Chapter 55: Spy Karina

Chapter 55: Spy Karina

Well, no matter how busy the work gets, it always has to end at some point!

After finishing lunch and putting Anna to sleep, Airael couldn’t help but think about Arthur again.

Even though she had been receiving news related to Arthur, it had been ages since she last saw him.

She still remembered the deep impression Arthur left on her.

But, has he changed in all these years?

For someone like her, a few years might not mean much, but for a human like Arthur, it’s a long time—enough for him to have changed quite a bit.

Has he become more mature?

Sitting beside the sleeping Anna, Airael pondered.

She started to imagine what a more mature Arthur might look like.

Just as the image took form in her mind, she suddenly shook her head, pushing those thoughts aside.

She glanced at little Anna, now peacefully sleeping, and sighed, “Seriously, why am I thinking about that guy again? I should just get some rest!”

Otherwise, once Anna wakes up, there’ll be no chance to rest at all.

As that little one grows, she gets more and more troublesome!

Even though it’s annoying how much she’s a handful, Airael hasn’t sent her off to other countries; she still wants to sleep next to her and take care of her herself.

Lying on her soft bed, Airael closed her eyes and began to rest.

Before long, a mix of soft snoring sounds filled the room, a symphony of mother and daughter.

When she finally awoke, Airael felt an unfamiliar blush creeping onto her face.

She had, unbelievably, dreamt an unmentionable dream!

And it was about her future encounter with Arthur!

In the dream, they were entwined just like before.

Their bodies fit together so well, and she was desperately syncing up with Arthur, indulging in that intoxicating joy.

Just thinking about it made Airael, who hadn’t tasted romance in years, feel overwhelmed.

She couldn’t help but yearn for that day to arrive.

“Mommy!”

In that moment, Anna woke up and joyfully called out to Airael.

Snapped back to reality, Airael brushed aside those impure thoughts and greeted her daughter with a pure smile, “Anna, it’s time to get up! No lazing around!”

Anna jumped up and dove into Airael’s embrace.

Airael started dressing her daughter.

After getting Anna all ready, Airael completely forgot about Arthur.

At this moment, her daughter was her top priority.

Meanwhile, over in Arthur’s territory…

With a nudge from Shadow, Arthur decided to join the competition and started organizing some affairs in his territory.

Clearly, the competition wouldn’t be held in his domain.

So participating in the competition meant Arthur would have to leave his territory for a while.

Even though everything was running smoothly in his land, there were still some matters he needed to address.

Like, what to do in case of an urgent emergency?

He handed those responsibilities over to Cain.

That was for matters related to the territory.

As for the tasks inside the castle, he assigned them to his hired butler, Mari, and the head maid, Karina.

Of course, the major responsibilities still mostly fell on Mari.

Karina’s role primarily involved attending to Arthur, and given that he wouldn’t be around the territory much, her workload would be cut down by at least half.

But strangely, Karina wasn’t too pleased about that.

Even though her tasks had decreased, her pay remained largely unaffected, she wouldn’t be able to complete her own objectives.

She wasn’t just any ordinary maid!

She was placed by Arthur’s side with a mission.

Her mission was to stay close to Arthur, gather information about him, and report back.

But if she couldn’t stay near him, how could she collect information about him to report?

The higher-ups were breathing down her neck about this.

Karina understood the urgency.

After spending some time with Arthur, she realized he was anything but ordinary.

For instance, he didn’t seem to be swayed by her beauty. With her stunning looks and decent figure, Karina drew attention from many men.

Yet Arthur acted as if he didn’t even notice her, treating her like a regular maid.

“Karina, you look rather unhappy,” Mari remarked, stepping out of the room.

Mari was a middle-aged man with a very composed demeanor, neatly put together.

Karina felt a pang of alarm, but then quickly came up with a retort: “Oh, of course, I’m unhappy! I won’t be able to continue serving our illustrious lord!”

With that, she feigned a sorrowful expression.

Mari shook his head and responded gently, “Karina, you are indeed beautiful, but it’s best if you don’t entertain any unworthy thoughts. You should see by now that our lord has no interest in you.”

Karina twitched her lips.

Of course, she knew that.

If their lord had even the slightest interest, she would have been swept off her feet ages ago!

The role of a maid encompasses care for the master; however, that layer of meaning only comes into play if the master acknowledges it.

These maids have no authority in the matter.

“Trust me, I know. All I desire is to serve my master. Serving such a great lord is enough for me.”

Before entering the castle, Karina was a rescued little girl, taken in because she was homeless, and appointed as a maid.

So, her expressed admiration seemed quite natural to others.

Seeing Karina’s expression, Mari sighed.

Karina was a good girl, and Arthur was a good lord.

Unfortunately, they were destined to be unrequited.

The gap between their statuses was an insurmountable chasm, not to mention that their lord was off to pursue a certain Elven Queen!

For now, it was just as well that Karina had these thoughts; when she eventually found someone deserving of her heart, she believed their kind-hearted lord would let her go.

Mari’s inner thoughts were lost on Karina.

She was busy contemplating what should be her next move.

As a spy, if she couldn’t continue relaying information about Arthur, the higher-ups would definitely be unhappy.

Apparently, Arthur was a person of great interest to their high-ranking bosses.

The so-called “higher-ups” were the ones above her own leader.

It’s easy to imagine the kind of fate she would suffer if she couldn’t complete her mission.