Chapter 34 The elf’s saliva

"Chirp."

"Chirp."

In the castle's corridor, an unusual cry echoed. Liszt, who was preparing to rest until noon before attending the luncheon, pushed open his door and spotted a tiny blue elf darting around one of the columns not far away.

Several maids were attending to the little creature.

Upon noticing Liszt, the elf flew over in a whirlwind, hovering about a meter in front of him. Its large eyes curiously inspected Liszt while it occasionally chirped, its meaning entirely unknown.

"Liszt, young master," one of the maids approached, greeting him respectfully.

Liszt inquired, "What kind of elf is this?"

"It's a Broadleaf Grass Elf, only three years old," replied a pretty maid with brown eyes, who even dared to steal a couple glances at Liszt.

Her gaze held a hint of inexplicable heat.

Unaware of her attention, Liszt extended his hand and gently pointed at the Broadleaf Grass Elf, asking, "Does it have a name?"

The elf tilted its head in confusion, chirping, "Gigg?"

The maid replied, "It doesn't have a name. There are many elves in the castle, so we just call them by their types, like Moss Grass Elf. However, Moss Grass Elf is the naughtiest among all the elves, which is why several maids need to follow it around to prevent it from causing mischief and trouble."

Elves were magical creatures born of nature, mostly gentle, but some could be rather mischievous or eccentric.

"What kind of trouble could it cause?" Liszt found it an overreaction. One maid should be enough to handle a little elf, yet several were assigned, suggesting they might be slacking off.

Before the maids could explain further,

A hovering sprite suddenly aimed its mouth at Liszt and, with a splat, spat right on his face. It was so unexpected that the Earth Knight's reflexes failed to react in time.

By the time Liszt regained his composure, the sprite had already giggled "giggle-giggle" and flown off into the distance.

"Apologies, Young Master Liszt," the maid with a fiery gaze said to her companions as she turned around. "Thick-Leaf Grass sprites can be mischievous and often spit on our castle guests. I'm deeply sorry, I hope you won't take offense."

She then gracefully extended her hand and said, "Young Master Liszt, please allow me to fetch water for you to wash your face as an apology for the behavior of the Thick-Leaf Grass sprite."

"Well then."

Liszt originally planned to simply wipe it off; after all, fairies weren't dirty creatures and he didn't mind their saliva. But since the maid had mentioned it, he might as well wash his face properly.

The water for washing was brought over, and the maid wrung out the towel, ready to wipe Liszt's face.

"Thank you, but I'll do it myself."

"That's our duty as maids."

"I'm used to doing things like this on my own," Liszt coughed. Although he understood that the upper class enjoyed being served in every aspect of life, from eating and drinking to using the restroom, he would never get accustomed to it.

After wiping his face.

He handed the towel back to the maid.

Her eyes sparkled. "Do you need another round?"

"No, that's enough."

A fleeting look of disappointment crossed the maid's face before she picked up the basin and stood up. "I'll be on my way then... Oh, Young Master Liszt, my name is Anna. If you need anything, I'm willing to assist."

Liszt smiled slightly. "Alright, Anna."

A lock of damp hair clung to his forehead from the water, adding a touch of charm to his appearance. The maid was obviously captivated by Liszt for a moment before she lowered her head and quickly exited the room.

After leaving the chamber.

She realized that her heart was pounding rapidly, and a faint flush had risen to her cheeks.

"What are you doing?" a voice suddenly asked in her ear.

It was a male servant, assigned by the castle to attend to Liszt's needs during his stay. He had just fetched some milk tea for Liszt from the kitchen and returned to see Anna exiting the room with the basin—serving guests was his job!

"Young Master Liszt needed to wash his face, so I attended to him," Anna replied.

"Hmm, I don't think such tasks fall under your duties as a maid, Anna. Don't do anything that would disgrace Longtaro Castle!" the male servant growled in a low voice.

Anna continued walking without pause. "Laisky, you're not the butler. It's none of your business what I do!"

"I'll inform the butler about this!"

"I'm merely doing my job. How you choose to report it is your concern."

As Anna vanished completely around the corner of the hallway, Liszt snorted coldly. "A pack of vixens!" After his outburst, he quickly regained his composure, adopting the dignified and refined demeanor expected of a butler, along with a calm and genteel expression.

He knocked on the door. "Young Master Liszt, the milk tea you requested is here."

"Come in."

...

Anna returned to her group of elfin attendants to the Thickleaf Grass spirits.

The maidservants immediately bombarded her with questions. "Anna, did you touch Young Master Liszt's face?"

"Was Young Master Liszt's face as smooth and delicate as it looked? Did you blush or feel your heart race when you touched him? Was he just as handsome as his grandfather?"

"A few years ago, Lucy washed Young Master Liszt's face and she said he was already incredibly handsome back then, even though he wasn't fully grown yet."

Anna shook her head, dejectedly saying, "No, Young Master Liszt washes his face himself. He doesn't like maids doing it for him."

"How can that be? Does he... also like... men, like Viscount Orpheus?"

"I don't think so. I met Young Master Liszt last year, and he was staring at Sister Luya's bottom."

"Sister Luya's bottom is indeed attractive. I'm envious."

"Well, you need to work on yours then, or you won't have one at all."

"Right, Young Master Liszt is already an adult. He should have received his fief by now. What's his title? I think it's Viscount, and the Tulip Family's Coral Island is said to be quite large."

"I'm not sure. If Miss Melissa were still alive and had Lord as her support, she would definitely have been granted the title of Viscount. But the Earl of Coral Island has remarried, so Young Master Liszt's position might be rather awkward."

"I really want to comfort him."

"Stop daydreaming. A noble's affairs aren't something a maid like you needs to worry about. I advise you all to focus on your duties as maids. An ugly duckling will never become a swan; the offspring of a duck will always be a duck, while only the offspring of a swan can be a swan."

"So what? I've decided to follow Mrs. Feini's example and never marry. Am I not allowed to create my own romantic encounter?"

The maid, with her hands supporting her chin, daydreamed aloud, "A displaced noble from afar, dashing and elegant, riding on a magnificent steed, falls in love with the castle's cleaning maid... But due to familial obligations and societal pressures, they are forced apart. A heartfelt kiss before dawn, then they must part ways. Oh, my goodness, I'm almost shedding tears."