Chapter 8
The next morning.
I went out to the backyard to collect the laundry, and the sight of the garden made me stop in surprise.
In just two days, the small garden of the Weatherwoods mansion had started to look quite presentable.
No workers had come by since the first day, yet all the dead grass was gone, replaced with soft, moist soil.
I thought he just took on whatever work to get into this mansion.
Just like his cooking…
Why is he so good at so many unnecessary things? That just makes him more suspicious.
As I recalled his unsettlingly perfect face, I was reminded of his comment about potatoes from last night and felt annoyed again.
At that moment, Lu passed by carrying a shovel.
Our eyes met.
He gestured to me as if it was perfect timing.
“Come here, Miss Maid.”
I wanted to ignore him, but—
If I want to figure him out, I need some level of interaction.
I stopped putting laundry into the basket and walked over to him.
Then I said bluntly:
“Daisy.”
Lu, who had been bending over near the entrance steps, turned to me with a puzzled look.
I spoke again, right to his striking face.
“My name.”
“…Ah.”
Lu smiled his usual soft smile and stood in front of me.
“Alright, Miss Maid Daisy. After three days, we finally exchange proper names. That’s quite a remarkable step forward in our relationship.”
No matter what he says, it always sounds like mockery.
Is that his fault—or mine for hearing it that way?
“I’ll entrust this flowerpot to you.”
Without thinking, I took the small brown pot he handed me.
It was filled with rich, moist soil.
“Entrust?”
“Do whatever you want, but make a flower bloom. However, no transplanting. Start from seeds.”
“Me? Why?”
I asked in disbelief.
Lu answered as if it were obvious.
“Didn’t you say you were curious? About me.”
What does that have to do with flowers?
“Coincidentally, my identity is a very, very, incredibly important secret. I have no intention of revealing it for free. Growing a flower seems like a modest price, don’t you think?”
I frowned deeply and looked down at the pot in my arms.
Why a flower?
This isn’t some childish game.
Is he playing with me?
Why now?
Still—
This was the first meaningful response he had given to my suspicion.
Unlike the first day, he didn’t ignore me.
He even gave a condition to answer.
Refusing just because I didn’t like it… might be foolish.
“If you don’t want to, then 500 gold.”
“…500 gold?”
“That’s the price if you want the answer without growing the flower.”
Is this scammer insane?
Where am I supposed to get 500 gold?
Even working as a maid for 100 years wouldn’t be enough!
I hugged the flowerpot tightly and answered:
“I’ll grow it.”
“Good choice.”
“Keep your promise.”
Lu smiled gently and lightly tapped my head.
It was the most natural and casual smile I’d seen from him.
“Of course, Miss Maid Daisy. I’ll look forward to what kind of flower you grow.”
Annoying bastard.
I glared at his broad back, then set the pot down and went back to collecting laundry.
For now, I decided to stop investigating him.
Not give up—
Just take a step back.
In the end, the head maid was right.
Watching him for now was the best option.
I had neither the people nor the money to investigate him properly.
He wasn’t the type to talk easily.
And he wasn’t someone I could overpower and force to speak.
Besides, he hasn’t actually done anything yet. It’s all just suspicion.
Thinking about him any further would just waste time and energy.
For now, cooperating with the assassin-butler was enough.
Now that I was used to my maid duties, it was time to focus on gathering information about Dian Ket’s relic.
Everything has priorities.
“Did you finish collecting the laundry, Daisy?”
“Yes.”
“I’ll handle organizing it. Go buy the ingredients. The list and money are in the kitchen.”
“Yes.”
As I left the mansion, I checked the list.
It was the same as before, except eggs had been added.
Still no meat—but I didn’t mind.
If it was Lu, he’d make even a meatless meal satisfying.
Cooking.
That was his one undeniable strength.
***
Before entering the market, I stopped in a narrow alley.
An old, frail man was sitting there selling dull-looking vegetables.
“…Hmm.”
The potatoes didn’t look great, but I decided to buy them anyway.
Partly because of the man’s poor condition—
And partly because I trusted the cook’s skill.
“Seven potatoes.”
The old man, who had been dozing, suddenly opened his eyes.
“Oh! A customer at last.”
He probably couldn’t go home until he sold a certain amount.
“Thank you, miss. Please come again.”
He bowed repeatedly in gratitude.
I paid and turned toward the market, counting the potatoes.
“One, two, three… eight.”
There were eight.
He must have miscounted.
I turned back to return one—
But in the time I was gone, the once-empty alley now had new people.
A very unpleasant scene.
“Oh, looks like the old lady finally made some money.”
Three large men surrounded the old vendor.
The one in the middle held out his hand.
“Hand it over.”
“P-please, just give me one more month—”
“You’re over a week late on your merchant guild fees. Did you think hiding here would save you?”
“I told you, I’m just a small vendor. I don’t belong to any guild—”
Suddenly—
One of the men kicked her.
The old woman fell to the ground without even screaming.
Blood streamed from her forehead where it hit the ground.
As if that wasn’t enough, the man stomped on her back.
“If you can’t pay, then stop selling—or get out of our territory!”
He spat on her and brushed off his clothes.
“We’ll be back tomorrow. Same time.”
Just like that, her small earnings were taken.
I looked at her pitiful potatoes.
Not even twenty in total.
After I bought eight, only about ten were left.
Some had already sprouted.
She wasn’t selling potatoes for wealth.
She was selling them to survive.
One day without sales—
She’d starve.
Two days—
She’d be too weak to move.
Three—
She might die.
These men were killing her.
Claiming ownership over something that belonged to no one.
“Hey.”
They turned to me.
“What?”
I asked sincerely:
“Why did you crawl out of a trash can?”
The leader frowned and walked toward me.
“You crazy bitch. Do you know where you are? You look like a maid—what gives you the nerve to talk like that? Want me to make sure you can never walk this street again?”
I looked at him carefully.
Then he nodded.
Perfect.
I’ve been pretty stressed lately.
I raised my hand—
And struck his face.
“Ghk—!”
He flew back and slammed into the wall, unconscious.
I did the same to the second man.
“Ugh—!”
The third one ran away immediately.
Should I chase him?
I decided not to.
Instead, I crouched beside the old woman and searched the leader’s pockets.
“Oh.”
A thick bundle of money.
Probably the “guild fees.”
Basically extortion.
“Miss, get up! You need to run before more of them come!”
The old woman, despite being injured, tried to help me up.
Blood kept staining her sleeve as she wiped her forehead.
“They’re dangerous people. Don’t come here again. If something happens to you, your parents would be heartbroken.”
Her wrinkled hand trembled.
Fear doesn’t fade easily.
I looked at her—
then brushed off the potatoes scattered on the ground.
If this continues—
People like her will just suffer more.
People like those men always take out their anger on the weak.
They might even raise the fees next time.
And she’d eventually be driven out of the city.
“Grandmother.”
“I told you to run!”
“Do you know where they stay?”
She hesitated, then pointed toward a shop across the main road.
“Pub Piece of Land.”
It looked exactly like the kind of place where thugs would gather.
Strange.
Because where I came from, pubs were different.
They were places for people—
for community.
In the southern empire, during Mephisto’s time, pubs were bases for local militias.
People gathered there to protect their homes, families, and friends.
Now—
this?
“A merchant guild, huh…”
This might actually be useful.
Especially for gathering information.
I returned the money they had taken—
and added some of my own.
“Don’t come tomorrow. Count it.”
“And treat your wound before it gets worse.”
After dragging the unconscious men deeper into the alley, I tucked the remaining money into my chest and headed back to the market.
