She needed patience, to wait until she had enough strength to no longer fear those hostile forces and could reveal her identity openly and with dignity.
Winnie stood staring at her hands, gently clenching them, and sighed softly.
She had no intention of getting involved in this undercurrent of strife, only wishing to remain a nameless NPC in the game. Yet, someone seemed unwilling to let her be, dragging her into this mess. She couldn’t even run away if she wanted to.
For now, she could only take things one step at a time.
Knock knock knock.
"........" Winnie paused, thinking she must have misheard.
This overgrown, derelict courtyard was home to only her. If someone were to glance at it, they’d likely think it was an abandoned place, with no sign of life. It certainly didn’t seem like a place where anyone would visit, much less someone looking for her, the infamous fallen villain.
She must have misheard.
Knock knock knock. The knocking continued, as though it had heard her thoughts, repeating its insistence.
"........" Why did someone have to come at this moment?
Winnie stayed silent, hoping the person would leave when they saw no one was answering the door.
However, things didn’t seem so simple. After knocking twice without a response, the person outside wasn’t giving up.
"Young Master Winnie, are you home?"
"I’m a knight of the Dragon Knight Order. I’ve come to make up the remaining payment for my colleague from yesterday."
"The door is ajar... excuse me for disturbing you, may I come in?" The knight pushed the door open, seeing that it was not closed, and apologized before stepping inside.
Damn!
Winnie suddenly remembered that her front door had never been locked, because there was no need to lock it. There was nothing valuable in the house, and even if a thief came, they'd likely leave with only a sack of rice, disappointed.
Then, she heard the sound of the door opening.
"Young Master Winnie, are you there?"
She wasn’t! Why was he coming now? Was there anyone this eager to pay off a debt?
Winnie stood up, looking at herself in the mirror, momentarily at a loss.
It wasn’t time yet, she couldn’t change back yet. She couldn’t possibly go out to meet anyone in this state.
What should she do?
At this point...
Winnie had an idea. She walked over to the door and locked it.
"Young Master Winnie, are you in there?" Hearing footsteps upstairs, the knight climbed to the second floor and arrived in front of Winnie’s room.
What could he say? After seeing the state of the house, he felt like he had come to help a charity.
He knew Winnie had fallen from grace, but he hadn’t expected it to be this bad.
"Young Master Winnie, are you inside?"
"......" No response.
This was odd.
The knight, puzzled, was about to knock again when a melodious, clear voice rang out, like a lark singing, filling the air with an almost ethereal quality. It was so beautiful that once heard, it left a lasting impression.
"Apologies, are you here to see my master? My master went out this morning, and the maidservant is unable to greet you. Please forgive the inconvenience."
"......Who are you?" The knight froze for a moment, captivated by the enchanting voice, unable to respond for a few seconds.
"I’m the maid working in this house. If there’s something you wish to discuss, you can speak with me here. I’m sorry, I’m in the middle of changing clothes, so I can’t meet you face to face. Please excuse my rudeness."
"Oh, oh, I see, it’s fine, it’s fine." The knight was a bit dazed but quickly composed himself, mentally noting that although Winnie was a scoundrel, he certainly had taste. He wondered where he had found this maid with such a voice, so soft and angelic.
He had no idea what she looked like, but just from hearing the voice, the knight already imagined an unparalleled beauty.
To keep such a beauty hidden away? How enviable.
At that moment, the young knight felt a twinge of envy toward Winnie.
In noble circles, maids, especially personal maids, often carried hidden meanings.
Their duties were not just to clean and serve, but to attend to their master's every need, including acting as a bed partner. This was an unspoken rule.
The heavenly voice made the knight curious if the maid’s appearance matched her voice. He couldn’t help but wonder where Winnie had hired her from, considering his circumstances. What a charmer he must be?
Just listening to this voice... tsk tsk, it must be a nightly serenade, right?
The young knight couldn’t help but feel a bit of a yearning, but out of respect for his knightly manners, he knew he shouldn’t force anyone to appear just to satisfy his curiosity.
Breaking the rules of the Dragon Knight Order would result in ruthless expulsion, ruining one’s entire future, just like the two knights who were recently expelled. Any normal person would know how to make the right choice.
"Alright then, if the maid is inconvenient, I’ll leave the money for your master by the door. Also, please inform your master that the two young knights who violated the Dragon Knight Order’s regulations have been expelled by the commander, and they will never be allowed to rejoin the order."
"After this incident, the commander is very upset. Let me apologize on behalf of him and the two knights who were expelled."
"Okay, I will make sure to tell my master word for word. Thank you for your trouble, and I apologize again for not being able to host you properly." Winnie’s voice was as gentle as a soft breeze, filled with purity and grace, capable of softening even the hardest hearts.
"Alright, then I won’t disturb you anymore." The knight said, glancing at the door before placing the pouch of money at the threshold and turning to leave.
After hearing the sound of footsteps downstairs and the door closing, Winnie waited until the footsteps were completely gone before she poked her head out from the bedroom and breathed a sigh of relief.
She glanced at the pouch of money on the floor, her brows furrowing slightly. She didn’t pick it up immediately but instead took a towel and carefully wiped its surface before finally picking it up.
Of course, she was going to keep the money. As for the apology, it was unnecessary. The incident was started by Karon, the commander of the Dragon Knight Order, and he was the real instigator. The commander’s apology was nothing more than a formality. Everyone knew exactly how things stood.
She’d have to be careful from now on. With that guy’s nature, he probably wouldn’t let it go so easily.
But she wasn’t afraid. If she couldn’t afford to offend the main characters, she could at least handle the side characters.
Counting the gold coins inside—32, not a single one less—Winnie felt quite pleased.
As for the two knights who had acted as Karon’s pawns, who cared about them? Let them do whatever they wanted. As long as the money was right, that was all that mattered.
After spending the whole day cleaning, it was time for a bath. She didn’t feel comfortable at all without one.
With that in mind, Winnie pinched the tight white stockings on her thighs. This was her first time trying on white stockings and high boots, and [Karak] had given her no chance to refuse before putting them on her.
From the perspective of a man, they were certainly beautiful, but wouldn’t it be uncomfortable to wear them like this?...
Also, what surprised her was that for the first time wearing heels, she didn’t stumble, and she walked quite gracefully, as though it was second nature for this body.