Vitas felt that Noldrei's home was utter chaos.
The people holding the highest power in human civilization were practically all gathered here, giving Vitas a full demonstration of what "ruling the world from one's living room" truly meant.
You could be out getting a snack, and the person arguing with you might be the head of the Academy City security team, the city's highest armed force.
The one cheating at video games in the house was even more incredible—the Mother of Stigma of the Kaslanas, the critical political center that kept Academy City running smoothly.
And Misteln, who occasionally dropped by for a visit, instilled a sense of fear in Vitas for reasons she couldn't quite explain.
Misteln was always smiling, looking almost like a gentle, motherly figure, but in reality, she was a ruthless character.
'This place is full of hidden dragons and crouching tigers!'
Vitas felt that her status as an agent was becoming less and less useful.
After all, she had sold Sa for a good price. As for the future of the Venusian civilization, it basically had little to do with Vitas anymore.
Vitas was well aware that she had only borrowed Sa's former human memories and emotions. Her sense of identity with the Venusian civilization wasn't as deep as one might imagine.
"Mama Seele!"
The Herrscher of Reason Core, little Ducky, had long since mastered the art of "worldly wisdom." She easily won over the young Seele, using her Bronya-like appearance to devastating effect.
Seele herself had even forgotten who the little one's father figure was supposed to be. As for the troubles that would follow, that was a whole other story.
"Maid Vitas!" After playing with Seele for a while, little Ducky turned around and climbed onto Vitas's head.
'Huh? I'm a maid now?!'
Vitas was shocked. How did a perfectly good agent like her become a maid? Did Sa really have no face at all in this Earth civilization?
"I want Vitas to be my maid!" little Ducky shouted happily, grabbing Vitas's hair.
Vitas was in a bind. She couldn't say yes, and she couldn't say no. She looked around awkwardly, hoping someone would help her end this uncomfortable situation.
Kiana couldn't help but ask, "Why don't you have Elysia be your maid?"
Little Ducky's face changed instantly. She pouted and grumbled, "Elysia is mean, Elysia is mean! All she does is give me homework. I don't need to do homework."
This kind of talk was nothing new. Elysia particularly enjoyed teasing this little one, who looked so much like Prometheus. For some reason, all these beings had chosen the same little face.
The little one really didn't need to do homework. Unlike Kiana, who could only use the knowledge she gained haphazardly, little Ducky, as the designated third-generation heir, found the knowledge of the current civilization to be a piece of cake.
But Elysia was different. She could always find a new way to pick on the little one.
'No wonder Elysia has looked so worn out lately,' Raiden Mei thought to herself.
She had always said that taking care of a being similar to the Herrscher of Reason would be troublesome. Little Ducky's pointed ears made her seem even more like a Herrscher Core that had gained sentience, much like Elysia.
The two were fundamentally very similar in nature. It was no wonder Noldrei had brought Elysia over to educate little Ducky.
'Don't you guys care about me at all?'
Vitas watched as everyone in the room tacitly ignored her.
In reality, everyone just subconsciously disliked Vitas. Besides the Sa factor, Vitas's act of betraying the Venusian civilization without a second thought was also hard for them to accept.
Playing dumb was a very difficult thing for the people in this house.
Rita was "bad" enough; they couldn't have another bad woman in the house.
"I want Vitas to be my maid!" Little Ducky was overjoyed, like a child who had just gotten their first Pokémon.
"Being a maid is a very difficult job. Not just anyone can do it well. Ducky, are you sure you want Vitas to be your maid? You see, only someone who has undergone professional training is qualified to be called an excellent maid. You must have professional knowledge, excellent service, and considerate emotions to do the job of a maid well."
Rita proudly explained to little Ducky, "Like taking care of someone like Lady Durandal, or the very hard-to-please Mr. Director—these are all very difficult jobs. Little Ducky, the Vitas of today can't do these things. We can't have her just blocking outsiders for us like Gita, can we?"
Vitas almost burst out laughing, but she didn't dare to right now. She was afraid that one careless move would provoke Rita, who, in a sense, took care of many people in this house.
If someone like Sirin found out, Vitas felt that no one would stand up for her, an outsider.
It was truly tragic. A perfectly good agent had been reduced to a miserable soul living under someone else's roof.
"Is that so? But, Rita, aren't you... always looking for Noldrei to give you a good time? He even complained to me that he thinks you're very troublesome, just like Grandma Tesla."
"Besides Grandma Tesla, only someone like you, Rita, would treat punishment as... a relaxing massage?"
Little Ducky was no fool. She had long since noticed Rita's subtle attitude. This was not something a maid should be doing. It was terrible!
"So what? It's not like the Director forbids such rewards. And anyone who's tried it knows how it feels. Besides Kiana, the Crown Princess, whose body can withstand it, who wouldn't like the Director's 'rewards'?"
"Right, Miss Bronya?" Rita asked meaningfully.
'Huh? Why are you dragging me into this?' Bronya was stunned. She hadn't... well, Rita was right. It was hard for most people to resist this special form of punishment.
Only Noldrei would think of it as a punishment instead of a reward.
"Huh? Big Sister Bronya, what... what are you guys talking about? I don't understand."
Seele's face was a picture of confusion. She had no idea what everyone was discussing. The poor girl had been submerged in the Sea of Quanta for too long; she'd been stuck in there before she'd even had a chance to take a class on tentacle biology.
And as for Dark Seele, forget it. Besides fighting, she was even more innocent than Seele.
Mei took a deep breath and said, "We do have one pure and innocent person among us. You can discuss this topic in private when you have time. And... can you guys please stop doing this? Don't you think it's weird?"
Raiden Mei's question not only failed to resonate with everyone, but they even gave her a rather subtle look.
That look seemed to be asking Raiden Mei a question.
Kiana found this very subtle. If she remembered correctly, Raiden Mei had also tried her tentacles. How could she have the face to question others like this?
Vitas looked from side to side at everyone's expressions, deeply shaken by the debauched lifestyle of this imperial family.