Maids VS Apocalypse

With the story having ended, Mark lifted his head from Lara’s lap even though he wanted to remain in that haven forever. The maid had already allowed him to go beyond the agreed ten minutes so he didn’t want to annoy her by overstaying his welcome.

’Why must all good things come to an end?’ He sighed wistfully.

Lara unfolded her legs and sat on the bedside on his left. The conversation they had as he told her about the original Lara helped calm his nerves and allowed him to adjust to being in the company of such a gorgeous girl.

No longer was Mark too conscious of the maid’s presence, leaving his heart filled with nothing but the warmth of being in her company. Not wanting that moment to end, the thought of extending their conversation came to mind, and he had just the topic for that.

"Say, Lara,"

He paused, afraid that inquiring about the maid’s origin would have the same result as when he asked about her nature in that underground parking lot. The only way to be sure was to ask, however, so he decided to just do it.

"About your name... your real name. Would it be fine if I asked?"

No blue screen of death appeared in front of him, but he couldn’t be sure just yet. The maid’s eyes widened slightly when he asked and she gazed at him with surprise.

"My... name?" She muttered, more to herself than for him to hear.

"Yes," Mark nodded. "I mean, you aren’t really Lara Becker, right? It feels a little confusing to call you both that so I would like to know your real name."

Lara was an entity from another dimension who came to reside in a vessel created based on the fictional character he created. She seemed to be a warrior adept at using the spear and already had her own abilities.

Mark guessed that she had a life before she was summoned by his System and was curious to hear about it.

Lara gazed at him for some time before turning to face forward. Her silence lingered for a while and Mark feared that there might be trouble with the question he asked.

’Could it be... is there a reason preventing her from telling me?’

As his worries continued to brew, Lara seemed to arrive at her answer. Closing her eyes, she breathed deeply then let out a sigh.

"Master," She spoke, her voice serene as usual. "Please pardon me, but... I am afraid I can’t tell you at the moment."

Mark was expecting such an answer so it wasn’t too shocking. He stared at her profile for some time before asking the obvious.

"Is there a reason why you can’t?"

"Yes."

"And I’m guessing you can’t tell me that reason."

"Yes."

"I see..."

He faced forward and thought for a moment then let out a sigh.

"Sorry if I made you uncomfortable with that question."

"No," Lara shook her head. "There is no need to apologize."

Mark had no trouble accepting the maid’s decision. Whatever her reason, he had no choice but to accept it and wait until she felt comfortable with telling him.

’Still...’

The awkwardness returned in full when the conversation reached that point. Mark didn’t know what to say and began contemplating ending things there. He searched his mind for anything they could talk about but in the end couldn’t come up with anything.

’Well, there will always be a next time.’

He heaved a sigh and stood up.

"Well, thanks again for letting me rest on your lap." He said. "I’m looking forward to next time."

He was about to walk away when he sensed the maid stand up abruptly.

"Master, please wait!"

Mark stopped in his tracks and turned around. Lara rarely if ever shows her emotions so hearing her alarmed voice startled him a little.

His eyes met the ruby irises and he could tell at first glance the trouble they were trying to hide.

Lara averted her gaze, a hand pressed to her chest. Her cheeks had a hint of pink on them. Seeing her like that, Mark felt his heart skip a beat and the fire that had waned before regained its strength. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶

’No, I’m not falling for this!’

Mark caught himself before any unsavory thoughts got to him. He was already determined not to fall for the romcom traps even before entering the bedroom and he wasn’t going to fall for them now.

"Master, I... I still have something else to ask..."

"Sure." He said. "Would you like another bedtime story?"

He tried to lighten the mood but failed miserably, leaving him to wait as the troubled Lara gathered her determination before meeting his gaze again.

"It’s about Lara... the girl in the story..." She pursed her lips as her eyes wandered sideways. "After she joined the protagonist’s service, how did she deal with... how did she deal with her need for..."

A lightbulb lit up in Marks’s mind.

’It’s blood!’

He wanted to smack himself for not realizing before that. Just yesterday he was knocked out after she almost drained him of every drop he had. It should have been clear that her need for the scarlet essence would become a reoccurring issue yet he failed to anticipate it.

"A-ah, about that..." The answer was obvious yet the chaos in his mind delayed its delivery. "She... the protagonist offers her his blood on a regular basis. A little every couple of days or so to keep her satisfied while not affecting him negatively."

It was a detail crucial to the development of the romantic relationship between the protagonist and the dhampir heroine. After all Lara’s story didn’t end with her becoming a maid.

"He... he gives her his blood on a regular basis?"

"Yes." Mark nodded. "It was a part of their agreement. He provides her with his blood and she works for him as his maid."

The agreement was similar to the one he had with the real Lara, the only difference being that he would have to provide Aether instead of blood. Even then, the dhampir’s needs remained and had to be satisfied whether it was part of the deal or not.

It wasn’t difficult to guess where the conversation was going, and seeing his maid struggling with the matter, Mark opted to take the weight off her shoulders.

"Lara, would you like to do the same?"