ITMHIAM 09

Chapter 9

“Pardon?”

I was at a loss. Could it be that the servants of a duke’s household were expected to know the etiquette of high society as well?

Trying to hide my slight tension, I answered calmly.

“No, not at all.”

Sir Pret frowned and looked at me silently. It seemed I really did have to learn the nobles’ etiquette.

I waited tensely for him to speak, but an unexpected reply came.

“I just naturally assumed you had already learned it.”

“Huh? What do you mean by that…?”

I blinked in confusion. Then Sir Pret handed me a contract stamped with the duke’s seal and said,

“Where did you learn such refined manners—your walk, your way of speaking, and all these everyday courtesies?”

Up to that point, I hadn’t realized why he was asking, so I took the contract and answered as if it were obvious.

“My father taught me.”

Sir Pret’s brows knitted even tighter.

So the kindly impression he had once given could turn into something like that. I was surprised again just then when he asked another question.

“Did your father have any ties with high society?”

“No, none at all.”

I shook my head slightly.

On the contrary, he was extremely reluctant to associate with nobles.

Trying to recall hazy memories, I continued.

“Oh, when I was little, a noblewoman would visit occasionally. But that was it. Father was an exceptionally ordinary man… But why do you ask such things?”

“It’s just that your noble-style etiquette is strangely perfect.”

“Huh…?”

I tried to understand the meaning of his words for a while, then just laughed it off, waving my hands.

“That can’t be. I’ve never even touched nobles’ hands.”

Of course, lately I had met your superior several times—I added with a little playful tone.

“Is that so…”

Sir Pret tilted his head and continued.

“You never know. Perhaps your father knew the etiquette of high society.”

“That might be true.”

I gave Sir Pret, who looked very puzzled, a mild agreement. He immediately softened his attitude.

“Of course, it may be just my narrow perspective.”

Anyway, since you said no, I won’t ask further. Sir Pret smiled gently and saw me off.

Crossing the courtyard surrounded by several buildings, we finally reached the main gate.

It’s really overwhelmingly large.

After looking over the fortress that couldn’t be taken in at a glance, I secretly stuck out my tongue and asked,

“By the way, is there no reason to ever go to the other annexes? Oh, it’s nothing, but no one gave me a separate guide.”

Sir Pret stared at me intently, so I hastily added as if making an excuse. Could it be that I wasn’t supposed to ask?

Luckily, the answer came quickly.

“You can enter most places. But except for the main residence, it’s best to avoid entering unless there are special instructions.”

“Understood. Then I’ll see you tomorrow, Sir Pret. Thank you for today.”

Just as I finished greeting and was about to leave the main gate—

“By the way.”

Sir Pret called me back.

“You’re a smart person, so I believe you’ll keep what I’ve told you.”

His voice was still gentle as before, but somehow it sounded chilling.

“No matter what, you must never set foot in the basement of the west annex.”

It was like a warning directed at me.

A week had already passed since I started working at the Schultz duke’s household.

The excitement from my first day had long disappeared.

“Sigh…”

I sat by the desk, sighing deeply, staring out at the withered lawn. Across it, the Schultz household servants were busily moving around.

‘I should have just asked to do some physical work instead.’

That would’ve been much easier on my mind.

But when the Duke Schultz offered me the job, I was still dazed and not nearly presumptuous enough to ask for anything.

I only thought about doing my best at the tasks assigned to me.

‘I really didn’t expect it to be only filing paperwork…’

I glared at the stacks of documents I had finished long ago.

When the piles neatly placed at the edge of the desk sometimes fluttered in the breeze sneaking through the window, it felt like they were mocking me.

In other words, it was unbearably boring.

The tasks I had at the duke’s household were very few.

I sat in my assigned office, sorting paperwork by date. It wasn’t as hard as Sir Pret had described.

Since I had organized far more documents while studying pharmacy, this was easy.

Because of that, my reputation among the servants was the worst.

On my first day, as I leisurely sipped tea by the window, I made eye contact with one of the servants.

“Miss Prim seems very much like a noble lady.”

In other words, they thought I was lucky, or rather, that I didn’t fit the servant class.

And that wasn’t all.

“You even have a private office.”

I was the only one assigned a private office. Knowing that, they were very taken aback.

I myself felt awkward receiving such a high wage for so little work, and tried several times to help other servants.

But every time, I got the same answer.

“No, we could never ask Miss Prim to do hard work. Of course not.”

Their voices were sharp, but their attitudes friendly to the point of confusion, making it hard to tell if they were sincere.

Soon, I painfully realized they had completely excluded me from their group.

“We could never dine with Miss Prim. Please allow us to step aside.”

Naturally, they didn’t invite me during meals or breaks.

Though I wasn’t expecting the same close bonds as those who shared the same room, I still hoped to get along somehow.

My father gave me love and kindness, but he absolutely forbade me from being close to anyone.

“Sigh…”

My expression stiffened a bit as I watched the servants playing around with a laundry basket woven from reeds.

When they noticed me, their expressions turned cold and stiff.

I got up and drew the curtains shut. The texture of the curtain at my fingertips felt unusually coarse.

Their behavior wasn’t exactly territorial bullying—I would have also found it unfair.

They must have felt uncomfortable that the pay was the same but the work so different.

And Sir Pret was still overly polite to me…

I begged him several times to treat me comfortably, but the answer was always the same.

“I’m used to it. I’m more comfortable this way.”

He said with a characteristic smiling face. It didn’t feel like he was forcing me, so I gave up.

At this point, there was only one way for me to work comfortably in this mansion.

I let go of the curtain.

I wasn’t sure if a mere servant could just meet the master as they pleased, but I thought it best to meet Duke Schultz first.

Meeting Duke Schultz was not difficult. When I asked Sir Pret, he readily agreed to make the request.

Passing down a long corridor, when I opened the door, the bitter scent of tobacco I had smelled at my father’s funeral tickled my nose first.

Between the arched walls were tapestries.

“Did you say you wanted to see me? Is there a problem?”

A gentle voice flowed from behind the ash wood desk in the middle of the room.

I folded the newspaper and stared at the man before me.

The duke’s appearance was sharper than I remembered.

Maybe because he helped me, but I didn’t think he looked so cold back then.

His face was emotionless but carried a faint boredom, typical of the rigid Dothilia navy officers, which strangely drew my gaze.

Because of that, I had no choice but to respond with a slightly stiff posture. Since he was now my employer, it was only natural to show proper respect.

Duke Schultz slowly straightened up in his office chair.

“I’ve heard from Pret that you do your work well.”

Meeting his gaze made my palms sweat repeatedly. Trying not to be nervous, I straightened my back and said,

“The problem is that there isn’t much work.”

“Is that a problem?”

His forehead furrowed. I nodded.

“The workload is far too little for the salary I receive. I have an obligation to work more. That’s the problem.”

A slight crack appeared in the duke’s expression. His eyebrows rose.

“An obligation?”

He slowly rolled the words around in his mouth. I felt a bit intimidated but continued.

“I’m also a servant here. Honestly, it’s a little uncomfortable. Other servants’ glances aren’t good.”

“……”