A Disciple Is Not Necessarily Inferior to Her Master

Early morning.

A light, ethereal mist enveloped the small village by the lake, which seemed to still be asleep, lost in a deep and profound silence. The occasional bird would flit across the pale sky, a fleeting shadow hurrying south in search of warmth before the cold of autumn truly set in.

Everything was as it should be. So peaceful.

A prim and proper young woman in a black and white maid’s uniform stepped into the village, her polished leather shoes damp with the morning dew.

“This is the place.”

Anne stood at the village entrance, her eyes narrowed as she scanned the small fishing hamlet of no more than a few dozen houses. She took a delicate, deliberate sniff of the air, as if tasting it, discerning its secrets.

Finally, with a look of absolute, unshakeable certainty, she said, “The Young Master was here. And within the last few hours.”

“I’ve finally found you.”

A captivating, almost beatific smile bloomed on Anne’s lips. Filled with the thrilling anticipation of finding her beloved, she stepped into the quiet, sleeping village.

“Hm?”

Anne suddenly turned her head, her gaze fixed on an inconspicuous-looking house. In the deep, impenetrable darkness behind its closed window, where not a single ray of light could penetrate, something seemed to have moved. But when she focused her gaze, there was only an empty, dilapidated room behind the grimy wooden window. Nothing at all.

“Was it my imagination?”

Anne glanced at it for a moment longer, then dismissed it with a shrug. She was here to find her beloved Young Master. Everything else in the world was unimportant.

…

“I love you.”

…

Knock, knock.

Following her instincts, an invisible thread pulling her forward, Anne arrived at a small courtyard where the Young Master’s scent was the strongest and knocked on the door.

“Who is it?”

A familiar, sleepy voice came from within.

Anne froze for a moment, recognizing the voice’s owner. Could it be such a coincidence?

But before she could think any further, the door creaked open, and a newlywed young woman, still not fully awake, rubbed her eyes and poked her head out. “It’s so early. What is it?”

“Elka?”

“Hm?”

Hearing a familiar voice as well, Elka forced her eyes open. The moment she saw who was standing before her, she was instantly, completely, and shockingly wide awake.

“Master!”

Elka rushed forward in pure, unadulterated delight and grabbed Anne’s arm. “What are you doing here?”

“I…”

“Are you here to see me?” Elka asked, her voice full of even more excitement before Anne could even answer. “Huh? That’s strange. I don’t think I told you my exact address, just the general location of the village. How did you find this place?”

I followed the Young Master’s scent, of course.

Anne was about to say this, but Elka was chattering away so excitedly that she didn’t give her a chance to speak.

“Oh, well! It doesn’t matter! Master, come in, come in! It’s cold outside!”

“There’s no need. I’m just…”

“Aww, you came all this way, Master. Can’t you even come in and sit for a while?” Elka’s face fell, and she squeezed out two large, glistening crocodile tears. “I’m so sad…”

“…” Anne sighed, a little helpless. Well, I suppose a little more time won’t hurt.

“Alright then. I’ll just stay for a moment…”

“A moment is enough!”

Elka was overjoyed. She pulled Anne into the house, chattering like a happy spring sparrow the whole way.

“Master, are you wearing a maid’s uniform? It’s so cute!”

“Master, you seem to have lost some weight. Haven’t you been eating properly?”

“Master, how did you get here so early? Did you travel all night?”

“Master, you…”

…

Once inside, Anne was gently but firmly forced into a chair by Elka. She subconsciously surveyed the room. As she had suspected, the Young Master’s scent was very strong here. He had definitely been here. And not long ago.

“Elka.”

“Yes, Master? Is something wrong?” Elka poked her head out of the kitchen, where she had been busy making tea.

“Have you…” Anne chose her words with a surgeon’s precision. “…had any guests recently?”

“Guests? Aren’t you a guest, Master?”

“No, I mean before me.”

“Before you… Oh, you mean Mr. Ewan.”

“As I thought. Is he here?” A look of pure, triumphant joy erupted in Anne’s eyes. Her two days of tireless, obsessive searching had not been in vain. It seemed she was finally about to get a result.

Young Master, this time, I will never, ever let you go.

Anne silently clenched her fists, her knuckles turning white.

“Mm-hm. He was here last night, but he’s already left.”

“Left?”

“Yes. I think I might have scared him.” As she said this, Elka’s face flushed a deep, maidenly red. “It’s all Mr. Ewan’s fault. Who told him to peek into my bedroom in the middle of the night?”

“He peeked into your bedroom?”

Anne’s breath caught in her throat. Unconsciously, her clenched fists had become as hard as iron.

Young Master, the door to my bedroom has never been locked at night, and yet, I have never seen you come to peek. Why would you peek into another woman’s bedroom?

Are the wildflowers really more fragrant than the carefully cultivated flowers at home?

“Ah, it’s not what you think, Master!” As if seeing through Anne’s dark, murderous thoughts, Elka frantically waved her hands. “Mr. Ewan didn’t see anything inappropriate! He just saw me and my husband playing a little game to deepen our bond.”

“Your husband?”

Hearing this, Anne froze for a moment, then quickly understood.

“You succeeded?”

“Mm-hm! I succeeded!” Elka said with a blissful, radiant smile, her hands behind her back as she shyly traced a pattern on the floor with her toe. “After you enlightened me two days ago, Master, I confessed to Rod that very night!”

“Is that so?”

Anne couldn’t help but smile as well, a genuine, pleased smile.

“That’s wonderful.”

She didn’t ask for the results of the confession, nor did she ask about the process. In her eyes, those things were unimportant. The only thing that mattered was to completely, utterly possess everything about the one you loved, and to use any and all means necessary to achieve that goal.

And from the looks of it, this young woman had succeeded.

However, the fact that her disciple had achieved her goal before she, the master, had, made Anne feel a little… annoyed. It seemed that the next time she found the Young Master, her methods would have to be a little more… forceful.

“Ah, by the way, Master, would you like to see?” Elka’s eyes lit up, and she clapped her hands excitedly. “The results of my hard work.”

“This…” Anne was about to refuse, as she was still busy looking for the Young Master. But then she had a thought. One shouldn’t just work in isolation. Although she was technically the master, there was no harm in learning from the experiences of others.

“Alright then. Let me see, Elka.”

…

“Ta-da! Master, look! This is my dearest, dearest husband!”

Inside the room, as if unveiling a grand, sacred masterpiece, Elka introduced Anne to her beloved, who had been carefully and lovingly “trained” and was still crawling on the floor like a pet dog.

“Oh, oh. So this is how you play? Interesting.”

I’ve learned something new.

Anne looked at the man in the collar, crawling on the floor in nothing but his undergarments, and showed no signs of surprise. Instead, she stroked her chin and said with a tone of genuine, scholarly admiration, “You’ve done a very good job, Elka.”

“Hehe, I’m probably still a long way off from you, Master.”

Elka scratched her head shyly after being praised.

“I’m sure that if it were you, Master, you would have made your beloved submit to you completely, both in body and in soul.”