Chapter 30
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Volume 3 + Chapter 30: Investigation
Hearing Xia Yi’s request, Norma felt like her entire system was crashing, her brain overloading like a device on the verge of meltdown.
Th-this…
What exactly is she asking me to do?!
I’ve always aimed to become a great knight, and now she wants me to do something like this…
Help someone put on their shoes?!
From birth until now, as a noble lady of the Lawrence family, Norma had never done anything like that.
“Oh my, Norma,” Xia Yi covered her mouth, laughing with a clear tone of mockery, shaking her foot smugly, “aren’t you supposed to be a maid? And you can’t even handle such a simple task?”
“Looks like you didn’t take your first assessment seriously. If this keeps up, your living expenses will become a serious problem~”
That pose of hers reminded Norma of something that had become popular recently—
Oh right!
A bratty little girl!
Looking at this scheming little loli in front of her, Norma was filled with indignation.
With that expression on Xia Yi’s face, she looked like she deserved to be pinned down on the bed and taught a lesson.
But…
Norma couldn’t do it!
Right now, she was completely under Xia Yi’s thumb, with not a shred of resistance left. The most infuriating part? She couldn’t even beat this loli in a fight.
In terms of strength, Xia Yi was clearly the superior one.
The young lady of the Lawrence family was deeply regretful now—
Why hadn’t she considered the consequences back then?!
She never should’ve done what she did. If she hadn’t, she wouldn’t have ended up in this situation—reduced to someone’s maid.
“Well? Your answer?” Xia Yi asked.
“Yes, Lady Xia Yi…” Norma lowered her head, feeling as if she had just lost something very important.
She squatted down in front of Xia Yi, reaching out carefully to touch the loli’s foot, as white as jade, wrapped in sheer white stockings—smooth and cold like ice cream, like it might melt with a single lick.
Looking up, Norma secretly glanced at Xia Yi’s face, who was smirking devilishly.
Only then did she realize…
This loli’s face is way too pretty. Prettier than anyone she had ever seen.
“Hm? What are you thinking about?” Xia Yi blinked.
“N-nothing!”
Norma quickly picked up the shoe and gently slid it onto Xia Yi’s delicate foot, finally letting out a breath of relief.
It had taken less than a minute, but it had felt like several years.
She was supposed to be the future of the Lawrence family, and now she was reduced to…
A maid?!
Norma’s mental state collapsed all over again.
Could she really still become a great knight?
“Hehe, not bad. Consider yourself having passed the first round of the test, Norma.” Xia Yi was very satisfied.
“What else do you want me to do?”
“Nothing major. Just come out for a walk with me.”
Xia Yi hopped off the bed and headed for the door.
“Huh? Right now?” Norma was extremely nervous.
“Mm.” Xia Yi nodded.
“But—won’t the servants see me?!”
“Isn’t that a good thing?” Xia Yi countered. “Better to get used to being stared at now—so that you don’t embarrass yourself even more once we’re at Laurel Tree Academy. If you make a scene there, it could bring shame to the entire Lawrence family.”
“This…”
Norma found herself thinking—
What Xia Yi said… actually made sense?!
Am I going crazy?
“Let’s go, Norma.” Xia Yi pushed open the door and stepped out of the room.
Norma braced herself and followed—
Screw it!!
The two of them strolled through the Lawrence family estate, forming a strange yet classic combination of noble lady and maid.
“My niece? You—?!”
Keith was stunned to see Norma in a maid outfit following behind Xia Yi.
Shocked uncle for a full hundred years.
Norma quickly looked away, her cheeks burning like a furnace. She was too embarrassed to show her face.
“Lord Keith, do you think this is appropriate?” Xia Yi asked calmly. “If not, feel free to say so.”
“Appropriate?” Keith paused—then burst into laughter. “Perfectly appropriate! It’s absolutely perfect!! Miss Xia Yi, as long as you’re happy, that foolish niece of mine has long needed to be taught a lesson. She has no sense of propriety—I’ve just been too busy to correct her myself, haha!”
Just a few words—and he sold Norma out completely.
Then, Keith leaned in beside Norma and whispered:
“Nice job, Norma. Keep pleasing that rich little loli. If she’s willing to speak up for us, the Lawrence family will never be short on money again—got it?!”
And with that, Keith turned and left.
Norma knew it.
Her uncle was completely unreliable.
Xia Yi continued to stroll around the estate with Norma in tow.
The servants were all stunned.
After all, in everyone’s eyes, Norma had always been proud and commanding. Her goal was to become a top knight. Yet now, she was wearing a maid outfit, serving Xia Yi.
What was this?
A knight maid?!
“Hey… do you think Lady Norma looks…”
“Cute?”
“Yes! That’s exactly it. Such a strong contrast!”
“Right? She used to have such an intimidating aura, it was hard to get close to her.”
The servants whispered among themselves.
Norma listened, feeling herself about to explode. She had thought she could just grit her teeth and get through it—but this was too much.
Too humiliating!!
“Alright, that’s enough for today,” Xia Yi said. “You can go rest now, Norma.”
“It’s finally over…”
“Don’t forget—on the day we start at Laurel Tree Academy, make sure you’re wearing this maid outfit. You’ll be going with me.”
“I—I understand, Lady Xia Yi.”
Norma replied weakly.
She didn’t resist anymore. She had learned by now: this scheming little loli was not to be messed with.
Maybe…
She was really starting to accept her fate as a maid?
“Mm, not bad at all. Norma, you’re picking this up quickly—maybe you really do have the potential to be a good maid,” Xia Yi praised. “Also… you really do look nice in a maid outfit.”
—
—
Rhein Kingdom, Capital – The Schubert Family.
“Milady.”
“What is it?”
“Milady, you asked me to investigate the Lawrence family. We now have results.”
“Oh?”
Lia lifted her eyes, looking at the servant reporting to her, a strong interest flashing in her gaze.
“So? What did you find?”
“First, about the Lawrence family, they are a small but locally known noble family in Bellen. The current head is Keith Lawrence, and he has a seventeen-year-old niece named Norma Lawrence.”
“As expected—a minor regional noble family. No wonder I hadn’t heard of them… wait,” Lia narrowed her eyes, “what about Xia Yi – Lawrence?”
“Apologies. There is very little information on Xia Yi – Lawrence,” the servant said. “Following your orders, we didn’t alert the Lawrence family or use the Schubert name. Instead, we disguised our identity, spent a bit of money, and bribed a few of Keith’s shady friends for information.”
“Go on.”
“Currently, Keith only ever publicly acknowledged one niece, Norma. As for Xia Yi, even his friends had never heard of her before. Only recently did Keith suddenly claim that he brought in a distant relative from the countryside and announced her as family—that was Xia Yi.”
“…She suddenly appeared?”
“Yes, that’s correct. Xia Yi only began acting under the Lawrence name recently. The family helped her register her noble identity. That’s all we know for now. If you want a deeper investigation, we may need to invoke the Schubert name and approach the Lawrence family directly. I believe that’s the fastest option.”
Lia closed her eyes, thinking for a moment.
“Give me a detailed overview of the Lawrence family.”
“They used to be a prominent family, but their heirs became more indulgent over the generations—each worse than the last. By the time it got to Keith, they were practically broke, selling off assets. Even so, Keith still spent extravagantly. At his most desperate point, he seemed to have received support from someone else.”
“Who?”
“We’re not sure. Allegedly, it was a young woman named Lucia who claimed to be a merchant. Keith mentioned it once when drunk. His friends wanted to meet her, but he firmly refused.”
“Really? And Lucia’s background?”
“Unknown—extremely mysterious,” the servant shook his head.
Lia’s suspicion deepened. Xia Yi’s identity was growing more and more questionable.
Perhaps… there was a connection between these two things.
“Keep investigating. Pull up Xia Yi’s noble registration record. Go to her place of birth. I
want to know who she really is—what she’s done in the past.”
“Understood, milady. I’ll get on it immediately, but it may take some time.”
“Also, don’t let the rest of the family know about this,” Lia added.
“Why, milady?”
The servant looked confused.
With the power of the Schubert family, a little pressure would make Keith spill everything. The Schuberts were one of the four great families of the Rhein Kingdom. Even the national cabinet was full of Schubert members.
A minor regional noble daring to oppose them?
Impossible.
“If the family finds out, this becomes an official matter,” Lia explained. “But I’m investigating Xia Yi out of personal interest—not as a representative of the Schubert family. Do you understand?”
“…Understood,” the servant said, not prying further.
There was another reason—
Lia simply didn’t want the others in her family to know about Xia Yi.
She was just…
Very interested in her.
“Oh, and one more unexpected piece of intel,” the servant added. “I just learned this after returning to the capital. You’ll probably find it interesting.”
“Oh? Do tell.” Lia was intrigued.
“From what I’ve heard—Xia Yi took the entrance exam for Laurel Tree Academy. She should be enrolling at the same time as you, milady.”
—
[Author’s Note: This chapter is also 3,000 characters!]
