A woven wood vine basket had plates and cups piled into it, which appeared used based on how dirty they were. Once the basket was full, someone began stacking them on the table. Eve hummed a tune as she carried the ceramic plates with her well-tanned hands. Her maid uniform indicated she worked at the mansion. A lively lunch had just ended, and it was time for her to clean up. Washing the dishes was the most cumbersome of house chores, but she cleared each table with a cheerful attitude.
“Ah, that chestnut rice was so good. I loved that chewy texture, how it got sweeter with each bite, and the chunks of chestnut in there. I hope I get to eat some again.”
She appeared to be in high spirits from the satisfying meal she had just eaten. As someone with a big appetite, food was a major part of life for her. Outside the mansion was a sunny lawn, and beyond that was a lake. The beautiful scenery certainly contributed to her good mood.
Her long ears and suntanned skin were signs that she was a dark elf. The dress she wore suited her active personality, with a skirt much shorter than the others and sleeves that exposed her arms. Lean muscles lined her toned body, yet her feminine parts were full of shapely curves. Her plain, black-and-white outfit did little to hide her womanly charms. She held the basket with one arm, balanced the rest of the mountainous pile of plates on her head, and stepped out through the back door.
The women who lived in the mansion had to carry out and clean the used tableware and utensils. All of them accomplished their tasks with practiced hands, yet strangely, each was a hardened warrior. People often compared them to a “jewelry box” because they each had different hair colors. The phrase reminded them of their days under the hero candidate Zarish’s curse as parts of his “collection,” but they understood it was meant to be a compliment and didn’t think much of it.
Eve focused on the building’s windows. A woman near the second-floor window was writing a letter, then noticed Eve and looked back with her twilight eyes. It was Puseri, heiress to the Blackrose family and the leader of Team Diamond.
Puseri gave off the impression of an uptight aristocrat because of her classy demeanor but was quite playful in front of her team members. She gestured, “It’s another invitation from the rich.” Soon after, she displayed an exasperated expression, making Eve burst laughing.
The so-called collection was highly attractive and valuable. Several months had passed since Zarish, one of Arilai’s most influential men, lost all public trust. The royal family had covered up the information, but another influential party with good ears discovered the truth. Following that, the women had been getting requests from messengers to join another party’s ranks.
In the past, the Blackrose family had ruled over Arilai. Not only was Puseri loved by its people for her beauty, but she boasted overwhelming fighting prowess, as demonstrated when she stopped Demon Arms Kartina. Should anyone succeed in bringing her under their control, they could increase their political standing within the country.
One by one, Puseri solemnly ripped the letters with her elegant fingers without raising an eyebrow. The Blackrose family precept was “We have no masters.” She often said she would never raise her sword in service of another. Even though Puseri knew it was a waste of time, she understood that kindly responding would help preserve relationships for the future.
Turning down these invitations was Puseri’s job as master. She was also the head maid and had tasked the others with housework in order to give herself time to take care of the letters. While she hated being the target of the male gaze, she dealt with it, as it was her job.
“This is quite the hassle. Well, I suppose these letters should stop eventually,” muttered Puseri. Seeing that Gedovar, land of the demons, had begun its invasion, many expected the highways to become unusable.
“Good luck!” said Eve cheerfully from the backyard, unaware of her master’s plight. The sour look on Puseri’s face softened into a smile, and she waved at the dark elf carrying the plates away.
As for Eve, she had the important job of managing the mansion grounds. She headed over to the cozy washroom at the back of the mansion and pushed the gate open with plates stacked on her head and each hand. Another woman was already inside, and she gave Eve a startled look.
“Sup, Isuka. The others aren’t here yet?” Eve asked as she waved and approached the woman.
Isuka, a half-demon with horns growing out of the sides of her head, stared at the enormous pile of plates with widened eyes, clearly worried that Eve might drop them. Despite usually being calm and collected, it was obvious how anxious she was by the shape of her thin eyebrows. “Put the plates down already,” she mouthed desperately. She wouldn’t have looked so panicked if someone had held a gun to her face.
Eve cocked her head in confusion, the movement making the plates on her head shift. The half-demon girl’s face changed to full-blown panic. For a moment, Eve observed her open-mouthed expression curiously and swiftly placed the plates on her head and hands on the ground. Isuka finally sighed in relief, as if she had been released from paralysis.
“Ugh... I feel like I’m gonna have a heart attack every time you do that. Why don’t you carry a little less at a time?” she asked.
“What, really? This is nothing. It’s not like I’m going to drop them.”
While Eve had never broken any plates, it was quite nerve-racking for everyone around her. Isuka clutched her still-racing heart, then reached for the pump on the well. After a few pulls of the handle, cold water flowed. Eve watched the clear water fill up and took a seat nearby.
Everything in the washing area was made of stone, and that was also the case for the waist-high platform for filling up water. The design allowed the women to wash dishes sitting or do laundry at their feet. The mansion was seemingly nonsensical because the owners built it in the labyrinth, but Eve found it to be strangely well-made with practicality in mind.
The women wore short pants under the skirts of their maid outfits so their underwear wouldn’t be visible when they sat down. Though, Eve didn’t care if someone happened to see.
“This is so convenient. We could draw water into the mansion using this waterway, right? The manor of black roses was a historic building, but everything was old. Cleaning that place was a huge pain,” she said.
“True. I’m surprised the builders created a well here when the lake is so close,” responded Isuka, her long blue hair fluttering with each movement.
The crystal clear water flowing out now connected to the nearby lake. It was close enough to walk there and carry the water back, but this was much more convenient for the servants.
Isuka had a cold demeanor, although that was her default expression, whether she was at the mansion or on the battlefield. Despite her appearance, she also had a humorous side and often joined in on any silly conversation around her. She tended to speak matter-of-factly but enjoyed talking with others.
The women liked that there were fences all over, since it allowed them to sit in the shaded backyard and converse with friends without worrying about prying eyes. Hence, this spot was becoming a place more for relaxation than for work. Some even brought snacks, and no one said anything about it.
Eve had nothing to do until the water finished filling up, so she let her feet dangle beneath her and took some biscuits out of her pocket. She broke one of them in two, then offered half to Isuka, who chomped it down in one bite. Shortly after, she smiled at the rare opportunity to feed a half-demon and enjoyed her half’s crunchy texture and subtle sweetness.
“Mmm, that’s good. This kind of snack is hard to get around here,” noted Isuka.
“Can you tell? A man gave it to me earlier. Maybe I’m imagining it, but I feel like we’ve been getting a lot of gifts from other teams lately.”
“I haven’t, though I doubt it’s just your imagination.”
Eve tilted her head as if trying to figure it out, and Isuka sighed deeply. This dark elf was appallingly careless with her affairs. On top of that, she liked to run around and often sped off toward anything that looked fun to her. She was sociable and had an attractive body, but she was very childish. People found her quite frank and thoughtful when they spoke to her, which seemed popular with men.
Since Eve specialized in espionage and diversion, others assumed she was a step behind the rest of her team in combat. But she was exceptionally good at coordinating with her allies, having worked her way up to become a mainstay of the team through pure skill.
Although she was attractive and charming, she was naive. Men couldn’t help but try to win her over, so they sent her gifts to get her attention. The dark elf didn’t realize this, making Isuka sigh again.
“I haven’t had any luck with men lately. What’s your secret, Eve?”
“Huh? Were we talking about that kind of thing just now?” asked Eve, confused.
“Yes, we were. You’re just so clueless that you haven’t been following along. Let me ask you, what are you going to do to the man who gave you that snack?”
“I’ll bake him something as thanks. Why?”
“What if he invited you to a picnic so you two can eat it together?”
“I’d go with him? Oh, but I’d make a boxed lunch instead of snacks.”
Isuka sighed for the third time and buried her head in her hands. Eve would be giving the man all the signs to make him think he had a chance, but she would be completely uninterested. He would not understand she was a child on the inside despite her striking appearance, with her blonde hair, blue eyes, and suntanned skin. Isuka had asked for tips on attracting men but realized Eve’s methods were far too advanced for her. She reached for the dishes as if to say this conversation was over, as the water sufficiently filled up the well.
In desert countries, the common method of cleaning dishes was to cover them with sand and wipe them with cloth. It wasn’t exactly the most sanitary approach out there. But here, they used a scrubbing brush and a mixture of water and ash. The dirty water went down the waterway into an off-site reservoir, where the master of the lake, Charybdis, cleansed it.