TFBVH 38

Chapter 38

Elia, who was 21 this year, was a woman with a face as beautiful as her name suggested.

With shiny beige hair and green eyes, Elia was the pride of the village because of her stunning beauty.

Many men in the village wanted to marry her and tried to court her. Among them was even the second son of a viscount’s family, who had worked there since childhood.

But Elia, with her high standards, was not impressed by any of these eager suitors.

She dreamed of wearing magnificent, brilliant dresses like the noble daughters she had once seen at a viscount’s house and becoming a grand noble herself, living a beautiful life forever.

But in this small village, there was no man who could fulfill her ambition.

Defying her parents’ wishes, Elia went up to the capital.

To find a man who could raise her social status.

With her outstanding looks, lively personality, and refined speech skills honed in noble households, she endured some hardships for a few years and finally became a maid in the grand noble Helderios family. It was a huge success.

And she met Lloyd, the heir of the Helderios family, who was a big topic in the newspapers.

Handsome face, a body that made others blush, powerful strength, immense wealth, and high social rank—the prince she had dreamed of was right there.

Elia fell for Lloyd at first sight. Like the Countess of Alashia, once a famous romance story, she wanted Lloyd to make her a noble, and she persistently stayed near him.

Watching him closely, Lloyd was exactly the man she wanted as a husband. Among noble men, he had no scandals with women. The servants and knights said he was still a virgin at his age.

He was so uninterested in women that even the duchess had planned to marry any woman he glanced at, regardless of her status. For Elia, this was a golden opportunity.

So she invested all the money she earned as a maid into her beauty. She styled her hair with oils used by noble ladies and wore expensive perfume. Savings didn’t matter. If she became a duchess, small money meant nothing.

Her beauty attracted the Helderios knights and servants. Some tried to seduce her, even offering to sleep with her or propose, but Elia’s heart stayed fixed.

Her goal was only Lloyd.

Even when Davien and Lloyd fought, destroying part of the mansion and nearly killing her, even when other maids quit in frustration, she persevered. Eventually, she became responsible for Lloyd’s room.

Now it was time for a male virgin to fall head over heels for a beautiful maid. She wore pheromone perfume and flashy lingerie, visiting Lloyd’s room frequently.

The other servants and knights wanted her, but Elia remained firm.

She had to become the duchess.

But Lloyd was not easy. He was obsessed with martial arts, spending half a day training at the yard, the rest on duties as a minor duke. He barely slept and often napped in his office or the training yard.

Even though she was always nearby, he didn’t notice her.

And then the big day came. Lloyd fell asleep in his room for the first time. Elia saw it as her chance, sprayed herself with pheromone perfume, and brought breakfast.

“Hmph hmph.”

Lloyd smelled her and looked up at her face.

Their eyes met, and Elia blushed without realizing it.

Yes, now I’m going to be the duchess.

Lloyd reached out his hand. Elia tightly closed her eyes.

Ding.

But he grabbed the call bell, not her. At the sound, a butler immediately entered the room.

“The maid’s perfume is too strong—it gives me a headache. Where is my previous personal servant? Bring them back,” Lloyd complained.

Elia was frustrated. How could he feel nothing even when seeing her? She decided she would step down from being his personal maid that day.

But she didn’t give up. She kept looking for chances.

Then she heard that Lloyd had brought a woman—pregnant, no less.

She couldn’t believe it.

‘What kind of woman can achieve in a short time what I struggled for years to do?’

And the woman she met was the most beautiful she had ever seen.

Elia, usually proud of her looks, had to admit defeat.

She also found out the woman was a commoner, just like her. Knowing that a commoner took her place made Elia furious.

If she had been a noble, Elia might have given up. But a country-born commoner?

A sly woman. Using her beauty to seduce our master.

Seeing the duchess and duke happy about their new daughter-in-law made Elia furious.

So when she noticed blood on the woman’s clothes, she felt secretly relieved.

‘A chance! I have one too!’

She excitedly ran to the duchess to deliver the news.

The Helderios family, full of life after hearing about the heir, was now sunk in sorrow.

Soon, that woman would be chased out, and Elia would take her place.

Even better, Lloyd’s sister also disliked the woman. That was good news. She hoped the sister would drive the woman away quickly.

But things didn’t go as she hoped. Lloyd still cherished the woman, even putting a rare jewel from the newspaper around her neck. The sister, who disliked her at first, never left her side.

When Elia heard that the woman was given noble rank by the count family, she gritted her teeth in jealousy.

And to make it worse, the woman even received a puppy from the sister. Rumor spread in one day that the Helderios twins fought over the puppy, destroying part of the knights’ building.

Seeing the woman cherish the tiny puppy, Elia had a bad thought.

If I kill the puppy, Davien might not forgive her.

Following the woman’s request to bring milk and minced meat, Elia secretly poisoned the food. But the small black fluffy puppy only whined and turned its head, refusing to eat.

A failure?

Elia frowned while disposing of the food.

This time, the woman asked for raw meat. Even for a newborn puppy, it was obvious the request was insane. The puppy would die in the woman’s hands anyway. Elia clicked her tongue and brought the raw meat.

But to her surprise, the weak puppy, previously too weak to eat, greedily devoured the raw meat.

Seeing the blood drip from its mouth and the woman clap with joy, Elia shivered in horror.

What’s with that puppy?

When she went to bring more raw meat, the kitchen staff looked uneasy.

“What’s wrong?”

But no one spoke.

Elia went to the easiest target—the new maid—and snapped at her. Trembling, the maid finally spoke.

“The… the puppy in Kae’s room…”

“What about it?”

“Well… um…”

Elia raised her hand.

“Hey, newbie. Can’t you speak properly? Want another beating?”

The maid closed her eyes tightly and said:

“The puppy in Kae’s room… it’s not a puppy. It’s a Hell Hound monster that Davien caught in the dungeon.”

Hell Hound.

Elia’s mouth dropped open.

A monster? And she had been cuddling it?

She recalled the sight of the blood-dripping puppy eating raw meat and the woman enjoying it.

What kind of mind is that?

Goosebumps covered her entire body.

“Who told you that?”

“The Helderios knights. They warned that it could grow to fill the room and breathe fire, so be careful.”

Elia grabbed the maid’s collar in anger.

“What? Why didn’t you tell me?”

Cough.

The maid coughed, swallowing her words.

“A complete witch.”

She had to be a witch. No wonder Lloyd, the sister, the duchess, and the duke all fell for her.

A mere human like herself was no match.

Elia tried to shake off her goosebumps and ordered the maid:

“The woman asked for raw meat. You go.”

The maid looked scared.

“I… I’m scared too…”

“Hey! Go!”

The maid shut her eyes tightly and ran outside.

After that, the puppy began growing rapidly. Once fist-sized, it devoured raw meat, dripping blood, and in less than a week, grew to the size of a large dog. It even sometimes breathed fire.

The woman took it out for walks at night several times a week. The puppy leapt and breathed fire, and she laughed loudly. Each time, Elia, watching from the room, was terrified.

A witch. That’s why she was so beautiful.

Elia remembered her grandmother’s story: witches eat the hearts of beautiful women to become more beautiful. That witch must have eaten the hearts of her and the sister to grow even more beautiful.

Elia wanted to escape as soon as possible.

Where to go? She didn’t want to return to the countryside. Lloyd had failed, but she still had her dream of rising in status.

Suddenly, an offer came from another duke family.

“Rosevelier Dukes?”

Compared to the rising Helderios, Rosevelier was slightly lower, but still a famous mage family in the empire, with as many wizards as the Mage Tower.

Yes, this was it. She would target the wizards.

Elia quickly submitted her resignation. The head maid looked troubled for a moment, but accepted it silently.

Elia thought: “Hmph, you’d better leave quickly too—before the witch eats you.”

The head maid tried to stop her, but Elia didn’t move.

After receiving her severance pay, she boarded the carriage to Rosevelier.

Woof woof!

Under the darkening sky, only Rova’s loud bark accompanied the carriage as it departed.