The Little Elf's Saliva

"Chirp."

"Chirp."

Strange cries echoed through the castle corridor. Liszt, who had been planning to rest until noon before attending the luncheon, pushed open his door and saw a small blue elf fluttering around a pillar in the hallway not far away.

Several maids were attending to the elf nearby.

Seeming to notice Liszt, the elf zipped over and hovered a meter in front of him. Its large eyes examined him with curiosity, and it let out a "chirp" from time to time, though its meaning was entirely indecipherable.

"Young Master Liszt," a maid followed behind and greeted him respectfully.

Liszt asked, "What kind of elf is this?"

"It is a Thick-Leaf Grass Elf, just three years old," a pretty maid replied, her brown eyes casting a bold glance at Liszt.

There was an inexplicably intense heat in that gaze.

Liszt did not notice her looking at him; he reached out and gestured vaguely toward the Thick-Leaf Grass Elf. "Does it have a name?"

The elf tilted its head, confused. "Chirp?"

The maid answered, "It has no name. There are many elves in the castle, and we just call them by their plant types. However, this Thick-Leaf Grass Elf is the naughtiest of them all, so we need several maids to follow it to prevent it from causing trouble or mischief."

Elves were magical creatures nurtured by nature; most were very docile, but there were always a few with particularly tricky and eccentric temperaments.

"What kind of trouble could it possibly cause?" Liszt felt they were making a mountain out of a molehill. One maid should be enough to watch a single elf; having several follow it seemed like a waste of labor.

But before the maids could explain.

The hovering elf suddenly pursed its lips at Liszt, and then—splat—it spat a mouthful of saliva right onto his face.

It was so sudden that even the reflexes of an Earth Knight failed to react in time.

By the time Liszt came to his senses, the elf was already chirping and laughing, flying off into the distance.

"Young Master Liszt, the Thick-Leaf Grass Elf is very mischievous and often spits on the castle's guests. I am terribly sorry; I hope you do not mind." The maid with the intense gaze turned to her companions. "Hurry and follow the Thick-Leaf Grass Elf, don't let it bother anyone else. I will take Young Master Liszt to wash his face."

With that, she gracefully gestured with her hand. "Young Master Liszt, please allow me to fetch water for you to wash your face, as an apology for the Thick-Leaf Grass Elf's behavior."

"Very well."

Liszt had intended to just wipe it off; the elf was not a dirty creature, and he did not mind its saliva. However, since the maid had offered, he would wash his face.

The washbasin was brought over, and the maid wrung out a towel, preparing to wipe Liszt's face for him.

"Thank you, I can do it myself."

"This is what we maids are supposed to do."

"I am used to doing things like washing my face on my own." Liszt coughed. Although he understood that the upper class enjoyed great comfort and had servants for every trivial need, he would never get used to it.

After wiping his face.

He handed the towel back to the maid.

The maid's eyes sparkled. "Would you like to wipe it again?"

"No need."

A look of disappointment flashed across her face. The maid picked up the basin and stood up to leave. "Then I shall head off... By the way, Young Master Liszt, my name is Anna. If you have any needs, I would be very happy to serve you."

Liszt smiled slightly. "Very well, Anna."

At that moment, a lock of damp hair clung to his forehead, making him look even more handsome. The maid was clearly dazzled by Liszt, and she lowered her head, quickly exiting the room.

Once she was out of the room.

She felt her heart pounding in her chest, and a faint blush rose to her cheeks.

"What are you doing?" A voice suddenly asked in her ear.

It was a manservant, the personal attendant assigned to Liszt in the castle, responsible for his daily life during this period. He had just gone to the kitchen to get some milk tea for Liszt, and upon returning, he saw Anna coming out of the room carrying a washbasin—serving the guests was his job!

"Young Master Liszt needed to wash his face, so I served him."

"Is that so? Such things are not for you maids to do. Anna, do not do anything that brings shame to Long-Yam Castle!" the manservant said in a low, vicious voice.

Anna did not stop walking. "Lesky, you are not the butler. What I do is none of your business!"

"Then I will tell the butler!"

"I am just doing my normal work. How you choose to report it is your own affair."

After Anna had completely disappeared around the corner of the corridor, Lesky snorted coldly, "A bunch of little sluts!" After cursing, he quickly wiped the angry expression from his face, replacing it with the solemn, proper demeanor and calm, elegant expression a manservant should have.

He knocked on the door. "Young Master Liszt, I have brought the milk tea you requested."

"Please, come in."

Anna returned to the group watching the Thick-Leaf Grass Elf.

The maids immediately began chattering, asking, "Anna, did you touch Young Master Liszt's face?"

"Is Young Master Liszt's face exceptionally smooth and delicate? Did you blush and feel your heart race? He is just as handsome as the Young Master."

"Lucy touched Young Master Liszt's face when she washed it for him a few years ago, but he wasn't even an adult back then, and he was already so dashing."

Anna shook her head and said with disappointment, "No, Young Master Liszt washes his own face; he doesn't like maids washing it for him."

"How could that be? Could it be that he... is like Viscount Orpheus, and likes... likes men?"

"I don't think so. I saw Young Master Liszt last year, and he was staring at Sister Luya's backside."

"Sister Luya's backside is indeed beautiful; I'm even jealous of it."

"Then you need to pat it every day, otherwise you won't have any backside at all."

"By the way, Young Master Liszt has already come of age, so he should have been granted a fief by now. What is his title? I think it's Viscount. I heard the Tulip Family's Coral Island is a large island, too."

"I don't know. If Lady Melissa were still alive, with the Master as her backing, he would certainly have been granted the title of Viscount. But the Count of Coral Island has already taken a new Countess, so Young Master Liszt's situation must be rather awkward."

"I really want to go and comfort him."

"Stop daydreaming. Do you really think a maid like you needs to worry about the affairs of nobles? I advise you all to settle your hearts and do your work as maids properly. An ugly duckling will never turn into a white swan; the offspring of a duck will only be a duck, and the offspring of a swan will be a swan."

"So what? I have already decided to be like Mrs. Phini and never marry. Are you not even going to allow me to create a romantic encounter for myself?"

As the maid spoke, she rested her chin in her hands and let her imagination run wild: "A down-and-out noble from another land, handsome and dashing, riding a great horse, falls in love with a maid sweeping the floors in the castle... forced to part due to family and worldly resistance, a passionate kiss, and then they separate at dawn. Oh, heavens, I'm about to shed tears."