"I'm sorry, but your voice was too soft. I couldn't hear you."
"Eh?"
When I leaned closer to hear again, the girl jumped back like a spring.
She moved slightly away from me, avoided eye contact, and fiddled nervously with the doll in her hands.
"I-I'm sorry. I'm a bit shy… You're the new Head Maid, right?"
"Ah, y-yes! That's right!"
"I'll… introduce the mansion to you. We'll also be sharing the living quarters from now on."
Roommate?!
And she's human, not a monster!
"Pleased to meet you!"
I could not hide my excitement. I beamed widely and shouted cheerfully.
Instead of answering, she nodded slightly and led me out of the reception room.
She really is shy.
A little embarrassing? No, not really. There was barely a moment to feel embarrassed—monsters were still swarming the hallways outside.
'....'
I forced myself to ignore them.
My only focus was the small back of the girl I could trust, almost glaring at it.
Still, it wasn't easy to fully ignore the dozens, maybe hundreds, of eyes examining me.
'Why are they staring so much?'
As if seeing a human for the first time.
At least, unlike when the girl had pushed through the monsters earlier, the path ahead was clear.
The creatures obediently made way as we passed.
Looking at the small pink-haired figure in front of me, I thought,
'How does someone so delicate live in a place full of monsters?'
Thinking in reverse, that meant these monsters weren't actually dangerous.
And if monsters can stare at me, why can't I observe them?
After all, the contract even had a special clause just in case.
I glanced around boldly, searching for other humans among the monsters.
But my hope was quickly dashed.
It was nothing but monsters everywhere.
"Um, are there no other humans here?"
Perhaps she didn't expect me to speak so suddenly.
Her eyes widened.
"Eh? Oh, the chef is human. It's extremely rare to allow humans here, so you can think of it that way."
I see. The Duke must have unusual tastes.
Still, that was a relief.
Between my roommate, myself, and the chef, there were three humans.
The mansion was huge, as expected of a noble estate.
That meant a lot of cleaning, and it was dirtier than I imagined…
After touring the mansion, we reached the quarters.
My roommate guided me to a chair and said:
"You must strictly follow these rules. If you have questions, you can ask me."
For the first time here, she looked me in the eyes and handed me the House Rules of the Duke Verma-nion Mansion.
The rules were now in my hands.
But anyone could tell…
"This is seriously suspicious!"
"P-Please calm down!"
I jumped up, shouting. The roommate trembled and gently held the hem of her clothes.
She had been focused on the paper with the rules, probably worried I might crumple or tear it.
I wasn't that aggressive. Surely I didn't look like I would harm it.
Do I look that scary?
"…."
I looked down at my roommate, eyes squeezed shut. Did she think I was tormenting her?
Hmm, hmm. I calmed myself and sat back down.
'Alright, let's read through this carefully.'
Rule 1. Use honorific speech with everyone.
Fair enough. I had heard that, aside from the Duke, all staff are considered equal.
Rule 2. Tasks should be done in groups of 2 or 3.
'If problems arise while working alone, remember no one will help you.' What does that even mean?
"Excuse me, what does this mean?"
I asked my roommate, pointing at Rule 2.
She surprisingly moved her chair closer and examined the part I highlighted.
"Oh, it means you should never work alone."
"…Eh?"
Her eyes shone innocently, as if stating the obvious.
That's exactly what I asked!
"If you work alone, no one will know if you go missing."
"Oh… I understand."
I felt I had heard something incredible, but decided to move on for now.
Perhaps my roommate had already adapted well to this place.
Yes, as long as the rules were followed, everything would be fine.
I resolved to assign all future tasks in pairs or groups of three.
I kept asking questions about the rules I couldn't understand, and my roommate patiently explained.
Patiently only.
I carefully noted everything she said on a separate sheet of paper to review later:
Rule 3. There is no butler. → Because there is no butler. (?).Rule 4. Asking staff their names is rude. → They are very proud and do not want to reveal their names. (? Not sure what this means ;;)Rule 5. There are no mirrors inside the mansion. → No need to worry since mirrors are rarely encountered. Even in the Duke's room, if a mirror exists, never look into it, turn it away.
Honestly, none of this made sense. More confusing than helpful.
Did I really need to take notes?
Strange. Very strange.
'Did I get tricked into this five-million-Franc deal again?'
…No. I had already bested Baron Armond.
Even as I rationalized, my eyes welled up slightly, and I put the rules and notes in the desk drawer.
Then, I trudged to my bed and collapsed.
"No, at least the special clause prevents anyone from harming me…"
"Eh? What do you mean?"
Startled!
'When did she come here? I didn't hear a sound.'
My roommate, who had been sitting in her chair moments ago, now stood beside me, curiosity on her face.
I recited the clause I had memorized thoroughly before signing:
"Ah, I included a special clause in the contract stating that no one may harm me."
"R-Really?"
"Yes."
Why is she so surprised?
Had my roommate not included such a clause when signing?
She began biting her nails and muttering to herself.
"Indeed… watching… thinking… nothing…"
Even straining to listen, I couldn't understand her.
Suddenly, she shook her head quickly, and I instinctively stepped back.
"Did you say harm?"
"Eh? Yes."
"Then that shouldn't happen."
Eh? What exactly does that mean?
Her expression stiffened, brows furrowing in serious thought.
But then, clutching her torn, unrecognizable doll, she nodded slowly.
'That thing worries her too much.'
I needed to sleep early to prepare for tomorrow.
I would handle it after finishing work tomorrow.
Then I realized we hadn't even exchanged names yet.
I had inquired about the clause but hadn't revealed mine.
I extended my hand.
"My name is Shasha."
"…!"
Thump—
She must be very emotional. Just from hearing my name, she dropped the doll she had never let go of since our first meeting.
Her eyes widened as much as a human's could.
Well, I suppose staff are so proud they refuse to reveal names.
'But humans normally tell their name when meeting someone.'
I felt sympathy for her, unsure how long she had been here to be so moved.
Her yellow eyes wavered for a moment.
Her face flushed instantly, and she couldn't meet my gaze.
"M-My name is… 'Eki.'"
Oh my goodness.
Such a cute name!
"Nice to meet you, Eki."
"Same here, Shasha…"
I had a gut feeling.
We would become very close friends.
Satisfied, I gazed at Eki and drifted into sleep.
I didn't notice her dark pupils narrowing slightly as she dozed beside me.
---
End of Chapter 3
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