They are all characters I control.

Seeing that the treatment was almost complete, Claire withdrew the 'Healing Mark'.

He was a little tired.

No matter how high Lia's magic power is, she will feel tired after using magic so many times in a row.

"Yes, yes, it's the master."

Anna bowed respectfully to 'Lia' on the bed.

However, the next moment, he heard the other party ask in confusion.

"Anna? Why do you call me master? Just call me Lia. Aren't we friends?"

Is this a test from the master?

Anna was just about to kneel down with a "thump" to pledge her loyalty to her master when she realized that the voice sounded a little off.

She looked up and met the innocent, naive gaze of kind-hearted Lia.

Anna breathed a sigh of relief; she was a little numb from all the switching.

Chapter 22 The Maid Who Felt Comforted by Being Slapped

Having experienced the attack, the kind-hearted Lia is now asking Anna, who is standing in front of her, questions with great confusion.

"Hey? Anna, did you help me change into my new clothes?"

"And when did my wound heal? It seems like I've learned a new 'healing mark' in my brain?"

"An attack? Wasn't I attacked? How did I get here?"

"Anna, why is your hair all wet? Quick, dry it off! Are you alright? Let me see!"

"Also, don't call me master, just call me Lia. We're friends."

This is the kind-hearted Lia that Anna knows best.

She seemed to have no recollection of how she struggled with the attacker or how she was rescued.

Having witnessed how Leah switched from evil to good, Anna has begun to adapt to the current situation.

She retorted to Leah, "Didn't you change your clothes yourself? You were the one who single-handedly held out against the attackers until the Knights arrived. Don't you remember?"

"Is that so?" Lia blinked blankly, she didn't remember any of this.

Last time, I also inexplicably appeared in the library and even learned a new spell.

This time, she didn't remember anything and inexplicably escaped from the attacker's grasp. This kind of thing happened three times in a row.

Even the slow-witted Lia sensed that something was amiss.

“Lia…” Anna’s voice interrupted Lia’s thoughts. “Lia, why did you take the knife for me?”

"Because we're friends, Anna!"

Leah immediately put her worries aside and happily grabbed Anna's hand.

Anna was somewhat disappointed by this, and she instinctively tried to break free, but Lia held her tightly.

Anna looked up and met Lia's eyes, which still held a sense of innocence and kindness, but now held a more serious look.

“I know your predicament, Anna. Because of your relationship with me, you are often punished by the Marquise Marla.”

“When you were a child, I saw you locked in a stable, forced to eat dirt, and tied up outside in the rain all night.”

“I didn’t dare to save you back then. I’m the one who should apologize. I was so useless and incapable of protecting you. So Anna, it doesn’t matter what you do to me. I know that if you don’t do it, you will suffer an even worse punishment.”

“In this Rost family, my father despises me, my stepmother hates me, and my stepsister ostracizes me. Only you, Anna, care about me, get hurt because of me, and are punished because of me.”

Anna fell silent.

Looking into Lia's clear eyes, which held no trace of falsehood, she felt utterly insignificant and petty.

Yes, she was forced into it at first.

But over time, she genuinely felt disgust and jealousy towards the kind and innocent Lia. Not all of her previous cruel treatment of Lia was forced upon her.

Anna didn't consider herself a good person, but Lia in front of her treated her like one.

This only made Anna feel annoyed, annoyed that Lia was so innocent and pure, while she, so filthy, was regarded as such a noble being by Lia.

Faced with the kind-hearted Lia before her, Anna still felt more inclined to serve the evil 'Lia'.

Because only in front of that evil 'Lia' would Anna feel no moral burden, and being punished for her mistakes actually made Anna feel relieved.

The kind-hearted Lia in front of me would never do that; she would never punish herself.

"Anna?" Seeing Anna remain silent for a long time, Lia shook her hand anxiously. "Are you... are you angry with me? Angry that I caused you to be attacked again?"

Anna snapped out of her reverie and sighed inwardly as she looked at Lia's worried expression towards her maid.

She withdrew her hand, her tone stiff but no longer carrying the previous harshness: "No, Liya, you should get some rest."

"Okay! Anna, you can sleep in my bed tonight too."

Lia got out of her bed to let her maid Anna sleep there.

Anna looked at the bed in front of her and felt a phantom pain in her back.

It's obvious that if she dares to sleep, she'll be woken up by the whip first thing tomorrow morning.

"Lia, you can sleep here by yourself. I don't need to. I can sleep on the floor next door or in the maid's room next door." Anna politely declined Lia's kind invitation.

After saying that, Anna turned to leave.

"Anna! Why don't you sleep in my bed? It'll be more comfortable for you to rest there!"

"You should sleep in your bed. I'll get a sore face and back if I sleep in your bed."

"How could that be? Pillows don't hit people, Anna~"

"No, I am a maid, you are a young lady."

"...Anna, do you...do you dislike me?"

No! It's because I'm dirty.

"Then just like before, why don't you wear my clothes?"

"I won't dare to... I won't wear it again."

With this back and forth, Anna even began to suspect that Leah was secretly hoping she would be whipped.

"Then why don't we sleep together?"

“Okay!” Lia nodded happily.

She lifted the covers and moved over to give Anna more space.

Looking at the bed in front of her, Anna felt a sense of panic, as if she were jumping onto a gallows.

There was nothing he could do; he couldn't refuse Lia. He could only hope that he would get up early tomorrow and that the evil 'Lia' wouldn't be angry.

...Early morning, at the Rost family's dining table.

At this moment, the Marquis of Rost looked exhausted from work, as if he hadn't slept well the night before, and he was frowning as he held his office documents.

The breakfast and coffee in front of him remained untouched.

Marquise Mara and her second daughter, Elena, were discussing which family's eldest daughter or lady had bought an expensive necklace or something similar.

The seat that should have been Lia's was now empty.

When the maid Anna appeared, the Marquis of Rost seemed to only then remember his eldest daughter and asked her a question.

"Did Lia cause any commotion yesterday? I saw the Knights of the Order at our doorstep?"

There was no fatherly concern for his daughter in his words, only a sense of annoyance.

The Marquise Mara and Elena, who were standing nearby, immediately stopped talking and turned their attention to Anna.

Facing the family members that Liya knew from the online forum, the maid Anna emphasized her words: "Yes, she was attacked. Master was attacked by unidentified people on her way home yesterday. Master is going to rest today."

After saying that, Anna glanced at the second young lady, Elena, who was standing next to her.

If Miss Elena hadn't monopolized the carriage, Lia wouldn't have had to walk home.

How could a young girl dressed in aristocratic attire not be attacked while walking down the street?

"Oh?" Marquis Rost frowned.

He said with some dissatisfaction, "Then let Liya go home earlier from now on."

“That’s right, next time you have to let your sister come back earlier, okay Anna?” Elena immediately chimed in.

"Yes, otherwise why didn't the attacker target Elena? Why did they choose Lia? Lia must have made a mistake herself."

Marquise Mara also seized the opportunity to kick someone when they were down.

Although the two of them were very enthusiastic towards Lia a few days ago, they have now almost returned to their previous attitude towards her.

However, the marriage deal proposed by the evil 'Lia' at least prevented them from going as far as before.

"Then I'll be going now, so as not to disturb the master, madam, and young lady." Anna walked towards Liya's seat, preparing to pick up her breakfast and leave.

"Okay, go ahead. I've been having a headache because of work lately. Tell Liya not to cause me any more trouble."

Marquis Rost waved his hand, ignoring Anna.

"What is it, Father? I can help." Elena stood up from her seat and went behind Marquis Rost to massage his shoulders in a flattering manner.

Compared to the clumsy Lia, Elena, who knows how to read people's expressions, is clearly more popular.

Enjoying the attentive service of his obedient second daughter, the Marquis of Rost naturally expressed his troubles.

"The church and the royal family want to increase taxes, and I haven't come up with any good suggestions yet. If this continues, I'll be laughed at by those annoying nobles again."

"Hmph, those nobles have completely forgotten that the Rost family has made contributions to the new empire," said Marquise Marla with displeasure.

If the Rothschild family doesn't rise to prominence, she, as a marquess, will lose face in the circles of noblewomen.

"Let's not talk about that now. What's most important is whether we can satisfy the Emperor and the Bishop!" Marquis Rost interrupted his wife's complaints.

"Isn't it simple to raise taxes? Why not tax beards, wear eye-catching clothes, and even socks?" Elena offered her suggestion.

Anna, who was carrying breakfast away, overheard these mindless suggestions and glanced sideways at the second young lady, Elena, who had uttered such idiotic words.

Coincidentally, Anna's glance was noticed by Elena.

"Anna, stop right there! What are you looking at? What were you just looking at? Were you making fun of me?"

Seeing Elena's aggressive demeanor, Anna had a bad feeling.

Now, I'm going to delay my master's meal.

I'm afraid I'll be punished by my owner again soon. I hope my owner won't be too angry.

Chapter 23 Tax Collection! Collect taxes hard!

Oh no, I'm going to get into trouble.

Looking at the second young lady, Elena, who was walking aggressively in front of her, the maid Anna was very familiar with this routine.

This is how Elena usually picks fights with Lia.

"Anna! Were you just laughing at me? The look on your face just now was mocking me, wasn't it!" Elena glared angrily at the maid in front of her, her face flushed.

How dare a mere maid, especially one who is the maid of my useless older sister Lia, mock me?

As the true heiress of the Marquis Rost family, how could Elena possibly endure such humiliation?

Besides, this Anna was clearly a dog under her and her mother's command to monitor Liya, yet this dog dared to mock her, the real master?

"No, Miss, I was just carrying Master's breakfast and wondering if Master could eat his fill."

Anna offered a seemingly innocent explanation.

"You're making fun of me! It must have been your sister who told you to do this!? Did Lia teach you?" Just as Elena was about to pick up a vase from the table and smash it at Anna.

“Cough cough cough…” The Marquise Mara, who was sitting to the side, coughed.

She glanced at the Marquis Rost beside her and reminded Elena.

Elena, who had just touched the vase, immediately understood her mother's meaning and released the vase.