Miss Elisa glanced toward the male servant at the edge of the drawing room. She was tempted to crack open his head and study his brain to see how he managed to be so perceptive.
He had only watched them interact for an hour or two, yet he had already sorted out all the relationships between the young ladies and even identified the heart of the problem!
The male servant noticed her gaze and looked over before bowing his head slightly as he waited for further instructions.
Quite obedient, too.
Elisa was very pleased and looked away.
[Intimacy -1]
“???”
What’s that supposed to mean?! Why are you suddenly docking my Intimacy?!
Elisa opened [Simon’s Log].
[Miss Elisa’s frequent staring made Simon feel uncomfortable.]
I’m just looking at you! What’s there to be uncomfortable about?! You secretly checked out my figure, and I wasn’t uncomfortable!
Wait, you actually noticed me looking at you!
Elisa sighed inwardly. Around a male servant this perceptive, she really couldn’t let her guard down for even a moment.
Suppressing the urge to look at Simon again, Elisa set down her black tea and continued with her plan.
Simon had already untangled the relationships among these young ladies and pointed out the potential conflict between the two central figures. Now it was her turn.
“Miss Mabel and Miss Eleanor seem to get along quite well,” Elisa deliberately remarked, secretly activating a blood spell as she spoke.
Under her control, the two young ladies’ blood flowed faster and their heartbeats quickened.
Sure enough, both young ladies reacted strongly.
“Who gets along with her?!” Miss Mabel’s hand trembled around her cookie.
“We merely know each other,” Miss Eleanor said coldly.
Hehe. That kind of phrasing was a dead giveaway that they were close friends who’d had a falling-out.
Elisa glanced at Helen. Her etiquette instructor reacted quickly, playing along and steering the conversation toward Mabel and Eleanor. The other young ladies soon joined in as well.
Elisa wasn’t good at fishing for information, but she was good at manipulating blood to disrupt people’s emotions. Combined with the fact that the two young ladies were still inexperienced, it didn’t take long for them to reveal what had happened between them.
Sure enough, they had once been good friends. Two winters ago, at a manor, they had encountered a malicious maid who sowed discord between them, eventually causing their friendship to fall apart.
In reality, there had never been any real conflict between them, only a few misunderstandings and failures to communicate.
Ah, youth.
With Elisa and Helen talking things through with them, along with the comfort and encouragement of the other young ladies, the two soon cleared up their misunderstandings. All they needed now was an excuse to make up.
Elisa gave them one by bringing up how she herself had been deceived by her butler.
The two young ladies immediately joined together in condemning the butler and comforting Elisa, successfully easing the tension between them.
As night fell, the literary salon came to a successful conclusion. Miss Mabel and Miss Eleanor approached Elisa, praised her salon, and invited her to attend their picnic a month from now.
Elisa accepted and watched as the two young ladies left the estate arm in arm.
Success. I’ve done both of them a huge favor. Miss Mabel is a baron’s daughter, while Miss Eleanor’s family has served in the military for generations.
At the picnic a month from now, as long as I perform normally and nothing unexpected happens, I should be able to secure both of their friendships.
This isn’t just a success. It’s a huge success!
And I owe it all to a male servant.
Elisa returned to the drawing room. The servants were still there, with Simon standing by the door.
[Status: Diligently performing his duties as a waiter (Mood ↓ Energy ↓)]
[Note: The intense workload has left Simon physically and mentally exhausted. His Mood and Energy are already at critical levels.]
You think you’re the only one working hard?! All you have to do is stand off to the side! I’m the one who has to keep putting on an act! And mediate a childish spat between two kids on top of that!
Young lady Elisa grumbled inwardly.
She turned to the head maid. “Are there any ingredients left in the kitchen?”
Maria wasn’t sure what her young mistress had in mind, so she answered honestly, “About half of the ingredients for the refreshments are left, and a little less than half of the ice cream ingredients.”
“Make all of it into food. You can have it as an extra meal,” Elisa said generously.
The servants happily thanked her for her generosity.
Simon lowered his head along with the others, then noticed that Elisa kept glancing at him from the corner of her eye, as though she were waiting for something.
She’s fishing for a reward.
I was going to wait until tomorrow to let Elisa unlock the new feature, but forget it. I’ll give it to her today.
Simon edited the game settings.
[Intimacy +3]
There it is!
Elisa happily opened the main interface.
[Intimacy: 29]
Just 1 more point and I can unlock a new feature… No, why did it have to stop exactly 1 point short?! I won’t be able to sleep tonight!
Elisa expertly opened [Gifts] and decided to whale for that last point. After all, she had just stolen a tidy sum from the butler. No matter how many gold pounds it took, she was going to unlock that new feature tonight… Wait, no! The limit is 10 pounds.
There was a note in the [Gifts] section listing something Simon currently wanted.
[Note: Simon has recently been helping manage the estate’s affairs and needs a fountain pen. He wants one like the kind Miss Elisa uses.]
He wants a fountain pen? The same kind I use?
Elisa looked toward the coffee table. Since this was a literary salon, she had brought along the fountain pen she normally used. It was a mid-range pen worth 5 shillings.
That’s all he wants?
Elisa had already budgeted 10 pounds, but unexpectedly, 5 shillings would be enough.
No, I don’t even need to spend 5 shillings. I can just give him this old one. Round it off, and it’s basically free.
But that raised another question. How was she supposed to give him the pen?
Elisa quickly came up with an idea.
She picked up the notebook and pen from the coffee table, then deliberately let the fountain pen slip from her hand as she walked past Simon, sending it rolling to his feet.
Simon picked up the pen and held it out to her.
Elisa didn’t take it. Instead, she said, “You can have it. You happen to need a fountain pen.”
The servants on either side looked heartbroken, regretting that they hadn’t been the ones to pick up the pen. Five shillings was several days’ wages for them.
“Thank you for your generosity.” Simon bowed.
Don’t just thank me with words! Where’s my Intimacy?!
[Simon accepted Miss Elisa’s gift. He likes this fountain pen very much.]
[Intimacy +3]
Elisa was just about to cheer inwardly when she realized the notifications weren’t finished.
[Simon noticed that Miss Elisa seemed to have dropped the fountain pen deliberately. He suspects there may be some ulterior motive behind it and feels uneasy.]
[Intimacy -3]
What?!
What’s the point of giving me +3 and then taking away 3?! Are you trying to get my fountain pen for free?!
Elisa felt like she’d been scammed, but she had no proof and didn’t even dare confront him about it. This male servant was far too perceptive!
She kept the smile on her face and left the drawing room utterly dejected.
My fountain pen!
My 5 shillings!
My Intimacy!
My new feature!
Elisa lay in the bathtub, submerging her entire body up to her chin beneath the flower petals. She rocked her head back and forth, bumping her forehead against the screen as she sulked.
Suddenly, a new notification appeared on the screen.
[Miss Elisa gave no further hints, allowing Simon to relax slightly.]
[Intimacy +1]
[Intimacy: 30]
[You have unlocked a new feature: [Young Lady’s Late-Night Lessons]]
[Young Lady’s Late-Night Lessons: Every night, you may arrange one lesson for Simon. During the lesson, Simon will study and improve one of his specialties.]
With a splash, Elisa sprang to her feet in the bathtub. Flower petals slid from her shoulders, lingered briefly against her chest, then fluttered down onto the tiled floor.
The new feature is finally here!
Miss Elisa was overcome with joy.
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