Chapter 4
My eyes snapped open.
Good thing I’d pulled the curtains aside—otherwise I might’ve overslept.
Morning sunlight… no, wait.
What’s that?
A crow?
No, way too big. A giant bird so huge it covered the entire window.
It stared straight at me.
Then—SCREEEECH! A horrible scream tore at my ears as it flew off into the distance.
“…What the heck.”
I frowned. Memories of yesterday crept back.
Yeah.
It was all real.
I checked the servant-issued clock.
4:59 a.m.
Tick—
The second hand hit 12.
GUAAARGHHH—!!!
The wake-up alarm blared.
“…That’s the alarm? Sounds like someone dying.”
Who designs something like this?
I shut it off, pretending to be calm.
Anyway, today was my first day of work.
The contract said I had to stay at least six months. No backing out now.
I felt gloomy… but then looked to the side.
Eki was still sleeping peacefully, clutching her doll.
She didn’t even flinch at that awful alarm. She must’ve been here a long time.
‘That’s fine. I’ve got Eki with me.’
Thank goodness. Really.
I woke her, got ready quickly, and stepped out.
Work started at 6:30. Everyone should gather in the first-floor hall by 6:00, right?
But the place was empty.
“….”
I stood there with sleepy Eki at my side, waiting with my arms crossed.
6:10. 6:20. 6:30.
…7:00.
Finally, the monsters wandered in, lazy and slow.
They saw me waiting with a sour face, but only whispered among themselves, curious.
“Good morning, everyone.”
Clap!
I clapped my hands to get their attention.
Dozens of eyes snapped toward me. Still unnerving—but I had to stay confident. At least for six months.
One monster stretched out its arm like a whip until its eyeball-filled hand hovered right in front of my nose.
“….”
Creepy. But I couldn’t waste time. By now, we should already be working.
I’d planned everything yesterday.
“Let’s divide the chores.”
Back in my old life, assigning cleaning tasks was second nature.
***
I followed Rule #2: groups of three.
My team was me, Eki, and another servant.
Honestly, I brought Eki because I worried she’d cry if paired with other monsters.
‘Perks of being Head Maid, right?’
Work went smoothly—well, for me and Eki at least.
“Head Maid, I object to this task.”
The other servant spoke up.
He hadn’t touched the mop I’d prepared.
“…Didn’t I say? Once sweeping is done, just mop the floor.”
“But I can’t hold a mop. Look.”
“….”
The servant looked like a giant brown octopus.
A bulbous head puffed up angrily, and dozens of writhing tentacles hung where arms should be.
Right. With tentacles like that, how could he hold a mop?
I realized too late. He wasn’t mocking me. He was frustrated because I’d asked the impossible.
And the others? They were watching, snickering.
Their eyes weren’t on me. They were on his shiny bald head.
Oh no. Is this bullying?
Because of my mistake, it looked like I’d set him up.
If it continued, he’d start hating his own body… and me too.
No way. Not under my watch.
I studied those tentacles again. Then it hit me.
“…!”
I grabbed them and dunked them in the water bucket.
Splash, swish!
The tentacles soaked up water, then wrung themselves out like cloth.
Wait. These are… perfect. Better than a mop!
Soft, flexible, built-in movement—ideal for scrubbing.
I hugged the squirming tentacles in excitement.
“This is amazing! The best mop ever!”
Not exaggerating. As a former cleaning company CEO, I knew quality when I saw it!
“….”
The octopus’s head shriveled, his face wrinkling with shock.
Oops. Maybe I squeezed too hard.
Somewhere, a hiccup echoed.
“Anyway… let’s try cleaning with this.”
“…O-okay…”
He dragged his tentacles across the floor.
Swoosh, swoosh.
Wow. He was cleaning perfectly.
I almost let such a diligent worker get bullied!
I leaned closer and whispered:
“If anyone picks on you, tell me, okay?”
“!!!”
He jumped back like I’d threatened him.
…Wrong.
Now he probably thought I was trying to dominate him.
Great. More damage control for me.
I sighed and wiped my wet hands.
“Alright. Next…”
I glanced around.
The other monsters scattered. Pretending to work, of course.
But at least they weren’t teasing him anymore.
‘Good. That’s enough for today.’
I pulled out my rags and started polishing the windows.
At the far end of the hall, in the shadows, pale fingers brushed a marble windowsill.
The Duke.
His long lashes hid the emptiness in his red eyes.
He raised his finger slowly. Not a speck of dust.
A thin smile curved his lips. Or maybe split his face too wide.
Then he vanished into the shadows.
***
Back in the dorm, I scribbled in my diary:
[First Day Impressions.
Lots of cleaning. Good.
But the monsters are terrible at it.
I have so much to teach them.
Still… Seeing them improve is beautiful. (Not their looks.)
Also—the food is AMAZING.]
I tucked the diary away, smiling proudly.
Yes, the food.
I’d heard the chef was human, but wow. Today’s meals were divine.
At lunch, I ate like I hadn’t seen food in years.
At dinner, suspicious, I asked Eki:
“This isn’t just because it’s my first day, right?”
“No. It’s always like this. Otherwise… bad things happen.”
“…Ah. I see.”
So it wasn’t a special welcome.
Which meant—the Duke was truly kind.
Employing monsters, feeding them like nobles… He really was remarkable.
‘He must be someone great.’
That reminded me of something.
“Hey, Eki.”
“Y-yes?”
She jumped at her name. The doll slipped from her hands onto the bed.
“Could I borrow your doll for a while?”
“…Why?”
Her eyes sharpened for the first time. She hugged it tighter, glaring at me.
Wow. She really loved that thing.
I reached into my bag and pulled out a small box.
“Because I think I can fix it.”
“…Fix it?”
Inside were needles, thread, and cotton.
I grinned at her.
