When Liana opened her eyes the next day, the first thing she saw was a pair of white thighs.
From her angle, Liana could just make out a small patch of thigh showing between the skirt and the white stockings—an alluring sight.
Liana slightly lifted a piece of Loraviel's thigh, finding it quite enticing.
"...Liana seems quite awake, how long did you sleep?"
"You can still rest a bit longer, Your Highness," Loraviel responded.
Is it seven o'clock?
Liana was usually idle, at most practicing magic in her room, but now, with Loraviel still there, a little delay was of no consequence.
Moreover, the sight before her was truly pleasing—the bare, white thighs were quite a sight.
But Liana felt something was missing.
"I have already prepared everything for you this morning, Your Highness. It’s on the table. Is there anything else you need me to do?" Loraviel asked.
Loraviel also hoped to stay by Liana’s side a little longer, but after hearing about yesterday's events, she felt a sense of urgency. She needed to prepare for an exam in two months.
So, although reluctant, she got up early to prepare for today’s training.
She didn’t have any special status or background; being guided by Olivia was more than many could ever dream of in their lifetimes.
And she wasn't sure how long this period would last, so Loraviel didn't want to waste too much time.
Liana was right; revenge could drive a person to move forward quickly, but so could competition, especially when her competitor was Princess Metahelio.
Loraviel couldn’t afford to relax for even a moment.
"...No need, you’re not training today."
Liana raised herself slightly to continue observing Loraviel's thighs.
"Um." Loraviel, perhaps intentionally, pinched her skirt and curtsied to Liana.
From Liana's angle, she could barely see into that mysterious domain, and she thought she glimpsed something pure white...
That mysterious domain made Liana think, "Wait a moment."
Liana sat up, golden hair falling in front of her eyes, a corner of her nightgown slipping from her shoulder, revealing a seductive shoulder.
"What is it?" Liana looked down.
Loraviel tried not to look at Liana's shoulder, but felt something drawing her eyes irresistibly towards it.
"Where is your weapon?" Liana asked.
"Right here." Loraviel pulled a dagger from her pocket, wrapped in leather. She used different daggers for training, as the one given by Liana was a precious gift she didn’t want to accidentally damage.
Liana frowned, "You just keep the dagger in your pocket like that?"
"Yes, what's wrong?" Loraviel didn't see any issue.
"What's wrong? That’s a big problem."
"What if you need to pull out the dagger quickly in an emergency?" Liana questioned.
"...Your Highness, I possess speed magic, it won’t take much time," Loraviel responded, only to be met with a tap from Liana.
"No backtalk!"
"Okay."
Liana knew that regardless of where it was placed, Loraviel could quickly access it with her speed magic.
But Liana was particularly meticulous about it.
Liana got up from the bed and started searching through the drawers.
Nothing there!
"Come here, this should be useful."
Loraviel heard the familiar sound of a bell. Could it be!
She was somewhat hopeful about what Liana was about to do.
Unfortunately, Liana removed the bell she was holding and approached Loraviel, "Lift your skirt."
"Okay... alright." Loraviel was a bit shy but also expectant.
Pretending to be very reluctant, she slowly placed her hands on her skirt and gradually lifted it.
Her pale, delicate thighs appeared before Liana, and at that moment, the pure white lace also came into view.
No!
Don’t look... don’t look...
Liana tried her best not to let her gaze wander upward.
She fastened the collar she was holding around Loraviel's thigh. Got it?
"To tie the dagger to my thigh?" Loraviel asked.
"Yes, it’s not only convenient and quick, but it also won't easily be noticed by others."
Most importantly! This was Liana’s XP!
Come on! A maid's outfit with a dagger strapped to her thigh, how cool is that!
"It’s a bit crude, but as a prototype, it should be fine. Why don’t you try it out?" Liana suggested.
Now, this collar was also a makeshift one, but it turned out to be quite handy.
"Princess Liana... may I try it?" Loraviel asked.
"Try what?" Liana was puzzled, as Loraviel had already tried it.
"Could you let me see if I can handle an emergency situation? Don’t worry, I'll use the wooden dagger, and I'll target the back so it won’t be dangerous," Loraviel explained.
"Are you planning to treat me as an enemy?" Liana queried.
"Um... may I?"
Liana hesitated for a moment but then nodded. After all, she knew Loraviel wouldn't really do anything to her.
"Then, I apologize in advance."
Liana only heard the rustle of the skirt as a wooden dagger was drawn from the inside of Loraviel's thigh and placed on Liana’s knee, swinging slightly due to inertia.
Loraviel sat on Liana's knee, her pale blue hair falling onto Liana’s face.
One of her hands grasped Liana’s exposed shoulder, while the other held the dagger against Liana’s knee.
Liana looked at the dagger hanging over her knee, its blade facing away, proving Loraviel’s consideration.
However, Liana also noticed that the straps on Loraviel’s hands were not tightened, but rather, they seemed to be left loose intentionally.
"Princess Liana isn't worried that I might take things seriously," Loraviel commented.
"You are cautious; you wouldn’t dare. You still hold a position within your family, and I know you care deeply about your family, which is why you became my servant," Liana said, her turquoise eyes reflecting Loraviel’s figure.
"If you really attacked me, your family would suffer endless retaliation, living worse than death," Liana threatened.
"I'm sorry, Princess Liana," Loraviel stood up from Liana’s lap.
Her own family indeed received Liana’s “special” attention.
"Good to know," Liana mused, amazed at how the training had seemingly transformed Loraviel into a different person. Was this the pace of the protagonist's growth?
But Liana knew Loraviel wouldn't dare act against her, not really; the scene was just a vent for previous frustrations.
As the mistress of Venus Manor, the villainous heiress, and Loraviel’s master, the great Liana Venus, of course, would forgive such a small impudence.
"Princess Liana is right, placing the dagger like this offers many benefits and it's also easy to conceal," Loraviel noted.
As an assassin, of course, one must be prepared to hide one's true identity.
"Only your employer and your target should know your identity as an assassin," Liana said, getting up and looking at Loraviel. "Is that the only dagger you have?"
"Yes," Loraviel nodded.
"Do I look like someone who lacks money? I've told you, whatever you want to buy, you can freely purchase within the Venus territory. You can pay for it yourself or charge it to us, and the Venus Manor will settle the payment," Liana said.
"But, Princess Liana, I don’t really need anything special..." Loraviel was not one to spend frivolously.
Within Venus Manor, all her basic needs were met—food, lodging, and the necessary furnishings were provided, leaving little need for additional expenses.
"Remember, your weapon is not just a dagger that can be thrown, understand? You don't always have to hold it in your hand, and remember, you have poison!" Liana stated.
Loraviel looked enlightened, making Liana more certain that she should not continue teaching her real combat skills; otherwise, she might truly become a warrior.
"So, you should prepare several more daggers, understand?" Liana instructed.
"I understand, Princess Liana." Indeed, Liana knew Loraviel’s body better than she knew herself.
"In a few days, we will be going to the capital of Lisat. Although with your skills, more daggers won't help much, you should still prepare everything you need soon, understand?" Liana added.
"Thank you, Princess Liana," Loraviel said, giving a small bow before leaving the room.
After Loraviel left, Liana got up from the bed, quickly washed up, and had breakfast. Then, she approached the pile of magic stones.
Liana picked up a magic stone, attempting to channel her magic into it.
"It shattered..." Despite not releasing much magic, why did it break so easily?
Liana attempted to infuse her water-based magic, but the crystal ball's color only reached between seventy and eighty-five percent.
She tried again, but the magic stone quickly shattered under the pressure.
This was a test of precise control of her magic; even a little too much was too much, and a little less was not enough.
Not only was this a test of her control over magic, but also of her magical reserves.
"...This is difficult."
The number of daily training sessions was limited. For a beginner like Liana, attempting it five or six times was already making her feel dizzy.
Liana remembered that the first part of the assessment was to completely fill these seven magic stones.
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Mistakes were allowed, but the success rate had to be over eighty percent.
Yet Liana felt extremely fatigued after just seven attempts, not to mention her magical reserves were too low, and overusing magic could lead to side effects like dizziness, sleepiness, or clumsiness.
Knock, knock, knock. There was a knock on the door.
Liana quickly hid the used magic stones, "Who is it?"
"Princess Liana, it's Naibet."
Liana opened the door to find Naibet, whom she hadn't seen in a while, "Housekeeper, what brings you here?"
Naibet still held a significant first impression of Liana from their last unpleasant encounter.
"Didn't Princess Liana suddenly want a new desk?" Naibet asked.
"Oh!" Liana suddenly remembered last night's matter, "Come in."
Naibet entered the room, noticing the magic books and stones in the corner, "Princess Liana, what are these?"
"For Loraviel, to prevent her from making excuses. I’ve done my best to meet her conditions, hoping she won’t disappoint me," Liana said.
"What conditions? What have you made Loraviel do now?" Naibet looked at Liana warily.
"Nothing much, just continuing with the knight's exam. Two months should be enough for her to advance from a junior to a mid-level knight, right?" Liana spoke lightly.
But Naibet knew the difficulty of what Liana was suggesting.
"Aren’t you overestimating Loraviel?" Naibet wasn’t aware of Loraviel’s talent; in her view, Loraviel was just a little girl, and passing the junior knight's exam in a month was already a miracle.
"I didn’t force her, she agreed to it herself, it’s none of my concern," Liana yawned, "The desk is also for her."
"The magic stones and the magic books, I’ve handed them all to her."
"If she can’t handle that, she’s really useless, isn’t she?" Liana remarked.
"Why don’t you try it yourself, Princess Liana? After all, the top two in the knight's exam are required to meet magical standards, and it would also strengthen your physical condition," Naibet suggested.
"I’m not interested in such things. Those who need to improve their physical condition are my servants; having them protect me is enough," Liana waved her hand dismissively.
"Did you ❖ Nоvеl𝚒ght ❖ (Exclusive on Nоvеl𝚒ght) take the measurements? If so, you can go back. I have magic to study," Liana added, eager to return to her work.
"They’ve been taken, and it should be ready by tonight. It looks like Princess Liana isn’t planning to have Loraviel move in, is she?" Naibet, although not always paying attention to Liana, knew that Loraviel hardly ever stayed in her own room and was almost always with Liana.