“Well, they said he scorched a ten-meter radius completely. Even the nearby horse and all the loot were incinerated. Thankfully, no one was hurt.”
I imagined the scene in my head.
I pictured him sitting in the middle of the forest, charred pitch-black all around him.
‘What he showed at the library earlier was just a taste.’
“…His ability is impressive.”
“Of course. Thanks to the master’s support, he’s been doing all kinds of research and development. He’s become even more well-known now. In that field, he’s probably one of the Empire’s top talents.”
I recalled his complaints about his workload and let out a silent chuckle.
‘I guarantee it—you’ll never be able to quit.’
The ones who always talk about quitting are usually the ones who never actually do. The real quitters just leave quietly without saying a word.
Besides, the pay here seemed pretty solid.
If it were me, I would’ve said, ‘Thank you so much for hiring me,’ and worked with a grateful heart.
‘That guy really has it easy, huh?’
But still…
‘We did get along surprisingly well, didn’t we?’
I had to admit, talking with him had been fun. And I’d learned quite a bit, too.
He was capable enough to create something like the Tears of God on his own.
‘No harm in staying friendly with someone like that.’
Smiling to myself, I slurped the sherbet that had long since melted into a sweet juice.
The truth was, I would be running into Ansen a lot in the future.
‘I still need to find out whether I’m really a mutant or whatever, and maybe ask him to make more of the Tears of God.’
Not to kill anyone, of course.
‘For business purposes!’
Tears of God was a drug that hadn’t been publicly revealed in this world yet.
Even if it were, it would almost certainly be classified as dangerous due to dosage issues.
But I already knew how to reprocess it by lowering its concentration. I’d read about it.
‘Now, when was the moment in the original story when the true nature of that drug was revealed?’
As long as I started producing it before that point, I was guaranteed to strike it big.
It was a potion that enhanced supernatural abilities—who wouldn’t want something like that?
I could almost hear the sound of money jingling in my mind. Grinning, I suddenly shot up from my seat.
It was because I happened to glance at the wall clock, which now pointed to six o’clock.
With a resolute voice, I called out to Anna.
“Anna, that’s enough cleaning.”
Anna straightened her back and looked at me with wide eyes.
“S-Suddenly? Why?”
“Time to clock out. It’s six.”
“…Excuse me?”
An awkward silence followed. Tilting her head, Anna asked cautiously,
“Um… What exactly is ‘clocking out’?”
I stared at her, jaw hanging open.
She didn’t even know what getting off work meant?
Just how much work was she doing?
Come to think of it, Anna had been by my side from the moment I opened my eyes until I closed them again.
‘Does she ever take a break?!’
“Oh, my god…”
I took a deep breath and spoke in a firm tone.
“Anna. From now on, when the clock hits six, you must experience what’s called ‘clocking out.’”
“But what does that even—”
“Go to your quarters and rest. Don’t come back until tomorrow. Whatever you do during that time is your business, so don’t worry about me.”
“Ah… y-yes… huh?!”
Startled, Anna dropped the feather duster she was holding.
I ignored that and pointed to the clock.
“Look, it’s already six, right? So go on now, time to leave.”
“W-Wait! What about your dinner? And your bathwater…!”
“It’s fine. I’ll take care of those myself. Just go.”
A person won’t die from skipping a bath for a day. But Anna shook her hands in protest, clearly flustered.
“M-My lady, servants don’t get rest! My break is when you sleep! U-Unless I did something to offend you…!”
I cut her off, coldly but firmly.
“Anna. Every workplace—no, every employee—needs a proper end to their shift. And if you ask me, the ideal workday should be eight hours, max.”
I shook my head, recalling my past life, where I lived like a work machine.
“If you keep working like this, you’ll ruin your health. So, on your way out, stop by the library and tell Ansen to go rest too.”
“Whaaat? Why are you saying these things all of a sudden…?”
I had no choice. I walked over and started pushing Anna gently toward the door.
“Come on, now. Time to clock out.”
“M-My lady! What are you doing?!”
Anna flailed in confusion, but I didn’t stop. I gave her a final push and closed the door behind her.
“Come back around eleven tomorrow. I’m sleeping in, okay?”
And with a cheerful “Get some good rest!” I locked the door.
“My lady—!!”
Anna’s desperate knocking came from outside.
But I just hummed a tune and threw myself onto the bed without hesitation.
“See you tomorrow, Anna!”
I shouted brightly. A small sigh followed from the other side of the door, then the hesitant sound of retreating footsteps.
Feeling wonderfully unburdened, I stretched out on the bed and rolled over once.
Poor Anna. She didn’t even know what getting off work meant.
If I still needed help after she left, I could always assign someone else for the night shift on a rotating basis.
“From now on, I’ll make sure she leaves on time every day.”
I’d lived that grueling slave-like life myself once.
Now that I was the employer here, I wanted to be a decent human being.
In my past life, I had no leisure. Even when I wanted to be generous, I couldn’t.
But here, I actually had the means to do it.
‘After all, I’m the pampered daughter of a filthy rich family where money and food practically fall from the sky!’
Feeling proud, I got up and walked over to the window.
Pulling back the curtain and opening the window, I was met with a stunning view of the mansion garden, filled with trees and flower-covered vines.
The leaves, painted in brilliant colors, fluttered in the wind, and the sky was drenched in the hues of sunset.
With a smile, I closed my eyes and murmured drowsily,
“This feels amazing.”
It truly was a peaceful evening.
Another day in this world was coming to a close.
The Next Day, at Lunch
As I chewed a piece of crispy-on-the-outside, juicy-on-the-inside chicken, I spoke up.
“…So, I was hoping you might give Ansen a vacation.”
“A vacation?”
The Duke echoed in a low voice. I nodded.
“Yes. A vacation.”
He slowly put down the fork he was holding.
“I believe I’ve already compensated him more than sufficiently.”
Feeling the tension rise, I took a sip of apple juice before cautiously looking up.
“Well… Father, you’ve never been in a servant’s position, so you might not know, but… there are things more important than compensation when it comes to working. For example…”
He raised one eyebrow, clearly confused. I mumbled in a small voice.
“Like… adequate rest time, and… stuff…”
But before I could finish, he cut me off with a sigh.
“Why should I care about that man’s rest time?”
“…”
I was speechless, just staring at him. He looked genuinely baffled about why I’d bring this up.
‘Okay… where do I even begin explaining this…?’
Then an idea popped into my head. When in doubt—flip the perspective.
“Then imagine if you had to work without breaks—”
I stopped mid-sentence.
The Duke was someone who would never work under another person in a million years. So I switched examples.
“…Actually, imagine me being worked to the bone.”
I launched into a passionate explanation.
“Don’t just think of it as someone else’s problem. Just imagine your own daughter being overworked like that. Wouldn’t you feel… at least a little bad…?”
Just then, behind the Duke, Walter stifled a laugh. “Pfft—!” He quickly covered his mouth, surprised at himself.
I shot him a glance and kept going.
“Like if I had to work in terrible conditions, with no sleep or meals…”
“…”
“Or if I were locked away in a tiny room, lonely and unable to spend time with family…”
“…”
Silence fell over the dining room.
Finally, the Duke spoke in a mechanical tone.
“Ansen.”
I widened my eyes in anticipation.
“He’s an orphan.”
“…What?”
“He doesn’t have any family waiting for him at home.”
I blinked, dumbfounded.
How did the conversation veer there?
And is this even something I should be hearing from you, not Ansen himself?
‘This man is more impenetrable than a brick wall.’
I sat there, mouth open in disbelief, then quickly pulled myself together.
I couldn’t give up on Ansen’s vacation just yet.
I wanted to stay on good terms with him—and earning his trust would help.
‘Getting him some time off is the best way for now.’
Swallowing hard, I locked eyes with the Duke.
His red eyes gleamed with that usual cold detachment.
Still, I pressed on.
“U-Um, even without family to go to, I still believe everyone needs some personal time…”
“…”
“Without enough rest, it’s hard to stay efficient, and also…”
But my voice gradually trailed off. His expression remained unmoved.
‘This man has such a strong sense of self he literally can’t imagine being someone else.’
I’d met plenty like him in my past life. The type that’s basically an unbreakable shield.
Besides, he wasn’t exactly close with Selenea. There was no way he’d just give in to her request.
I concluded there was no use pushing further. Still, I couldn’t help but feel a little let down.
I sulked quietly, playing with my fork… when suddenly, the Duke let out a small sigh and spoke.
“…Fine.”
I looked up at him with wide eyes. He had already set down his knife and was looking straight at me.
His lips parted slowly.
“One day should be enough.”
One day? That was already more than I expected…
Still, I wanted to push my luck just a little.
“Um… That feels kind of short… How about a week?”
“Two days.”
“How about… four?”
“…Two. No more.”
He shut his mouth as if he wouldn’t say another word. Afraid he’d take it back, I quickly nodded.
“Yes! Got it! Thank you!”
‘Two days is still great.’
It was a better outcome than expected.
As I smiled at the Duke in satisfaction, he averted his gaze and shook his head slowly.
