Chapter 5
‘What peculiar maids.’
Calix, holding a book, kept sneaking glances at Logie.
Whether she noticed his staring or not, she was scanning her surroundings with an expressionless face.
‘Why isn’t that maid running away?’
Hundreds of maids had come and gone from this place, the Eclipsia Palace, including her.
But the vast majority of them quit after just a single day.
The reasons were varied.
They were unhappy about serving a prince who was essentially a discarded heir.
To put it nicely, they couldn’t handle the ‘desolate’ state of the palace; in harsher terms, it was too ‘filthy’.
Or… they were afraid the nobles who tormented him would harm them, too.
But Rosie, the maid who arrived today, was different.
She didn’t scowl at him upon seeing him, nor did she run away after seeing the state of the palace.
She even chased away the nobles who were bullying him.
And even managed to get an apology out of them.
‘Really strange.’
For Calix, who had only seen maids scrambling to flee as if their tails were on fire, it was puzzling.
Why isn’t she running away?
Why is she helping me?
From Calix’s perspective, it would have been more comfortable if she had ignored him like the previous maids did. Because……
After his father was poisoned, everyone who had been kind to him suddenly turned their backs.
His once-affectionate mother fell into alcoholism, and Brookston, whom he had trusted and given power to, unceremoniously abandoned him as if he’d been waiting for the chance.
Only then did he understand why Brookston had been so kind to him.
‘He was just using me to seize imperial power……’
He, who once bore the expectations of everyone in the imperial palace, was driven out to a remote palace overnight and made a vow.
Never to trust anyone who is kind to him again.
Fortunately or unfortunately, it was common for the maids assigned to him to run away, often unable to last even a single day.
Thanks to that, the only thing he could do was pay them no mind.
And then, suddenly, a maid appeared who extended a helping hand to him first.
‘It’s uncomfortable.’
Calix was uncomfortable with her.
It was partly because she was the first maid who hadn’t quit immediately, but there were many other uncomfortable things about her.
For example, that expressionless face that seemed like it wouldn’t bleed even if pricked?
‘Was that expression learned or something? If someone saw her, they might think she’s an assassin……’
Her silver hair, uncommon in the imperial palace, and her intelligent, shimmering golden eyes.
And then, her excessively strong strength for a woman, and her astonishingly fast speed.
Even at his young age, he could tell.
That strength and speed were not something an ordinary woman—no, an ordinary person—could possess.
Calix’s body shuddered once as he recalled the moment the stone statue crumbled to pieces.
Somehow, he had a bad feeling about this.
He instinctively realized it. He must not let that maid stay in his palace like this.
Having come to this, he resolved to find some excuse to drive Rosie out.
First, he’d see if she was good at cleaning, then find fault and send her away……
‘Wait, what is that?’
Calix’s eyes widened as he watched Logie.
She was holding two brooms like twin swords, and then she… threw them at the ceiling!
‘What in the world….’
The two brooms drew perfect parabolas, cleaning the cobwebs tangled here and there on the ceiling.
It went without saying that they even removed the old dust embedded in the corners.
But that wasn’t all.
Not content with just throwing the two brooms, she began rapidly spinning and swinging them alternately, cleaning the walls and ceiling.
It didn’t take long for the walls and ceiling, which had turned black with accumulated dust and cobwebs, to regain their original white color.
‘Unbelievable.’
The brooms in her hands seemed less like cleaning tools and more like powerful weapons.
The strong force needed to throw two brooms at the ceiling, and the precise technique to strike the exact spots.
It was a scene he could hardly believe, even seeing it with his own eyes.
‘It’s not like she came to this prince’s palace as a knight, not a maid.’
Truth be told, the maids who had been employed at the prince’s palace until now hadn’t been good at cleaning.
They were likely hired in a hurry to fill vacant positions, so it was only natural.
But Rosie was different.
Not only did she say nothing upon seeing the dirty state of the prince’s palace, but she also cleaned accurately and neatly.
In a word… there was no fault to be found.
‘No, it’s too early for that.’
Clutching his book tightly, Calix continued to stare intently at Logie.
He planned to fire her the moment she caused any accident while cleaning, seizing the opportunity.
Just then.
The hunting trophy, shaped like a stag and hanging on the wall, shook violently, unable to withstand some impact.
And then, it began to fall to the floor.
‘Is this it?’
Rosie had already passed the hunting trophy long ago, and even if she noticed it falling, there would be nothing she could do.
The hunting trophy was very heavy and made of glass, so it was bound to shatter.
If that woman breaks the trophy, I’ll have to make her pay for the decoration and pressure her to resign.
Pretending to focus on his book, he waited for the hunting trophy to fall to the floor.
However, something astonishing happened.
“Hupcha.”
Before the hunting trophy could hit the floor, Rosie took a step backward without even turning around.
And as if it were familiar, she kicked backward with her heel, sending the trophy flying up!
“……?”
The trophy, which was clearly heavy being made of glass, flew up as lightly as a pebble from the tip of her foot.
The trophy, floating in the air as if by magic, slid back into its original place as if gliding.
It was an utterly unbelievable scene.
‘Am I seeing things?’
Thud.
Unaware that the book he was reading had fallen to the floor, he stared blankly at Rogie.
But Rosie, as if this were an everyday occurrence, passed by the hunting trophy indifferently and walked to the end of the hallway.
Only after she had completely disappeared from his view did he finally let out a belated exclamation.
“…Wow.”
He finally had to admit it.
That it would be impossible to make her quit.
‘That level of skill? From a newly hired maid?’
He clicked his tongue, watching the back of Rosie moving busily up and down the hallway.
The areas she passed were becoming pristine white and clean, as if freshly painted with pure white paint.
Seeing that, somehow, a corner of his heart felt refreshed, and his mood seemed to improve…
‘No, no!’
Calix quickly shook his head.
‘Have you forgotten already? Those who showed me kindness always stabbed me in the back.’
That woman being a maid wouldn’t make her any different.
So, I need to think of a way to make her quit.
‘She must have at least one weakness.’
He let out a sigh as he bent down to pick up his book.
Yes, it doesn’t have to be today.
‘If I can just find that weakness…’
Calix’s eyes gleamed.
The next morning.
I left the Eclipsia Palace early. I had to go see Vesti for new employee training.
Walking along the path, a thought suddenly occurred to me.
‘How exactly was I reborn?’
Alex was not only immune to poison but also knew every type of poison.
It was his poison, so I must have died for sure. Yet, a year later at this point, I suddenly came back to life as a maid in the prince’s palace.
‘I definitely remember hearing a voice, though.’
As if answering my thought, someone’s voice echoed in my head.
Poor child.
‘What was that?’
Startled, I stopped in my tracks. At the same time, an intense headache washed over me.
I will grant you… another chance…
“Ugh……”
Staggering, I leaned against a tree. While catching my breath, the voice drifting in my head lost its form and faded away.
‘It felt like I was about to remember something.’
A white light enveloping my entire body. A warm hand resting on my head, and a kind voice.
Whose voice was that?
Just as I was trying hard to recall that voice again, someone blocked my path.
“……?”
I looked up to see women with mountainous builds looking down at me with displeased expressions
