversations, but from the visitors themselves, nothing seemed amiss.
Xiliya frowned. Under their investigation, Masha’s schedule for the week was practically transparent—yet her actions showed no suspicious signs at all. Could it be that Masha just hadn’t contacted the Beastmen Clan this week?
But that didn’t make sense. Sifuke had told Xiliya just yesterday that another batch of smuggled goods had left the city. Masha must have coordinated with the Beastmen Clan in advance.
“The only others were the delivery people. Luo Keke came twice this week, both times delivering wine to Masha.”
Ximo finally understood why Luo Keke had recognized her before—Luo Keke visited Masha frequently to deliver wine, always the fine brews from the Black Currant Chamber. Though Ximo didn’t know much about wine, she could tell from the exquisite cases that a small box cost a fortune.
“Luo Keke is just too nice-tempered,” Xiliya sighed. “Masha’s targeting of the Black Currant Chamber has really gone too far.”
At that, the image of the taciturn coachman by Luo Keke’s side flashed in Xiliya’s mind, so she casually asked more.
“Does Luo Keke always come alone?”
“No, that coachman from their chamber named Hans always comes along. He’s not much of a talker, but he always volunteers to help carry the wine down to the cellar. He’s a really nice guy.”
Helping carry the wine?
Images of Masha drinking on the balcony every evening flashed through Xiliya’s mind—Hans, Black Currant Chamber, red wine… These elements swirled in her thoughts. She vaguely felt they were connected somehow, but she just couldn’t piece it together.
“Wait, do you remember how much wine Luo Keke delivered to Masha each time?”
A sudden flash of insight struck Xiliya, and she hurriedly asked Ximo.
