I returned to my room. The maid, Annie, looked very happy to see me back. Feeling a bit exhausted, I pointed behind me and said, "Take this new maid with you. Prepare some hot water; I want to bathe."
"Yes, Young Master."
I looked back at the girl, who was still trembling slightly. Acting like a slave trader, I brushed aside her hair and pried open her mouth to check her teeth.
"Can you speak? Are you literate? What is your name?"
Hearing me speak, the girl flinched and shuddered again before answering, "I... I can speak. I am literate; I've attended literacy classes. My name is Doristina Purplehorse."
That name sounded very familiar, as if I had heard it before.
I seemed to vaguely remember hearing it in some chapter. She must have appeared quite rarely, a minor side character. Otherwise, I definitely wouldn't have forgotten. Whatever.
Since I'd heard her name, she definitely wasn't meant to die, so saving her life shouldn't have altered the trajectory of fate.
"You certainly can't use your real name anymore. From now on, your name will be Lilith. As a slave, although I have no plans to use you for pleasure for the time being..."
"...you must be diligent and responsible as a maid. It's impossible for me to pay you a salary, because you yourself are my property. Do you understand?"
"Your parents have already sold you to me. So don't even think about running back to your original home; that would only result in your family beating you black and blue before sending you back here."
"And don't think about escaping to the commoner district either. At your age, it's impossible for you to survive. You'd either be picked up and made a slave again, or you'd starve to death on the streets."
"Do you understand?"
The little girl lowered her head deeply. Silently weeping, she said in a raspy voice, "I understand."
I shook my head, ignored her, and went to bathe. I also instructed Annie to take this new Lilith to the servants' quarters for a bath as well.
Sitting in the steaming bathtub, I fell into deep thought.
This little girl was likely someone who appeared later in the plot. It should have been during the time Ariel returned to Yars, but I couldn't remember her status then. Could she have still been a slave under Darius?
A girl this young probably wouldn't have lasted a week under Darius's mistreatment before losing her life. If she had survived all those years, she would have been incredibly lucky.
It's also possible she ran away midway through, but I won't obsess over it. The priority now is how to get rid of this hot potato.
She certainly can't go back to her home. A four-year-old child has no ability to be self-sufficient, and I can't just let her leave. I don't even know if she has any trustworthy friends.
That's too unrealistic. How could a girl sold by her own parents have any friends she could rely on?
For now, I'll keep her by my side and train her personal abilities. Once she's capable of supporting herself, I'll secretly leave an opening for her to escape. It's decided!
In the meantime, I can't be too nice to her. What if she develops feelings for me? I'm a man determined to leave this family and make it on my own. Carrying a burden like her wouldn't be proper.
After my bath, I rang the bell in the room and used fire magic to evaporate the moisture from my body. Annie then brought the other maids to help me dress.
I didn't notice at first, but then I suddenly realized there was an extra member of the Little People Clan. On closer look, it was Lilith. The little girl looked quite exquisite once cleaned up. One could only say Darius had good taste in women.
Stop, stop. How could I think like that?
Feigning authority, I said, "Lilith, your face is too fair. From now on, keep some dust on your face. There's no need to tie your hair up either; just cut it off! Cut it to chin length."
"Annie, go help her cut it in a bit. No need for styling, just a straight cut will do."
The maids looked at me with strange expressions. I had no intention of explaining it to them. Although they didn't reply, I wasn't worried they would disobey my orders.
Once dressed, I went straight back to the master bedroom and lay down to sleep.