Chapter 92: Eileen’s Dead End

How could she possibly harbor such wicked thoughts about Her Majesty?

Eileen felt it was utterly inappropriate. This was her Majesty, after all. Entertaining such thoughts meant she had gravely failed in her duty.

But thankfully, the punishment session was over. She wouldn’t have to do anything strange to Her Majesty anymore, and those bizarre thoughts should cease.

“Miss Lily, it’s getting late. Let’s go take a bath first,” Eileen said, finally relaxing.

Amelia nodded.

Soon after, they arrived at the bathroom.

After filling the tub with medicinal water, they both shed their clothes and entered the bath, washing themselves in the hot water.

The two-hour chase and evasion had left Amelia drenched in sweat, so a thorough wash was definitely needed.

Eileen, though her face wasn’t flushed or breathless, had also sweated and needed a wash too.

Sitting in the tub, their eyes met, and they both instinctively looked away.

Amelia felt somewhat awkward. She used to bathe with Eileen often, and she never found anything strange about it before. After all, they were both girls; bathing together should be perfectly normal.

But why did it feel so odd this time? She couldn’t shake the feeling that a strange atmosphere had settled between them.

Eileen felt that atmosphere too.

She also found it strange. Was it because she had just punished Her Majesty?

Thinking back to that punishment, she inevitably recalled the skin Amelia revealed while undressing, the spots where she had spanked her still flushed.

This filled Eileen with guilt. What have I done?

“Miss Lily, let me help you wash your back.”

At a time like this, Eileen felt she could only atone for her mistake by serving Amelia diligently.

“Then I’ll leave it to you, Eileen.”

Amelia didn’t refuse.

After all, this was a familiar routine. Eileen had always been the one to wash her back in the past.

She turned around, presenting her back to Eileen.

As Eileen’s hands touched her back, skin meeting skin, a strange sensation tingled up her spine, causing Amelia’s body to tense up instantly.

Why did this strange feeling in her heart become even more intense when Eileen washed her back?

Sitting in the bathtub, Amelia subconsciously pressed her legs together, her eyes growing slightly hazy.

No, she had to distract herself, couldn’t think about strange things!

Amelia quickly averted her gaze, fixing it on the floating bullet comments. At a moment like this, only the bullet comments could distract her.

During the punishment earlier, she hadn’t dared to look at them, afraid of seeing something humiliating. But so much time had passed; the viewers couldn’t still be discussing that topic, right?

[Full of Holy Light, can’t see anything, just the sound of running water. Damn it.]

[The worst thing is, why can’t this anime be paused? I want to go back and capture Amelia’s “nya” sound and set it as my ringtone on repeat.]

[The guy above is a pervert.]

[I have a question: training isn’t something done just once, right? So does that mean we’ll get to see the punishment between Amelia and Eileen every day from now on?]

[Of course. Ability training requires long-term persistence to be effective.]

[Hehehe, the yuri is set in stone.]

[The yuri prospects are excellent.]

Upon seeing the bullet comments, Amelia’s heart immediately became vigilant.

That’s right. Ability training was definitely not a one-time thing. It would have to continue. Did that mean repeating the previous punishment?

Amelia recalled the two-hour chase and was quite certain that even if they did it again, she still wouldn’t be able to catch Eileen. Wouldn’t that mean she’d have to endure many more bizarre punishments?

No, this couldn’t be!

Amelia immediately started pondering, how should she handle this?

Change the punishment?

But the purpose of the punishment was to motivate her. If she changed it to something she wasn’t afraid of, the punishment would be meaningless.

And if she changed it to something she was afraid of, it didn’t seem much different from before.

What should she do?

After thinking for a moment, an idea formed in her mind.

“Eileen, we definitely need to train hard going forward, but the terms of the punishment need some adjustments.”

“Adjustments?”

“Yes. Let’s not make the punishment a daily affair. Extend the timeframe.”

Amelia laid out her plan in detail.

She planned to extend the time limit until the impostor pretending to be her arrived at Bild City. When that person arrived, the chase would end. If she still hadn’t caught Eileen by then, she would accept the punishment. But if she succeeded, it would be Eileen’s turn.

Expanding the timeframe to several days would allow her to improve significantly. She might not be so helpless against Eileen by then.

Of course, this didn’t mean every single minute of those days would be open game for the chase. When to start and when to pause would have to be agreed upon in advance.

As Amelia clarified her plan, enlightenment dawned on Eileen. She nodded and said, “I understand what to do. Everything will be according to Miss Lily’s wishes.”

Having made this decision, Amelia finally relaxed.

Heavenly Calendar Year 720, October 23rd.

The news that Queen Amelia of the Steele Kingdom would soon arrive in Bild City with her entourage had spread throughout the city, drawing everyone’s attention. Based on the timing, she was expected to arrive before nightfall today.

For this, His Highness Prince Bennett had already prepared a welcome and set up a grand banquet at the castle, just awaiting her arrival.

Additionally, envoys from the Bargas Kingdom, Akti Kingdom, and Beren Kingdom had also arrived in Bild City ahead of time. They were continuously negotiating with the higher-ups of the Luban Duchy, demanding the handover of Queen Amelia, but had received no clear response.

“Hah…”

At the dining table, Amelia put down the newspaper in her hand and let out a long sigh.

So, her every move could cause such a huge stir?

This made Amelia understand that her identity could not be widely known; otherwise, the trouble it would bring would be considerable.

As for right now, everyone’s attention was focused on the fake Amelia impersonating her. She didn’t need to be too nervous.

You’re looking for Amelia Steele. What does that have to do with me, Lily Hicks?

Putting down the newspaper, Amelia looked over at Eileen, who was standing nearby. The afternoon sun streamed through the window, slanting onto Eileen and making her look exceptionally radiant.

“Miss Lily, do you have any instructions?” Eileen asked, noticing Amelia’s gaze.

“Eileen, the person impersonating me will arrive tonight.”

“Shall I assassinate her?”

Eileen’s eyes narrowed sharply.

Someone impersonating her Majesty was absolutely unacceptable. With just one word from Amelia, she would ensure that person paid the ultimate price, no matter what.

“No, no.” Amelia waved her hand dismissively. “Don’t be hasty. ‘My’ appearance has caused quite a commotion, which makes me think I can let this impersonator draw attention for me, test what happens if my identity is exposed.”

“I understand,” Eileen nodded.

“But the person impersonating me will arrive in Bild City today, which means our training time ends today as well.” Amelia’s expression grew serious as she spoke.

Over the past week or so, she had allocated time every day to train with Eileen. Her proficiency with the Wind God’s Dance Step had improved considerably; she could utilize it more flexibly and with less energy expenditure.

At first, a two-hour chase left her panting heavily, her legs numb and barely able to stand.

But now, two hours was entirely manageable. At least on the surface, she showed no signs of fatigue whatsoever.

The training over this past week had yielded remarkable results for Amelia.

However, even after more than a week, Amelia still hadn’t managed to catch Eileen.

Eileen lacked an ability like the Wind God’s Dance Step, but her Rank was higher than Amelia’s. So, even with the limited space, she remained out of reach.

Today was the final day. If she still couldn’t catch Eileen, she would have to accept the humiliating punishment.

Thinking back to the punishment she had already endured, Amelia’s expression hardened.

On this final day, I must catch Eileen!

Her confidence wasn’t baseless. In over a week of pursuing Eileen, her abilities had grown significantly. She also had a much deeper understanding of Eileen’s patterns and felt that catching her was possible.

During last night’s training, she had almost caught Eileen!

So, the one accepting punishment today wouldn’t be her!

“Come, Eileen, let’s begin our training.” Amelia slowly stood up.

“I am ready,” Eileen nodded.

Whoosh!

The moment Eileen said she was ready, Amelia’s figure shot forward like an arrow released from its bow, swiftly closing in and reaching out to grab her.

But Eileen was clearly prepared. With a light leap, she evaded her original position, causing Amelia to grasp at empty air.

Missing was a common occurrence for Amelia these days. She fluidly shifted her movement, charging towards the evading Eileen without a moment’s pause.

Eileen dodged again.

“Miss Lily, your movements are increasingly refined. The improvement is visible to the naked eye. Keep it up.”

Eileen was quite gratified by Amelia’s progress.

Amelia laughed while continuing her pursuit. “Eileen, it’s not enough for just me to improve. You need to improve quickly too.”

“I will do my best,” Eileen nodded.

As they spoke, their movements didn’t pause for an instant. They rapidly navigated the cramped space of the dorm, continuously chasing.

Their movements were light and agile, leaving no destruction or chaos in their wake, moving from the living room to the kitchen, then to the bathroom, the bedroom, and everywhere else.

Though the space they could traverse wasn’t large, the chase was exceptionally intense.

Eileen felt immense pressure.

As the training days passed, she could clearly feel Amelia’s improvement. Every bit of progress Amelia made added to the pressure on her.

If they were outside, relying on the suppression of her higher Rank, Eileen wouldn’t be caught even with Amelia’s progress. But the dormitory space was simply too confined, severely limiting her movements.

Why do I have a feeling Her Majesty might actually catch me this time?

A thought flickered through Eileen’s mind.

The moment she considered the possibility of being caught, she couldn’t help but think of the agreed-upon punishment.

The loser would be spanked in that sensitive spot.

Imagining herself having to bend over and be treated that way by Amelia, Eileen’s expression immediately turned dead serious.

No!

She could not allow such a shameful thing to happen.

Of course, she also didn’t want to do that to Amelia. This internal conflict filled her with a sense of contradiction.

“Eileen, are you getting a bit distracted?”

Amelia’s voice approached rapidly, her figure appearing right in front of Eileen.

Eileen’s heart leaped. Using her legs, she propelled herself backward in a sudden burst of speed, putting distance between them.

But Amelia seemed to have anticipated Eileen’s next move. She followed like a shadow, never allowing the gap between them to widen by much.

Eileen retreated to the edge of the bed in the bedroom, Amelia following close behind.

Eileen leaped backward, bounding over the bed to the other side. Amelia, accompanied by a light breeze, pivoted and landed right beside her.

She couldn’t shake her off!

That was Eileen’s feeling at this very moment. No matter how she moved, Amelia could stick to her tightly. There was no way to escape.

The situation shook Eileen’s spirit.

Amelia was indeed improving, but she hadn’t been standing still either. How could the gap between them narrow so drastically in just over a week? Was she not improving enough?

I am Her Majesty’s guard and maid. If I cannot improve diligently, cannot better myself, how will I protect Her Majesty in the future?

A sense of urgency rose within Eileen.

She wanted to become stronger. She had to!

“Eileen, you’re spacing out again? If this keeps up, you won’t be able to escape.”

Amelia’s voice came from in front of her.

It was only then Eileen realized she had retreated into a corner of the bedroom, and Amelia was poised to pounce.

In that brief moment, Eileen’s eyes scanned her surroundings, swiftly judging an escape route. But it was then she realized she might have no way out.