Not the Villainess, but the Maid

Chapter 44: Diana's Cooking Class (1)

It had been a few weeks since I found out that I had been feeding Ruby the worst cookies ever.

Although I was utterly shocked, I tried my best to improve their taste afterward.

But why was it that even following the recipe Diana gave me, the taste still didn’t turn out right?

Today was one of the rare cooking practice sessions at the academy.

As I sat there, looking despondently at the garbage-like cookies I made again, Diana approached me with a comment.

“How is the cookie-making coming along, Amber?”

She had her blonde hair neatly tied up, ensuring no strands were out of place.

It was a ponytail, but it exuded a different charm compared to Amethyst's.

If Amethyst's ponytail radiated a sense of vitality, Diana’s gave off a mature elegance.

I briefly gazed at the swaying ends of her ponytail before snapping back to reality to answer her.

“It’s still going nowhere. I followed the instructions exactly, but I don’t know what I’m doing wrong...”

“Is that so? Judging by their appearance, they look fine.”

With a bright smile, Diana picked up one of my cookies and took a bite, but her expression gradually darkened.

Her face looked as though she had just encountered an unknown life form, visibly shocked.

After about seven seconds of analyzing the flavor in her mouth, Diana finally spoke.

“…This is serious.”

“You think so too, Diana? I knew it. I’m hopeless…”

At this rate, making delicious cookies in this lifetime might just be impossible.

As I sank into despair and grabbed my head in frustration, Diana patted me on the shoulder.

“Don’t worry. I’ll personally help you out.”

“Really? I feel bad always relying on your help, though…”

Hearing my words, Diana glanced around before replying with a reassuring smile.

“No, for me, this is more like a reward. Hehe.”

“…?”

A reward?

I pondered the meaning of her words and eventually realized something.

‘Could it be that Diana enjoys teaching?’

Now that I thought about it, she often helped me during class, explaining things here and there, and she always paid attention to me.

She must be the type who enjoys teaching others, a natural instructor.

If that was the case, I could understand why she seemed so eager.

Just before the end of the practice session, Diana whispered something to me.

“Amber, come back here after class, without Ruby knowing.”

“Alright. But why keep it a secret…?”

After briefly hesitating, she smiled and explained.

“So we can surprise Ruby when we give her the cookies. Don’t you think that’s more fun?”

“Ah, I see.”

When Ruby, expecting my usual terrible cookies, suddenly tasted a good one, it would definitely leave a stronger impression.

Persuaded by Diana’s reasoning, I nodded enthusiastically and eagerly awaited the end of class.

Just wait, My Lady. I’ll prepare cookies that will truly surprise you.

I told Ruby that today’s club activities were canceled and secretly headed to the cooking room.

I thought I had come fairly quickly, but Diana had already prepared everything and was waiting for me.

“You’re here already? Did you explain it well to Ruby?”

“I said I had a headache and needed to rest. She probably won’t suspect anything.”

“That’s a relief. Come over here.”

As I walked confidently to Diana’s side, she shook her head slightly.

“Amber, today we’ll share one workstation.”

“Share one station?”

“Yes, so I can guide you properly. Don’t worry and move closer.”

Nodding at her words, I moved closer, standing shoulder to shoulder with her.

Since the workstation wasn’t particularly wide, it was inevitable that our shoulders and sides touched.

The slight physical contact, like our sides brushing together, made me feel a little self-conscious.

First, we started by washing our hands thoroughly with soap.

Just like we were taught at the academy, I carefully washed the backs of my hands, between my fingers, under my nails, and the palms before drying them completely with a towel.

After ensuring my hands were clean, I turned to Diana, shaking off the remaining water droplets.

“What should I do next?”

“Well… First, Amber, could you give me one of your hands?”

Give her my hand?

Though puzzled, I obediently extended my right hand.

Diana grabbed my hand without hesitation and began pressing the center of my palm with both her thumbs.

It wasn’t too painful, but neither was it too soft—a pleasant pressure as she gently massaged my palm.

“Um, Diana?”

“Yes?”

“It's refreshing, but does this have anything to do with cookies...?”

At my question, she gave a gentle smile and nodded.

“Amber, your hands are always stiff. You get too tense whenever you stand at the counter.”

Her words hit the mark.

How did she know I got nervous every time I cooked?

“Yes, that’s definitely true...”

“Because of the pressure that you can’t fail, even things that usually go well don’t work out. You need to relax more like this.”

Diana softly rubbed my hand and firmly pressed the soft spot between my thumb and forefinger.

“...Ouch.”

“It might hurt a bit. This part gets the most tense.”

As she said, it did hurt a little at first, but as the massage continued, a pleasant relief began to wash over me.

Diana’s fingers moved from my palm to the joints of my fingers.

With movements as smooth as a serpent, she interlaced her fingers between mine and pressed each one firmly.

“The tips of the fingers have the most concentrated nerves. So pressing this part releases a lot of built-up stress.”

Somehow, it reminded me of the hand massages I used to give Ruby before her recitals, and my face grew hot.

So this is how embarrassing it feels to have your hand played with.

Every time Diana squeezed and pressed my fingertips, a small, pleasant sensation coursed through me.

Trying to suppress my pleased expression only made my face contort in strange ways.

I held my breath to hide my embarrassment, and finally, the hand massage was over.

“...Uh, so what should I do now?”

I thought we were finally moving on to making cookies, but Diana smiled brightly.

“What do you mean? You still need to give me your other hand.”

“...”

Reluctantly, I offered her my left hand, and she eagerly wrapped it in her own, starting to press again.

This is dangerous. Her skill was so expert that even just pressing my palm made me feel like letting out a small sigh.

Wait, why does it feel like she’s even closer than before...?

“The position is a bit awkward, so I’ll scoot closer. That’s okay, right, Amber?”

“...Yes.”

At this point, I wasn’t even sure what I was saying anymore.

All I could do was let her work on my hand while clenching my teeth to suppress any noises that might escape.

Before I knew it, I was completely enveloped in a posture where she was holding me from behind.

With our bodies pressed together, I could feel her warmth and softness against my back.

Unlike Ruby’s hands, which were slightly cool, Diana’s hands felt almost unusually warm, as if they radiated heat.

Thanks to that warmth, my hand became limp, and the massage felt even better.

As I silently endured the massage, I noticed Diana’s knee gradually pressing against the underside of my body.

“...!”

When her knee brushed against a sensitive area, my body reflexively flinched.

This... must be an accident, right?

It’s because of the awkward position, because she had to get closer, that’s all... Right?

I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to ignore it, but Diana suddenly asked curiously.

“Oh? Amber, your face is red.”

“...This is, um...”

Unable to find the right words, I hesitated, and she whispered softly into my ear.

“Is it because you’re feeling hot?”

“It’s... not that, um...”

“...Or is it because of the hand massage?”

“...”

As I failed to respond, Diana gave a small “Ah” and made a gesture as if she had realized something.

Then, leaning closer to my ear, she whispered with a playful smile.

“Or... is it because of me?”

Ruby Sarka, the leader of the Free Activity Club, had been in a bad mood all day.

The clubroom, usually bustling with ten members, felt unnervingly quiet in Amber’s absence.

Amber had told her before class ended that she had a headache and needed to rest, but Ruby couldn’t stop thinking about her.

‘Is she sick? I haven’t been paying enough attention to her lately...’

As Ruby slowly thought about foods that were good for colds, a strange feeling of discomfort crept over her.

‘Wait. Why is there one more empty chair?’

One, two, three, four...

Counting everyone present, there were eight club members in total, including herself.

The club had ten members in total.

Even with Amber absent, one more person missing didn’t make sense.

Scanning the room carefully, Ruby came to a startling realization.

‘Diana’s not here...?’

Not only Amber but Diana was also absent.

With a slightly puzzled expression, Ruby asked the other members.

“Did anyone hear anything from Diana? She left without saying anything today...”

Amethyst, as if she had been waiting for the question, responded immediately.

“Diana? She told me earlier this morning that she might skip club activities today because she wasn’t feeling well.”

“She said she wasn’t feeling well...?”

On the same day, at the same time, both of them claimed to be sick.

‘Suspicious.’

A small flame of curiosity ignited within Ruby.

When she suddenly stood up, Coral, who had been silently reading a book, looked up in surprise.

“W-Where are you going, Ruby?”

“I need to check on something. I’ll be right back.”

Exuding an ominous aura, Ruby began heading toward the main building where the cooking room was located.