Miss Fíliya turned and left the drawing room.
After watching the figure recede, Aura, struck by some thought, squirmed on the floor and slowly crawled over to Solitär.
"Solitär, that person... no, Fíliya... what is she going to do? She's not going to bring out some new torture device for me, is she?"
Solitär looked down at Aura.
"Hm? Are you looking forward to it?"
"Of course not!"
Aura immediately retorted. She was no masochist; who in the world would look forward to something like that?
"Just tell me. Otherwise, I'll be terrified."
Aura tugged at the hem of Solitär's skirt, her face a mask of pleading.
"Tch. How long have you been crawling on the floor? Your hands must be filthy. Don't grab my clothes."
Solitär said impatiently, though this time she didn't harm Aura, merely pushing her away a short distance with a look of utter disgust.
"Huh? Solitär... I think I've noticed something."
Aura stared at Solitär's face, her eyes suddenly widening.
"Hm?"
"Have you... become less talkative? I remember you used to be such a chatterbox, always grabbing a human and rambling on endlessly. Even without humans around, you loved to say things no one could understand... There were quite a few demons who thought you talked too much."
Aura's words made Solitär pause.
Then she realized that Aura was right.
Her own chattiness had indeed been alleviated to some extent. As for the reason...
It was probably because there was now someone by her side who was even more of a chatterbox than she was.
"Whether I'm a chatterbox or not is beside the point... Aura, I'm very interested in what you just said. Could you elaborate on which individuals were complaining about my talkativeness behind my back?"
A dark aura began to emanate from Solitär.
Even Aura could tell that Solitär was in a very bad mood.
"Huh? You can't be that petty, can you? You want to seek revenge over something like that? Forget it, those guys are all long dead. If you want to find them, you'll have to see them in hell."
"Hell?"
Solitär was taken aback, as if she never expected to hear those words from Aura's mouth.
"That's right, hell. Don't tell me you fantasized that The Goddess would accept you after death and lead you to heaven, Solitär? When a member of the Demon Race like us dies, we definitely go to hell."
Aura said peevishly.
Listening to Aura, Solitär found it exceptionally interesting.
"Aura, you may be scared to death of dying, but you're quite self-aware."
Aura's words sent Solitär's thoughts back a hundred years.
She recalled her days working under the Demon King... It all went by so fast. Those individuals she could actually talk to, one by one, they all died.
...
Her reminiscence ended quickly. For a demon over a thousand years old, not wallowing in sorrow was a basic quality. She quickly regained her composure and looked at Aura again.
And then she heard.
"Exactly! So, to delay our trip to hell, we have to struggle as much as possible. No matter how unsightly it is, we have to cling to this world for a few hundred more years."
Miss Aura said with a light laugh. At that moment, she was sitting on the floor in a W-sit, looking up at Solitär with her clear eyes. Combined with her beautiful face, she truly gave off the illusion of being a sweet girl next door.
It had to be said that Miss Aura's philosophy of survival had, to a certain extent, inspired Solitär.
"Since you entered my home, that is the first worthwhile thing you've said. Get up."
Solitär finally smiled at Aura.
No longer disgusted by Aura's dirty hands, she extended her own and pulled Aura to her feet.
"Ehehe... speaking of which, why isn't Fíliya back yet?"
Aura wore a silly smile, her tone tinged with a sense of being overwhelmed by the favor, as if she never expected Solitär to be so gentle with her.
"Because we couldn't remember where we put that outfit. Fíliya should be looking for it now."
Huh?
Hearing this, Aura was instantly confused. What outfit?
Just as she was about to ask, the sound of footsteps rapidly approached the drawing room.
Aura and Solitär both knew what this meant, of course, so they looked towards the door in perfect sync.
"Well now, I finally found it! Be grateful, Aura. I, with my disabled body yet indomitable spirit, had to use a cane to find this outfit for you."
Her voice preceded her.
Fíliya's words reached Aura's ears before she had even stepped through the door.
When Fíliya walked in, Aura only grew more confused.
Because in her hands, Fíliya was holding a very strange-looking set of clothes.
A white, frill-decorated apron and... a black, over-the-knee dress.
Just looking at the skirt gave an impression of fluffiness, as if it had been shaped into a gentle curve. Exquisite lace patterns adorned the cuffs, and the ribbon tied at the back of the neck was like a fluttering butterfly. At the same time, in Fíliya's other hand, she held a pure, immaculate headpiece.
With all these components combined, using the standard term from the human world, this outfit was...
A [Maid Outfit].
"What is this? I've never seen such a strange outfit before."
Aura looked at Fíliya with suspicion.
"Mm, it's a new outfit. It's your reward for being on your best behavior, Aura."
Whether it was from living with the Demon Race for so long or simply her nature, Miss Fíliya lied just like a demon, revealing no tells in her micro-expressions or her pulse.
"Really? I feel like something's off. Solitär's smile just now was weird... I'm already in such a miserable state, you're not going to bully me even more, are you? Can't you just tell me what's going on?"
Miss Aura bit her lip, glaring at Fíliya with a hint of petulant anger.
Looking at Aura like this, Miss Fíliya thought for a moment. True enough, she mused, there will be plenty of time to tease her later.
"Mmm, alright, I'll tell you the truth. This is called a [Maid Outfit]. And this is my condition: from now on, Aura, you will be my and Solitär's maid, at our beck and call. When I'm finally pleased, I'll lift that curse."
The moment Fíliya finished speaking, Aura spoke with great grievance.
"You! Didn't you just promise you wouldn't make me a slave?! You lied to me again!"
"Oh? I didn't lie to you, Miss Aura. I certainly didn't make you a slave. Didn't I just say the word [Maid]? That's completely different from a slave. See, a maid's work is just a little tiring, that's all. Compared to a slave, you still have human rights... well, demon rights. Don't worry, the most you'll be doing is serving tea and acting as an assistant."
Fíliya chuckled, placating Aura's mood.
A look of conflict appeared on Aura's face; it was clear a storm of thoughts was raging in her mind.
This was corroborated by the system notifications Miss Fíliya was receiving.
After a long while, Aura finally seemed to give up, lowering her head as if resigning herself to her fate.
"I understand..."
And so, on this day, a new page was turned in the life of Miss Aura.
_____
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