There’s No Way My Maid Is a Villain

Chapter 35 : Cowardice

Cowardice

By the time everyone returned home, it was already deep into the night.

Odin walked to a nearby chair and sat down, picking up a piece of fruit and peeling it with a casual air.

Clearly an outsider, yet the way she moved made it seem as if she were the true master of this household.

Was this what it meant to be a majestic chief god?

"So tired... Another busy day. Can I go to bed now?"

Yinhua asked between yawns.

"Good night, mistress. Sweet dreams to you,"

Aili said, giving Yinhua a maid's curtsy.

"Good night. It's late, everyone should get to bed early,"

Yinhua said as she ascended the stairs, eyes half closed.

Aili watched Yinhua go upstairs, then fixed her gaze unblinkingly on Odin. Odin calmly set down the fruit in her hand and spoke unhurriedly, "Heh, rest assured. I have no intention of harming Her Highness."

"Who exactly are you?"

Aili swept Odin with a cold and sharp glance.

"I already told you, I am Odin, from the divine realm of Valhalla in Yggdonia," replied Odin, perfectly at ease.

"What are you talking about? I've never heard of such a place, and—"

Her words were cut off as an orange, thrown by Zhixi, struck her.

"For the sake of your little mistress, there are things it's better not to know,"

Zhixi interjected. Only she, as someone also from Yggdonia, truly understood just how terrifying Odin was.

"For now, get some rest,"

Zhixi said as she too headed upstairs. As she climbed, she suddenly stopped and turned to Aili, whispering softly, "Thank you for today. If not for all of you, I'd likely be rotting in the palace dungeon by now."

"That was Mistress's decision; I merely follow orders,"

Aili replied, her manner cool and clear.

"Is that so..."

Zhixi said nothing more and went upstairs.

..............................

Only Odin and Aili were left in the living room, which felt exceedingly quiet. Neither seemed willing to speak, until at last, Odin sighed helplessly.

"Are you really going to watch me all night? My staying here is hardly any more trouble—just one more set of dishes at the table. Let me assure you, until 'Her Highness' wakes, I won't do anything out of line."

In the end, Odin was bested by Aili's stubbornness.

Aili considered whether, if Odin broke her promise, she could protect her mistress and escape. The answer: she could not.

Due to the absolute disparity in power, driving Odin away by force was simply impossible.

Yet if she simply left her unchecked, it would be like keeping a bomb at home, ready to explode at any moment.

A deadlock with no solution.

"Do you have any other objections? This is the greatest compromise I can make,"

Odin said, frowning slightly, clearly displeased.

"Please rest well,"

Aili said, then turned and left.

..................

The rising new moon draped the sky in its curtain of night, pearls of starlight twinkling like jewels set into velvet darkness.

Odin stood alone on the rooftop, looking down on the city's lights. Though it was late, the streets of the imperial capital were never truly deserted.

Inside, Yinhua got out of bed, stretching her arms and feeling a bit surprised.

It had only been two short hours, yet she felt no fatigue at all—nor the slightest drowsiness.

Careful not to disturb anyone, she quietly opened her door and crept downstairs.

Glancing toward the kitchen and rubbing her stomach, she tried to recall—she hadn't eaten anything since yesterday.

She wasn't hungry per se, but felt it best to replenish her energy.

When she opened the pantry, she found that apart from a bit of fruit, only raw ingredients were left.

Not wanting to trouble anyone, Yinhua took a sour berry and a small knife, peeling it as she made her way out the door.

The night air was a little chilly, but Yinhua seemed not to feel it at all. She raised her head slightly, gazing at the stars.

That's when she saw a petite girl—Odin—standing on the rooftop.

"Miss Odin, what are you doing here?"

"So it's Her Highness,"

Odin replied. "I rarely get opportunities to travel this far—from my perspective, this is just appreciating the scenery."

Yinhua could not understand why such words came from Odin. She asked, "Miss Odin, have you never seen the landscapes of your own homeland?"

"Just call me Odin. Really, I rarely ever left the region I protected—so sightseeing was out of the question."

"Then... Odin, things must have been difficult for you."

"Difficult? I am the hope of billions, the faith of all goddesses. Bearing such things on my shoulders, I'm hardly qualified to call my life difficult."

"Does that mean now you no longer need to stay in your region?"

"Yes, that's right. In a war, I was defeated—nailed to the World Tree by a madwoman. Even now I am but her captive."

Odin looked at Yinhua with a meaningful smile.

"Well, in the end I'm just here to see the sights. But what of Her Highness—why are you out so late?"

"I couldn't sleep. I was so tired earlier, but now I feel nothing."

"I see. Aren't you going to taste that? You might be surprised."

Odin pointed at the sour berry in Yinhua's hand.

"Huh?"

Yinhua didn't understand, but took a bite anyway—her expression changed instantly.

"It tastes different from before, doesn't it?"

......... Yinhua simply took another bite, but said nothing.

"That body of yours is special. It barely reacts to taste, touch, scent, or pain. Even if your hand was chopped off, you'd feel only a faint itch."

"In other words, that fruit which should be sweet and sour—you can't taste a thing."

Odin took the berry from Yinhua and bit into it.

"You're not tired at all. You just don't want to face the conflict between Shui Cangxuan and Zhixi."

"One is the role model you admire, the other your benefactor who gave you new life. You're running away from both."

"You're... a coward."

Odin crossed her arms at her chest, her mismatched golden and blue eyes seeming to pierce straight into Yinhua's soul.

"I've glimpsed your memories—I know your whole life."

"You were born without a trace of magical talent, while your brothers and sisters excelled in everything. Pushed out by their brilliance, you came to believe in your own incompetence, that you could achieve nothing. And so, you chose to run away."

"Running away isn't wrong—but it isn't a solution. Think of it from a different angle. Did it never occur to you to slap your brothers, your sisters—or even your father—right in the face?"

"And even if it did, what good would that do? How could I possibly manage that?"

Yinhua, silent for a long while, finally spoke.

"My abilities are so low. Even a child with a bit of magic could beat me—how could I ever fight them?"

"A low level of strength...hahahahahahahaha! I must add that line to my collection of classic quotations."

Odin opened her hand, and the fruit knife beside Yinhua flew into Odin's palm. "Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!" came several sounds as she sliced a mansion's fence into pieces, which collapsed with a cloud of dust.

"Want to learn? I can teach you,"

Odin said with a joyful smile.

.........................

In the middle of a vast crater, Odin looked at Luna.

"So, do you have any solution? The enemy has stolen the power of the entire World Tree. Compared to me, it's more accurate to call her the Absolute God now."

"Day after day, you keep talking about gods—aren't you tired of it? Have you never thought of slapping a god right back in the face?"

"Do you know what you just said?"

Odin exclaimed in surprise.

"I said, I'll break her wings—then slap her in the face,"

Luna replied, arrogance dripping from her voice, as if she didn't regard Golia at all.

"BOSS, up against someone like that, do you have a strategy?"

Li Shihe, standing beside her, asked.

"Strategy? Just rush at that woman—bam!—flatten her, that's all there is to it."

"Huh??"

Li Shihe was dumbfounded. It was so unlike the BOSS, who usually outwitted opponents with superhuman intelligence and drove them to psychological collapse.

She hadn't given such a reckless order in ages.

"Alright, let's go."

With a flick, Luna tore a rift in the air and disappeared on the spot.

"I really did ask a stupid question,"

Li Shihe said, drawing the giant sword from his back and following.

Only Odin remained.

"These lunatics!" she exclaimed, then dashed after them.

-------------= Clacky's Corner -------------=

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