The SSS-rank Guide Doesn't Need Saving

Aisha walked ahead of everyone, her footsteps unhurried despite the reason behind their sudden visit to her room tonight. Theon was right behind her. Irene followed a step behind him, wiping at the corner of her eyes though no tears had fallen in the last minute. And at the very back was their mother, who walked stiffly with a couple of servants following behind her.

Finally, they arrived. They were only just a few steps away from her door when they noticed it.

A light abruptly spilled from the gap beneath the door.

Aisha’s steps faltered.

For a moment, the calmness in her composure was replaced by worry. With just a few steps away from her room, she could feel her spiritual beast calling her.

She didn’t wait for the others and strode forward in a hurry.

Once the door opened, Daisy froze in mid-action. She was standing beside the bed with both hands hidden behind her back. She had her eyes wide open as if startled by their sudden arrival.

To everyone else, she looked exactly like someone who had been caught red-handed doing something bad.

”What were you doing?” Theon didn’t waste a second.

He strode past Aisha and closed the distance between himself and the young maid.

Daisy opened her mouth, but nothing came out. She shook her head as he stepped back the more he approached her.

Theon didn’t stop, his gaze dropping to her hands that were still hidden behind her back. ”You’re hiding something. What is it?”

Daisy took another step back, but there was nowhere to retreat with the wall behind her.

”It’s nothing, young master,” she finally said. ”I—I was just...”

”Then show me your hands.”

Theon didn’t wait for her to do just as he ordered. He reached to grab her wrist, trying to pull it to the front so everyone could see it. Daisy resisted and twisted away from his hold, but their strength was too different.

Miss Aisha!” Daisy cried out.

Her eyes found Aisha through the chaos.

That, however, did not help their situation. If anything, watching Daisy struggle so hard to keep the thing she was hiding in her hands while seeking help from Aisha only made everything look worse.

Irene, who had been quietly observing, felt like she could no longer hide her smile. But she tried to press her glee down. She had known long before that Daisy would come running to her mistress’s room once she heard that Aisha was accused of stealing.

This was much better than she expected.

It seemed that the maid had really found the bracelet the servant she manipulated earlier and tried to hide it before they arrived.

How fortunate that they’d come just in time to catch her in the act.

She stepped forward, feigning curiosity as she tilted her head.

Looking slightly aggrieved, Irene said, ”Sister... It couldn’t be that you really—”

She cut off the words before she could finish her sentence, allowing everyone to hear the unspoken accusation.

As soon as she said that, they instantly understood what she meant.

Aisha didn’t need to entertain Irene’s words, allowing others to misunderstand her. She moved forward, intending to help Daisy get away from Theon before she got hurt by him.

”Wait.” Her mother suddenly held up a hand to stop her. ”Aisha, don’t interfere.”

Aisha paused, turning toward her mother.

”Think carefully about who you are in this house. Defending her now will only make things difficult for you and that maid. Think of your position as a daughter of this family.”

Even without blatantly saying it, Aisha understood what she meant. In her mother’s eyes, Irene, Theon, and even the servants in the villa had more weight in their words than she did.

”Do you really have no trust in me, Mom?”

Erika pressed her lips thin.

But that was enough of an answer for Aisha.

”Help my son get whatever she’s hiding in her hands.”

Aisha didn’t move, but said beside her, ”I hope you won’t regret this decision, Mother.”

This time, the affectionate title ’Mom’ was not used. But Erika was more concerned about serving the justice her youngest daughter needed to calm her tears than that change.

Daisy cowered in a corner like a trapped prey. She glanced toward Aisha with a silent question in her eyes.

Then, she finally saw Aisha turn to her and nod.

Understanding what that meant, Daisy finally stopped struggling. Two servants finally got to her and forced her down onto her knees while Theon wasted no time forcing her hands open.

But what they found in her hands was not what they expected. It wasn’t the bracelet they were looking for.

Rather, a tiny creature that looked like a silkworm with silver marks on its body was in her hands.

Theon blinked, momentarily shocked by the sight.

Then, without thinking, or perhaps to get a closer look at whether it was the bracelet Irene had lost, he reached to pinch it between his two fingers.

But before he could touch it, Aisha finally moved forward and shoved him aside.

”Don’t touch it.” She stood protectively in front of Daisy, who was still holding her spiritual beast in her hand. ”Or do you think my spiritual beast is stolen, too?”

The room fell silently abruptly.

The words she had just said barely landed before they could react.

Erika stared between Aisha and the worm in the maid’s hand. ”You’ve... you’ve manifested your spiritual beast? When was it?”

Aisha nodded. ”At the hospital.”

”Why didn’t you tell me?” Erika suddenly moved closer.

Spiritual beast manifestation was an important milestone any parent would want to celebrate with their children. To think Aisha manifested her without telling her... Erika felt slightly annoyed. Why did her daughter tell her that such an important thing happened to her?

On the other hand, Theon let out a mocking laugh. ”That’s your spiritual beast? A worm?”

Aisha didn’t even glance at him; she answered her mother with a flat expression. ”Does it matter? Since when have you shown such care for me, anyway?”

Erika felt as though her saliva was stuck in her throat hearing this. ”You wouldn’t know that...”

Aisha stared at her for a long moment, then let out a quiet, humorless laugh.

How would she not know? Her mother hadn’t visited her once during her entire stay at the hospital. Yet now, upon hearing about a spiritual beast, she claimed she’d care enough to come running?

Looking around the room, now focused on her spiritual beast, she said, ”The bracelet still hasn’t been found. Aren’t you going to keep searching?”

Redirected back to their original purpose, no one quite knew how to proceed. Aisha, with unbothered grace, instructed the servants to search thoroughly, as though she were the one who had lost something precious.

They searched every corner of the room.

However, they surprisingly found nothing.

Aisha even frowned.

Irene, who orchestrated everything, couldn’t help herself from saying, ”You really didn’t find it?”

The servants nodded and responded that they really did search everything. Even Daisy was not spared a thorough body check.

How can this be? Irene was sure the servants back then wouldn’t be able to break from her control until her order was completed. There was no way they wouldn’t find the bracelet there!

”A—Are you sure?” Irene was even more baffled.

It was at this time that Aisha came to stand before her. ”They’ve already searched, sister. Why? Are you not satisfied? Would you like to accuse them of lying now, too?”

Irene released a nervous laugh. Knowing she had momentarily slipped, she quickly replied, ”Of course not. I was just asking.”

Then, she observed Aisha, wondering if her sister had found the bracelet and hid it beforehand. But Irene knew this was impossible. Because she had planned everything while Aisha was not home.

Shaken by the sudden turn of events, Irene didn’t know what to do next.

On the other hand, Aisha thought this should be enough.

”Now that the search is over, I want everyone out.”

There was no need for them to linger in her room, not when they didn’t find the bracelet that the servant claimed was taken.

The servants started to leave one by one.

Erika attempted to smooth things over with her, but Aisha’s expression remained unmoved and cold, so Erika eventually gave up and left without a word.

Theon scoffed before turning to leave.

And of course, Irene offered a hesitant and apologetic look. ”Sister, I’m sorry for the misunderstanding—”

Aisha knew better than to believe it.

Stepping forward with a gentle, almost tender smile, she raised her hand.

PA!

A sharp, resounding slap echoed through the room, stopping everyone who was on their way out of her room.

Aisha coldly said, ”I tolerated you once. Did you think a simple sorry would be enough to earn my forgiveness?”