Chapter 3
10,000,000.
One, ten… wait, why are there so many zeros? Is this broken?
“Eile, think carefully. The reward is ten million gold coins. With this money, you could pay off all your debts in one go!”
The numbers stretched endlessly across the little calculator screen.
Eile’s blue eyes began to shake.
“Hah… unbelievable. Boss, do you think I’m some money-crazed idiot?”
She frowned in annoyance—then spoke again, almost whispering.
“…Just asking, but… is it cash?”
“All cash.”
“…Being a duke’s maid has always been my dream.”
With her expression instantly hardening into determination, Des smirked knowingly and pulled something else from his pocket.
“What now?”
“Your target’s portrait. At the very least, you should know his face. Though once you’re a maid, you’ll see him anyway.”
Curious, Eile unfolded the paper—and froze.
“…A person shouldn’t look like this, right?”
Was this supposed to help her recognize him? Seriously?
The sketch was so bad it barely outlined a human shape.
“As you know, the Cassio Dukedom is extremely secretive. We can’t be sure if this portrait is even accurate. Still, it’s better than nothing.”
Des shrugged.
Honestly, nothing would’ve been better…
But Eile bit her tongue and tucked it away. If she was going to infiltrate the infamous “Monster Duke’s” estate as a maid, there was a mountain of things to prepare.
Meanwhile…
“Here’s the report you requested, young master. About the ‘Black Rose.’”
Sunlight streamed through the tall windows where a boy sat. His aide, Damon, approached quietly.
“They are a famous assassin group in the underworld. Few in number, highly skilled, and so secretive that little is known. They mark their robes with a black rose crest—besides that, there’s no way to identify them.
But one thing is certain: they never fail a mission. No matter what, they always complete their work. Because of that, they’re feared even in the underworld.”
When Damon finished, silence followed. The boy finally spoke, calm and unbothered.
“That’s all?”
“Yes, my lord.”
“‘Feared,’ you say… They didn’t seem that dangerous.”
Though his tone was flat, Damon could sense the weight behind it.
Young master, just what exactly did you see…?
He remembered the boy returning from the Black Forest days ago—soaked in someone else’s blood, yet oddly pleased—and ordering him to investigate the Black Rose.
“My lord… may I ask, did you meet someone in the forest that day?”
Normally, it wasn’t surprising for him to come back bloody after a hunt. But if he met someone there, that was different. No one survived encounters in that forest—especially with him.
“…An angel.”
“…Excuse me?”
An angel? Out of nowhere?
But Damon knew his young master wasn’t the type for silly jokes.
“She was kind of rough.”
A short, simple addition.
An angel… but rough? What was that even supposed to mean?
“…I see. Well, in a world of monsters, I suppose a rough angel isn’t impossible…”
It was clearly an excuse to avoid explaining further. Damon wisely dropped the subject.
But then—
“The timing’s strange. We weren’t expecting a new maid.”
The boy’s gaze shifted outside. Damon followed it to the estate’s entrance, where a silver-haired girl cautiously stepped in, trailing behind another maid.
Ah. Damon remembered—the head maid had recently mentioned taking on a new servant, recommended by an outsider.
“She has experience, so the head maid decided she’d be useful.”
The boy nodded slightly. A signal to leave. Damon bowed and exited.
“…She does have plenty of experience.”
Alone again, the boy tilted his head, propping his chin on one hand.
“Rich boy, you must not know the difference. I was born into this work. Don’t compare me to fools like them.”
That clear, ringing voice refused to leave his mind.
He could almost see those sharp blue eyes shimmering before him.
“Dangerous…”
Outside, the small girl hurried after a maid three times her size until she disappeared from sight.
Lys Cassio’s violet eyes curved into a sly smile.
“Eile, since it’s your first day, don’t worry about work. Just take a tour of the estate and get used to things.”
“Thank you!”
With a bright smile and polite bow, Eile left the annex, waving to the friendly maids.
First day and I get free time? Jackpot!
She had expected hostility—after all, Cassio was a closed-off household where maids could be territorial. But surprisingly, everyone was welcoming.
It was easy to blend in, even as a “new maid.” If things stayed this way, completing her mission wouldn’t be so hard.
Still…
“This place is huge.”
The Cassio estate wasn’t just big—it was vast. Touring the whole thing would take at least three days.
Better focus on the main buildings first.
As she explored, her eyes caught on a wide, green forest beside the manor.
“…Wait. Doesn’t that look familiar?”
She stopped.
“Could that… be connected to the Black Forest?”
She had known about the connection, but seeing it with her own eyes was unsettling. No one had ever returned alive from the Black Forest.
Still, from this side, it didn’t look dangerous.
“…It should be fine. Nobody said I can’t go near the forest.”
In her head, she could almost hear Des sighing, “That’s just common sense, idiot.”
But Eile only grinned.
Eile doesn’t know common sense.
