Episode 1: Serving Duke Louichen Glouis
A piercing scream echoed through the silent mansion.
The servants of the noble household all shrank their shoulders in fear, tightly closing their eyes at the blood-curdling scream.
“Ugh… I said you should endure for a while. What happened now?”
Hearing the scream, the head maid wiped her water-stained hands on her apron and ran to the duke’s bedroom. Nervously, she cautiously opened the door and saw the maid Luina trembling violently, shoulders hunched in fear.
“Immediately… throw out that maid who dared to touch me without permission!”
The duke of the vast mansion and the only duke in the empire, Louichen Glouis, spoke sharply to the head maid who had just entered his bedroom, pointing a finely sharpened sword at the maid.
The head maid, shocked to see the duke holding a sword, hurriedly pulled Luina out of the room.
“What happened? Why is His Grace so angry?”
Shaking the terrified Luina, the head maid asked.
“She… she was taking a nap, but it seemed like she was having a nightmare… so I wanted to wake her… sniff…”
Luina couldn’t understand why the duke was so frighteningly angry. She had only touched his shoulder briefly to wake him from his nightmare. Yet the duke screamed that she had touched him without permission and even drew the sword hanging on the wall in fury.
Recalling the murderous look in the duke’s eyes, Luina eventually collapsed in the hallway and cried like a child.
“Idiot! How many times have I warned you? Don’t ever talk to the duke first, don’t try to do anything for him, just act as if you don’t exist and do only what he orders!”
But it was too late for regrets. The head maid sat down beside the sobbing Luina, striking her frustrated chest, and said:
“Pack your things and leave immediately. Collect your severance from the butler.”
Fearing that the mad duke might rush out and strike her, Luina silently went to her quarters to pack.
Seeing Luina running toward her quarters, the butler, who had been rushing from the garden after hearing the scream, asked the head maid in tears:
“Has Luina been fired?”
“Yes… somehow I thought she’d last more than a week, but today this happened.”
“Sigh… is there any maid left to take her place?”
The butler asked with a glimmer of hope, but the head maid shook her head solemnly.
“No, most of the girls were harshly scolded by the duke and left. The only ones left are the newly arrived maids, but they all say they’ll quit if they become the duke’s personal maid. I don’t know what to do… anyone who becomes the duke’s maid cries and panics.”
When the duke returned to the mansion after ten years of war, everyone was happy that their master had returned. However, the cruel war, which the duke had to fight since the age of fifteen, left him with lasting trauma.
Back from the war, the duke would erupt in anger over trivial matters, was always drunk on strong whiskey due to insomnia, and his cold, chilling gaze could freeze anyone in front of him.
“Ah, isn’t there a maid who already received five years’ salary in advance?”
The butler, debating whether he should serve the duke himself, suddenly remembered one maid.
“Ella?”
“Yes, that’s right, Ella! She already received her advance salary, so she can’t quit, and I hear she works well. How about her?”
“She works well, but she’s the youngest, having joined only two months ago. Is that okay?”
“There’s no other choice. If we don’t assign her, we’ll end up serving the duke ourselves.”
“Then, understood. Let’s assign Ella as the duke’s personal maid.”
Ella was diligently scrubbing the banquet hall floor with an oil-soaked rag when she noticed the head maid hurrying toward her.
Ella placed the rag in the oil container, wiped her hands on her apron, and greeted the head maid.
“Head maid, what is it?”
“Hmm… Ella, this may be sudden, but your duties have changed. Go attend to the duke immediately. You’ll use the small room next to his bedroom as your quarters.”
Ella listened quietly and nodded, showing no resistance. The head maid exhaled in relief, worrying that Ella might refuse like other maids.
Unlike other maids, Ella had no thoughts about being the duke’s personal maid. As a maid in the mansion, she simply had to do what she was told.
Other maids in her room looked at Ella with pity, but she didn’t care and moved her belongings to the small room next to the duke’s bedroom.
No sooner had she finished unpacking than the duke summoned her. Having heard all the instructions from the head maid, she adjusted her crooked ribbon and went to the duke’s bedroom.
“You called?”
“Water.”
Without even glancing at her, the duke simply requested water.
Ella noticed the duke’s pale face and poured water with a few leaves of lemon balm and apple mint into a cup and gave it to him.
The head maid, uneasy about Ella attending to the duke, followed her into the room. She froze when she saw the leaves floating in the water.
‘The duke asked for water… what are those leaves? This will cause trouble!’
To the head maid’s surprise, the duke took the water without anger, only slightly frowning. Ella had chosen herbs with calming effects to help the duke.
The head maid, used to the duke yelling at the slightest thing, followed Ella out in astonishment.
“What are those leaves? Do you know how worried I was?”
“They’re lemon balm and apple mint. I added a few calming herbs since you looked so anxious,” Ella replied quietly.
“Thank goodness the duke didn’t say anything. But remember, never do anything to upset him. If I hear a scream again, my heart will stop…”
Ella nodded silently. The head maid praised her, then left quickly. Ella glanced at the clock and went to the kitchen to prepare the duke’s meal.
“Chef, I’m here to serve the duke’s meal.”
The chef looked surprised and asked, “The duke’s meal? Did he ask for it?”
“No, he didn’t say anything.”
“Ah, I see. You’re new, Ella. The duke rarely eats, so usually we don’t prepare meals unless told otherwise.”
Remembering the duke’s lean frame, likely from not eating enough, Ella took a seat and instructed:
“Still, please prepare a stew.”
“Stew?” the chef asked in confusion.
“Yes, if he doesn’t eat it, I’ll eat it myself. Make it simple and light—no heavy ingredients.”
The chef rolled up his sleeves. “Alright, I’ll make a clam stew, finely chopping the ingredients.”
“Thank you.”
Ella took the stew and headed to the duke’s bedroom.
- Knock knock
“Duke, your meal is here.”
When there was no response, she was about to leave, but then she heard his voice.
“Come in.”
Taking a deep breath, Ella entered the duke’s bedroom.
