The Queen’s Maid and the Duke’s Fury

Jiu Hui embraced Lisa in the room, while Lisa, nestled against Jiu Hui’s chest, bit down hard on her lip, her body trembling slightly. Feeling her chest gradually dampen and hearing the soft sobs beside her ear, Jiu Hui sighed inwardly. Even Lisa, despite being a queen, had moments of vulnerability, a softness within her that few ever saw.

“It’s alright,” she murmured. “There’s no one else here.”

Gently stroking Lisa’s head, Jiu Hui spoke in a tender voice. She didn’t know what the departed meant to Lisa, nor the stories they shared, but she could sense the profound sorrow their absence brought. It was a grief so deep it compelled Lisa to shed the regal composure she, as queen, was bound to uphold.

Reflecting, Jiu Hui realized she had witnessed countless facets of Lisa’s personality: the dashing Lisa, the relaxed Lisa, the majestic Lisa, the languid Lisa, the alluring Lisa, and now, the weeping Lisa. Unbeknownst to her, she was steadily deepening her understanding of this ‘lecherous queen’.

Gazing at Lisa in her arms, clinging tightly to her clothes, stubbornly refusing to let out a sound of distress even in her presence, Jiu Hui offered a helpless smile. ‘So, she still doesn’t want me to see her vulnerable side,’ she thought. ‘Truly a queen, indeed.’

After an indeterminate time, Lisa’s tremors subsided, and her grip on Jiu Hui’s clothes loosened. Instead, she wrapped her arms around Jiu Hui’s waist, leaning fully against her.

Feeling the warmth emanating from Jiu Hui, Lisa suddenly spoke. “Don’t leave me, alright?”

‘Eh?’

Jiu Hui froze for a moment, her heart leaping within her chest, her body stiffening slightly. She lowered her gaze to the red-rimmed eyes of Lisa in her embrace and offered a faint smile. ‘Is she afraid, then, because those she cared for have departed?’

Tightening her embrace around Lisa slightly, Jiu Hui spoke softly.

“Rest assured, I won’t leave you.”

Upon hearing Jiu Hui’s voice, Lisa suddenly pulled away, then, under Jiu Hui’s astonished gaze, broke into an arrogant smile.

“Hahaha, of course you won’t leave me! You’re my personal maid, you belong to me. Even if you tried to leave, I wouldn’t allow it!!”

Staring at Lisa’s somewhat ‘punchable’ smile, a vein throbbed on Jiu Hui’s forehead. She delivered a swift chop to Lisa’s head, shouting,

“Who said I belong to you!!”

“Hahaha, the moment you agreed to be my personal maid that day, you became mine!!”

Lisa laughed heartily, slapping Jiu Hui on the shoulder.

“Work hard, Maid Jiu Hui!”

Jiu Hui glanced at the suddenly boisterous Lisa, then turned her head, letting out a soft huff.

“Hmph! You treat me like that, don’t even pay me, and you still expect me to work hard for you?”

Lisa observed the tsundere expression on Jiu Hui’s face, a corner of her mouth curving upwards. She reached out and gently stroked Jiu Hui’s smooth cheek.

“Treat you ‘like that’? How exactly do I treat you?”

Feeling the touch on her cheek, Jiu Hui’s expression stiffened.

“Uh, haha, well…”

Just as Jiu Hui was about to deflect, Lisa suddenly grasped her face, pulling it straight, and before Jiu Hui could even react, she pressed her lips against hers.

Startled by the sudden softness on her lips, Jiu Hui was about to struggle, but then she met Lisa’s eyes—so tender they seemed to shimmer with unshed tears. Her heart stirred, and she gradually relaxed her body.

‘Ah, whatever, I don’t care anymore!!!’

With that thought blossoming in her mind, Jiu Hui wrapped her arms around Lisa, returning the embrace with an inverse grip. Then, she parted her lips, letting her tongue emerge to respond to Lisa’s kiss.

Lisa, surprised by Jiu Hui’s actions, felt a slight astonishment. After all, Jiu Hui had never behaved this way before.

Gazing at Jiu Hui, whose eyes were now softly closed, Lisa’s own eyes flickered. One hand encircled Jiu Hui’s waist, while the other moved to the back of her head. She, too, closed her eyes, her tongue intertwining with Jiu Hui’s.

Within the room, two breathtakingly beautiful girls passionately embraced and kissed. Sunlight streamed over their forms, casting a beautiful halo around them.

****

At the border of the Kael Kingdom, within a fortress.

Duke Ma’se sat in a chair, delicately sipping from a teacup. Yet, his burly physique and the air of someone perpetually ready to erupt into action made the sight of him holding such a dainty cup both incongruous and somewhat comical.

*Smash!*

As expected, it wasn’t long before Duke Ma’se slammed the teacup to the ground with a roar.

“What is this rubbish?! It’s utterly disgusting, and such a bother! I can’t understand why that effeminate old geezer enjoys drinking this. Wine is far superior!”

With that, he produced a jug of wine from seemingly nowhere, smashed its clay seal, and took a deep, hearty swig.

*Thud!*

He slammed the half-empty jug onto the table, wiped his mouth, and exhaled deeply.

“Satisfying!”

*Knock, knock, knock.*

A knocking sound echoed from the door.

Ma’se glanced at the doorway and said,

“Enter.”

*Creak.* The door was pushed open.

A man in armor entered, stopped before Ma’se, bowed, and then spoke.

“Your Grace, word has come from the Royal City. Someone made a move against Her Majesty’s personal maid.”

“Oh?”

A flicker of surprise crossed Ma’se’s eyes. “Someone made a move? Was it one of that old coot Kael’s people?”

The man shook his head. “Unclear, Your Grace. We don’t know who was behind it.”

Hearing the man’s words, the surprise in Ma’se’s eyes deepened. “You don’t know?!”

Then, a smile spread across Ma’se’s face.

“This is intriguing. What was the outcome?”

The man continued, “The attempt failed. Furthermore, Dark Guards appeared around Her Majesty’s personal maid.”

“Dark Guards!!” Ma’se’s expression shifted, a shock rippling across his rugged face. “Dark Guards, you say! Just who is this personal maid, Jiu Hui!!”

He pondered, but Duke Ma’se couldn’t fathom Jiu Hui’s identity, his thick eyebrows knitting into a knot.

After a moment, Ma’se gave up on his thoughts, waving a hand at the man before him.

“Alright, if there’s nothing else, you may withdraw.”

“Yes, Your Grace!”

The man bowed once more, then turned and departed.

Ma’se, after taking a large swig from the wine jug, his tiger-like eyes suddenly sharpened.

He roared,

“Someone! Prepare my battle armor!!!”

Soon after, a man entered the room, carrying a set of blood-red battle armor. Once the man donned the armor, the blood-red plates, combined with his burly physique, rugged face, and piercing eyes, instantly radiated a formidable, bloodthirsty aura that sent shivers down one’s spine!