Chapter 3
“Sorry… your voice was too quiet. I didn’t hear you.”
“Huh?”
When I leaned closer to listen, the girl jumped like a spring. She stepped back, clutching her doll and avoiding my eyes.
“S-sorry. I’m really shy with people… You’re the new Head Maid, right?”
“Ah, yes! That’s me!”
“I’ll… show you around the mansion. And… we’ll also be sharing a room.”
A roommate?!
And not a monster—an actual human?!
“Please take care of me!”
I couldn’t hide my excitement. I beamed and shouted with all my heart.
But the girl only gave a tiny nod, then led me out of the office.
Wow… she really is shy.
I felt a little awkward—though honestly, I didn’t have time to dwell on it.
Because the moment I stepped out, the monsters were waiting. Again.
‘……’
I forced myself to ignore them, staring hard at the back of my little pink-haired roommate.
Still… with dozens—hundreds—of eyeballs staring at me from every direction, ignoring them was impossible.
Why are they staring so much? Like I’m some rare animal at a zoo…
At least this time, unlike when she came in earlier, the path was clear. The monsters moved aside as we passed.
Watching her small frame lead the way through those terrifying creatures, one thought crossed my mind:
How can such a timid girl live here, surrounded by this?
Maybe that meant the monsters really weren’t dangerous.
And hey—if they could stare at me, I could stare right back.
Besides, I had that special contract clause to protect me.
So I looked around boldly, searching for more humans in the crowd.
…But my hopes shattered.
Nope. Just monsters.
“Um… are there any other humans here?”
My sudden question made my roommate’s yellow eyes go round.
“Huh? Ah—yes. The head chef is human. But it’s very rare for humans to work here.”
I see. So the Duke just has… unusual taste.
Still, that was a relief. At least three of us: me, my roommate, and the chef.
***
The mansion was huge, of course. Which meant cleaning would be endless. And, as expected, it was way dirtier than I imagined.
After the tour, we reached the dormitory.
My roommate sat me down and handed me a paper.
“You must follow these rules. If you have questions, you can ask me.”
For the first time, she looked me straight in the eye.
It was the “Vermanion Mansion Rules.”
But honestly…
“This looks totally suspicious!”
“P-please calm down!”
I’d leapt to my feet, shouting. She trembled and clutched my sleeve nervously, like she thought I might tear the paper apart.
Did I really look that scary? I wasn’t even that type of person…
I sighed, sat back down, and forced myself to read carefully.
Rule 1: Speak politely to everyone. Okay, fair enough.
But Rule 2…
“All work must be done in groups of 2 or 3. If you work alone, no one can help you if something goes wrong.”
“…What does this mean?”
She told me I could ask anything, so I pointed to Rule 2.
Surprisingly, instead of hesitating, she pulled her chair closer and explained eagerly.
“Oh, it means you must never work alone.”
“…Huh?”
Her big sparkling eyes said it like it was obvious.
That’s… exactly what I just asked.
“If you work alone, you might go missing. And no one would know.”
“…Oh. Right. Got it.”
That sounded… terrifying. But fine. I decided then and there: I would always work in pairs or trios.
I kept asking about other rules. She answered kindly each time.
I even wrote notes in another sheet:
- Rule 3: “There is no butler here.” → Because… there isn’t one. (?)
- Rule 4: “Don’t ask anyone’s name.” → Everyone is too proud to give their name. (?) Weird.
- Rule 5: “There are no mirrors here. If you see one, don’t look. Just turn it around.” → No need to worry, except maybe in the Duke’s room. (???)
Honestly… none of it made sense. The more I learned, the more confused I got.
Did I fall for another scam, like with that 5 million salary?
No, no. I had escaped that scumbag Baron Armond. I had to believe this was better.
Still, my eyes grew wet with frustration as I shoved the rules and notes into a drawer.
I dragged myself to the bed and collapsed.
“…It’s fine. I have that contract clause. No one can hurt me…”
“Huh? What clause?”
“Wah!”
I nearly jumped.
When had she gotten so close? One second ago she was across the room, now she was right beside my bed, staring at me with wide curious eyes.
I told her anyway:
“Oh, before signing, I had the Duke add a special clause. That no one in the mansion can harm me.”
“R-really?”
“Yes.”
Why was she so shocked?
Wait… did she not have that clause in her contract?
Her face grew pale. She muttered rapidly under her breath, words I couldn’t make out.
“…watching… no idea… don’t… think…”
“Uh… what?”
Suddenly, she whipped her head toward me. I flinched.
“You said ‘harm,’ right?”
“…Yes?”
“Then that’s… bad.”
“Huh??”
Her expression darkened. She frowned deeply, hugging her ripped doll tighter and tighter… before finally nodding to herself.
That doll… I really can’t ignore it forever. Tomorrow, after work, I’ll ask about it.
For now, I needed sleep.
Then I realized something: I still hadn’t introduced myself!
How could I forget something so basic after asking so many questions?
I held out my hand.
“My name’s Shasha.”
“…!”
Thud.
For the first time, she dropped her doll.
Her yellow eyes widened so much I thought they might pop out.
I mean, sure, they’d told me servants here never share their names because of pride.
But still—this is just normal courtesy between humans.
She must’ve been touched. Poor thing.
Her yellow eyes trembled. Then her cheeks flushed bright red.
“M-my name is… Eki.”
Oh my gosh. Even her name is cute!
“Nice to meet you, Eki.”
“…Nice to meet you too, Shasha.”
I knew it instantly. We were going to be great friends.
I smiled happily at her—
And drifted off to sleep.
Which is why I missed it.
I didn’t see Eki’s black pupils narrowing into sharp slits.
