Chapter 2
The game was not fun at all.
Under the sharp, piercing gaze directed at me, I shrank back in fear.
I want to leave… I really, desperately want to quit.
The dark gray eyes staring straight at me made her look even colder.
“Were you really that sick?”
“Uh… y-yes. I was… sick.”
I lowered my head and mumbled.
“Really?”
“Yes… I really was.”
I kept my voice small and pitiful, doing my best to look miserable.
The head maid wasn’t an important character, and in the original story she was only mentioned by name, so it was hard to figure her out. I glanced sideways and checked her status window.
★★★
McKenna
Gender: Female
Age: 45
Notes: Practical, maid-type. Cold yet warm personality. Head maid of the Vicious Marquis household.
Affinity: ●●○○○
Even so, with two affinity points, shouldn’t she have at least some goodwill toward me?
Then why was she glaring at me like that?
Her gaze was so sharp it felt like I might actually take damage.
And sure enough—
[McKenna’s anger has reduced your HP by 2.]
Are you serious …?
I slowly stepped backward.
[McKenna’s anger has reduced your HP by 1.]
Another notification popped up.
I glanced at it—my precious HP had dropped again.
[Tip! HP can be recovered through rest or other methods.]
Even the tip was unhelpful.
“I swear…”
Seriously, this is ridiculous. It doesn’t even give me time to rest, and that’s the kind of tip it gives?
Only after I gritted my teeth and took a couple of steps back did my HP stop decreasing.
I felt miserable all over again, realizing just how fragile this body was.
“Who on earth made you work so hard that you ended up bedridden for days?”
“Pardon?”
Startled by McKenna’s sharp tone, I stepped back again.
“If the work was too much for you, you should’ve said something and asked someone else to do it.”
“I’m sorry…”
“Everyone here knows your body is weak. Is this the first time you’ve collapsed?”
“…No?”
McKenna’s scolding continued. I nodded repeatedly.
It reminded me of my old boss from work who used to tear into me.
“If you’re weak, you should at least learn how to manage things properly.”
“Yes, yes… I’m sorry…”
“You insisted on washing clothes in cold water and ended up sick for a whole week. You could’ve just asked Betty to do it. Do you have any idea how many people worry about you?”
Her words came pouring out—half scolding, half concern.
“Yes, yes… I’m sorry—no, thank you for worrying—no, I mean, I’m really sorry and thank you—no…”
“Ugh.”
At her heavy sigh, I shut my mouth.
I didn’t even know whether I should apologize or thank her.
Was that two-point affinity really coming from this intense “concern”?
Thankfully, after stepping back, I didn’t lose any more HP from her raised voice.
But if I couldn’t get through this situation, I might lose more.
I tightly shut my eyes and forced out some tears.
She’s not just a head maid—she’s like a workplace boss.
Someone I need to impress.
And since this is a game… if acting works, that’s all that matters.
“The person I admire most in the world… is you, Head Maid. Your always-perfect appearance! Your thorough work and lightning-fast efficiency! And yet, you never lose your elegance and composure… I wanted to learn from you…”
“……”
“You’re always busy, but you still take care of us… so I thought I should at least try to do something… sniff…”
Tears, just a little more.
I forced them out, even though inside I felt like curling up in embarrassment.
Betty, who had been nervously watching beside me, stepped in.
“Evelyn, don’t cry. Head maid Evelyn says she’ll do better. I’ll help her a lot, so please forgive her this time. Okay?”
This was where her four-point affinity really showed.
She hugged me protectively.
Leaning slightly against her shoulder, I trembled while clutching my broom.
“…Sigh. Alright. Maybe I was a bit harsh. So, are you feeling better now? Can you work?”
“Y-yes, of course.”
I have to if I want to clear quests.
“I’ll stay by Evelyn’s side and help her!”
McKenna still looked unconvinced, but after hearing Betty, she finally allowed me to go to work.
Ta-da-da-dam! Bam! Bam!
A flashy celebratory sound rang out, and a sparkling window appeared.
Unlike the others, this one had a luxurious golden frame.
⩙⩙⩙
Congratulations! Tutorial Complete!
Reward: (10) Gold
Your journey in the Demortva Empire begins now!
⩙⩙⩙
What part of that was a tutorial?!
This is completely different from the first test version!
If the “tutorial” involves dying twice and losing HP from the head maid’s anger just to get to work… then the rest of the game is obviously going to be brutal.
Still—
10 gold as a reward?!
Compared to the tiny scraps I got before, this felt like winning the lottery.
Honestly, whoever made this game must either be extremely petty, mentally weak… or downright evil.
I didn’t expect this… I already feel exhausted.
Ba-bam!
Another dramatic sound played.
[Episode 1. The Vicious Marquis Household
The era of the Demortva Empire has begun! You are a maid in the prestigious Vicious Marquis family. You are spending peaceful days with kind coworkers.
But something is wrong.
Dark clouds are approaching.
Laura’s wrath has reached the Vicious household.
Hurry—avoid her wrath and protect those you cherish.
The episode notification appeared and disappeared.
If this were a novel, this would be the start of the main story.
“Lady Bianca’s personal maid, Reina, won’t be coming for a while. Evelyn, you’ll take her place. Betty, you help in the laundry room.”
As soon as the head maid finished speaking, a quest window appeared.
Ding!
[Main Scenario I-1 Quest has arrived.] Become Bianca’s temporary personal maid and attend to her.]
[Reward: (1) Gold, (50) Silver ▶ Continue]
Finally—a main quest.
And fittingly, the first mission started with meeting one of the main characters.
The only daughter of the Vicious Marquis family.
The one desired by Laura, the final boss.
The heroine of Laura’s Chronicle, following the original novel.
Bianca Erze is vicious.
Please don’t let me die by getting hit with a teapot or something…
According to the world setting, even a passing sparrow would be so charmed by her kindness that it would stay.
True to her name, Bianca had an angelic appearance.
She was kind, warm, and loved by everyone.
She even remembered the names of every single maid.
Because of this, she was extremely popular—not just among nobles, but also among servants.
She was the complete opposite of Laura, who drove the world toward destruction.
Honestly, I don’t want to get anywhere near the main characters.
With this fragile, near-useless body, sticking close to them is basically like jumping into hell.
But to complete the scenario quests, I have no choice but to stay by her side.
So if I want things to go smoothly, I need to secure a place in her good graces.
I tightened my grip on my lifeline—the old broom—and made up my mind.
“Leave the broom behind, Evelyn.”
Betty pointed at it, looking at me strangely.
“Huh?”
“You’re not planning to serve her with that, are you? The head maid already left. Let’s go.”
“Oh—right. I was just about to leave it.”
While Betty looked away, I pretended to lean it against the wall.
and quickly stored it in my inventory.
As we walked side by side toward Bianca’s room, I suddenly felt eyes and whispers gathering around me.
“That’s Evelyn.”
“Wow… it’s my first time seeing her this close. Her skin is glowing.”
“Evelyn! Please look this way just once!”
Betty clicked her tongue.
“Ugh, here we go again. Evelyn, don’t pay attention to those people, okay? It’ll just tire you out. It’s because you’re way too pretty.”
“Haha…”
At the same time, I remembered the pile of flowers and gifts that nearly crushed me earlier.
So this is because of my charm stat.
…What a ridiculous effect.
This is going to be exhausting.
