As a villain, I really don't want to be pursued by the heroine.

She clearly wanted to show her reliable side and be recognized by her master like them.

But the result?

I broke the brooch that my master gave me as a gift.

Failed to defeat the Heart Eater beautifully.

In the end, he had to trouble his master to rescue him and let him see how miserable and ugly he was.

It even made the owner angry.

But even so, the master did not blame himself.

The more Alice felt the other person's tenderness, the more unbearable she felt.

If it were them, they would definitely perform better.

Master, you must be disappointed in yourself.

Thinking of this, Alice felt a tightness in her chest and a little breathless.

Maybe I should just stay content with my lot and be a simple maid, and not expect anything more than that.

My master has already given me enough tenderness, so why should I, as a maid, ask for so much?

Alice raised her head slightly and met the eyes of the puppy doll.

She stood up, reached out her hand, and carefully held it in her arms.

Once upon a time, this doll was happiness to me.

But now, I want more.

"Alice, you've become so greedy without even realizing it..."

There is none of the family background that is suitable for him, the bond of sharing life and death, and the power to fight alongside him.

Compared to them, I am just a maid.

As such, perhaps I had no qualifications to stand beside the master from the beginning, let alone catch the master's eyes like them.

"But this is fine."

As a maid, it is natural to silently guard the happiness of your master, isn't it?

Alice patted her cheeks vigorously, cast aside those complicated thoughts, and like a clockwork puppet, she took off her uniform and put on a maid outfit smoothly.

She took one last look in the mirror.

The blonde girl had a cold face and indifferent eyes, just like usual.

"That's good."

Don't think about the things that you can't get. Just do what you should do, do what you can do, and be a good servant to your master. That's enough.

Alice exhaled softly, completely suppressing the loneliness in her eyes. She pushed open the door, walked to the dining table next to the kitchen, and asked in a calm tone without any intonation, "Master, what would you like to eat tonight..."

A warm yellow halo came into view at this moment, blurring Alice's vision.

Chapter 15 You Don't Have to Treat Me as Your Master Tonight

The steaming hot meal had already been placed on the table, with a large cake in the center. The girls, either enthusiastically or politely, chirped and invited her to take a seat. The black-haired boy, with a smile on his face, waited for her arrival.

This was a scene Alice had long been accustomed to.

She always sat a little further away at the dining table, watching the boys and girls laughing and being intimate.

However, before she could even refuse, Nia pushed her to sit in the seat closest to Roy.

Faced with the carefully prepared food and the enthusiastic atmosphere, Alice was a little overwhelmed: "Are we celebrating some festival today?"

"Alice, just sit in your usual seat..."

The little maid was about to stand up, but was gently pushed back by the elf girl behind her.

"No, no, no, this position is yours today. After all, you are the protagonist."

"main character?"

Charlotte on the side said slowly: "Well, this is all prepared for you by Roy."

Lyanna raised an eyebrow at the boy. "Shouldn't it be more appropriate for him to say these things himself?"

Facing the little maid's puzzled gaze, Roy scratched his cheek a little embarrassedly.

"I wanted to celebrate the actual combat training, and I also wanted you to relax."

Roy's tone softened unconsciously, and he gave the girl a big smile. "Alice, you've been busy with housework, school, and participating in various practical trainings. You've worked hard all this time."

Alice's eyes widened slightly, a flash of tenderness appeared in her eyes for a moment, but then she lowered her eyes again.

The master's gentleness always brings her surprises.

But I didn't repay him with the performance I should have.

"I'm sorry, Master. Despite your careful preparation, I've failed to satisfy you during this combat training."

"Huh? What are you talking about?"

"Well, that is to say, practical combat training..." Alice fell speechless halfway through her words.

But Roy said with a mixture of laughter and tears: "Disappointed? When did you get the illusion that you disappointed me?!"

Alice muttered weakly, "But, the master was obviously very angry at that time."

"One thing is for sure. You didn't hesitate to fight against someone of a higher rank and nearly got injured. You did make a mistake," Roy said sternly, then added gently, "But you performed well."

"You're already amazing for being able to fight a Sequence 6 monster to that extent."

"Really?" Alice's eyes suddenly lit up, but then hesitated: "Alice, even in that state, you didn't disappoint the master, did you?"

Hearing this, Roy tapped her forehead and smiled gently.

"You've never let me down."

Rather, it was the sight of her being covered in wounds yet still fighting bravely that made Roy realize more deeply how hard Alice had worked.

"Well, although it is a problem that you don't take good care of yourself, let me find a way to make up for it." Roy said, taking out an exquisite gift box.

On the gift box was a pair of arm armors that shone silver, had an elegant shape, and exuded a holy aura.

This was the item he had previously spotted from the Magician Society's merchandise list, the extraordinary weapon from the Church of Holy Light.

"This is a Sequence 5 transcendental weapon, the [Temple Gauntlet], forged with mithril and holy white stone. It was once worn by the Knights Templar."

"This thing can enhance holy light abilities and automatically condense a holy light shield to resist various physical, magical, and illusion attacks. It's no ordinary stuff," Roy boasted proudly.

Alice always focused on attacking and neglected defense, so Roy always wanted to get her a piece of protective gear.

Of course, the [Temple Gauntlets] cost a lot of money, which made Roy, who never took money seriously, feel distressed for a moment.

But only for a moment.

Gold, silver and treasures are just external possessions. How can they compare to the safety of your own little maid?

Alice took the arm armor blankly and put it on her hand.

This arm armor will automatically adjust its shape according to the user's body shape, making even her slender arms look slim and graceful.

"do you like it?"

"Yeah...I like it."

Alice stared at her own reflection in those dark eyes, and felt that her previous worries were so ridiculous.

It turned out that the master had been watching him.

Maybe the way he looked at them was different, but he never forgot to care about himself.

Even if he doesn't need to show anything deliberately, he will give himself a lot of happiness like he does now.

Exquisite cuisine, precious weapons, and a carefully prepared small banquet.

As a maid, Alice could hardly imagine anything happier than this.

However, her chest was throbbing more and more, getting warmer and more unbearable, as if the pounding of her heart was about to burst out, making it almost impossible for her to breathe.

You should have given up already.

Obviously, I should be satisfied.

She had clearly already decided to quietly be a maid.

However, the more I taste the sweetness and tenderness from my master, the more I feel like being looked at by my master, and the more unbearable this feeling becomes.

Wanting more, to be watched by the master more.

Alice spoke abruptly and confessed, "Master, I'm sorry."

"At that time, Alice wanted to defeat the Heart Eater because she wanted to prove herself and be praised by her master."

Alice's voice trembled, and her expression was a little bitter: "Alice, I want to be recognized by the master like Charlotte, Nia, and Lyanna. But I don't know what to do?"

"No matter her family background or appearance, Alice is too ordinary to be worthy of the master. That's why I thought that if I could defeat a strong enemy and prove my strength, the master might treat Alice the same way he treats them."

The three girls looked at each other, all of them were a little surprised, with complicated expressions.

Hearing this, Roy couldn't help but fall into deep thought.

Because she received a distorted education from human traffickers since she was young, Alice followed the rules rigidly like a child, and her childlike innocence was worn away.

She doesn't act like a spoiled child or cry. In the original work, even if she is abused, she will just endure it silently.

But this doesn't mean that she won't be lonely, sad, or cry.

Just like Charlotte, Nia, and Lyanna, after shedding the halo in the original works, she is just an ordinary, weak, and lovable girl.

I have given her a lot, and there is no doubt that she is much better than the 'evil young Roy' in the original work.

But that's why I overlooked something.

Ignoring what Alice really wanted.

Especially after I met Charlotte and the others, I spent even less time with Alice.

Just like a sister gets upset because her brother has a girlfriend, it's not surprising that Alice feels lonely because of this. However, she doesn't lose her temper or get upset. Instead, she works hard as a maid to get his heart back.

Clumsy, yet lovable.

For the first time, Roy thought about whether the identity of a maid was a home or a shackle for Alice.

To be honest, he didn't know the answer.

But there was one thing he was sure of.

Alice, to him, has never been just a maid.

"I understand your difficulties. However, if it's just this level, there's no need to use such roundabout methods, you know?"

Roy gently stroked the girl's soft golden hair, feeling the warmth between the strands, soothing her anxiety. "If you feel lonely, it's okay to be a little more willful, a little more proactive, and a little more coquettish, okay?"

"How about this, today, you can make any wish you want. Tonight, you don't have to treat me as your master."

Chapter 16: The Three of Us

Nia's whistle sounded from the dining table.

Nia patted Alice's shoulder and said with a smile, "Any wish is fine—Roy is so generous, so there's no need to be polite, okay?"

"Rather, it's better to say that acting like a spoiled child occasionally will make my junior like me more~" Lyanna also glanced at Roy meaningfully.

Charlotte remained silent, but she didn't intend to refute.

It was not until this moment that Alice vaguely realized that what Vanilla meant by "initiative" at that time might not be what she thought.

As a maid, Alice never considered asking for anything from her master.

But once she got Roy's consent and released this restriction, all the desires buried deep in her heart came out.

If we put aside the master-servant relationship, the most desired wish is——

Suddenly, Alice recalled one romantic scene after another that she had seen before.

However, when she stared at the handsome and elegant boy in front of her and was about to pour out her heart, she became inexplicably timid and temporarily changed her mind to do the second thing she wanted to do.