A New Beginning

Albert, carrying Fú Nī Yà in his arms, stepped down from the carriage.

Within the manor grounds, several servants who had been cleaning quickly approached upon Albert’s return, bowing respectfully as they led the carriage towards the stables.

Albert carried Fú Nī Yà into the manor house, where Fú Nī Yà, gazing at the spacious rooms, couldn’t help but reveal a look of astonishment.

“Wow, a grand house.”

Albert, ignoring Fú Nī Yà’s intermittent eccentricities, turned his gaze to the old butler standing nearby.

“Wǎ ěr, fetch a pair of slippers.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

Wǎ ěr nodded, then departed.

Meanwhile, Fú Nī Yà, still cradled in Albert’s arms, her eyes sparkling, surveyed the room before turning to him with a question.

“Albert, Albert, do you have any maids here?”

“I do,” Albert replied, tilting his head curiously. “Why do you ask?”

“Then why didn’t the maids stand in a line when you returned, saying, ‘Welcome back, Master!’ and bowing?”

“Why… why would they do that?”

“Why? Don’t you think it would be incredibly pleasing to the eye?”

“Pleasing to the eye… really?”

Albert glanced at Fú Nī Yà’s beautiful face, then, imagining the scene she described, nodded thoughtfully.

“Indeed, it would be quite pleasing.”

“What?”

A sudden sense of unease washed over Fú Nī Yà.

She had a foreboding feeling that something highly disadvantageous was about to befall her.

However, before she could fully grasp the implications of Albert’s words, the old butler Wǎ ěr returned to the living room, accompanied by an elderly maid in her fifties.

The older maid, holding a pair of cotton slippers, placed them on the floor.

“Has Your Highness finally seen the light?” the old maid asked, rising and offering a kindly smile.

“Are you perhaps misunderstanding something?”

Albert rolled his eyes in exasperation, then gently set Fú Nī Yà down on the floor.

“No misunderstanding at all, Your Highness. I’ve watched you grow up since you were a child, and I’ve never seen you take such an interest in a girl before.”

The old maid smiled with satisfaction, though upon noticing Fú Nī Yà’s pointed ears, she couldn’t help but frown slightly. “But a half-elf… won’t this affect Your Highness’s reputation?”

“I know what I’m doing.”

“Very well then.”

Just as the two were conversing, Fú Nī Yà slipped on the slippers. Once she was standing properly, Albert introduced her. “Fú Nī Yà, this is Ms. Martha Idis, the head maid of the manor.”

“Hello, Maid Chief Martha,” Fú Nī Yà said, bowing earnestly.

“Hello there, child.”

Seeing Fú Nī Yà’s impeccable manners, Martha couldn’t help but smile with delight.

‘At least she won’t cause trouble for His Highness later,’ Martha thought.

After introducing Martha to Fú Nī Yà, Albert then introduced the young girl to Martha.

“Ms. Martha, this is Fú Nī Yà Istareluna Long Fieldkerom, my provisional personal maid. For convenience, you may simply call her Fúfú.”

“What in the world is ‘Fúfú’!?” Fú Nī Yà burst out, bristling.

The moment she heard that name, a fluffy, white, unidentified creature couldn’t help but surface in her mind—even though she hadn’t played that particular game in her previous life.

‘But regardless of whether I played it, I still know what a Fúfú is!’

‘I’m not a pet!’

“What’s wrong with the name? Isn’t it pleasant?” Albert asked, a smile playing on his lips.

“It’s not pleasant! Not at all!” Fú Nī Yà retorted, bristling. “You scoundrel, go away!”

“Alright, alright, I won’t say it anymore.”

Although he didn’t understand why, given Fú Nī Yà’s intense reaction, Albert decided not to provoke her with it further.

“Then, a provisional personal maid should be acceptable, right?”

“Provisional personal maid, or anything like it, is also unacceptable!” Fú Nī Yà insisted, still bristling.

‘Me, wearing a maid’s outfit?’

The mere thought of that image sent a shiver of revulsion down Fú Nī Yà’s spine.

‘Impossible! I’m a tough man!’

“Neither this nor that works…” Albert remarked, casting a sidelong glance at her. “What, do you intend to freeload here?”

“I can do other things!”

“Aside from being a maid, what else can you do?” Albert countered.

A choked sound escaped her lips.

Under Albert’s grilling, Fú Nī Yà wilted like a drooping plant.

Upon reflection, she genuinely had little else she could do.

“Very well, Martha, take Fú Nī Yà to bathe and change her clothes.” Seeing Fú Nī Yà remain silent, Albert, assuming her compliance, turned to the head maid. “For now, a maid’s uniform won’t be necessary; a casual outfit will suffice. Let her rest for the night; she’ll begin work tomorrow.”

“Understood, Your Highness,” Martha replied with a slight bow, then addressed Fú Nī Yà.

“Miss Fú Nī Yà, please follow me.”

“Huh? Oh!” Despite her slight dissatisfaction with being called “Miss,” Fú Nī Yà hastily followed Martha’s lead.

****

After navigating several winding corridors within the house, the two arrived at the changing room of the bathroom.

“Miss Fú Nī Yà, please go bathe first. I will prepare your clothes for you.”

“I understand.”

Fú Nī Yà nodded, watching Martha depart the room to fetch her clothes.

Once Martha was out of sight, Fú Nī Yà let out a sigh of relief.

“I really did transmigrate…” Fú Nī Yà murmured to herself, raising her head.

So much had transpired in such a short span of time: transmigration, discovering she was a s*ave, being auctioned, being purchased by the Fourth Imperial Prince of this country, and then realizing this Fourth Imperial Prince seemed rather decent? The sheer volume of events was overwhelming, leaving her breathless.

“And a half-elf at that… Speaking of which, aside from the long, pointed ears, there doesn’t seem to be much difference between half-elves and humans.”

Fú Nī Yà gently touched her own ear, and a tingling sensation, like an electric shock, swiftly traveled from her ear to her brain, then down to her spinal cord, nearly causing her to let out an inappropriate sound.

Fú Nī Yà quickly withdrew her hand.

“Hiss…! Alright, I admit there are some differences…” she muttered, still shaken.

‘Who knew elf ears were apparently an erogenous zone.’

“So, next is the bath…” Fú Nī Yà murmured to herself, her face flushing, a hint of shyness in her demeanor.

After all, she had been a man not long ago.

This was her first time experiencing a girl’s body up close, even if it was her own.

Taking a deep breath, Fú Nī Yà unfastened her clothes.

The loose, linen tunic slid down her delicate skin to the floor, and, as she wore no undergarments, her full, rounded breasts, taut abdomen, and smooth valley were thus exposed to the air.

Fú Nī Yà lowered her head, her slender hands unsure where to rest, and her shapely legs instinctively drew together.

Suddenly, the young girl realized she could barely see her own toes.

Judging by their size, her full breasts were far too large for her own small hands to grasp; perhaps only an adult male like Albert could cover one with a single hand.

‘Wait, wait, wait! What am I thinking!?’ Fú Nī Yà mentally shrieked, shaking her head furiously, her face reddening even further.

After a moment of internal struggle, Fú Nī Yà covered her chest with her arms and stepped into the bathroom beyond the changing room.

The bathroom was divided into two sections: a showering area along the wall for rinsing the body, and a large bathtub for soaking.

The entire room was roughly the size of a basketball court, with the bathtub occupying two-thirds of it.

An angel holding a water bottle was carved into the room’s wall, from which hot water flowed continuously, tracing an elegant arc before cascading into the tub, ensuring it remained filled with warm water.

Fú Nī Yà made her way to the showering area, briefly rinsed her body clean, then approached the bathtub, dipping her toes into the steaming hot water.

“Mm…”

The water was rather hot, and her fair, delicate feet turned slightly red from the warmth.

After a brief period of acclimatization, Fú Nī Yà slowly sat down, immersing her body into the warm embrace of the bathtub.

The water seemed to be infused with some unknown medicinal herbs, as Fú Nī Yà detected a faint, ethereal fragrance, and her entire being gradually relaxed, leaving her to recline languidly by the edge of the tub like a small cat.

“Ahhh… I feel so light and comfortable… I’m completely revived.” Fú Nī Yà murmured contentedly to herself.

However, it is a well-known fact that once a person relaxes, their mind tends to wander.

Fú Nī Yà blinked, then fell into deep thought.

‘—What purpose does Albert have for building such a massive bathtub?’

“Ugh… After all, he’s an Imperial Prince. It’s only normal for him to build such a large tub specifically for holding ‘silver parties’ (TL Note: A Chinese slang term, ‘yín pā,’ referring to an orgy or a hedonistic gathering), playing ‘mandarin duck baths’ (TL Note: A Chinese term, ‘yuānyāng yù,’ referring to a bath shared by lovers) with noble ladies, right?”

Even as she spoke, related images couldn’t help but surface in her mind.

Gradually, Fú Nī Yà’s face grew redder and redder, and at the same time, her entire body began to feel feverish.

“So hot… feeling dizzy… hehehe…”

She lifted her left arm, slowly moving her trembling hand towards her full, white breasts…

“No, no, no!” Fú Nī Yà suddenly cried out at the crucial moment.

‘Grandpa Ma (TL Note: Referring to Karl Marx, often called ‘Grandpa Ma’ in Chinese internet culture) said that matter determines consciousness!’

‘Modern medicine tells us that the development of human sexual characteristics is determined by the hormones within one’s body!’

‘Moreover, when a person has lustful thoughts, their hormone secretion becomes vigorous!’

‘Therefore, the more lustful thoughts I have, the more I will fall into being a girl (TL Note: ‘Cíduò’ is a Chinese internet slang term referring to a male character being forced or willingly transforming into a female, often with sexual connotations)!’

The thought of herself willingly being pressed beneath Albert sent an involuntary shiver down Fú Nī Yà’s spine.

She quickly scrambled out of the bathtub, rushed to the showering area, and turned on the showerhead. Cold water streamed over Fú Nī Yà’s body, curbing her restless thoughts.

“Hoo… I’ve calmed down.” Fú Nī Yà shook her head, flicking water droplets from her hair, and said with lingering apprehension.

“I nearly succumbed to lustful thoughts (TL Note: ‘Sèsè’ is a Chinese internet slang term referring to being horny or having lustful thoughts) and suffered feminine degradation! From this day forward… I vow to abstain from lust!”

After making such a solemn vow, Fú Nī Yà felt she had bathed sufficiently, so she rose, left the bathroom, and returned to the changing room.

****

In the changing room now, the linen tunic she had previously removed was long gone, replaced by a neatly folded pile of beautiful clothes.

Beside the clothes was a small mirror. Fú Nī Yà, curious, walked over and wiped away the blurry mist on its surface, then held the mirror up to her face.

This was the first time Fú Nī Yà had observed herself with such clarity.

Her soft, pale gold hair cascaded long, reaching her waist, interspersed with delicate strands of light green.

The two colors of hair mingled, each side braided with a small bow, just neatly tucked behind her long, pointed ears.

Her emerald eyes were like a clear, bottomless spring deep within a forest, and her cherry-like lips were slightly parted in astonishment.

“I’m actually… this beautiful?” Fú Nī Yà murmured to herself, her face quickly replaced by an expression of alarm.

‘That’s right, I’m incredibly beautiful!’

‘And Albert even used means akin to robbery to buy me!’

“What exactly did Albert buy me for!?” Fú Nī Yà cried out, as the unsettling image of herself being pressed down on a bed by Albert once again involuntarily flashed through her mind.

“No, no, no!”

Fú Nī Yà clumsily fumbled to put on the clothes.

The buttons of the brassiere proved somewhat difficult, and the pure white silk gown was also challenging to don. Yet, as the smooth silk brushed against her skin, the exquisite sensation made Fú Nī Yà pause, her eyes closing in comfort.

“The material of these clothes feels so good… No, no! Calm down, Fú Nī Yà! Remember, ‘unsolicited favors are either a trick or a theft’!”

Shaking her head, Fú Nī Yà, growing increasingly agitated with each thought, quickly ran out of the bathroom and returned to the living room.

Staring at the figure in the center of the living room, seated before the fireplace, almost dozing off while reading a book, Fú Nī Yà shouted loudly.

“Albert!”

“Huh? What is it?” Albert asked, startled by the voice, turning his head in confusion.

“Did you specifically buy me from the auction house because you lust after my body!?”

Albert had initially intended to say no, but as he noticed Fú Nī Yà, who, after bathing and changing into new clothes, resembled a lotus emerging from water, he couldn’t help but stroke his chin thoughtfully.

“Well… I hadn’t originally.”

“Originally not?”

“Yes, but now that you mention it, I must confess, your beauty has captivated me.”

“…”

Hearing Albert’s words, Fú Nī Yà’s expression stiffened.

At that moment, she wished only to slap her past self from mere minutes ago.

‘Why did I have to bring up precisely what shouldn’t be mentioned!?’

Seeing Fú Nī Yà’s expression, which suggested she wanted to strangle herself, Albert let out a helpless, soft laugh, no longer teasing her, and spoke.

“Come here, I have something to show you.”

“Show me what?” Fú Nī Yà asked, regaining her composure and tilting her head in confusion as she walked closer.