Chapter 5
At that moment, a pitiful voice cut through my thoughts.
“Spare me.”
“….”
“I failed my mission, and I even failed to take my own life. From now on, I’m a fugitive. If you let me go, I’ll never appear before you again. I swear I won’t say a word about you either. If necessary, I’ll even swear loyalty.”
Yeah, not needed.
I knocked him out with a strike to the back of his neck.
After that, I thought about what to do with him.
Should I kill him?
But there were too many things bothering me to act on that impulse.
The client had already sent at least three assassins.
If I killed this one, another would definitely come.
That would just be more trouble.
So for now, I decided to keep him.
I considered leaving him in my room, but quickly gave up.
If the head maid found him, I might get kicked out of the mansion.
And if I got kicked out, I’d have nowhere to go.
So I had to stay on her good side.
While thinking about where to hide him—
I looked out the window and saw the house across the street.
More specifically, the slightly open second-floor window.
“…Hmm.”
They had just moved out that afternoon, so it would probably take at least a few days before a new owner arrived.
I slung the intruder over my shoulder and jumped out the window.
Then I crossed the wall of the opposite mansion, climbed up, and slipped into the second-floor window.
I pulled off the white sheet covering the bed and wrapped both the intruder and the bed together like one bundle.
After sealing his mouth completely, I closed the window and returned to my room.
“…Sigh.”
Is this mansion cursed or something?
I brushed the dust off my hands and lay down on the bed.
A faint question crossed my mind.
Why would the client want to monitor Baron Weatherwoods?
***
The next day, the weather was clear.
This wonderful workplace—the Weatherwoods mansion—even had a pleasant schedule: after a light breakfast at 9 a.m., we could sit and sip tea.
Thanks to that, I had a short break after a (terrible-tasting) meal.
At least, until I saw what was happening outside the window.
Wait… don’t tell me.
“…Moving in?”
I pointed outside. The head maid, who had been absorbed in reading the newspaper, turned her head.
“Hm? Oh, you mean the Ashla mansion across the street? The Ashla family moved out yesterday, so I suppose we can’t call it that anymore. But to think a new family moved in after just one day… it must have been a sudden sale.”
That’s right.
The mansion that should’ve been empty was now bustling with people carrying in furniture.
Someone moved in after just one day?
That didn’t make sense.
“I was careless.”
“What did you say? Stop muttering to yourself, Daisy. It’s not a good habit for an employee.”
Habit or not—
The intruder I had tied up last night was still in that mansion.
I downed my tea in one gulp and ran to my room.
There were too many people to just barge in and retrieve him.
I needed to observe first.
My room was in the corner of the second floor—perfect for watching the opposite mansion.
I pressed myself against the window and looked out.
Servants moving busily at the entrance.
A neatly arranged garden—very different from our own miserable one.
And at the center of it, a round table.
At that table sat an unfamiliar man, calmly drinking tea and reading.
I was briefly surprised by his unusual blue hair—
Then I saw something else.
The intruder.
He was kneeling beside the man.
Why is he there?
At that exact moment—
Our eyes met.
It wasn’t a mistake.
He wasn’t looking at the sky, or the mansion—
He was looking directly at me.
His golden eyes, as striking as his blue hair, locked onto mine.
His sharp nose and deep-set eyes gave him an elegant yet faintly melancholic look.
I could feel his gaze clearly—bold, deliberate—as if it was examining every detail of me.
My eyes.
My expression.
My appearance.
The corner of his lips curled up slightly, as if mocking the sight of me in a maid’s uniform.
I instinctively stepped back from the window.
And then I realized something.
It had been a very long time since I’d felt something so personal and intense as discomfort upon meeting someone for the first time.
“…As I thought.”
This place is cursed.
I had once reached a level where I could match blades with someone called a Sword Saint.
For someone like me to feel such a strong and negative presence from him—
It means he’s incredibly suspicious.
No choice.
At this point, I’ll abandon retrieving the intruder.
I’ll act like nothing happened.
Let’s forget yesterday entirely.
I returned to the kitchen and calmly poured myself another cup of tea.
“Daisy? You rushed off earlier. Where did you go?”
“Bathroom.”
“…Say that more politely.”
Good.
As long as I act like a normal maid, everything will be fine.
Not long after I convinced myself of that—
The doorbell rang.
“…The doorbell? It’s been broken for over a year.”
Looking puzzled, the head maid headed toward the entrance.
As a proper maid of the Weatherwoods household, I followed naturally.
Beyond the gate stood a tall figure.
Even just seeing the silhouette—
Something felt off.
Very off.
“Who is it? Unfortunately, Baron Weatherwoods is not in residence. Please make an appointment and return—”
Click.
The gate opened.
And a dazzling presence poured in like sunlight.
The head maid’s firm voice suddenly stopped.
Standing there was a man dressed like a refined gentleman of the city—
With blue hair.
He smiled.
“It’s me. The one who’ll be working here from today. The gardener and cook.”
He was looking at me.
Not the head maid.
That was my first meeting with “Lu.”
***
Suspicious.
Not just suspicious—extremely suspicious.
Every sense I had, honed on the battlefield, was screaming warnings at me about this man named “Lu.”
From every angle—front, back, side—
He was no ordinary person.
I completely agreed with my instincts.
First of all, his appearance itself was suspicious.
The moment I faced him directly, even I—standing several steps away—felt a strong mental impact.
It might sound ridiculous, but—
He was so overwhelmingly handsome that it disturbed both mind and body.
That wasn’t an exaggeration.
Even his strange blue hair only added to his striking appearance.
His refined features, his golden eyes that shimmered like sunlight on the sea—
And yet, there was a faint lethargy in his gaze.
I stopped myself before I started praising him endlessly.
“You are…?”
“I’m Lu, hired through the labor agency. You must be the head maid… or how should I address you?”
“You may call me head maid. So you are…?”
“Yes. The cook. And gardener.”
“I apologize, but I must ask again—”
“I understand. You’re wondering how someone as dazzlingly handsome as me could end up working in a dying mansion like this.”
“….”
“But it’s true, so please accept it. I’m Lu. I look forward to working with you.”
He smiled elegantly, then turned to me.
Just like earlier—
As if nothing was strange at all.
“And this one?”
I didn’t like him.
It was instinctive—and based on experience.
So even though he was clearly asking for my name, I avoided answering.
“Maid.”
“Is your name Maid? How unique. I look forward to working with you, Miss Maid the maid.”
This guy.
Not just his face—his personality was just as unusual.
Probably a complete mess.
“…Sigh.”
The head maid, who had never reacted like this before, rubbed her face in disbelief.
Lu casually walked inside like it was his own home and looked around the messy garden.
“Hm. Let me ask one thing. Is this garden supposed to look like a trash heap?”
The head maid snapped back to her senses and shook her head.
“If it were, we wouldn’t have hired you, Mr. Lu. Speaking of which, I don’t see any luggage. Don’t tell me you came here empty-handed too?”
“No.”
“That’s a relief. We do have some spare uniforms, but they wouldn’t fit someone of your height. Then shall we go upstairs? I’ll show you your room first.”
“Thank you, but I won’t be staying here.”
“What do you mean?”
With a smile, Lu raised his hand and pointed beyond the gate.
“I moved into that house today.”
The house across the street.
“So I’ll be commuting. What time should I come in?”
The head maid was speechless for a moment.
Then she asked, still in disbelief:
“You bought that mansion? Then why would someone so wealthy choose to work here?”
“Does one need a reason to work?”
“Usually no. But in your case, I have to ask.”
Lu stroked his chin and answered casually.
“Let’s call it a hobby.”
