Chapter 8: Cracks in the Ice
The oppressive temperature in the office plummeted rapidly as Beatrice realized Leon was completely ignoring her direct orders.
Her slim fingers instinctively curled into fists and a layer of beautiful but deadly frost began to crystallize along the edge of her wooden desk.
In any normal situation a servant stepping this close to a superior would warrant an immediate physical beating or a permanent dismissal from the noble estate.
Leon felt the biting cold trying to seep into his bones but his minor resistance skill held strong and allowed him to move smoothly despite the terrifying pressure.
He planted his hands firmly on the edge of her perfectly organized desk and slowly leaned his upper body across the polished wood completely closing the distance between them.
"What do you think you are doing?" Beatrice demanded in a harsh whisper that betrayed a tiny sliver of genuine shock. Her Lie Detector aura flickered wildly from authoritative dominance to absolute disbelief.
Leon reached forward with his right hand and moved so deliberately that her combat instincts did not register it as a threat.
His fingers gently grasped the wire frames of her glasses and he slowly adjusted them to sit perfectly straight on the bridge of her delicate nose.
The fleeting contact of his skin against hers caused a microscopic jolt of warmth that cut completely through the freezing aura radiating from her body.
"You always look so incredibly tense Lady Beatrice," Leon murmured softly utilizing the full force of his twenty Charisma points to make his voice sound deep and magnetic. "You really work far too hard."
The Head Maid froze completely solid just like the ink in her fancy glass inkwell. Her icy blue eyes widened in pure unadulterated astonishment as she stared at the bold servant looming over her desk.
The sheer audacity of his action was so absurdly out of place in her rigidly structured world that her brilliant tactical mind simply failed to process a proper response.
[DING!]
[Quest Completed Successfully!]
[Distributing Rewards: +5 Agility, 40 Shameless Points.]
[Your vocal cords remain fully functional.]
A sudden lightness flooded into Leon’s legs and enhanced his reflexes while his point balance updated perfectly in his peripheral vision.
He wisely decided not to overstay his welcome and smoothly stepped back to his original position exactly two paces away from the desk before the shock wore off and her murderous instincts returned.
The thick silence in the office stretched on for several agonizing seconds.
Beatrice finally blinked and a violent wave of crimson rushed up her pale neck to paint her cheeks bright red.
The sudden burst of embarrassment instantly shattered her intimidating ice aura and caused the frost on the desk to melt into small puddles of water.
She furiously adjusted the glasses he had just touched and glared at him with a volatile mixture of anger and extreme confusion.
"You are dangerously arrogant Leon," Beatrice hissed while gripping her pen so tightly her knuckles turned entirely white. "I do not know what has gotten into you today but you are standing on a precipice. If you ever step out of line like that again I will freeze your hands together permanently."
Leon noticed her Lie Detector aura was practically glowing with flustered agitation instead of genuine murderous intent.
He had successfully laid the groundwork and cracked her impenetrable exterior without getting himself killed.
He offered her a polite and completely unapologetic bow.
"I apologize if my concern for your well being offended you Lady Beatrice," Leon replied with a faint smirk. "I will be sure to keep my distance from now on."
"I don’t know what has gotten into you, but i will findout. Get out of my office immediately and report to the kitchens for the night shift," she ordered sharply while pointing a trembling finger toward the heavy mahogany door.
There was no way she had called him to simply dismiss him that quickly, Leon realized the system quest might have left her too shocked to even carry out her intended punishment.
He turned and walked out of the room feeling a massive wave of adrenaline pumping through his veins.
Earning these small victories against the arrogant rulers of the estate was incredibly addicting and his stats were slowly building him into a genuine threat.
He navigated back down the grand staircase toward the lower servant quarters fully intending to grab a few hours of sleep before his next shift began.
As he reached the dimly lit stone corridor leading to the male dormitories the system chimed loudly and completely derailed his peaceful plans.
A bright pink screen illuminated the dark hallway and pulled his focus aggressively.
[Main Target Escalation Quest Issued: The Midnight Steal]
[Context: You have successfully established dominance over Elara but true mastery requires constant pressure. She currently believes she is safe from your shamelessness. Prove her wrong.]
[Location: The Communal Female Servant Bathhouse.]
[Objective: Sneak into the bathhouse while Elara is washing up. Steal her discarded maid apron from the changing bench and leave a bold note in its place.]
[Reward: System Shop Item ’Stealth Cloak (Basic)’, +10 Strength, +50 Shameless Points.]
[Failure Penalty: Your left arm will become permanently paralyzed rendering you entirely useless in a fight.]
Leon stared at the floating text in absolute horror.
Sneaking into the female bathhouse at night was a crime punishable by immediate castration and exile if the estate guards caught him.
The pervert system clearly did not care about his safety because it was aggressively pushing him to escalate his dangerous game with the fiery Head Cook.
He rubbed his temples and accepted the fact that he was probably going to spend his entire second life living entirely on the edge of a blade.
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