Not the Villainess, but the Maid

Chapter 23: The Spirit of Service in a Maid

It was the morning after the student council issue was resolved.

As I was preparing to head out early in the morning as usual, I stopped changing my clothes at the sound of an unusual voice.

"Amber."

I turned around to look at Ruby's bed, and our eyes met as she stared straight at me with her eyes wide open.

Ruby didn't avoid my gaze and instead asked,

"Where are you trying to go again?"

"…Well, I was just going for a morning walk…"

I tried to get by with a flimsy excuse like before, but Ruby didn't seem inclined to accept it this time.

"If you don’t tell me the truth again, I'll make you take that walk naked."

"…Alright. I'll tell you everything."

Caught red-handed, I confessed everything to her.

I explained how I had agreed to clean the student council president's private room in exchange for getting approval to establish a club, which led to me sneaking out every morning to fulfill the deal.

Ruby listened silently to my explanation, then replied calmly without any dramatic reaction.

"So it was for the club. Why didn’t you tell me?"

"I thought it might burden you unnecessarily, my lady…"

"Disappearing every morning and making me worry is worse. Wouldn’t you agree?"

"…"

She hit the nail on the head, and I had nothing to say.

"Anyway, thank you for being honest. I didn’t expect this was happening."

"…I thought you’d scold me."

"Me? Not at all. Thanks to you, we got to establish the club."

Ruby shook her head dismissively, but then, with a slight change in tone, she spoke firmly.

"However, you're forbidden from helping out in the mornings from now on. Change it to the afternoon."

"Why not the morning?"

"…Because the first person to receive your service every day should be me, your master. Understand?"

"…Yes."

For some reason, her words made my face heat up.

I felt embarrassed, realizing that I had been neglecting my duties as Ruby’s exclusive maid.

After clearing up the misunderstanding with Ruby, we both started getting ready for school once she finished washing up.

"Amber, can you hand me my uniform?"

"Yes, right away."

When she asked for her uniform, I brought her neatly laundered black sailor suit.

"…"

However, Ruby didn’t take the uniform. Instead, she silently held out her arms and said,

"…Today, you dress me."

"Excuse me…!?"

"This is your punishment for neglecting me."

Normally, Ruby avoided letting others touch her body. Her unexpected request caught me off guard.

"…Understood."

I picked up Ruby’s black sailor suit top and moved behind her.

To dress her, I first needed to unbutton her pajama shirt.

This was trouble. While I could unbutton it, it would inevitably feel as though I was groping her chest unintentionally.

After resigning myself to the situation, I moved in front of her to face her directly.

"…Shall I unbutton it now?"

"Yes."

I reached for the top button of her shirt, which was near her collarbone.

Even though we were close enough to feel each other’s breaths, Ruby seemed unbothered by the fact that her shirt was being unbuttoned.

She stared calmly ahead while I focused on the buttons, unfastening the first and slowly moving downward.

"…"

The third button presented a problem.

The shirt was a bit tight, making it difficult to unfasten without touching her chest.

As I hesitated and fumbled awkwardly, Ruby spoke.

"Amber, at this rate, we’ll be late."

What would Ruby think if she realized why I was so flustered?

‘…It’s fine. No matter how attractive, it’s just a part of her body.’

To assign any special meaning to this or let my thoughts stray in a strange direction would simply be my own delusion.

This was merely a situation where a maid of the same gender helped dress her mistress, involving some incidental physical contact.

Determined, I braced myself for the inevitable moment when the back of my hand would brush against her chest.

I gripped the button firmly and pulled.

Softness.

A sensation unlike anything I had ever felt filled the back of my hand.

My hand sank deeper into a softness that couldn't compare to my small chest.

‘This is dangerous…’

Already tense, my fumbling only caused the button to slip again and again.

Summoning my courage, I twisted the button enough to press lightly against Ruby’s chest, and finally, the fabric gave way, exposing her skin as the button came undone.

“...Hah…!”

“Ah, did that hurt…?”

Startled by Ruby’s sudden flinch, I asked nervously.

“No, it’s not that… Just don’t mind it.”

“…Alright, I’ll undo the rest now, my lady.”

Reluctantly letting go of the third button, I moved on to the others trailing along her lower chest and navel.

As I undid each button, more of her pale, smooth skin was revealed.

When I reached the last button, her chest, covered by an elegant black undergarment, was fully exposed.

Soft, snowy mounds that seemed impossibly delicate were laid bare.

If our roles were reversed, I wasn’t sure if I could resist the temptation of the moment.

“My lady, could you extend your arm this way, please?”

At my request, Ruby stretched out one arm, and I slipped the shirt off her back.

Her white shoulders formed a graceful curve as they came into view.

Her back, clad in just a single layer of undergarment, showed soft contours leading from her chest to her underarms.

Doing my best not to dwell on those details, I carefully removed the shirt.

“…Now the other side, please.”

Finally, I took off the shirt completely.

‘…Phew.’

Relieved to have finished with the top, I instinctively reached for her pajama bottoms.

Lowering myself, I placed my hands on the waistband and hesitated.

‘Should I ask for permission to pull them down…?’

Considering she had asked me to dress her, it seemed unnecessary to ask for every step.

Resolving myself, I grabbed her pajama pants and pulled them firmly down along her thighs.

“...!”

“Please lift your legs slightly, my lady.”

Her panties, which matched her black undergarments, clung snugly to her curves as her pants slid to the floor.

She lifted her legs slightly, allowing me to fully remove the garment.

“My lady, I’ll bring your uniform now…”

When I looked up at her to say so,

“…”

Ruby’s face was noticeably flushed, her lips pressed tightly together as she stared at me in embarrassment.

Meeting my gaze, she hurriedly grabbed her uniform and wrapped it around herself.

“I-I’ll dress myself!”

“…Understood.”

Bewildered by her reaction, I stepped back awkwardly.

Had I done something to upset her?

Pushing aside my discomfort, I turned my back to her and began changing into my own uniform.

The free activity club resumed as usual.

With Ruby as its president and me as her maid, the club operated actively.

Seven days had passed since its establishment.

Clara and her followers, who had joined with impure motives, had yet to achieve anything substantial.

Instead of growing closer to Ruby, Clara and her group found themselves worked harder than ever, while I, Amber, acted in ways they couldn’t fathom.

Today, Clara and her followers, conscripted by Ruby, were busy attaching decorations to a library wall when I appeared with a large tray holding several teacups.

“You’ve worked hard. Please have some tea.”

“…”

Clara, the group’s leader, took one of the cups I offered and thought to herself.

‘Does she think she can win me over with something like this? Ridiculous…’

Having drunk more than enough tea to last a lifetime, Clara prided herself on her discerning palate.

Smiling slyly, she raised the cup to her lips, ready to criticize it afterward.

‘…What is this? It’s delicious…?’

The tea was brewed with a golden ratio so precise it might have been measured with a beaker, using only the finest tea leaves.

“Well, for tea, it’s not bad.”

Despite being impressed, Clara tried to downplay her reaction as she set the cup down.

But from beside her, voices began to chime in.

“May I have another, please…?”

“Me too…!”

‘…What?’

Her followers, who should have been wary of Amber, clamored for more tea.

Amber smiled contentedly at their enthusiasm and replied,

“If you’d like more, just let me know. I’ll bring it right away.”

After confirming who wanted more tea, she left to fetch it.

The moment Amber left, Clara seized the chance to scold her group.

“Are you all out of your minds? Lowering your guard around someone we’re supposed to be cautious of?”

“S-sorry, Clara…”

“It’s just that the tea was so good…”

“…”

Though furious, Clara couldn’t deny the tea’s exceptional taste.

‘…How can I uncover this commoner’s true intentions…?’

As Clara bit her thumbnail in frustration, contemplating her next move, one of the girls hesitantly spoke up.

“Umm… Clara?”

“Yes? What is it?”

“Well… after observing Amber for a week, don’t you think she’s not as bad as we thought?”

At those words, Clara’s eyebrow twitched.

“…What did you say?”

“Since joining the club, she hasn’t caused any trouble. In fact, she seems considerate toward us. She’s so kind, too.”

Clara listened silently before letting out a deep sigh and shaking her head.

“This is why you’re all so naïve. Consideration? Kindness? Anyone can fake that if they put their mind to it!”

“S-sorry!”

“I’m tired of hearing such useless opinions. From now on, follow my lead completely.”

Spreading her fan, Clara hid her face and began to plot.

‘The preliminary round is over. If she thinks we’ll stay passive, she’s in for a rude awakening.’

Her top priority was to drive a wedge between Ruby and Amber.

Their bond, oddly close for a mere master and maid, needed to be severed at all costs.