"Who's trying anything! Something like that... if you want it worn, wear it yourself!!"
At the memory of that horrifying tail, Elena's head went down before she could stop it. She would have crawled into her bowl if she could, and her cheeks flushed a deeper red.
"Oh~? Then if I wear it, will Elena wear one too~?"
Lilith was still watching her with that amused look.
That, if anything, left Elena frozen all over again. Lilith was actually willing to wear it herself? Seriously?
No! The more Elena thought it through, the more convinced she became that this was a trap!
There was only one set. If she agreed, Lilith would certainly make her put it on first, and once it was actually on, whether it ever came off again would not be Elena's decision.
What a damn scheme. There was no possible way she would agree to a thing like that!
"Of course I won't! Clothes like that should all be burned...!"
"Oh~? So Elena hates your big sister Severina's work that much? She'd be terribly hurt if she found out, wouldn't she~?"
Lilith's sudden change of angle left Elena incoherent. Wasn't dragging Severina into it a bit against the rules?
And weren't the two of them supposed to be on bad terms?!
Elena expressed her strong condemnation of this, and her objection.
"You...! I do not, and what does any of it have to do with Severina?!"
"Pff-hahaha... All right, if you don't want to wear it you needn't. Eat your dinner properly first — it would be a shame if you choked~"
Lilith's teasing came to an end, leaving Elena red-faced with nowhere to vent it.
For the rest of dinner Elena ate under Lilith's doting gaze.
Lilith's gaze was scorching, but hunger and the temptation of good food still had her clear the whole meal with her face burning.
Dinner over, Elena leaned back on the sofa rubbing her slightly rounded belly.
Beside her, that bag of evil clothing still sat quietly, as though endlessly tempting her to open it.
Fortunately Elena, her appetite satisfied, had entered her post-meal sage time; she was even feeling a bit sleepy.
No sooner had that thought come than Elena felt that gaze from when she had come home again — closer this time.
He seemed to be looking in through the living-room window, which made the position easy enough to fix.
What she could not work out was... why did this person keep watching her?
If he had come to take over the contract, shouldn't he be watching Lilith?
While Elena was thinking, that gaze went on watching her.
Wait... Elena suddenly remembered something. She was wearing that lingerie maid outfit!
Realizing it, Elena promptly hugged the bag of evil clothing to her chest as a shield and fled upstairs to her bedroom.
Only once the door was shut did Elena let out a breath. She went to the bed and lay down, the bag of clothes ending up beside her.
"That guy... no. If I let him keep looking, how am I ever going to show my face in the Organization again?"
The more Elena thought about it the angrier she got, until she had started muttering aloud.
"No, wrong. He's already seen it. That settles it, he has to be dealt with!"
No sooner said than done. She had no intention of letting word that she wore a lingerie maid outfit reach the Organization — or worse, reach Vier's ears.
Elena first took off the maid outfit, changed into her new everyday clothes, and finally threw a coat over the top, wrapping herself up thoroughly.
Downstairs, Lilith was still washing dishes in the kitchen, and seeing Elena in full armor she looked rather puzzled.
"What is it, Elena? Are you sneaking off somewhere behind your Master's back~?"
"None of your business!"
Elena's rebuttal came out on reflex.
But on reflection that was wrong; saying it like that would certainly stop Lilith letting her go, so she softened again.
"I'm just going out for a walk to settle my stomach. Is that not allowed?"
"Oh~? Is that so?"
Lilith plainly did not believe it that easily. She dried her hands and came over to Elena.
She reached out and toyed briefly with the collar Elena had forgotten to take off her neck.
Only once a thread of dark red magic had entered the collar did Lilith let go and speak again.
"Very well~ But do remember not to wander. The forest at night is dangerous, and there are some very frightening beasts~"
"I know, I know. You talk too much."
Elena gave a perfunctory answer and turned to leave.
Outside the villa, Elena reached up and took the collar off. How could she have forgotten about this thing?
Except once it was off, for a moment her neck felt bare, and a little empty.
Realizing it, Elena shook her head hard. What was going on? She had only worn it a few days — how had it come to this?
No. She could not keep wearing something like that; any longer and she really would turn into a pet.
Elena hurriedly stuffed the collar into her pocket. She had more important things to do right now.
She turned her eyes toward the forest...
Out at the estate's perimeter, a furtive figure in black was worming his way toward the grounds.
He had just seen the maid from the estate go out alone. This was a perfect opportunity — kill the maid, then take her place!
He considered his plan flawless. It is only that plans never quite keep pace with events.
He merely blinked, and the young maid who had been in his field of view a moment ago was nowhere to be found.
"Strange... where did she go?"
A puzzled woman's voice came from beneath the black. Who would have thought this one in black was a girl as well?
Were there no men at all in this Organization?
Not that it mattered. What mattered was: where was the young maid?
"Hi~ Hello there~"
Elena's voice came from above the lady in black, and her head snapped up.
Elena was sitting on top of the high wall, swinging her legs, looking down at her, toying with a dagger in one hand.
At this range the lady in black finally recognized her: the person in front of her was Elena.
"You're... Elena?"
The lady in black asked again, sounding rather unsure.
"Mm-hm~ You know me. That makes this easy."
Elena hopped down off the wall and landed in front of her.
"Now, I'll give you two choices. One: forget everything you saw today and go home."
As she spoke she laid the dagger against the lady in black's cheek, then slid it slowly down to her throat.
The lady in black moved to resist, but the instant she did, Elena was somehow behind her.
One hand pinned her wrists at her back, and the dagger came to rest against the artery in her neck.
"Two: I beat you until you lose your memory, and then send you home."
That said, Elena leaned in close beside the lady in black's ear and spoke softly.
"Go on~ Choose~"
Being murmured at from that distance made the lady in black shudder, and even her voice came out shaking.
"Th-that is, I choose the first one!"
"Very good~ That's more obedient."
Elena nodded in satisfaction and withdrew the dagger.
Then she used a rope lifted off the lady in black herself to tie her up.
"Right. Now it's question time~"