Chapter 2
“Pardon?”
At the quiet voice, I spun around, wondering if I had misheard.
Judging by the same annoyed look he had a moment ago, maybe I really did hear wrong… wait, maybe not.
It felt like his eyes had regained a bit of focus.
While I just blinked with cleaning rags in both hands, the duke leaned crookedly against the armrest and rested his chin on his hand.
My résumé had already been neatly placed on the table, as if he had finished reading it.
“I’ll hire you as the head maid. I’ll pay you five million francs at the end of every month. Of course, food expenses and other costs will be paid separately.”
“Pardon?”
Head maid?
Five million fraaancs?
“Inside the mansion, as long as you follow a few simple rules, you can command all the servants however you want.”
“……”
Suddenly, all the days I had struggled flashed through my mind like a panorama.
When I realized I had possessed the body of a small commoner in some unknown world, just as I was about to achieve my dream of owning my own house.
When I screamed in despair, the maid next to me smacked my back and told me to get back to work.
I had endured it while telling myself that at least I had found a job, clinging to the thought of earning one million francs.
But when the first month ended, what actually landed in my hand was only five hundred thousand francs.
Accommodation fees, food fees, water fees, break fees, and all sorts of deductions…!
But five million francs every month?
I could save money, buy clothes, eat whatever I wanted.
If I endured for a few years, I could achieve my dream of owning my own house here too.
“Of course, Your Grace!”
I pledge my loyalty, Your Grace.
I nodded enthusiastically with sparkling eyes.
“Oh, our servants are a bit unusual, but once you get close to them, they’re pretty decent.”
“Huh? Yes.”
He said it casually with a faint smile, and I only thought one thing.
Wow, he’s really handsome.
At that time, I had no idea what that sentence actually meant.
*
And so, on my first day of employment,
I stared at a door that couldn’t simply be described as black—it was pitch black.
The main gate of the Vermanion Duke’s mansion, where I would be working from now on.
It was so tall that I had to tilt my head far back just to see the top.
I had felt it during the interview too, but it was unnecessarily large and tall. I guess it was meant to show how prestigious the family was.
Anyway.
Hmm!
I took a deep breath and knocked.
Knock knock—
But there was no sound from inside.
“Huh?”
I was about to knock again when—
Creak—
The door opened.
“Ah, hello! I’m Sha— the new employee starting today at the Vermanion Duke’s mansion—”
I hurriedly greeted whoever had opened the door, but strangely, I couldn’t sense anyone there.
Creeeak—
The door kept opening.
“…Huh?”
There was still no one in front of me.
Then suddenly the door opened wide.
Startled, I stepped back slightly, and someone let out an unpleasant snicker.
“The door opened, but the person who opened it isn’t here?”
Without thinking, I looked down.
Then I saw something holding the doorknob and froze completely.
A long arm was stretching out from inside, gripping the handle.
Far too long to belong to a human.
“……”
Slowly, I lifted my head.
In the dark interior—so dark it seemed like not even a single light was on—multiple glowing eyes were staring at me.
Then the lights turned on.
What I saw was:
A gigantic tree whose body was so tall it was bent under the ceiling.
An octopus head with countless tentacles growing from its arms.
And lastly—
Something covered in dozens of eyeballs all over its body.
Monsters.
The luggage in my arms slipped from my grasp.
Wait a moment.
I think I came to the wrong place.
First of all, this definitely isn’t the right place.
“Excuse me. Goodbye.”
I calmly bowed ninety degrees and turned around.
Didn’t they say that even if you’re dragged into a tiger’s den, you can survive if you stay calm?
Just walk away like nothing happened.
That’s all I had to do.
But—
“Shasha.”
At the gentle voice brushing against my ears, I turned around as if hypnotized.
Far away on the stairs, the Duke of Vermanion, dressed in a black uniform, was slowly walking down.
His white hair swayed slightly with every step.
Between his slightly narrowed eyes, red pupils glimmered.
Strange.
Even though absurd monsters were swarming around me, my vision locked onto the duke.
My feet felt rooted to the ground.
Each time those red eyes staring at me got closer, my mind felt more dazed.
Ah… ah…
He’s beautiful again today.
…Wait, no!
This is a scam!
During the interview, all the servants were humans.
So why are all the ones here monsters?
“I’ve been waiting. Follow me.”
“……”
I clenched my fists tightly.
I absolutely cannot take this contract.
*
It’s not that I was mesmerized by the duke’s appearance.
Thinking about it calmly, I had already submitted my resignation to Baron Armond, and after imagining the five million francs I would earn each month, I had spent all my remaining money in celebration.
Recently, job postings for noble households had almost disappeared too.
If I went back now, I’d end up living on the streets.
So my decision absolutely wasn’t wrong.
But still.
“Um… Your Grace.”
“What is it?”
Are you really asking because you don’t know?
Yeah. Looks like you really don’t.
Seeing him tilt his head in confusion, I opened my mouth helplessly.
In front of the duke, who was sitting with his legs crossed in a dazzling chair that sparkled brightly.
Honestly, I wanted to lean back against the chair comfortably.
But the sparkling things embedded in it caught my eye.
If my eyes weren’t mistaken, each of those jewels probably cost as much as my entire yearly salary.
“Is there a problem with the contract?”
“No… there isn’t.”
The contract is perfectly clean—like a freshly polished window.
Really.
After experiencing Baron Armond’s brutal labor exploitation, I had sworn to examine the contract carefully this time.
I wouldn’t be fooled by high pay or the duke’s handsome face.
I even spent all my money consulting an expert.
Yes.
The contract truly had no problems.
The monthly payment of five million francs was real.
The benefits, lodging, and everything else.
You couldn’t find better conditions anywhere.
But…
Sigh.
I rubbed my face and gave up asking.
The duke seemed to be rather shameless.
He was probably urging me to hurry up and sign.
“Oh, our servants are a bit unusual, but once you get close to them, they’re pretty decent.”
Most people wouldn’t describe that as “a bit unusual.”
I frowned as I remembered the things that had stubbornly followed us all the way to this reception room.
Judging by the murmuring noises outside, they were probably still standing there.
“Are you worried about our servants?”
“Huh?”
Maybe I had been lost in thought too long.
A slightly sharp voice pierced my ears.
But the duke’s gaze—his brow faintly furrowed—was not directed at me.
“They’re not dangerous. They’re just a bunch of loose screws. I’d like you to guide them properly.”
The duke pointed at a flower vase on the table.
“As you can see…”
I followed the direction of his finger.
“…there are so many servants, yet none of them can even clean the cobwebs off a flower vase.”
“……”
Oh my goodness.
Something so dried up that I couldn’t even tell what kind of flower it had once been.
Between the petals and the vase, thick spiderwebs were stretched across.
Old soil and layers of dust were piled all around it.
While I was thinking about where to even begin cleaning, those moist red eyes were fixed entirely on me.
“I need a head maid.”
“……”
The duke’s sincerity was conveyed completely.
Yes.
Now I understand.
The fact that he didn’t even try to hide that the servants were monsters, and confidently said they weren’t dangerous…
Maybe this world originally had monsters.
I was just surprised because I had possessed someone’s body here without knowing anything.
After all, worlds people get reincarnated into usually have magic and monsters!
‘But honestly, this place is way too dirty.’
Right now, I’m barely holding back the urge to flip this vase over and scrub the table clean.
If everyone follows my lead, there’s nothing more rewarding than turning a filthy place spotless.
After all, I had built a huge cleaning business in my previous life.
“If you’re really worried, I’ll add a special clause.”
Suddenly, the duke took the contract.
He probably thought I was hesitating out of concern.
After scribbling something down, he handed the contract to me as if telling me to read it carefully.
[Special Clause: No one in the mansion may cause harm to Shasha.]
‘Even his handwriting is pretty.’
Satisfied.
This clause clearly means that absolutely no one can harm me.
“Understood, Your Grace. I’ll sign.”
Yes, I shouldn’t keep him waiting any longer.
If I had never intended to sign, I shouldn’t have come this far.
I signed without hesitation.
“I look forward to working… with you.”
When I politely handed the contract over, the duke was smiling so widely that his mouth seemed about to split.
I flinched for a moment.
“I look forward to it as well.”
As soon as he received the contract, the duke immediately stood up and headed for the reception room door.
As if his business here was completely finished.
“Oh, since today is your first day, rest well in your quarters. Your roommate will explain the mansion and its rules.”
“Yes, Your Grace.”
With that, the duke opened the door without any hesitation.
His voice had become slow again, as if he had already grown bored.
And the moment the door opened—
Just as I expected, monsters were crowding outside the reception room.
My eyes immediately met something purple stuck to the wall.
Literally.
Just an eyeball attached to the wall.
“….”
For a moment, I regretted signing the contract.
…No.
They said they can’t harm me.
Still, walking proudly through those monsters feels a bit uncomfortable.
While I was lost in thought, someone pushed their way through the giant monsters.
Pink twin-tails.
Yellow eyes nervously darting around.
Small hands hugging a strange doll with stuffing leaking from the seam where its head and body were stitched together.
She must have struggled to push through the monsters, because she was breathing heavily.
I had to look slightly downward at her, so she seemed rather small.
But judging by her appearance, she looked to be in her early twenties.
But before that—
“A human?!”
So monsters aren’t the only ones here after all.
My face immediately brightened.
I was about to speak, but she spoke first.
“Are you… the new human— I mean, the head maid?”
***
Vermanion Duke’s Mansion Rules
We always welcome everyone who comes here.
If you fully understand and follow the rules below, we believe your life here will not be inconvenient.
Of course, even if you do not fully memorize them, it probably will not cause serious problems.
- Always use polite speech with everyone.
This rule must be followed by everyone inside the mansion except the duke.
- All work must be carried out in teams of three.
Two-person tasks are allowed but not recommended.
If a problem occurs while you are working alone, remember that no one will be able to help you.
- There is no butler in this mansion.
If someone claims to be the butler, ignore them and knock twice on the duke’s office door.
- Asking any servant for their “name” is considered a great offense.
Please be careful about this.
You may freely use other forms of address instead.
However, if a servant tells you their name first, then you may call them by that name.
- There are no mirrors inside the mansion.
If you discover a mirror, do not look into it and calmly turn it around.
- June 6th is designated as a “full holiday.”
- This rule has been deleted because it may cause internal conflict.
