Chapter 6
The assassin’s body crumbled along with the blood that dyed the air red. It was an instant death, not even leaving room for a scream.
‘Did I succeed?’
Of course, my own body wasn’t unscathed. He might’ve been a novice, but he was still an assassin.
‘I got cut.’
Sensing something, he twisted and aimed for my leg. I dealt with him regardless, but I ended up getting grazed. My skirt was torn, and blood dripped from my thigh.
‘This isn’t too bad.’
After checking, I figured the wound would heal in a week. Now wasn’t the time to worry about that. I glanced over discreetly. The child stirred briefly, then fell back asleep.
‘Doesn’t seem like he woke up.’
After watching him for a moment, I turned my body. Grabbing the collar of the assassin lying like a broken doll, I dragged him toward the balcony. I managed to throw him out and assessed the situation.
There was a mountain of things to clean up.
It was mentally exhausting just to look at the scene. Blood was splattered everywhere—it would take at least half a day to clean it all.
‘I’ll… clean it tomorrow.’
If I did it now, the child would definitely wake up. Tonight, I’d just straighten the blanket and step out. I could throw a rug over the floor and deal with the blood that had splashed on the ceiling later.
The assassin would take care of himself just being left out there.
‘That’s a relief, at least.’
If the child had seen it, it wouldn’t have just been a problem—it would’ve been a disaster. Thankfully, he was deep in―
“……”
I couldn’t finish the thought. My body froze, and I couldn’t even breathe. He had definitely been asleep.
Then why… were his eyes, bright like a full moon, staring at me?
“Miss Maid?”
The child looked around and locked eyes with me. Then his head dropped under the blanket he had been using.
“T-This is…”
He saw the vivid red of blood. The child’s eyes shook violently, over and over.
“Blood…”
“I heard something while passing by.”
I threw out an excuse. I had heard something from the room and checked inside, only to find an assassin. The assassin tried to kill me, but luckily, I took care of him first. That’s why I was cleaning up now.
I tried my best to explain, but—
‘Yeah, he’s not buying it.’
Not a chance.
Though he nodded, his eyes were still full of suspicion.
“A-Are you okay?”
“Ah, yes, I’m fine.”
“No, I mean, you… you killed someone…”
Only then did it hit me. Right now, to anyone watching, I was someone they had to be wary of.
‘I’m way too calm for someone who just killed a man.’
This wasn’t the kind of reaction a person would normally have after being forced to commit murder. At first, I’d completely fallen apart.
I think I locked myself in a room for a week. I never imagined I’d end up killing anyone. I was nearly driven mad by hallucinations and voices.
‘When was that again?’
It was a past I could barely recall. If you do anything long enough, you get used to it. Now, I didn’t feel much when killing. If I let myself be shocked every time, how could I stay sane?
“Ah, you must’ve been so surprised. It was scary.”
I belatedly covered my face as if I were shocked. But it was too late. The child’s eyes narrowed. Suspicion was now certainty.
I was screwed.
Far from killing the child, I’d only earned his suspicion.
* * *
Dragging out this disadvantageous situation would only make things worse. I had to kill the child as soon as possible. Maybe it was the system, but the timing was always off.
Every time I tried at night, an assassin appeared. If I poisoned his tea, the cup would shatter. If I tried to catch him while changing his clothes, he’d always turn his head at the perfect moment.
‘At this point, it’s basically impossible.’
Killing the child to die myself—it was too simple a plan. I didn’t want to give up, but my hope was steadily fading.
Despite all my resolve to kill, time passed quickly. Even the wound from the assassin’s blade had completely healed. Now I was starting to worry whether I would be the one to die.
That’s when I remembered a long-forgotten event.
“The Madam called for me?”
“Hurry, she told me to bring you right away.”
Without any care for my opinion, the maid grabbed my wrist roughly. The Duchess often summoned me like this, the protagonist’s maid. Her intentions were always obvious.
Dragged along, I soon stood before an extravagant door. Completely different from the worn and peeling one in the child’s room.
The inside was the same—filled with a subtle floral scent and decorated with jewels and gold.
“So you’re that maid. Come here, dear.”
At her beckoning, I moved slowly. Silky beige hair and golden eyes. A woman with a pure and elegant appearance—she looked like a lily.
Leticia Tritia. Duchess of House Tritia.
She looked far too innocent to be a villainess. Maybe the game was aiming for a twist, but the gap was just too much.
‘I know now how wicked she really is.’
Falling for that appearance would be the end. I lowered my eyes, hiding my thoughts.
“You’re that child’s maid?”
“I began working recently.”
“Hmm…”
She looked me over openly. Leticia smiled faintly, hiding her dark intentions.
“It must be difficult, serving that child.”
“It’s an honor to serve him.”
“What a… commendable attitude. You’re a commoner, correct?”
“Yes.”
Usually, a commoner could never become a personal maid. But Leticia deliberately assigned a commoner to the protagonist. That alone showed how much she disdained him.
‘Though it’s not like any noble would want the job either.’
All the maids before me had died. Some of them were nobles, but that made no difference. It was a job where you entered and came out dead. Who’d want that? A commoner would only do it for their life’s worth in coin.
Leticia lightly tapped her lips, as if thinking. Her golden eyes curved kindly.
“If you’re a commoner, this must be difficult. I understand—I was once like you.”
The same old tale. The baron’s daughter who married into a duchy like Cinderella. She was still a noble, though. I forced a touched expression anyway.
‘“The Madam understands the life of a commoner!”’ Something like that. I didn’t know if it worked, but Leticia seemed convinced.
Her smile deepened. She motioned to the waiting maid.
Thud. A heavy pouch landed on the table.
“Would you help me with something, dear? Only you can do this. I’ll reward you handsomely.”
She flicked her nail over the pouch. It was full of gold coins.
A single coin was worth about a million won. Tempting even for someone not a commoner. Not for me, though.
‘As if I’d take it.’
Still, I pretended to be surprised. I stared at the pouch with trembling eyes.
“What is this?”
“It’s simple. Just mix this with some fruit.”
“Fruit?”
“Grapes would be good—something eaten separately.”
Next to the gold, there was a small glass vial. In short, she was ordering a poisoning. Anyone with a brain would understand.
“You must’ve had a hard life. Think of this as an opportunity.”
“But this is…”
“Isn’t it painful? Living with nothing, struggling every day.”
When I hesitated, she ran her silver tongue.
“If you do this one thing well, you’ll live in comfort forever.”
“…Still.”
“You don’t have to be afraid. You’re just doing what must be done.”
She was clearly skilled—probably had many maids brought to her like this.
‘I bet a lot of them fell for it.’
If I took the bait, I’d just end up dead.
There was a time I almost gave in when I was completely broken. I barely snapped out of it just before feeding the poison. Barely avoided death.
The protagonist would always survive and punish the villain—standard cliché. In this case, the villain was Leticia, and her order to poison him was the trap. If I followed it, I’d die.
‘I have to refuse.’
Unaware of my thoughts, Leticia nudged the pouch of gold.
“It’s your choice. But remember this.”
Her eyes curved like a snake bearing poison.
“That child can’t save you—but I can.”
If I didn’t already know how rotten she was, I might’ve believed her.
She wasn’t pressuring me—just offering up tempting bait. Everyone has a price. She knew that better than anyone.
‘Gold means nothing when you’re dead.’
That didn’t apply to me anymore. After dying so many times, even greed had faded. Still, I couldn’t refuse outright. So I took the vial and left.
‘As if I’d actually go through with this.’
I didn’t want to invite death myself. I stared at the closed door for a moment and examined the vial. It was colorless and scentless. Odorless, tasteless poison.
She always used the same one. I’d fallen victim to it more than once. A deadly poison with a high fatality rate.
“What should I do with this?”
If the child found it while I hid it, it’d be over. But I couldn’t just toss it anywhere, either.
Disposing of it was too tricky, and I couldn’t decide. The unexpected opportunity came a few days later.
* * *
Even the next day, I couldn’t find a good way to get rid of it. I’d hidden it inside the bed, so it should be safe—but I still felt uneasy.
“Young Master, I’m coming in.”
Feeling grim, I knocked around the time the child usually woke up. But there was no sound from inside.
“Young Master?”
Strange. He usually rushed over to open the door…
I knocked for a long while, but there was still no response. In the end, I couldn’t wait any longer and flung the door open.
