Chapter 3
Is there water nearby?
A thick mist hung in the air.
Somewhere, I heard a splash—like something jumping into water.
Startled, I turned toward the sound.
“W-what was that?”
There was no way a person would be swimming at this hour.
An otter? A duck?
Naturally, animals that lived near water came to mind.
Through the gradually thinning fog, the mansion came into view.
The sky was a faint purple, just before sunrise.
Beneath it stood a large mansion, all alone.
“So this is where I’ll be working from now on…”
I was a little shocked.
It was old. Extremely old.
The building, which might have once been white, was now covered in dull gray stains.
If I didn’t know people lived here, I would have thought it was an abandoned structure.
The luxurious and grand capital mansion I had imagined had long since vanished from my mind.
I had some expectations when I heard the word ‘magic,’ though…
I still didn’t fully understand what kind of world this was.
I had only assumed it was something like time-traveling to the medieval era.
But one thing had always felt strange—being considered an adult at nineteen.
In Earth’s medieval history, adulthood started around twelve.
Now I was certain.
This wasn’t a real historical world from Earth.
There was no way things like magic contracts or automatic doors existed in medieval history.
It’s fine. So what if it’s old?
As long as there’s no one like Joffrey, I’m grateful.
After taking a deep breath, I confidently opened the mansion’s front door.
Since the gate had opened automatically and no one had come to greet me, I figured I was supposed to enter on my own.
Creeeak—thud!
Maybe I was a little too confident.
The door broke.
“…Again?”
An accident on my very first day of work.
At that moment, I made eye contact with someone standing inside.
It was an elderly man with white hair.
Half of his face was cast in deep shadow.
Holding onto the broken door, I nervously watched him.
Anyone could see I was caught in the act of damaging property.
“I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to break the door, but I’m really sorry!”
Apologize first.
As I quickly bowed, my grip on the door shifted.
Another strange twisting sound echoed.
Crack—creeeak!
Earlier, only one of the hinges had been damaged.
But now all of them had twisted, and with just a little more force, the entire door could fall off.
“Um, so—”
Cold sweat ran down my back.
“I’ll fix it! Please just don’t fire me—!”
“That’s impressive! You’re incredibly strong!”
The old gentleman spoke almost at the same time, sounding genuinely impressed.
“…Huh?”
“You must be Liliata Hayes, the new hire, correct? I’m Eren, the butler of this estate.”
He smiled brightly at me.
“Welcome to the mansion, Miss Hayes.”
“Oh—yes. Thank you.”
I tried to take his outstretched hand but stumbled. I couldn’t let go of the door.
“Butler, since I’ve already messed up… can I just go all the way?”
“Pardon?”
“I don’t think I can leave it like this.”
If it could break this easily, it was bound to break anyway.
I could fix it properly later.
I applied force to the half-attached door.
Craaaack!
With a satisfying sound, the worn-out hinges came off completely, and the door separated.
Someone could get hurt.
I placed the old, peeling door carefully against a corner of the entrance.
Eren stood there with his mouth wide open.
Thinking that should do it, I turned my body—and felt something catch lightly.
At the same time, my clothes tore.
Gasp.
I inhaled sharply.
Starting from my right shoulder down to the upper left side of my chest, the fabric had ripped diagonally and hung loosely.
“Oh no…”
Stay calm. Don’t panic.
I crossed my arms to cover the torn area.
As long as I didn’t move my hands, it looked fine. Perfect.
Pretending nothing had happened, I turned back to Eren and smiled.
“I’m Liliata Hayes, the new maid. Please take care of me.”
I had believed I would be working together with this kind-looking butler to manage the mansion.
“Today is actually my retirement day. I only stopped by to see the master. I was just on my way out.”
“Retirement? Then… will a new butler be coming?”
“No. Since you’ve arrived.”
“…What?”
“Due to unfortunate hiring circumstances, it has come to this. Until someone else is hired, you’ll have to take care of the mansion on your own.”
Even if it was old, a mansion was still a mansion.
And this one was huge.
“…By myself?”
My future suddenly looked very uncertain.
* * *
“So, a new servant has entered that place?”
At the question from the person seated at the head, the noblewoman who had traveled with Liliata bowed her head.
“Yes. A girl from a rural serf background.”
She handed over the employment contract bearing Liliata’s signature.
“What do you think? Will she last long?”
“I doubt she’ll last even a month.”
“And the other applicants?”
“Due to the unsettling rumors, applications have stopped completely.”
“Seems there’s a rat spreading stories.”
“My apologies. I will tighten control.”
“You’d better. Unless you wish to go there yourself.”
Fear flickered in the noblewoman’s eyes.
“I will ensure strict control.”
Satisfied with her resolve, the person at the head nodded.
“In a month… make sure her funeral is generous.”
* * *
“For your room, I personally recommend the west side of the first floor. It’s not far from the kitchen, has good sunlight, and there’s a staircase right next to it, so it’s convenient.”
Before leaving, Eren gave me some helpful advice.
We couldn’t talk long because of his train schedule, but it was more than enough.
“Wow, this is nice.”
I decided to use the room he recommended.
It was bigger than I expected.
It even had a separate study and bedroom.
When I opened the window, sunlight streamed in, brightening the room.
The furniture made of dark wood, along with various paintings and ceramics, gave it a very luxurious feel.
“This would make a nice vase.”
I picked out a ceramic piece I liked and placed it on a shelf.
“The bed is so soft!”
My favorite part, though, was the bed.
It was firm yet cozy, wrapping around my body just enough to make me feel like I could fall asleep instantly.
“I’m really glad I came to the capital.”
Though it did bother me a little that I was the only servant in the mansion.
It’s not a big family anyway. I just have to serve the young master on the second floor.
Eren had said that the young master came from a very prestigious family and was staying at this villa to recuperate.
And while leaving the estate wasn’t allowed, anything I needed could be delivered.
As a college student from 21st-century South Korea, delivery apps were basically a lifeline.
Tteokbokki, fried chicken, gopchang!
I thought of all the late-night foods I missed.
And here, deliveries were actually possible!
I examined the “magic paper” Eren had given me.
This paper had a special enchantment—if you wrote down what you needed, a delivery person would bring it.
If something was urgent, you could even mark it as an “urgent request” and receive it quickly.
“They’ll deliver anything I want… and it’s free.”
I felt full without even getting paid.
The problem was—
I couldn’t read or write the language of this world.
