Chapter 4: Little Angel

Lu Xing was speechless. The common knowledge of this different world differed greatly from that of Earth; a single word or gesture could easily expose the fact that he was not Miss Annie.

The green-eyed maid’s voice softened once more: "Miss Annie, please get up and get dressed. I shall have someone inform the professors shortly that they need not come for your lessons today."

"Good!"

Lu Xing breathed a sigh of relief. Regardless, he had managed to get through it for now.

Once he stepped off the bed, the head maid knelt to put on his shoes and then led him to the vanity mirror. The maids skillfully unfastened his silk pajamas, and as they were removed, the delicate and slender form of Miss Annie was revealed in the mirror. She was a fair-skinned young lady, noble and beautiful, with long, white, shapely legs. Lu Xing quickly closed his eyes, letting them fuss over him.

He had initially wanted to say that he could dress himself, but seeing seven or eight personal maids holding various garments and jewelry, he decisively abandoned that thought.

"Would you like to rest today?" the head maid asked softly while brushing her hair.

"Mm."

"There is a concert this afternoon. You had an appointment to attend with Miss Meryl and the others."

"Help me decline that as well!" Lu Xing said quickly.

The head maid agreed.

Once the luxurious dress was on and the long golden hair was styled, the maids stepped back. One of them approached carrying a box, and as Lu Xing looked in, he saw over a dozen pieces of jewelry shimmering with a faint light. They appeared to be magical accessories unique to this world, worn to complement one’s attire.

Lu Xing casually picked up a necklace, but the maid took it from him and fastened it around his neck.

Catherine looked at Miss Annie Viz Swinton in the mirror; the necklace did not suit her.

"Her Ladyship will be having breakfast with you later. This is the jewelry Her Ladyship gave you last year; she will be pleased to see you wearing it." Catherine picked out a hair accessory and handed it to him with a smile.

Seeing this cold, elegant maid smile for the first time, Lu Xing was distracted for a moment, and the ornament fell onto the carpet. He bent down to pick it up and handed it back to her.

Catherine’s gaze fell upon his chest, and suspicion stirred in her heart. She tested him, saying, "You had an appointment to attend a concert with Miss Julia this afternoon. Mr. Noy, the Elven bard, is touring the Northern Territory, and you have been looking forward to this for a long time. Are you truly going to decline it?"

There were Elves too?

Lu Xing hesitated. The concert seemed important, but if he went, the possibility of being exposed while chatting with friends was very high.

Damn this life-experience game! Why couldn't he communicate with Miss Annie? Without any exchange of information, he didn't understand anything—what kind of experience was this? He was essentially in prison!

Seeing that Annie did not question the name "Julia," Catherine’s heart sank. She picked up another ornament from the box, glanced at her, and silently placed it in her golden hair. She stepped back two paces, but seeing that the ornament remained motionless, Catherine felt slightly more at ease.

After much fuss, the elegant dress and precious jewelry were finally in place.

Lu Xing stood up and looked at himself—that is, Miss Annie’s reflection—in the mirror, a flash of astonishment in his eyes. This noble lady of the magic world possessed an exquisite, delicate face. Her skin was already fair, but after donning the magical jewelry, Lu Xing could feel a faint flow of mana within his body, making Annie’s skin appear even more porcelain-white and crystalline. Her long golden hair was imbued with mana, shimmering as if bathed in the light of a setting sun.

Lu Xing raised his hand, and the dove-egg-sized sapphire on his finger sparked a flow of mana that condensed at his slender, scalloped fingertips, scaring him into stopping immediately.

He didn't know magic, but Miss Annie did!

Lu Xing was nearly certain that Annie’s beautiful and expensive jewelry—the rings, hairpins, necklaces, and bracelets—were not merely for show; they were inscribed with powerful magic. Even the colorful pearls embedded in her unnamed leather shoes and the pale blue patterns embroidered on her white stockings contained potent mana.

She was essentially a walking arsenal!

"Miss Annie?" Catherine cast a suspicious look his way once more. Was the young lady enchanted by her own reflection?

"No, it's nothing."

Lu Xing winked at the Annie in the mirror. Suddenly, the image of a lively, cheerful, and mischievous noble lady of the magic world reflected back at him, leaving him momentarily dazed. Miss Annie was no arsenal; she was simply a lively little angel! He couldn't help but wonder how lovely and beautiful the original owner of this body, Annie herself, would look when she controlled her own expressions. Lu Xing was no pervert; he simply appreciated beauty.

...

Half an hour later.

After serving her noble mistress and having breakfast with the lovely yet strange Miss Annie, Catherine went alone to the Magic Tower to report the morning’s events to the mage, Miss Phyllis Essolent.

"You suspect that Annie has been possessed by an evil spirit?" Phyllis, who had been reclining behind her desk, sat up straight and asked with a serious expression.

So-called evil spirits were the souls of mages or priests who had lost their bodies for various reasons and wandered the world, constantly seeking to occupy a young, healthy vessel. Because possession was easier when the victim’s resistance was lower, evil spirits usually bewitched their targets, causing them to lose their sanity bit by bit until they voluntarily allowed the spirit to take over their body.

"Yes!" Catherine detailed the morning's anomalies regarding Miss Annie, from her demeanor and speech to her actions. "She became afraid of classes, lied about being sick, didn't recognize her magical jewelry, seemed not to know how to use magic, didn't recognize the name 'Julia' as a fake name, and didn't even cover her chest when bending over to pick something up."

Phyllis’s expression grew grave.

Catherine continued, "The fortunate thing is that Her Holiness the Saintess once gave her a blessed piece of jewelry. I had Miss Annie put it on, and I did not see the purifying holy power within it being triggered."

Jewelry from the Church of the Goddess of Holy Light possessed the power to purge evil; ordinary malevolent spirits dared not approach it. Even if a body were possessed, the Saintess's jewelry would suppress the spirit's power and call back the original soul. This eased Phyllis’s mind slightly.

She pondered for a moment and said to Catherine, "Go back and bring Annie to the back garden. I will observe her closely with the Eye of the Magic Tower."

Phyllis was the family mage for Duke Swinton, and the Magic Tower stood right next to the Duke’s castle.

"Thank you, Miss Phyllis. It is Miss Annie’s good fortune to have an elder like you to look after her," Catherine said, bowing in gratitude.

The previously serious Phyllis became annoyed. "What are you saying? Annie and I are good friends! I am not even a hundred years old yet! According to the Elven customs recorded in books, I am not even an adult!"

Catherine glanced at her uniquely Elven pointed ears and the voluptuous figure beneath her robe, which no Elf should possess. She nodded slightly and turned to leave.

Left behind, Phyllis irritably rubbed her messy light-green hair. She looked down at herself, sighed, and muttered, "Am I really not like an Elf at all? Should I dress more elegantly, like the Elves?"

She made up her mind: from now on, she would wear formal attire whenever she met outsiders!

—

That evening.

"Ah!!!"

A young girl’s scream rang out. The maids inside Duke Swinton’s castle and the gardeners tending the flowers in the courtyard all heard the cry, which was filled with shock. Though they found it strange, it did not cause much of a commotion, as they recognized it to be Miss Annie’s scream. Although, the volume today was indeed a bit louder than usual.

Catherine hurried to her room and soon found Annie sitting in a high-backed chair, holding a piece of paper with writing on it, her rosy little face full of disbelief.

"Miss Annie, what is the matter?"

For some reason, seeing Annie with such a shocked expression made Catherine feel relieved. This was the usual Miss Annie! The daytime version of Miss Annie had been far too strange.

"My dear Catherine!!!"

Annie, with her beautiful long golden hair, hurriedly beckoned her over. Seeing Catherine approach and look at the paper in her hand, she quickly hid it away.

Catherine noted the small gesture—it was very, very Annie!

"What happened?" Catherine asked.

Annie widened her eyes and looked at her. "Catherine, was I very strange this morning?"

*No, you have been strange all day!* Catherine thought to herself.

Annie extended a slender finger and pointed toward her skirt. "Did I... did I lift my skirt to look inside at... at..."

She stammered, her lovely face flushing bright red.