Episode 8

It was despairing. To think I couldn’t move forward because of something like a date of birth, of all things. Did that make any sense?

The only saving grace was that Anastasia and Rene were the same age, so I could at least write down the year.

After scrawling down the year and agonizing over the actual birthday, I finally went, whatever, and wrote down my own.

‘If it doesn’t work because of the birthday... I’ll figure out how to hit Hendel lightly when the time comes.’

Once I got past the obstacle called “date of birth,” everything after that went smoothly. I’d written resumes more than once or twice, so it actually felt easy.

Besides, this was none other than a resume I would be submitting to myself.

In other words...

“No one’s going to look at it even if I half-ass it.”

Muttering lightly to myself, I filled in the blanks, and oddly enough, there was a section at the end of the resume asking for my reason for applying. This wasn’t even a cover letter, yet they wanted a reason for applying on a resume? I found it questionable, but I didn’t think too hard about it and just scribbled something down.

With that, I finally completed the resume. It was far too full of blanks to really be called a resume, but what could I do? Rene Blair had no work experience!

I stamped it without hesitation with the seal I’d received from Reuden.

The resume, boldly stamped with the Blair family crest, was so satisfying to look at that a smile slipped out.

“I’m finally a maid!”

I rejoiced so much that I even shouted without realizing it. In truth, because of the birth date, it wasn’t certain yet, but I decided to savor my happiness.

Soon, I calmed down and went to stand in front of the mirror.

My swollen cheek had now turned bluish. It was such a mess that it was impressive Catherine hadn’t said a word.

Well, Catherine must know all the crazy things Rene Blair had done, so what would she find lovable enough to worry over?

I had a slightly bitter thought, then shook my head hard. Anyway, if possible, let’s hit gently. Thinking about it, there was no reason to hit myself brutally hard.

As a test, I tapped my cheek. Pain immediately zinged through the bruise, and I reflexively let out a groan.

Beep—

Error

‘This does not count as hitting.’

So it really isn’t going to be that easy...

If that didn’t count as hitting... then it must mean I have to hit hard...

Well, yes. If hitting gently had been acceptable, Rene Blair would have done that too.

“Haa...”

It hurt even when I hit that lightly, so how much would it hurt if I hit hard? A sigh escaped me on its own.

What could I do? It was still my fate to hit myself.

Taking deep breaths, I solemnly finished preparing to strike myself.

God, why hast Thou given me such a trial?

Calling upon a god I didn’t even believe in, my hand trembling, I held my breath with a sharp inhale and swung my hand just like that.

Slaaap—

For the fourth time today, the ear-numbing sound of friction burrowed into my ears.

An indescribably tremendous pain shuddered through my cheek, and every curse imaginable burst out of me.

‘Should I just become the villainess?’

Regret came as a bonus.

* * *

“Kyahahahahaha!”

Hendel was carrying a box of medicine to the bedroom of the young lady she served when she flinched at the strange sound coming through the crack in the door.

‘Wh-what is that? What kind of sound is that?’

Before she could even calm her startled heart, she grew worried about the young lady inside and hurried to knock. If only she hadn’t heard what came next.

“I did it! I did it! Kyahaha! I knew it. Mission Window, no matter how much you throw a fit, you’re no match for my tricks! Ah, I was worried about the birth date, but I got lucky!”

Michelle Chang? Whose name was that?

Hendel was more than a little shocked when she realized that the strange sound was none other than her young lady’s laughter.

Her face turned deathly pale, and the hand she had raised to knock hesitated. She had no sense of whether it was all right to knock or not.

‘O-of course, the young lady has become much gentler lately...’

Hendel, who had always been beaten, mulled over what she had felt during the past week.

It had been one week ago.

At the head maid Susan’s orders, Hendel had been put in charge of the morning attendance for the time being.

That day, the young lady had seemed especially ill-tempered, and Hendel had been struck on the cheek and kicked in the shin. She had wanted to quit, but she had to send money home every month, so she couldn’t.

But the next day, the young lady changed. She didn’t slap Hendel’s cheek.

Others might laugh if they heard it, but that was an extremely astonishing fact.

For the sole reason that she hadn’t been slapped, Hendel eventually ended up shedding tears of joy. Even as she thought she might be hit again if she cried, she couldn’t control herself.

Had the young lady become gentler?

Even knowing that people didn’t change easily, Hendel had hoped. As expected, however, the young lady came down with a fever and collapsed, and Hendel was disappointed and frightened at the same time.

She was ill, so she simply didn’t have the strength to hit me that day. Once she recovers, she’ll again...

But that prediction was magnificently wrong. The young lady, who had gotten out of bed after a week, hadn’t slapped her cheek today either.

‘Don’t say that, Hendel. Why would I hit you?’

She had even called her name kindly. But Hendel wasn’t a fool, so she knew.

Just because she had changed for two days, Hendel must not relax and treat her casually.

If someone could suddenly become gentle, then couldn’t they also suddenly turn vicious?

“Kyahahahahaha!”

‘I’m scared. Hearing her laugh, she does seem to be in a good mood... But still, if I knock for no reason and offend her...’

Just imagining it sent chills down her spine. But Hendel couldn’t choose to turn back either.

She looked down at the medicine box in her hands. She recalled what had happened just a little while ago.

‘You there.’

‘Yes? Ah, I greet Your Grace!’

‘You were the one who found that child collapsed last time, weren’t you?’

‘Ah, yes...!’

‘Take this and put some medicine on her face.’

‘Pardon? Ah, yes...!’

‘Don’t tell her I told you to.’

That was right. The medicine box she held had been personally handed to her by none other than the master of this mansion.

‘He even ordered me to apply the medicine myself...’

Therefore, Hendel could not go back. In the end, with tears in her eyes, she knocked.

Knock, knock. The sound of knocking rang out as if squeezing her heart, and Hendel anxiously waited for the words telling her to come in.

But instead of a voice, she heard something else.

Click.

“Oh, it’s Hendel. What’s the matter?”

Hendel was so startled that she stepped back. She had never imagined the young lady would open the door herself and welcome her.

“No, um, that is...”

“What’s that in your hand?”

“This, ah, it’s a medicine box... I thought I might apply some ointment to your cheek, my lady...”

Hendel stopped stammering and stared blankly at the young lady.

Hair of an uncommon shade mixed with scarlet and pink, eyes shining like jewels, graceful brows, and smooth facial lines.

When Hendel had first entered this mansion and seen her, she had thought she was beautiful.

That thought had soon shattered to pieces. Her body had become battered, and so had her heart. She couldn’t even tell whether she was going to attend on her or to be beaten.

That was why Hendel had been certain she would never again think of her as beautiful.

‘And yet...’

“Really? Ointment on my cheek? How did you come up with such an adorable idea? Come in first. But why is your face so pale? Hendel, aren’t you the one who’s sick?”

And yet why, today, did she think she was beautiful again?

Light streamed in through the open door, illuminating the young lady from behind. It was dazzling. The light touched her hair, making it glow both translucently and vividly.

It wasn’t that she was beautiful. If it had only been her appearance, I would never have thought this.

Something, something about her…….

‘She has changed.’

She gently took Hendel’s hand. It was the second time today. A warm heat seeped in.

That, too, was truly strange. The hand that always touched her cheek had been as cold as ice.

She pulled Hendel along. Naturally, Hendel stepped through the open door.

As Hendel entered the spilling light, as she slowly but unmistakably took a step forward, Hendel gained a new certainty.

‘She’s changed. She has definitely changed.’

For some reason, she felt as though she might cry.

* * *

A week passed.

During that time, I was able to spend my days in relative peace.

My attempt to write a résumé and become a maid had succeeded!

Remembering my first successful mission made laughter burst out of me. Ah, I had felt indescribably good back then.

All of a sudden, I remembered just how insanely I had laughed at the time and wiped the smile off my face.

‘Thank goodness no one saw me then…….’

Anyway, after spending a week here, there were a few things I had learned.

First, if I refused all three missions, I received a penalty. Whether the penalty was always the same, I couldn’t know, since I hadn’t received one since the first day.

Second, and this was something I learned on the day I first succeeded at a mission, I didn’t need to complete all three missions.

A week ago, pressed for time, I had only managed to slap a maid on the cheek before the day passed. I had been certain I would receive a penalty, but I hadn’t. Even succeeding at just one meant no penalty!

That fact was practically the same as lowering the mission difficulty to the floor, so it was truly easy.

Because I only had to do missions related to maids!

If no maid-related missions appeared, it would all be for nothing, but fortunately, maid-related missions had popped up over the past week.

Of course, since my cheeks weren’t coming out unscathed, I couldn’t exactly say it was all good…….

‘Ha, damn mission window.’

I cursed the missions inwardly and flicked a gold coin lying on the desk.

Third, when I accepted a mission, the window disappeared, and when I called out “mission,” the window for the mission in progress appeared again.

It seemed there was no way to make it disappear without pressing either accept or decline.

Fourth, and most importantly, when I succeeded at a mission, I received money as a reward.

The gold coins piled on the desk were proof of that.

‘Is that why Rene Blair had so much money despite doing nothing?’

Thinking that made me feel uneasy about spending the money. To think it was money earned after committing evil deeds against others.

Ah, at this rate, I couldn’t do anything even if I wanted to. Feeling somewhat deflated, I sighed.

At the same time, the clock chimed.

Come to think of it, there was one last thing I had learned during this time.

Every morning at nine, the clock chimed, and when that chime ended…….

Ding.

Today’s Mission

‘Go to Reuden Blair’s office and set fire to the documents he worked on all night!’

Accept / Decline

Like this, the mission window appeared.

‘Ugh, vicious from the very start. Set fire to them, seriously?’

I was pressing decline with a fed-up look when a brief knock sounded.

“Come in.”

It was obvious who it was. There was only one person who came to see me every morning. That person was none other than Hendel…….

“Huh? What? Reuden?”

……No, it was Reuden.