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Shione, sitting arrogantly with her legs crossed, nonchalantly stared at the head maid across from her.

Always holed up in her room, only communicating through Herrel, she was the infamous playgirl of the Count’s House. The head maid, momentarily flustered by Shione’s grand entrance, quickly gathered her emotions.

Her poker face returned with a sharp gaze, giving her a slightly intimidating appearance. Nonetheless, Shione seemed to think that the head maid couldn’t do anything bad to her, slowly swaying her crossed legs, and spoke in a gentle manner.

“Head maid, I’ve come, but where’s my tea? This might take a while.”

A noble who desired respect without having done anything—there couldn’t be a more irritating character than that, yet she merely bowed her head and apologized.

“I apologize, Princess Shione. I will prepare it right away.”

As she fetched the teacup from the room, Shione began comparing the head maid in her memories to the one in front of her.

‘Black hair, sharp features. And for a woman, a rather low voice.’

She hadn’t talked much with the head maid or built any deep connections, so she didn’t know her habits, but her appearance was just as Shione remembered.

However, the swift movements and precise motions while preparing the tea confirmed that she possessed quite an impressive skill. After all, it wasn’t just anyone who could rise to the position of head maid.

“…I will serve the tea.”

“Hmm. Don’t just stand there; sit across from me.”

“Excuse me.”

Shione lifted her cup and inhaled the aroma of the tea.

It was not the sweet black tea Ray usually prepared with sugar, but rather a fragrant herbal tea that tickled her nose.

Thud.

Shione set the cup down without taking a sip.

“Herbal tea, huh.”

“Yes, I used high-quality tea leaves, so even if it was made quickly, it should be satisfactory for a simple drink.”

“Really? That’s unfortunate.”

“Unfortunate, you say?”

“I don’t drink herbal tea, you see.”

“……”

The head maid’s expression seemed to scold Shione as if it were absurd for the head maid to not know the dietary habits of her clan.

Even after she put in the effort to brew the tea, it turned out like this. Sticking to her atrocious attitude, Shione was clearly ready to scold anyone who laid eyes on her. Yet, the head maid only wavered briefly upon Shione’s entrance, recovering her composure and quietly observing Shione before gently speaking.

“May I ask what brings Princess Shione to this place?”

The head maid inquired as Shione’s unexpected visit and disruptive behavior were clearly out of the ordinary.

“I was attending to the tasks given by the Head of the Family… but if Princess Shione is in no hurry, it may be best for me to fulfill the Head’s orders first.”

Having Ainel Shianella at her back, she had enough authority to demand a reason from Shione. It was as if she was pushing her to quickly drink her tea and get out by selling the Head’s name.

Upon hearing that question, Shione wiped the gentle and arrogant atmosphere away and began to look at the head maid with a cold expression.

“Head maid. I came here myself, a person who usually doesn’t bother to step outside my room. Do you think I came here without any reason?”

The atmosphere shifted instantly.

The head maid was unable to hide her panic under Shione’s pressure.

The amount of agitated mana around Shione was considerable. The threat that even Shione herself couldn’t control was enough to trigger the head maid’s survival instincts.

“Previously, Herrel met with you. But why is it that after she spoke with you, there were blue bruises on her body?”

Shione swiftly sharpened her senses to detect the magic around the head maid.

In this trial, sensing mana from specific individuals was exceedingly difficult. Yet, if she stirred emotions like this, perhaps she could perceive something.

“Stop rolling your eyes and answer me, head maid. Herrel has already confessed to the injury she received from you.”

“That is—”

“She wouldn’t have touched my devoted maid like a ‘demon,’ would she?”

The mention of “demon” made the head maid visibly shudder.

However, considering that she was already in a position of pressure, it wasn’t clear whether she flinched at the two syllables or if she trembled because she felt her crime had been uncovered.

“…I simply caught Herrel when she was about to fall, and that’s how it happened.”

“Can you swear there’s not a single lie in that statement?”

“I swear there is.”

Herrel, who sincerely swore, linked her statement with conviction.

Nevertheless, Shione wasn’t foolish.

“I’ll choose to believe you. But if something like this happens again…”

She could easily discern any lies mixed into the head maid’s words.

“Then it’s game over.”

*

Having died and become a slave was frustrating enough to drive one mad.

But now, my master, formerly a lunatic, had finally lost her mind completely.

‘Why is she acting this way when she looks just fine?’

Shione, who wanted to resolve everything outside her room, was struggling to fit the dots together, while Herrel desperately tried to help her act like a semblance of a person. Thanks to that, despite being a total mess, Shione managed to maintain a pleasant appearance.

However, the problem was that her behavior fell woefully short of matching her looks. Like an angry goblin, she would recklessly poke around here and there and eventually ended up arguing with her mother, the Head of the Family.

As a result, my master had become the hottest gossip topic in the Count’s House, even in the corners where nobles didn’t gather, her name could be overheard.

“Everyone, everyone. Did you hear that?”

“Are you talking about Princess Shione? That news has been spreading like wildfire lately.”

Oh great, here we go again.

How is it that those who can use mana are also so eager to gossip about nobles?

Even Shione, who usually acted casually, would probably not dare to say a word if she came across them face to face.

‘Such discussions are hardly worth eavesdropping on.’

These weren’t for Shione but for my own sake.

Lingering near where such stories circulate, only to end up sharing the same fate as them—no thank you. I reject any sense of collective responsibility born from servitude.

“No…! This time it’s about Herrel, the maid!”

However, this time, the subject had shifted.

Not Shione, who had been the hottest topic, but my senior, Herrel.

I slowed down my steps and focused on their voices.

“The head maid said that everything going on with Princess Shione is all due to Herrel stirring the pot…”

“Really?”

“Well, the head maid wouldn’t lie, right?”

Nonsensical drivel. I had an image of the Herrel I knew in my mind.

Let me just see the faces of those chattering away without a care. I casually turned my head to observe them.

Upon entering my view, I couldn’t help but question my own eyes.

‘What the hell is that?’

Faces grotesquely twisted.

While whispering with fearful voices, they emanated ominous vibes and shared negative feelings while chuckling—those weren’t people, but creatures in the shape of demons.

One of them suddenly turned to look at me.

“Oh, we have someone watching us.”

Countless eyes began to focus on me.

The den of demons. This place was definitely not safe.

“No way, can anyone here even understand Korean?”

I cursed audibly and quickly moved to evade the oncoming demons.

‘Why on earth are such monsters here?’

Claiming to be part of the kingdom’s Count House.

I had heard they were a noble family known for defeating demons to grow strong. So why were there demons comfortably roaming the mansion?

Fortunately, they oddly enough let me go without trouble, and I was able to escape to my personal room at last.

Click!

I locked the door and sorted out my thoughts.

“Why are there demons in the mansion—”

Just as I was about to voice the word “demon,” a crippling pain gripped my heart. It felt as though it were a word I couldn’t utter. The uncontrollable violence and coercion shook my body and mind.

With my tightly shut mouth, something spilled over, and as I wiped it with my hand, I discovered blood smeared across my palm.

‘Malicious rumors about Herrel. The head maid, and those maids who followed her.’

Ignoring the pain, I continued my thoughts.

‘Suddenly calling me a slouch, Shione is undoubtedly searching for those linked to Herrel.’

The keywords began to interconnect.

Shione mentioning the future. Along with that, unless I’ve gone mad, I had seen those demons. The reasons Shione was digging through those tied to the subject they were discussing.

‘Does Shione know everything? That’s why she told me to investigate Herrel.’

The conclusion I reached was that Shione was likely an ally, and

‘If Shione is an ally, she must be aware of this situation—’

At that very moment, in the midst of thinking about sharing information with Shione.

“Cough…!”

I could only vomit blood as the intense pain surged forth.

I can’t interfere with Shione any more than this. If I revealed to her what I had seen, she would surely see to it that I would be killed.

I needed to seek treatment quickly. Struggling to stand up and open the locked door, I was about to call for help when—

“Ray! Are you okay…!”

Herrel’s worried face was the last thing I saw before I lost consciousness.

 

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