These three maids were truly foolish; they didn't even have the sense to hide when causing trouble, daring to act up so close to Lord Patrick's private quarters.

As they turned to flee, they caught sight of Lord Patrick—possessed by the Abyssal Lord Rothgar Valemont—striding toward them. Having just been fed a headful of "the truth" by Anna, the maids were petrified. Fearing the terrible consequence of being expelled from Wilson Manor, they dropped to their knees one by one, trembling as they tried to stammer out an explanation.

Rothgar ignored them entirely, walking past the trio to stand directly before Anna. At least half of the smile on his face was his own, for he hadn't missed a single word this human woman had just said.

In his eyes, she was exactly as despicable as he had suspected: playing the part of a pure lamb before him, while baring her claws and exposing her "dirty" mind the moment she faced other women who threatened her ambition.

Though his gaze was full of hidden disgust and contempt, the smile he borrowed from Patrick Wilson's memory was full of "sincerity". "My beautiful girl, were they bullying you? Are you hurt?". He realized this was a perfect opportunity to satisfy her vanity. "Anna, please marry me; then, no one will ever dare to be disrespectful to you again".

While Anna's "truth" had been convincing, hearing Lord Patrick actually propose was another matter entirely. Abigail, Kelly, and Fiona watched in horror as the scene confirmed everything Anna had claimed—the proposal was real! 

Anna immediately lowered her head, still finding the demon lurking inside the human host terrifying. She noted that while his face was quite handsome once you looked past the goat horns and the aura of evil, it didn't change the fact that he was a predator after her life.

"I'm sorry, Lord Patrick, I am not worthy of you and cannot accept your proposal," she said with practiced, melancholy hesitation. She was certain that the moment she agreed, he would harvest her soul to fulfill his wager. If the maids were incredulous before, they were now ready to faint—who could face such a proposal and say no? 

Rothgar felt a mix of rage and a strange sense of inevitability, given her massive ambition. He left with a disappointed sigh, intentionally leaving the maids unpunished so they would continue to pressure her into his arms.

Anna watched Rothgar's retreating figure until he vanished from sight. Turning her gaze toward the three maids kneeling on the ground, who still looked utterly dazed, she realized with a start that the demon finally knew her name.

She shook her head. Rothgar's swift departure was unexpected; she had assumed he would double down on his "deep affection" to move her—perhaps by expelling the three maids from Wilson Manor.

But he hadn't. He hadn't even offered them a word of warning. Did he think his earlier display of "passion" was sufficient? They had been bullying her; by the logic of his feigned devotion, shouldn't he have flown into a protective rage for his "beloved"?

Clearly, his intentions were sinister! As a demon, he was a master of sowing discord. He was intentionally trying to isolate her from her peers so that he would be her only source of "warmth," naturally driving her to accept his proposal.

Fortunately, she saw right through him. After all, if there was one thing Anna knew how to do, it was how to play a crowd.

Anna walked slowly over to the three maids. "Lord Patrick is gone," she whispered. "Aren't you going to stand up?"

The three looked at her with complex expressions. Fiona asked in confusion, "Why did you refuse him? Isn't this every girl's dream?"

"Sigh, it's a long story." Anna put on a look of profound melancholy—the kind that practically begged for follow-up questions—and reached out to help them up one by one. "Let's go. We shouldn't disturb Lord Patrick any further."

Still shaken by the encounter, the maids said nothing and followed Anna silently toward the kitchen.

Just as they reached the kitchen entrance, Anna stopped and turned to face them. "Actually... I already have a lover."

The atmosphere shifted instantly. Abigail was the first to react. "Your lover? How could he possibly compare to Lord Patrick?"

Anyone is better than a demon who wants to harvest my soul, Anna thought. Aloud, she sighed. "He certainly can't compare to Lord Patrick, but I love him. To me, he is the best in the world. I cannot accept another man's proposal."

The hostility that had been radiating from the trio vanished. If Anna was devoted to another man, she wasn't a threat to their own ambitions regarding the young Lord.

Kelly asked curiously, "But Lord Patrick seems to love you so much..."

Anna shook her head. "It's just an obsession. Do you know how we met?"

The three shook their heads in unison, their eyes wide with anticipation.

"That day, I accidentally fell in front of Lord Patrick's carriage," Anna began her fabricated tale. "He looked at me and said, 'What a charming, reckless little kitten...' and then he proposed."

The maids gasped, each of them secretly wishing they had been the ones to fall in front of that carriage.

Anna suppressed a smile at their expressions. "Truthfully, I only came to the Manor to earn money for my family," she lamented. "You saw it yourselves—I refused him. My lover is still waiting for me."

"You did the right thing!" Abigail grabbed Anna's hand, her eyes shining with emotion. "The love between you and your lover is so moving! You must get married and have many, many children!"

"Yes, Anna," Fiona added, gripping her other hand. "You must never marry Lord Patrick. A marriage without love is not blessed by the Goddess."

"Exactly. We will all pray to the Goddess of Light for you and your lover," Kelly chirped. Since Anna's hands were full, Kelly simply hooked her arm through Anna's with a sincere expression.

Anna smiled meaningfully. "Thank you for your blessings. I'm truly moved. Earlier was just a misunderstanding; I'm so glad to have made such good friends. You already know my name is Anna, but I don't know yours yet."

Happy to know Anna had no intention of becoming Lady Wilson, the three eagerly introduced themselves.

Anna waved goodbye to her three new "plastic" friends and returned to the kitchen. Though she wouldn't be there to see it, she had a feeling the demon's next few days were going to be very interesting. As for her, she would focus on learning from Rebecca. Regardless of what the demon encountered, it had nothing to do with her.