Chapter 541: That Was A Moan, Not A Scream!

The next hour passed in a haze of disbelief.

Joy and the rest were now inside what Cassius’s servants called a waiting room, though calling it that felt like an understatement.

The chamber was enormous, almost the size of a banquet hall, with tall windows flooding it with golden evening light and they were all seated on the many cushioned sofa and chairs there.

The maids also moved quietly around them, pouring fragrant tea and setting out small pastries, though none of the visitors seemed to have the appetite to touch them.

Every one of them was still reeling from what they had seen in that room.

Joy herself sat calmly in one of the chairs, her legs crossed, a cup of tea resting untouched in her hands. Her face was perfectly serene, though her eyes still held the faintest trace of curiosity.

Unlike the others, she wasn’t disturbed by the sight they had stumbled upon. Years of serving the Goddess had granted her a heart far removed from earthly desires.

Even the lewdest scenes couldn’t so much as shake her composure.

Her sisters in the Sisterhood, however, were a different story.

Some of them were still rubbing their temples as if trying to erase the memory; others were muttering prayers under their breath; the younger ones blushed so fiercely they could barely make eye contact with the maids.

One nun sat with her head buried in her arms, mumbling something about ’purity tests’ and ’atonement.’

Another simply sighed and announced she would prefer to sleep and pretend the last few moments had never happened.

But none were as shaken as Aqua and Maria.

Both Joy’s mother and best friend looked like they had just witnessed the apocalypse.

On her right, Aqua was slumped sideways on the sofa, mumbling incoherently in her sleep. Even after being pulled away from the scene, her brain had seemingly refused to accept what it had seen.

She had fainted once, woken up, mumbled the same phrase again, and fainted again.

Joy had been forced to use a mental-soothing spell, the same one she used for victims who had seen horrors too painful to remember.

She had to cast it three times before Aqua finally stopped muttering, "That wasn’t my brother...That wasn’t my brother...He’s too big." and drifted into a gentle nap on the couch, her head resting on Joy’s lap.

To Joy’s left, Maria was...functional. But not quite fine.

She sat upright, sipping her tea as if nothing was wrong. But her eyes occasionally flickered, her cheeks flushed faintly, and every now and then she would whisper something to herself that made her blush harder.

Joy noticed this, tilted her head, and said calmly.

"Mother, are you alright? Would you like me to cast the same calming spell I used on Aqua?"

Maria nearly choked on her tea.

"N-No! No, there’s no need for that at all!" She said, waving her hand rapidly.

"See? Perfectly fine. Completely fine."

Her tone was nervous, and the way her eyes darted around betrayed her words entirely.

Joy sighed. ’She’s lying.’ She thought, but she decided not to press the issue.

Just then, Stella entered the room, a few papers in hand, her expression awkward. She bowed slightly and approached Joy.

"My Lady." She said softly. "I’ve...finished questioning the maids we saw earlier."

Joy looked up. "And?"

Stella cleared her throat, visibly uncomfortable.

"Well, I asked each of them if they were being forced or blackmailed into...participating in, ah...that."

She hesitated, glancing toward Aqua’s sleeping form before continuing.

"But, um...none of them were."

Maria blinked, turning toward her. "None?"

Stella nodded stiffly.

"Not one. I double-checked. They all said, very clearly that they weren’t coerced in any way."

Joy’s expression hardened. "Are you certain?"

"Yes." Stella said. "In fact...they all claimed it was entirely voluntary. Embarrassing as it was to hear, they even said that they enjoyed it."

Maria blinked in disbelief, while Joy just stared at her blankly.

Stella looked away, her face red.

"They said they...do that sort of thing often with their young master. And that he...well...treats them very well. Some of them even said they get jealous when it’s not their turn..."

A long silence followed.

Maria’s teacup trembled slightly in her hands.

"So...you’re telling me." She said slowly. "The maids of this mansion do such...things...with their master on a regular basis?"

Stella nodded reluctantly.

"Yes, my Lady. They seemed rather...cheerful about it, actually. I tried to sense deceit or nervousness, but there wasn’t any. They spoke openly. And..."

She hesitated.

"...some of them even blushed while talking about it like they were nostalgic."

Maria’s eyes flickered, her face bright red as she whispered to herself.

"So they do it willingly...and enjoy it...and even have fond memories of it..."

Her voice trailed off as she stared into her teacup, the blush on her face deepening.

"To think such things happen so openly in this household..."

Joy groaned softly. "Mother, please don’t start imagining it."

"I—I’m not!" Maria said defensively, though her cheeks betrayed her.

Joy sighed again, her patience thinning.

In less than an hour, she had lost her best friend to mental collapse, half her sisterhood to embarrassment, and her mother to daydreaming—all while achieving absolutely nothing.

The investigation she came here for had yielded no evidence of sin, no victims, no wrongdoing—only confusion and mortification.

At this point, the only thing she had proven was that she, Joy, the Saintess of Judgment was a peeping tom.

But then, she felt movement.

A faint rustle, followed by a sleepy groan.

Aqua slowly sat up, rubbing her face as if she’d just woken from a deep, strange dream.

Her eyes blinked several times before she squinted around the room, disoriented.

Joy tensed immediately, her shoulders straightening, as she watched her friend cautiously.

’Please don’t start mumbling again.’ She thought nervously. ’I really don’t want to cast another calming spell. A few more and you might start to lose memories.’

Just then, Aqua rubbed her temple and murmured,

"Huh...? Where...are we? When did we get here?"

Her tone was groggy and confused.

"Wait, weren’t we at my brother’s mansion? We went inside, and then we opened the door and..."

She stopped.

Her words trailed off as her mind finally caught up.

The memory flashed vividly in her mind.

The scandalous scene they had walked in on and a bright pink color rushed to her ears.

Joy watched her carefully, ready to cast another spell if necessary, but then Aqua let out a long exhale, buried her face in her hands, and groaned softly.

"Oh goddess above...that was...that was so awkward."

Joy blinked. "You’re...fine?"

Aqua gave a weak, crooked smile.

"I think so." She let out another sigh. "We really did enter at the worst possible time, didn’t we? That must’ve been so embarrassing for my brother. Poor Cassius...caught in a moment like that..."

Joy exhaled, relieved beyond measure.

At least she wasn’t hysterical this time. Embarrassed was perfectly fine, healthy even.

But before Joy could relax completely, Aqua turned toward her with narrowed eyes and an expression that could only be described as righteous sisterly fury.

"You!!" Aqua gasped.

"Me?" Joy asked in confusion.

"Yes, you!" Aqua huffed, and before Joy could react, Aqua pinched her cheek hard. "I told you, didn’t I?! I told you not to go barging in! I said it was going to be a misunderstanding!"

Joy didn’t even flinch. She simply stared at her blankly as Aqua scolded her.

"I told you my brother is innocent!" Aqua continued, wagging her finger like a furious little sister. "There’s no way he would ever hurt a woman!"

"But nooo, the great Saintess of Judgement had to go check, didn’t she? She just had to march right in and catch her brother in the most embarrassing situation imaginable!"

Joy’s tone was flat. "I was doing my duty. I heard a woman screaming."

"Screaming?!" Aqua groaned and threw her hands up dramatically. "Joy, that was not a scream! That was a moan!"

"How could you not tell the difference?!"

Maria almost choked on her tea, while Aqua went on furiously, waving her arms.

"Honestly! This is what happens when you devote your entire life to the Goddess and spend your days hunting criminals! You don’t even know the difference between suffering and pleasure!"

Joy looked unimpressed. "I don’t see how that’s relevant."

"Oh, it’s very relevant!" Aqua shot back. "This reminds me exactly of when we were children!"

"...What?"

Aqua pointed at her dramatically.

"Don’t you remember? Back when we were playing in the royal palace gardens? There was that one time we heard noises—loud noises—from one of the storage rooms. A man and a woman shouting at each other."

"And you, being the self-righteous crusader you are, thought someone was being murdered!"

Joy frowned faintly, clearly remembering. "...Ah."

Aqua laughed bitterly. "And even though I told you it didn’t sound right—you still dragged me along to investigate! And what did we find? Not a crime scene, but a maid and a butler having their own private...fun!"

"Oh my..." Maria gasped softly, covering her mouth.

"Back then it was funny, sure—but this time!" Aqua threw her hands up. "But this time, I can’t believe I saw my brother like that! My poor brother! He must be traumatized!"

Joy raised an eyebrow. "I think he’ll survive."

"I doubt it!" Aqua said dramatically, crossing her arms. "He’s probably locking himself in his room right now out of sheer humiliation! I pity him so much!"

At that moment, Maria, who had been listening in stunned silence scooted closer on the other side of Joy. Her curiosity was practically shining.

"Wait, wait." She said quickly. "Did something like that really happen when you were children? You never mentioned this before!"

Aqua blinked and turned to her.

"Oh, it really did, Auntie Maria!" She said with a laugh. "Remember how back then, during dinner, Joy and I always got extra servings of that expensive roast meat?"

"Oh yes..." Maria frowned thoughtfully. "I used to wonder why the two of you always got more than the others."

Joy’s tone was suspiciously casual as she said,

"That was because Aqua blackmailed the maid, mother."

Maria’s eyes widened. "She what?!"

Aqua’s grin turned sheepish. "Oh, come on! I was just a kid! I told her that if she didn’t give us extra meat and do some extra favours from time to time, I’d spread word about her and the butler all over the palace!"

Joy closed her eyes as if she wanted nothing to do with this matter, while Maria’s jaw dropped.

"Of course..." Aqua added with a smug grin. "...it worked. She spoiled us for years. Extra desserts, extra tea, everything."

Maria blinked several times before gasping softly.

"Wait—her?! That maid?! Oh heavens...I knew she was being too kind to you two!" She placed a hand on her chest, blushing slightly. "I always thought she just adored you both and that’s why she always treated you with extra care..."

"...not that she was being blackmailed!"

Aqua giggled. "Well, I wouldn’t call it blackmail exactly, more like...friendly persuasion."

Maria sighed, still shaking her head in disbelief before asking

"And that poor woman...is she still...involved in such affairs? L-Like is she still have some...fun on her breaks?"

Joy groaned quietly. "Mother, please don’t ask such —"

But Aqua answered anyway, cheerful as ever.

"No, no, she’s actually doing quite well! She married that same butler. They have three kids now—adorable little ones. The oldest is about to start school soon."

Maria blinked in surprise, then smiled warmly.

"Oh, how wonderful! They had a happy ending after all."

But then, her expression dimmed. She looked down at her tea for a moment, her reflection rippling in the cup, before saying quietly.

"But...us, on the other hand...we didn’t get such an ending, did we?"

"Rather we had to open the worst door and get the most humiliating moment possible."

That made the conversation go silent as Joy bit her lips in frustration.

Aqua went back to visualising her brother’s mighty girth in a fluster.

Maria was left thinking what Stella said and wonder how he had so much stamina too keep up with some many maids and women in this household.

All three having their own dilemmas that gave headaches in different ways