But this?

Alexandra was… different.

Shorter. Soft in places Kaiden definitely was not. Her waist was slimmer yet her hips wide, her frame shaped in ways Alice had never had to account for, and there were two very noticeable, very distracting problems pressing against her chest.

Alice blinked.

She shifted slightly, then immediately regretted it, because that only made things worse.

With Kaiden, she could rest her head against his chest. It was simple. Familiar. Safe.

With Alexandra, all she could do was stand there, stiff as a board, vaguely wondering if she should have drunk more milk growing up.

For a few seconds, she looked genuinely lost, mismatched eyes darting as her brain tried to process the sensation. This hug was warm, nice in a way that made no sense. After all, it wasn't Kaiden hugging her, yet it still felt nice.

Eventually, awkwardly, she leaned forward just enough to rest her forehead against Alexandra's collarbone, surrendering to the moment with all the grace of a confused cat deciding it was best to let herself be petted.

"…Your emotions are all over the place," Alice muttered.

Alexandra let out a teary giggle, arms tightening around her. "That's right… Sorry…" she sniffed. "I've been a mess lately…"

At that, Alice instantly stilled.

Her confused expression disappeared.

Replaced by the reaper.

The Light That Destroys.

She was back. With fury boiling under her skin.

Slowly, she stepped back, slipping free of Alexandra's arms with ease. The warmth faded, replaced by something sharper, more focused. She turned her gaze toward Vaelira's broken form on the floor, lips pressing into a thin line.

"This has been happening to you not 'lately,'" Alice corrected coolly. "But since 'that' happened to you."

Alexandra's breath hitched.

Alice's mismatched eyes flicked toward Vaelira. "The same thing this vile creature said you deserved," she continued, stepping closer to Vaelira. "Isn't that right?"

Vaelira suddenly gasped.

Air tore back into her lungs like broken glass, the first breath sending a jolt of white-hot agony through her chest. She convulsed violently, coughing wetly as her body spasmed against the floor, fingers clawing at the stone as if it might give her leverage, as if she could pull herself away from what was coming.

Every breath hurt.

No, hurt wasn't enough to describe the agony she felt. Each inhale was wrong, misaligned, as though something inside her had shifted and never returned to where it belonged. Her ribs screamed, lungs rattling wetly, panic flooding in faster than oxygen ever could. She rolled onto her side, gagging, vision swimming as tears streamed uncontrollably down her face.

Then she felt it.

That presence.

The monster was walking toward her.

Slowly.

Deliberately.

Vaelira lifted her head just enough to look.

And the world went cold.

There was nothing human left in her expression. No curiosity. No amusement. No madness. Just hatred, pure, distilled, and absolute. A gaze so heavy it felt like it pressed her into the floor, pinning her more effectively than any spell ever could.

It reminded her of Kaiden.

Of the time she had seen him truly angry, when restraint had snapped, and the air itself seemed to recoil from him. When the Great Demon of Wrath came out. That same suffocating certainty. That same feeling that something unstoppable had decided you no longer deserved to exist.

But this was worse. Because this time, she was the target of such hatred.

Then, a second memory flashed unbidden.

A battlefield drowned in blood.

Vespera Ashborn, walking calmly through carnage, her boots crunching over bodies as screams died behind her. That same look. That same expressionless certainty as she massacred everyone in her path.

Vaelira's spine went ice-cold.

Her whole body trembled violently now, shock giving way to raw, animalistic terror. She scrambled weakly, trying to push herself backward, palms slipping uselessly against the ground as Alice closed the distance.

"N–no…" Vaelira croaked, voice shredded, barely sounding at all. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean it!"

The words spilled out in a rush, desperate and incoherent. "I was angry, I wasn't thinking- I didn't mean it like that!"

The monster stopped directly in front of her.

Looked down and decreed,

"Growing up, I was taught that actions speak louder than words."

Vaelira's breath hitched, chest spasming painfully as she stared up at the girl with confusion cutting through the terror for just a moment. "What do you mean…?"

Alice's gaze flicked, just briefly, toward Alexandra.

Then, they returned to Vaelira.

"Grovel."

Vaelira blinked.

"…What?"

"Grovel before Alexandra," Alice repeated, voice utterly devoid of emotion. "And beg her for forgiveness."

The words didn't register at first.

Then they did.

Something inside Vaelira snapped.

"Y–you!" she sputtered, disbelief warring violently with fear. "I'm an A-Tier awakened! You expect me to beg?!"

Her voice rose, hysteria bleeding through the cracks. "To her?! A commoner?! A freaking maid?! A servant of my rival?!"

The outrage surged, almost eclipsing the terror for a split second.

Almost.

Her body shook uncontrollably, rage and humiliation twisting together as she stared up at Alice, mind reeling. This was absurd. This was insane. This was…

Alice tilted her head.

Just slightly.

The air seemed to drop.

"You? Rival? Kaiden?" Each word was accentuated with a new, slow step.

Vaelira's words died in her throat.

Alice giggled. "The only thing you can rival is the excrement he flushes down the toilet."

Her lips turned upward, forming the most mocking smirk Vaelira has seen in her entire life. "And I would still not bet on you."

"Damn!" Alexandra gasped.

Vaelira, on the other hand, snapped.

The insult finally tore through the paralysis, outrage flooding in hot and reckless, eclipsing fear. Her face twisted, eyes blazing as she slammed a trembling palm against the floor and dragged herself onto all fours.

"You!" she choked, coughing midway, blood flecking her lips as she tried to push herself upright. Her arms shook violently, muscles screaming in protest, but pride drove her harder than sense ever could. "You think you can talk to me like that?! I'm Vaelira, the Arcane Puppeteer!"

Her knees buckled, then held.

Barely.

She lifted her head, glaring up at Alice with naked fury, hair hanging in disheveled strands around her face. The humiliation burned hotter than the pain now. An A-Tier. Reduced to crawling. Reduced to this.

"I'll kill you!" Vaelira hissed hoarsely, voice cracking under the strain.

"Alexandra, please make me a filling sandwich. I'll be at this for a while, and I get hungry when I expend mana," Alice decreed while pulling her sleeves up.

"Coming right up~" the maid cheered and hurried to the kitchen.

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