Not the Villainess, but the Maid

Chapter 46: Not Even the Real Fiancée (1)

This week, I secretly met with Diana almost every day to bake cookies.

There wasn’t much time left if we wanted to have them ready for Lady Ruby’s birthday.

It was by no means easy, but fortunately, Diana’s evaluations improved the more we baked.

At first, it was, “[This is serious...]” but it eventually turned into, “[This is subtle...]”

That might not seem like much, but to me, it was a significant difference.

On a refreshing weekend morning, I pulled back the curtains to ventilate my dorm room.

“...Ack!”

And then, I screamed and fell backward in shock.

“Amethyst!? What are you doing there?”

This isn’t the first floor. Amethyst was clinging to the end of a tall tree, knocking on my window.

“Shh! Ruby might wake up...!”

She looked desperate, though I couldn’t tell why, as she dangled there with a pleading expression.

When I opened the window slightly, she whispered with a serious face.

“Let’s talk outside. Amber, Ruby mustn’t know about this.”

‘...Why do I have a bad feeling about this?’

To avoid waking Ruby, I opened the window wider, grabbed Amethyst’s hand, and helped her inside.

We sat together on a bench under the shade of a tree.

“What’s going on, Amethyst?”

When I asked, she opened her mouth hesitantly, looking quite troubled.

“Amber, do you remember the rumor at the start of the semester that you were my fiancée?”

“Of course I do. How could I forget?”

Even now, instead of my name, people called me the fox who seduced the princess, a b*tch, or “that sly vixen.”

Amethyst, still showing a conflicted expression, spoke with a complicated look.

“...Apparently, the rumor about you being my fiancée has spread beyond the academy.”

“What!?”

The false rumor that she had a fiancée had become gossip, entertaining nobles and royalty alike.

I clutched my throbbing head and spoke.

“...But they don’t know what I look like, right? As long as I stay out of sight, shouldn’t that be fine?”

“About that... A letter recently arrived for my sister.”

“Your sister? Don’t tell me...”

“Princess Emerald Lupin, the first princess. I’m sure you’ve heard of her.”

Emerald Lupin, Amethyst’s sister and first in line to the throne.

She was notorious for causing scandals and unsavory incidents in the social world.

Despite her young age, she dominated the social scene, bending it to her will as if it were her plaything.

There were even rumors that if someone displeased her, regardless of their status, she’d hire people to make them disappear overnight.

In the original game [Chronicles of Magical Lily], Emerald Lupin wasn’t one of the heroines.

However, curious gamers who delved into the game files discovered an unusually large amount of data related to her, which became a famous anecdote.

It was widely believed that she was removed as a heroine due to unavoidable circumstances on the developer’s part.

Anyway, the critical point now was the content of the letter.

“What did the letter say?”

Amethyst fidgeted with her hands before replying with an awkward smile.

“...My sister wants to meet you.”

“...”

I doubted my ears for a moment.

She wants to meet me? The first princess?

“Why...? Why me of all people?”

“As my sister, she says it’s only natural for her to meet her sibling’s lover in person... She’s a bit possessive like that.”

How did things escalate to this point?

The rumor was only supposed to serve as a cover, but now it had spiraled out of control.

“...Just to be sure, what happens if I decline her request?”

Amethyst shook her head vehemently, trembling as she spoke.

“Seriously, I don’t recommend doing that...”

It was the first time I’d seen her, who was usually so spirited, so genuinely frightened.

In other words, I didn’t really have a choice in the matter.

“Ha... When should I leave?”

I was like a mouse caught in her trap.

Since she was summoning me, obeying seemed the safest option.

“The sooner, the better. The carriage is ready, so we can leave as soon as you’re prepared.”

“Hmm...”

I looked at the open window, hesitating.

Should I leave without telling Ruby?

Sensing my concern, Amethyst placed a hand on my shoulder.

“I’ll explain things to Ruby. For now, our safety is the priority, okay?”

“...That’s true.”

I was scared of how Ruby might react to me leaving without saying anything, but this was not something I could decide for myself.

Rather than being abducted in my sleep by unknown individuals, it was better to go voluntarily.

“Then, shall we head out, Amber?”

“Wait a moment. I’m still in my maid uniform...”

I held up the hem of the plain maid uniform I had been wearing, and Amethyst shook her head.

“It doesn’t matter. We’ll probably need to get you an outfit tailored on the way anyway.”

That made sense. Facing royalty, it would be appropriate to wear something more refined.

“Alright, I’ll go as I am.”

“Good. I was worried about what I’d do if you refused.”

“...Ha.”

I let out a deep sigh.

If Amethyst hadn’t started this strange rumor, none of this would’ve happened...

...Though it was also true that since the fiancée rumor began, I had been free from meddling by the nobles.

Let’s just consider this the price for an easy school life.

‘I’ll be back soon, my lady...’

Waving toward the window, I followed Amethyst.

The carriage jolted and swayed.

The rough road made it impossible for the ride to be smooth.

The elderly driver turned back to check on us.

“Is there anywhere you’re uncomfortable?”

Each time, Amethyst waved her hand with a bright smile.

“Nope. I couldn’t be more comfortable.”

“…Is that so? That’s a relief.”

The elderly man wearing black leather gloves, sitting in the coachman’s seat, seemed to have a close relationship with Amethyst.

As I curiously watched the two of them, Amethyst spoke.

“He’s our butler. He’s been with me since I was a baby.”

“Butler…”

Ah, no wonder they seemed so familiar with each other.

Even though I was in the carriage as the supposed fiancée of the master he serves, the butler didn’t seem curious at all and kept his eyes fixed ahead.

Was this his way of showing courtesy as a servant?

-Clatter, clatter.

We had been riding over a series of gravel paths for some time.

The rough terrain made the wheels jolt continuously, and I was starting to feel queasy.

Amethyst, noticing my expression, asked.

“Amber, are you getting motion sickness? You don’t look too good.”

“It’s been a while since I last rode in a carriage. That might be why I feel a bit… ugh.”

Memories of suffering from motion sickness when I was younger came flooding back, like the times I went to concerts with Ruby.

Short distances were fine, but the farther the destination, the more I struggled.

At that moment, the carriage hit a large rock, jolting violently and causing my seat to lift sharply.

The force almost catapulted me from my spot.

“Kyah!”

“Are you alright, ladies!?”

Amethyst waved to the butler to indicate everything was fine.

“We’re fine! Don’t worry about us. But… Amber?”

Before I realized it, I had been flung into Amethyst’s arms.

“Ah, sorry…!”

As I tried to pull myself away, Amethyst instead held me tightly and sat me on her lap.

“Hmmm-.”

She smiled mischievously, as though she had seized an opportunity.

I ended up perfectly nestled on her lap, with my hands restrained.

“A-Amethyst…!?”

Amused by my flustered reaction, she leaned in and whispered into my ear.

“Did you want to come over to my side that badly, Amber?”

“No, it’s because the carriage…”

It had been because the carriage shook violently.

“Now that I think about it, there’s no one here to protect you, is there?”

Amethyst’s lips brushed against my ear.

“…Ah.”

When I flinched, she brought a finger to my lips.

“Shh. Don’t let the butler hear us.”

Just like during our training session, Amethyst didn’t seem to let go of her prey once she caught it.

Like a cat playing with a mouse, she continued to roam her hands over my body, indulging herself.

“Wait, that’s…”

“That? What’s ‘that’?”

Amethyst’s fingers began to undo the buttons of my maid uniform, one by one.

From my nape to my collarbone, her hand slowly ventured deeper.

She reached a place that no one else had ever touched before, then stopped awkwardly.

“Amber won’t tell me what it is, so I have no idea what’s here.”

“…”

“Do I need to touch it to figure it out?”

Poke.

Her fingers slipped ever so slightly inside my top, pressing gently against the upper part of my chest, just below my collarbone.

“What is this? It’s soft and squishy…”

“S-Stop…”

As a man, I’d never paid much attention to this part of my body, but now, a single finger was teasing it relentlessly.

“This is bad. Amber will have to tell me what it is, or I won’t stop. Right?”

“…I…”

“I?”

When I didn’t respond, another of her fingers slipped into my clothes.

“…!”

The sensation of two cold fingers made me stifle a strange noise that was about to escape.

“Your underwear is cute. Did Ruby buy it for you?”

Amethyst hooked her finger into the strap of my undergarment and said.

“But to me, it’s kind of in the way…”

Her gaze drifted toward the inside of my undergarment.

Though not overly large, the two mounds with a certain firmness were clearly her targets.

The strap caught on her fingers was slowly shifting sideways, moving downward…

-Clatter.

“Ah!”

Once again, the carriage jolted, lifting our seats.

The butler, realizing his mistake, quickly turned around and shouted.

“Oh dear, are you alright, Lady Amethyst?”

Amethyst, who had toppled over and planted her face on the carriage floor, muttered.

“Y-Yeah, I’m fine…”

Meanwhile, I had finally managed to escape from her grasp.

‘I’m saved…’

From the floor, Amethyst let out a wistful sigh.

“We were just getting to the good part. Sigh…”

Small birds perched on a tree, chirping away.

The wind rushed through an open window, waking Ruby, who was still in a deep sleep.

“…Yawn.”

With a slightly puffy face, she looked around curiously.

“Amber? Where did you go?”

It was strange for Amber, who never left her early in the morning, to have disappeared somewhere.

She wasn’t in the shower, nor was she in the hallway.

As Ruby stood there, puzzled, she noticed the open window.

Approaching it, she found a piece of white paper precariously placed there.

‘What’s this…?’

When she flipped the paper over, she saw a playful drawing of a face along with a message.

[ Borrowing Amber for a bit ★ - Your best friend, Amethyst ]

Ruby’s expression twisted, and she crumpled the paper in her hand.

When she threw the crumpled paper out the window, the startled birds flew away in a hurry.

“Amethyst…!”