Chapter 02
I stepped on the bedding at the wash place, lost in thought. As I moved around doing various chores, the hazy feeling gradually faded.
Only now did I finally accept the situation in front of me as reality, not a dream. I had definitely transmigrated, and this place was my reality now.
…No, was it really transmigration?
I frowned and focused on stomping the bedding. I had no memory at all of what I was like before transmigrating. On top of that, this place felt more familiar than a past life I couldn’t even remember. As if I had originally been Lily.
I sighed and looked up at the sky. I was a transmigrator, yet I couldn’t remember a single thing from the book’s contents. At this point, I even wondered if the past life I remembered had been a dream instead.
“What are you doing?”
I pulled my gaze away from the sky and turned toward the voice. Deriksha stood there, her long hair fluttering, staring at me with an annoyed expression.
“Nothing…”
I sighed again and went back to stomping the bedding. Deriksha watched me for a while, then tugged on my sleeve.
“That’s enough. Get down. I’ll do it.”
“Why?”
“You don’t look well. Go rest over there.”
Deriksha pointed toward the shade under a tree. Since she was telling me to rest, there was no reason to refuse. I took the towel she handed me, wiped my feet, and went to sit under the tree.
“Lily, did you get scolded again?”
I was blankly staring at the sky when the voice beside me snapped me back to reality. A young girl with red hair braided to one side had appeared next to me at some point.
I shook my head.
“No. I’m sick, so Deriksha told me to rest.”
“Did you forget your memories again?”
It seemed all the servants knew about my amnesia. I nodded vaguely and looked toward the knights training in the distance.
My head hurt too much, and I hoped the girl would ignore me and leave, but she kept talking nonstop.
“Then you don’t remember my name either? Didn’t Deriksha tell you?”
“There are so many people. How could she tell me everyone’s name? I don’t remember.”
“She wouldn’t not tell you mine…”
The girl plopped down beside me, looking dejected.
Come to think of it, she wasn’t wearing a maid uniform. Everyone at the wash place was a maid, so the girl in a pure white dress stood out even more.
Just as I was about to ask her about it, Deriksha—who had been walking over—noticed the girl and spoke in surprise.
“Oh? Lady Abel. Did you skip your lessons again?”
“…?”
I widened my eyes and stared at the girl beside me.
Lady Abel—wasn’t that the Duke’s youngest daughter? No way. There was no way a duke’s daughter would act this casually about her status.
Hoping it was a misunderstanding, I looked back and forth between Deriksha and the girl. But the girl nodded with a bright smile.
“Yeah! I ran away!”
“Oh dear~ If you skip lessons to hang out with maids, the other nobles will gossip.”
“It’s fine! I’m the strongest!”
She shouted confidently. I accepted reality and lowered my head.
Ah. I’m screwed.
“Lily didn’t do anything rude, right? She lost her memories again.”
Deriksha asked cautiously, noticing my condition. I still couldn’t lift my head.
I never imagined the girl sitting on the dirt just to talk to a maid would be the duke’s daughter.
Lady Abel smiled and nodded.
“Yeah! What mistake could Lily possibly make?”
Lady Abel beamed and clung tightly to my arm. She’d just been spoken to rudely by a maid, so I couldn’t understand what was going through her head. Even if she didn’t care much about status, wasn’t this too much?
Feeling guilty, I apologized in a barely audible voice.
“Th-That is… I’m sorry, my lady… I was very rude…”
“What? There’s nothing to apologize for!”
Lady Abel waved both hands urgently.
“Lily’s sick, that’s all! You don’t have to feel bad!”
Was this girl an angel? It almost felt like a halo was shining behind her.
If this really was a novel, then Lady Abel was definitely the female lead.
* * *
“You talked down to the young lady? Wow… you’re really something else.”
On the way to the main building to welcome the young masters, I finally told Deriksha what had happened earlier. She looked at me in horror.
“Good thing her personality’s nice. Anywhere else, you’d already be fired.”
“I’ll be more careful from now on…”
The day wasn’t even over yet, but I was already mentally exhausted. I never expected to speak casually to a noble on my very first day.
I pressed my throbbing head with both hands.
“The young masters aren’t gentle like Lady Abel, so be careful. No—just don’t even make eye contact.”
“They have bad personalities?”
Deriksha thought for a moment, then nodded.
“Lady Abel hasn’t started socializing yet, so she’s close with the maids. But the young masters attended the Academy. They’ll be very strict about status.”
“So I just keep my eyes down?”
“Yeah. Keep your eyes down, stay close to me, and stay quiet.”
I was confident in my ability to keep my head down and stay quiet.
Still, hearing they had bad personalities made me uneasy. I’d be seeing them regularly for a whole month during break.
Well, this was a duke’s household—of course there’d be unpleasant people. Like Deriksha said, as long as I kept my head down, I wouldn’t get involved with the young masters.
As we kept walking, we arrived at a place where maids had gathered. It looked like all the servants in the estate were present—there were so many people I couldn’t see ahead.
“Lily! Over here.”
Deriksha pulled me through the crowd. Second row of lined-up maids—perfect for not standing out if I kept my head down.
“Do we always have to come out like this when the young masters return?”
I whispered quietly. Deriksha whispered back.
“No. It’s because this is the first time Young Master Odin is returning home since entering the Academy. Normally it’s not like this.”
She sounded experienced. Deriksha looked about my age—maybe seventeen at most. I wondered how young she’d been when she started working as a maid.
Just as I was about to ask, the mansion fell silent. Following the sound of footsteps, I saw a middle-aged man and Lady Abel coming down the stairs.
The man had sharp eyes but an overall gentle air. Seeing his red hair and golden eyes identical to Lady Abel’s, he was likely Duke Leofrum.
The duke watched his daughter anxiously as she came down the stairs, worried she might fall.
But Lady Abel didn’t care at all, hopping down the steps in her gorgeous dress.
“Dad, when are my brothers arriving?”
She asked in a whiny tone. The duke smiled warmly and patted her head.
“Soon. Did you miss them?”
“So much! Ah—but not Brother Lu. Only Brother Odin!”
“You should say you missed Lu too.”
“Honestly, I’d rather he not come.”
The maids burst into laughter, easing the previously stiff atmosphere.
“A mood-maker…”
Lady Abel truly felt like a protagonist. At my muttering, Deriksha elbowed my side to shush me. Startled, I let out a loud cry.
“Ah!”
The laughter stopped instantly. All eyes turned to me—including the duke’s.
Deriksha quietly rubbed her face with one hand.
I wanted nothing more than to disappear into the crowd, but my flashy blonde hair stood out among the brown- and black-haired maids.
The duke stared at me, then walked over. The maids in front naturally stepped aside, leaving me face-to-face with him.
“Lily, was it? How is it—are your memories coming back?”
Why… why does he remember a lowly maid like me… I cried internally and answered softly.
“I’m sorry. I’m still recovering, so none of my memories have returned.”
He wouldn’t fire me over that… right?
My anxiety grew. I’d already been rude to Lady Abel. Even if she laughed it off, the duke might not think the same.
I glanced sideways—Deriksha was staring at me with guilt in her eyes.
“I heard about you.”
Ah. I’m really doomed. Lady Abel must have told him everything.
My vision darkened. I remembered nothing, knew nothing except that this was a novel. If I got kicked out, where would I even go?
I bit my lip until it hurt. With my head lowered, I couldn’t see the duke’s expression, but somehow it felt like he was smiling.
And then he said something far too gentle for a maid.
“How would you feel about becoming my son’s personal maid?”
“…What?”
I lifted my head without thinking. The duke’s expression was warm.
“I’ve heard a lot about you from the head maid. She says you’re exceptionally capable for a newcomer.”
“Oh… um? Y-Yes, I suppose…?”
I only remembered today, but even in that short time, I could tell I had talent for maid work.
I’d peeled potatoes perfectly and earned praise from Drum, and I’d cleaned the hallway faster and better than the other maids. Even Deriksha had clapped for me.
“My second son is a severe germaphobe. How about moving to the main building during the break and taking charge of cleaning his room? Of course, I’ll raise your pay.”
“I’ll do it.”
He wasn’t firing me and was even offering more money—there was no reason to refuse. According to Deriksha, maids in the main building had better benefits too.
The duke smiled kindly and turned to Deriksha.
“Since Lily hasn’t recovered her memories yet, it may be difficult for her to work alone. Deriksha, how about moving to the main building with her? I’d like you to take care of my eldest son.”
“W-What? M-Me? Is that really okay…?”
“Of course. You’ve been here for years. I can trust you.”
Deriksha made an expression I’d never seen before. She’d been stoic all day, but now her face was filled with joy and emotion.
“The young masters have arrived!”
A knight at the entrance announced it, and the attention dispersed. The duke smiled at us one last time, saying he’d inform the head maid, then left.
Deriksha was still grinning ear to ear, and although I didn’t fully understand the situation, I decided to be happy that things had worked out.
As I turned to look toward the entrance, I suddenly felt a gaze on me. I turned my head.
Lady Abel was staring at me with a dark expression—but the moment our eyes met, she hurriedly looked away.
…What was that?
Her face was filled with emotions I’d never expect from the bright girl she’d been just moments ago.
I must have imagined it.
I ignored it and focused on the people entering the mansion.
