Chapter 232: The Upright Gervas!

"My lord, this maid outfit is absolutely stunning! The seamstress said you designed it yourself—you're truly a noble master who exploits yet possesses extraordinary talent!" After spinning around, the young maid Carolin gazed at Gervas with sparkling eyes.

"Carolin, I'm glad you like it!" Gervas smiled faintly, secretly delighted but knowing he must not let the maids see his pleasure—the lord's dignity must be maintained.

Yet just as Gervas thought this, Carolin made an even more outrageous request.

"My lord, could you design even more beautiful outfits like this in the future? Carolin truly loves them!"

Carolin spoke cautiously, aware her request was excessive.

But she genuinely adored these elegant dresses—they looked even better than the attire of noble ladies.

Bold maid!

Taking advantage!

Gervas glared, yet…

Remembering the two designs hidden in his drawer, never shown to the seamstress, Gervas's throat involuntarily bobbed.

Those two designs were nearly identical to the current maid outfit—both Lolita-style maids' dresses—but with brighter colors, plus…

Plus a difference in hem length.

Originally, Gervas had designed the hem to sit fifteen centimeters above the knee.

In his past life, little sweethearts loved wearing them that way.

But then he reconsidered—these were castle maids, and noble guests would inevitably visit.

Such a short hem would be improper.

So he changed it to just cover the knees.

But then he thought again—maids must do hard labor and often squat down; a knee-length hem might hinder their work.

Finally, Gervas settled on a conventional style, reluctantly setting aside the other two designs.

He had planned to offer them as private custom pieces later—but this maid had volunteered unexpectedly.

Looking at Carolin's graceful figure, Gervas swallowed hard.

If she wore the ultra-short version and spun around in front of him…

Cough! Cough!

"Carolin, are you sure?"

Gervas decided to grant the maid's request.

Don't misunderstand—he wasn't lustful.

Carolin had worked diligently these past days.

Even if she hadn't earned merit, she'd earned effort!

She deserved a reward!

"My lord, I'm certain!" Carolin, unaware of her master's thoughts, was simply delighted at the prospect of more beautiful dresses.

"Very well. In a couple of days, I'll have the seamstress make two different maid outfits—I'll give them to you then!"

"My lord, you're the most generous and magnanimous master! Carolin will definitely wear them for you!"

Good heavens! Gervas exclaimed inwardly.

Such a wonderful maid—those two designs must go to the tailor's shop immediately!

"Shameless!"

Meanwhile, Freya, listening to Gervas and Carolin's unrestrained talk about making more of these embarrassing outfits, blushed with indignation.

Her face was now flushed crimson.

Though her tribe held lax views on such matters, Freya had never worn anything so low-cut.

So when she bent to greet him earlier, feeling Gervas's burning gaze, she'd felt as if ants crawled over her entire body.

And this Carolin—not only felt no shame, but demanded even more such outfits from Gervas.

To Freya, Carolin was deliberately seducing him.

Though as an enemy, Freya still hated Gervas.

Yet one thing she had to admit: this Gervas was indeed an upright man.

Though he spent his days punishing maids with shameless antics, he'd never laid a hand on her.

Thus, Freya concluded that Gervas, in this regard, was unquestionably an upright noble.

It was just this maid who was shameless, constantly seducing him.

…

Gervas naturally had no idea he'd earned a positive evaluation in Freya's eyes.

After being dressed by the two lovely maids, he headed straight for the dining hall.

Chirp!

As he entered, a gray figure darted over and landed on his shoulder.

"Goldie!"

It was, of course, the Golden Dragon transformed into a Swift Hawk.

After its birth, Gervas had placed it in a separate room next to his bedroom.

Just after washing up, Gervas noticed the little creature wasn't in its room—he'd assumed it had gone out to play, only to find it here in the dining hall.

Its purpose was surely simple: hunger.

Previously, Gervas had fed it dried demon beast jerky.

But two days ago, Goldie accidentally wandered into the kitchen and smelled the delicious meat broth on the long table.

Since then, Goldie's eating habits had changed.

Though it still ate raw jerky, it now preferred the cooked meat broth—especially the one prepared by Chef Rose.

The broth made by other cooks for servants and knights, it wouldn't even glance at.

Of course, the little creature's behavior had caused considerable trouble for the servants.

Often, before Gervas even arrived, Goldie would try to climb onto the table.

But the servants, unaware of its true nature, dared not let a Swift Hawk perch on the table—they feared it would dirty the broth and face Gervas's wrath.

Thus, Goldie harbored deep resentment toward the dining hall servants.

Chirp!

Perched on Gervas's shoulder, the little creature lifted its head proudly toward the servants, smug as could be.

Gervas found it amusing—a mighty dragon, yet squabbling with mere servants.

But in truth, this was precisely what Gervas had allowed.

After all, dragons were not always symbols of beauty.

They were symbols of brutality and destruction.

In most knightly novels, dragons were the very creatures slaughtered by righteous knights.

Why? Because dragons possessed not only overwhelming strength but also wisdom equal to humans.

This led them to develop habits of hoarding treasure and beauties.

They used their power to act without restraint—pure tyrants.

So if Gervas wished to control the dragon, he had to make sure the little one understood his lord's kindness.

Thus, the servants' earlier shooing was meant to set the stage for future favor.

"Alright, little one! The servants didn't mean to chase you away—have you forgotten you're a Swift Hawk? Which Swift Hawk dines at the table?"

Chirp-chirp-chirp!

(But you know I'm a dragon!) Goldie looked wounded.

"Enough pouting. I'll order now—from today on, Chef Rose will prepare an extra meal for you daily."

"Then the servants won't have to worry about you dirtying my food and chasing you away."

Chirp!

Goldie's eyes lit up instantly; it bounced excitedly on Gervas's shoulder.

Yet Gervas suddenly remembered something and sighed mournfully, "But if outsiders learn I, Gervas, dine with a Swift Hawk, I'll be the laughingstock of the realm!"

Goldie immediately sensed Gervas's sorrow and rubbed its head against his cheek, offering comfort.

Seeing this reaction, Gervas's lips curled into a subtle smile.

The dragon was clever, yes—but without a mother dragon's guidance, this creature was utterly naive in human affairs.

Thus, Gervas knew he would eventually complete the bond with this little one.