Esper Harem in the Apocalypse

"What did you do after you returned to this room?"

"I cleaned the room, of course."

Rudy tilted his head slightly to the side and looked at Niti from the corner of his eyes to ask:

"Did you clean something else as well?"

Niti gulped down anxiously and averted her gaze before answering: "No. You were on the bed, so I waited for you to wake up. I didn't know when you fell asleep, so I thought it would be improper to wake you up. Of course, if you hadn't woken up in an hour, I was going to leave the room and come back later."

'Judging by her reaction, it's pretty obvious that she did suck me off when I was sleeping. But she is trying so hard to deny it, so let's not push it further,' he uttered inwardly.

The only reason Rudy interrogated her was to find out the answer, not to pass any judgment on her or punish her for doing that. He had no complaints. He just wanted to know why she did that.

Niti undid Rudy's hair and began braiding them in a different hairstyle. She was feeling so anxious that she was afraid of Rudy asking her any more questions regarding that.

"Say…" Rudy lowered his gaze and uttered, "You said that the other royal members can't order other's personal maids. But what if someone asks for a glass of water or, let's say, blood?"

"There are certain rules regarding that. If whoever ordered doesn't have their personal maid around or if it's an emergency situation, then they are allowed to order the other maid. Not to mention that one person is allowed to have a maximum of three personal maids. But of course, it depends on the maid. If the maid chooses not to obey the order, she is free to do so, and she won't be punished for it."

"Sounds fair…" he muttered.

"Yes. There are more merits than demerits of being a personal maid of the royal family, but it also depends on their master."

"Does this job pay you?"

"Yes. And we have a royal decree. You might find it hard to believe, but there are thousands of low-rank vampires who are dying to become a personal maids. Consider it like the best job they can get," Niti asserted cheerfully, seemingly excited to have a normal conversation with Rudy again about her favorite profession.

"Well, if you put it like that. I can see why it is a voluntary profession," Rudy chuckled. "All this time, I was thinking that being a maid or a butler is the same as being someone's slave. But I guess that's just a fancy word."

"There are also exams we need to pass to qualify to be a personal maid. Not only that, but once we become a maid, we receive special protection from the Vampire Monarch himself. We are respected among everyone, and we get what we deserve."

Niti smiled wryly and added, "But again, everything depends on what type of master they have."

"Can I ask a stupid question?" Without waiting for Niti's approval, Rudy asked, "Can maids not select who they want to serve? And once they become someone's personal maid, can they stop being a maid or serve someone else. In short, can you quit that job?"

Niti pulled Rudy's hair slightly and formed a knot before replying:

"When we become maids, we sign a contract where every rule and regulation is written. And if we break any of them, we will be punished. We can select the master we want to serve, and we are allowed to quit our job too. However, the current Vampire Monarch added this rule, making this job much safer for all of us."

Rudy smiled as he thought, ‘The more I learned about Virgil, the more respect he gets. Only if everyone in the world was like him, but that's a hollow dream. Even I don't consider myself a saint, and I am not ashamed to admit it.'

Rudy suddenly frowned his face and uttered, "I had my suspicions before, but now I am sure of it."

"Hmm?" Niti's face suddenly turned pale after hearing that. ‘Did he figure out that I…'

"Last night, when we ate dinner, you said you had to wash the dishes and all; I found it strange. There are so many maids and personal maids in this palace, so why did you have to do all that? And since you said the other royals can't order someone else's personal maids, that means that the other maids ordered you to do their job, am I right?"

"Is… is that why you asked me all those questions before? To confirm your suspicion?" Niti asked with a dejected look on her face.

"Not entirely. Now, can you answer my question?"

"Yes. That happens more often than you think," Niti answered honestly.

"And here I was feeling sorry for them last night," he muttered and asked, "Does Jane know about it? Judging by her reaction last night, it seems that she does."

"She does…"

"And she never tried to help you or stop them?" he asked curiously

"She can't do anything. I am bullied because I am her personal maid. She finds herself responsible for all that, and she even tried to cancel the contract and free me from my duty, so I don't get bullied.

However, I didn't let her. She can't even braid her hair without my help, so how was she supposed to live without me? I told her that I would rather be bullied all my life than let her suffer. My suffering doesn't matter and can't be compared to what she has suffered.

So please, I beg you, please take care of Princess Jane and give her the happiness she deserves."

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I searched for a reference image for the long hairstyle for an hour, but I couldn't find a suitable one. If you guys have one, you can post it in the discord server of this novel (if you haven't joined yet, the link is in the synopsis) or in the comment section. If it matches, I will use it.

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Thanks, @puremichigan, for the gift!