Chapter 136: Rong's Awkward Confession
While the night had been thrilling, the fact that he hadn't come home all night was bound to elicit a response from the household manager, Rong.
The moment he stepped through the door, he was met with a piercing stare—one that could only be described as a "death glare."
For some reason, Shia felt a little guilty.
Following the gaze, he saw the shy succubus sitting on the sofa, hands placed at her sides, her eyes fixed unwaveringly on him.
Staring.
Even with Shia's thick skin, he found it hard to hold his composure under Rong's intense scrutiny.
"Ahem… You're up early," Shia tried to deflect, attempting to steer the conversation away.
But his attempt failed.
Rong continued staring at him silently, her gaze unbroken.
Shia switched his shoes and sat down across from her, his own expression tu rning serious.
"If you have something to say, just say it."
Her unrelenting stare was unsettling, filling him with a strange sense of guilt. It was as if he had wronged her deeply.
"I do have something to say," Rong finally broke the silence, her tone heavy and solemn.
An invisible pressure filled the air.
But then, in the very next moment, the stern and composed housekeeper transformed into something much humbler.
"Although I'm just a lowly maid, merely a pitiful guest staying in your home, someone without the right to meddle in your affairs…"
"But Master, you didn't come home all night! I was so worried, okay?"
"At the very least, you could've sent a message or something!"
Rong's lips quivered as her eyes shimmered with unshed tears. She perfectly embodied the image of a pitiful, downtrodden girl who was completely at the mercy of others.
Her words were well-crafted, delivered with emotion—but they didn't sound like something Rong would normally say.
Shia immediately sensed something was off.
Although the teary-eyed succubus maid before him seemed genuinely pitiful, this didn't align with her usual socially anxious demeanor.
He recalled the first time he had come home late. Rong had simply turned around and left, unable to even properly express her feelings.
Even though her social anxiety had shown some improvement recently, the change wouldn't have been this dramatic.
And those overly dramatic, tea-flavored words…
Shia's suspicion fell on someone else entirely. His eyes shifted to the side, landing on Nia.
She was hugging a pillow, staring blankly into space as if lost in her own world, seemingly unaware of the exchange happening right in front of her.
"Did someone teach you to say that?" Shia asked, his tone confident.
For a brief moment, Rong looked confused.
Huh? Why would he ask that?
This wasn't how the script was supposed to go!
What was she supposed to say next?
She didn't know.
Then came the telltale signs of guilt. Rong instinctively covered her mouth and shook her head furiously.
No one taught me! These are my own words!
"Really?"
Shia's eyes narrowed slightly, his entire demeanor exuding an oppressive aura.
The way he looked at her seemed to pierce through everything, as if he already knew the truth.
Rong's heart skipped a beat, and she grew even more nervous.
As a peculiar succubus, lying simply wasn't in her repertoire.
"This..." This was something I wanted to say on my own—no one taught me to say it.
That was what Rong wanted to express. But what one thinks and what one dares to say aloud can be entirely different matters.
She started to speak but couldn't follow through. Her lips parted, but her throat felt like it was blocked, making it impossible to utter a single word.
Lying isn't what good kids do.
Honesty is a virtue.
Especially when facing someone dear—how could she possibly lie?
Rong's ears gradually turned red, and the blush spread to her cheeks and even down to her neck. It seemed lying was truly beyond her capabilities.
She shut her mouth, her gaze darting around nervously, unable to meet Shia's eyes or linger anywhere for too long.
Even though she didn't outright confess, her demeanor made her guilt painfully obvious. It was written all over her face.
This didn't need further explanation—her expression said it all.
The socially awkward princess had inherited none of the traditional charms of a succubus.
Rong's gaze inadvertently drifted toward a certain adorable senior's chest.
Her master was playing by their own rules—what now?
It wasn't that she wasn't trying; it was just that her master was too cunning!
Shia's eyes also landed on Nia.
Her gaze carried a mix of speechlessness and helplessness. She crossed her arms, adopting the posture of someone confronting the root of the problem.
Nia, meanwhile, had an expression of pure innocence, tilting her head slightly and pointing at herself in confusion.
"Why are you looking at me?"
"Stop corrupting the child!" Shia scolded, exasperated.
"Huh?" Nia blinked, her face the picture of naivety and innocence. "It has nothing to do with me, okay?"
She nodded earnestly after speaking, her soft and adorable demeanor exuding a harmless vibe. Not a single trace of pretense or deceit could be found.
If Shia didn't already know her true nature, she might have believed her.
Nia even took on the air of a senior, placing her hands on her hips and adopting a stern expression. "Little Rong is asking you something right now, Junior Shia! Stop trying to change the subject!"
Shia looked at Nia, whose performance was flawless, then at Rong, who practically had "I'm guilty" written on her face. She felt utterly at a loss.
These two had clearly swapped their racial traits.
One was a succubus who, aside from being flat-chested, lacked any succubus skills and was so pure it was almost scary.
The other was an elf, yet a natural-born schemer who acted innocent after every trick she pulled.
Rong was riddled with guilt, recalling how they'd agreed earlier: Nia would help her come up with words, but they had to keep it secret from their master.
Now the master had figured it out—disaster!