THDMC l CH 01

Prologue

“Let’s see here.”

Arms folded, I looked over the three figures—no, the three monsters—lined up obediently before me.

…Though, was “monster” really the right word? They spoke, they thought. Calling them felt a little rude.

Still, I flipped through the notes I’d prepared, eyes scanning them one by one.

Specimen #1: Alex.
Approx. height: 4 meters. Arms and legs are disproportionately long.

Hmm. Not exactly useful right now.
Pass.

Specimen #2: Marina.
Transparent slime leaves sticky trails wherever it passes.

Too messy.
Pass.

Specimen #3: Farkan.
Humanoid form, forearms sharpen into bladed weapons.

“Oooh…”

My gaze lingered—not on his face, but on the edge of that gleaming blade. The moment I traced its length with my eyes, Farkan shivered as though I’d stripped him bare.

That long, sharp point…

Yes. Perfect.

“You there. Farkan.”

“M–me? M–mistress?!”

His eyes went wide, his own blade rising in disbelief to point back at himself. He looked almost desperate for me to say I’d made a mistake.

‘Nope. You’re the one.’

I rolled up my sleeves, eyes glinting, and announced, “I need your help.”

Before he could protest, I seized his arm and tugged him forward. No time to waste on small talk. With my prey firmly in hand, I turned and barked toward the other two:

“Alright then—back to your posts. Off you go.”

The towering giant and the dripping slime scurried off to complete the tasks I’d assigned earlier. Only when they’d completely vanished from sight did I pull Farkan closer to the window.

“W–wait—”

He didn’t resist much. Step by step, I maneuvered his trembling arm until the edge of his blade slotted neatly between the window frame.

Perfect fit.

“Just as I thought.”

I guided his blade in a clean sweep along the groove. Dust that had been wedged there for who-knows-how-long came peeling out in one flawless stroke.

See? Thin, sharp, absolutely ideal.

Chapter 1

“Shasha. I heard today is your last day here.”

“Yes, that’s right, Baron Armond.”

The Baron’s thick finger, with a jewel-encrusted ring, held the teacup handle.

That handle.
When I cleaned it, there seemed to be so much empty space.

But his hand makes it look so cramped.

Sip—

As the cup slowly touched and left his lips, I clenched my hands tightly on my lap.

I had to resist the sudden urge to wipe away the tea dripping from his greasy mouth.

“Why are you quitting?”

“I think I’m not good enough to keep working at Baron Armond’s estate. I want to go out and learn more.”

There’s nothing to learn in being a maid.
It was just a polite way of saying I want to leave.

Not that the Baron would ever understand.

“Your wage was… one million francs a month, right?”

“…Yes, Baron.”

Hello, conscience? Still alive in there?

One million francs was just barely enough for a single person to live on for a month.

I gave him a sharp look without realizing it, but honestly, I didn’t even want to answer.

When I woke up in this world, I was already working as a maid here, without even a proper contract.

And that “one million francs” pay?
He deducted wages for every break, every meal, and even charged rent for the maid’s quarters.

And the “paid leave” he bragged about? It was actually unpaid.

But… well, whatever. I’m leaving, so I’ll let it go.

“I’ll raise it to 1.2 million.”

Ha. Funny.

Actually, not funny at all.

“I’m sorry, Baron.”

The Baron’s eyes widened. He had that ‘I gave you more, why aren’t you happy?’ look.

I forced a smile so I wouldn’t frown.

If he really wanted to keep me, he should’ve thought about why I’d leave in the first place.

He spread all five fingers like he was getting desperate.

“Fine, 1.5 million!”

“I’m sorry.”

Go on, keep shouting numbers. I’m not staying.

Everyone else here only worked halfheartedly for their pay.
I was the only one polishing and scrubbing until everything shone.

Because of that damned… leftover occupational habit!

In my past life, I was the young CEO of a successful cleaning company.
I had even saved up almost enough to buy my own house—
Until I got dragged into this world.

Still, thanks to that, when I went shopping for cleaning supplies here, I saw the job notice at the Duke’s estate.
Took the test. Got hired.

So in the end, it worked out.

So really, thanks for pushing me this way, Baron.

While I was lost in thought, the Baron’s face turned red.
He looked like an angry toad.

“Where are you getting hired that makes you reject even 1.5 million?! I was spoiling you just because you cleaned a little better, and now you—now you dare, a mere maid?!”

“The House of Duke Vermanion.”

“…What?”

The Baron, who had just been shouting, suddenly shrank back.

But the spit he sprayed while yelling was still all over the table.

Ugh. Disgusting.

My eyes kept going back to the dirty table.

Honestly, I should just leave it alone. I’m not even his maid anymore.

But…

Sigh.

This damned habit.

I pulled out two neatly folded clothes and a small spray bottle from my pocket.

Spritz spritz—

I sprayed the liquid twice, wiped with the damp cloth, then again with the dry one.

Perfect.

The table was spotless again. I smiled proudly.

Then I looked up…

And saw the Baron, mouth hanging open, just staring at me.

…Oh, right.
I was in the middle of quitting.

Ahem. Where was I?

Ah, yes. You never spoiled me.

“The Duke offered me 5 million francs a month. He only asked me to demonstrate some cleaning during the interview.”

“…”

“And I was hired as Head Maid.”

How about that?

The Baron definitely wouldn’t try to keep me now.

For 5 million, he’d rather hire three maids at 1 million each and use the rest on his luxuries.

“Th-the Duke of Vermanion…”

The Baron trembled and covered his mouth, clearly overwhelmed.

He must have finally realized how big that amount really was.

“Then, I’ll take my leave. Thank you for everything, Baron.”

…Thank you, my ass.

It was dirty working here, and I never want to see your face again.

Armond, Almond, whatever your name was.

I bowed, determined never to look at him again, and left the parlor.

My steps felt so light.

I clutched the black envelope the Duke himself had handed me—the contract inside—
And thought back to the interview.

***

The Duke’s estate.

Even for just hiring maids, the process was thorough.

The staff led applicants one by one into separate rooms, without saying a word.

That alone felt… classy.

The odd part? You had to clean the empty room alone, then leave.
The next day, a letter would arrive with your result—pass or fail.

Of course, I passed.

The final stage was an interview with the Duke himself.

My first impression?

…Unforgettable.

When the parlor door opened, a light breeze blew in, scattering his silver hair.

Those red eyes, bored and unfocused, looked at me—
And I forgot how to breathe.

“Greetings, my lord Duke.”

“Sit.”

His voice was flat. No tone at all.

He was the most mesmerizing, beautiful person I had ever seen since arriving in this world.

I struggled not to gape like an idiot, thankful that his gaze quickly moved to my résumé.

“Where have you worked before?”

“I’m currently employed at Baron Armond’s manor as a maid.”

“I see.”

Just a small reply. Hard to tell if he was interested or not.

But the moment I stepped inside this room, I’d already decided:
I had to work here.

“I really wish to work here.”

“Any particular reason?”

“Because this place is just…”

“Just?”

I took a deep breath. Calm down.

But I couldn’t hold it in.

“…Too dirty. Even this very parlor!”

I hadn’t meant to blurt it out, but I did.

I should’ve noticed earlier—from the fingerprints on the doorknob.

Yes. What shocked me most when I entered wasn’t the Duke’s beauty.

It was the window behind him.
Not clear, not transparent.
So filthy it looked frosted.

That was the real shock.

I drifted to the window like I was under a spell.

Oh my god.

Up close, it was worse.

Water streaks. Everywhere.

“W-who cleaned this? How could they leave so many water stains?!”

The closer I looked, the angrier I got.

Might as well have not cleaned it at all.

Everyone knows:
You wring the cloth at least five times until nearly dry,
Then wipe again with a dry one.

That’s basic. Basic!

But here? Clearly, someone just smeared a wet rag around once and called it done.

Unforgivable.

I clenched my fists.

I have to clean this.

If I ignored it, I’d dream about these streaked windows for days.

Good thing I always carried cleaning clothes in my bag.

I rolled up my sleeves. Wet cloth on the left, dry cloth on the right.

Ready.

I breathed out slowly and began wiping the first window.

…And immediately fumed.

“They didn’t even clean the corners?!”

Whoever did this… They only swiped the middle lazily, then took their pay and left?

Shameless.

“Don’t they even have a Head Maid here? Who checks this?!”

If only I’d brought a scraper for the window frames!

I muttered and scrubbed through three or four windows before I realized—

…Wait.

This was supposed to be an interview.

Oh no.

“…Hired.”