"Tea for the boss!"

In the princess's bedroom on the top floor of the central tower in the castle, Aya smiled and handed a cup of steaming tea to Talyn with both hands.

"What's with that expression... so disgusting," Talyn surveyed Aya's fawning smile with slight horror, furrowing her brows slightly. "And when did you become so obedient?"

"No way, I have always been obedient and listened to the princess. She tells me to bite someone, I bite them without question!" Aya proclaimed, with a servile smile.

"Is that so... Well then, confess, is there something wrong with this tea?"

As a joke, Talyn couldn't believe that Aya, who had forcibly sealed her own powers, suddenly brought her tea.

"There's absolutely nothing wrong with it!" Aya confidently raised her thumb. "Lady Mimi was overseeing the entire process, and she provided the recipe for this calming tea. I just noticed that the princess seemed a bit troubled lately, so I thought it would help her sleep better at night."

"Really?" Although she still had some doubts, Talyn, who had studied alchemy, could detect that it only contained some calming and sleep-promoting herbs. Furthermore, with Mimi watching, there shouldn't be any problems. Besides, at her level of power, it wasn't so easy to be affected by poison.

"Really."

"Really, really?"

"Really, really!"

"Really, really, really?"

"Don't use that trick again... Using it more, and the readers will start to complain about the word count. I've been staying in the castle these past few days, so where would I get any poison?" Aya pouted, looking hurt.

"Okay, okay, I'll drink it." Recently, Talyn had been feeling a bit irritated due to some news coming from the capital, so getting a better night's sleep wouldn't be bad at all.

Talyn didn't hesitate. She took the cup and gulped the tea down in one go, her posture reminiscent of someone drinking straight from a bottle.

After finishing, wiping her mouth, she turned off the lights and went to sleep.

...

In the darkness, Aya lay on the floor, tensely holding his breath and listening for any movement on the bed. When Talyn's breathing gradually stabilized, he let out a sigh of relief.

Although it was just a plan that came up hastily during dinner, the plan worked!

If you say there wasn't anything done to that cup of tea, it would definitely be a lie. However, even if Aya had really poisoned it, he didn't have the confidence to deceive the princess, who was currently stronger than him.

Besides, with that shrewd maid watching over everything, Aya couldn't really add anything suspicious to the tea.

So, Aya just tripled the dosage of the sleep-promoting herbs in the recipe... There should be no side effects, just making Talyn sleep a bit deeper.

And then, he would have the opportunity!

He sat up, lifting the blanket, making a slightly noisy movement. After confirming that Talyn wouldn't wake up, Aya began searching through boxes and cabinets.

Keys, keys, come out quickly, and I'll be free from this prison!

...

Ten minutes later...

Damn it, where is the key?! I clearly saw the princess put it in this room!

Aya had searched all the possible places in the room where the keys could be hidden, but couldn't find a trace of them. It was annoying that the earlier plan went so smoothly, but now they were stuck here... The frustration was comparable to playing a game, struggling to defeat the final boss and standing in front of a treasure, only to realize that the key had been lost and couldn't open it.

"No, I need to stay calm! Calm! There must be something I overlooked! The key must be in this room!"

Aya scanned all the places they had searched once again, but still found nothing.

Fuck, is this for real?! Where is it hiding?!

Just as Aya's frustration reached its peak, a faint glimmer caught their eye.

Slowly shifting their gaze, they saw a golden key emitting a soft glow under the moonlight.

"Hey, hey, is it really not uncomfortable to sleep with something like this hanging around your neck?"

Staring at the key lying on Talyn's chest, Aya was completely speechless.

Ah, forget it, forget it. I don't care anymore. As long as I can get it! Clenching their hair, Aya took a deep breath and stealthily approached the princess's bed.

Reaching out. Pulling back. Reaching out again. Pulling back once more.

Uh, well, this... It seems like it's really hard to go through with it. The position of the damn key is too damn troublesome! Even if it's Aya, they can't just casually reach out and touch a girl's chest.Moreover, considering that in a way it was myself who drugged Tiran, I feel that the nature of doing this again now is really despicable.

"Calm down, it's just a metal plate, nothing special." Aya comforted herself, trying to imagine it as a plain of white jade. With a pained expression, she gripped the key tightly, and with her other hand, she lifted Tiran, who was asleep, and effortlessly unhooked the thin cord that held the key around Tiran's neck.

After completing all of this, Aya stood by the bed with a mournful face for a while and made a few empty grabs with the hand that had taken the key. "Damn... It seems like I accidentally touched something I shouldn't have... I'm really sorry..."

But... why bother with all that? As long as the end result is good!

Aya twirled the key in her hand and touched the sealed collar around her neck. She silently recited "Amitabha Buddha, finally I can escape from this dreadful woman."

Although the past few days in the castle were quite comfortable, despite enduring various forms of harassment, the feeling of freedom was still better. Your Highness, Princess, I'm leaving now.

Silently bidding farewell to the Princess in her heart, Aya forcefully attached the key to the collar.

One minute.

Two minutes.

Three minutes.

What kind of junk is this!!!

She rushed into the room and carefully examined the sealed collar around her neck in the dim moonlight. The dark gold color was understated and noble, and the metal ring was flawlessly smooth, like a perfect work of art... Wait a minute, no gaps?!

She widened her eyes and checked again carefully... This is unbelievable! Not only were there no gaps, there were no engravings on the smooth surface! Let alone a keyhole!

What's going on? Is this key just a joke?

No, no, no, Aya, use your brain and think. Given the circumstances at that time, that woman had no reason to deceive herself. So even if this key couldn't directly open the collar, it must be related to the collar somehow.

Sitting cross-legged in the corner of the room, Aya pressed her temples and pondered.

Keys are used to unlock something, but it definitely isn't for the ordinary doors in the castle. The Princess wouldn't need to personally keep such a key for those. It's probably for her own secret room... Hmm, isn't it recorded in my notes that humans with status usually have their own secret rooms for hiding treasures or keeping things that shouldn't be seen by others?

Wait a minute... Things that shouldn't be seen? Like adult magazines? The Princess definitely wouldn't want her maid to see such things. Otherwise, there would definitely be a lecture followed by the permanent destruction of the evidence.

After I gave the box to Tiran, I never saw her take it out again, so it must be in this room, right?

In that case...

Aya stood up, patted her clothes, and sighed helplessly. "I have to find the entrance again..."

She had a psychological shadow when it came to finding hidden secret room entrances. Last time, she happened to find an "escape route" in the castle's dungeon, and the result...

But as a half-Dragon, Aya's situation was already quite miserable. She didn't believe it could get any worse. Don't hesitate, just do it!

She walked along the wall and tapped it slowly, carefully discerning whether there was a secret room behind the wall. After circling the room, she finally heard a hollow echo behind the large dressing mirror.

She used both hands to try to move the heavy glass, and it was surprisingly easier than she had imagined. The mirror smoothly slid open to the right, revealing a wooden door behind it.

Holding the key, she compared the keyhole on the door handle, and it seemed to match perfectly.

She inserted the key into the keyhole and turned it gently.

Click.

After a slight click of the lock, the door slowly opened, emitting a chilling gust of wind from the pitch-black darkness inside... It was terrifying.

The teenager's heart immediately began to beat uncontrollably, 79, 91, 100... It was about to explode.

This impending sense of danger... No, what is this crisis!

But it had reached the point of no return. There was no possibility of retreat at a time like this. Aya's heart cried out "Orcs never yield!" as she pushed open the door and rushed in.

And then, she stepped into empty space.

In the boundless darkness, she lost all consciousness. She couldn't see or hear anything, as if she were dead, enveloped in silence.Fortunately, this feeling didn't last long. After a few seconds, everything suddenly became clear, and the surroundings became bright, making it momentarily difficult for Aya to see the scenery around her. Although her vision was still a little blurry, she could hear a sweet and playful voice in her ears:

"Oh honest boy, did you drop this golden key or this silver key?"

Aya: ( ・◇・)?