THDMC l CH 09

Chapter 9

The Duke’s room was surprisingly clean for how huge it was.

Maybe it just feels empty.

There was barely any furniture: a bed, a desk, a few drawers… Oh? What’s this?

Something large was covered by a black cloth. Unlike the other neat furniture, this cloth was thick with dust.

“Hm…”

That definitely looked like the messiest part.

But first, I’d clean everything else.

I set down the pile of cleaning tools I had lugged in and grabbed a fresh rag.

Bringing extra rags had been a brilliant choice.

Next time, I should get a proper container to carry my tools.

I was getting too used to using the monsters’ bodies as “tools.” Now using actual cleaning supplies felt strange.

Stop relying on shortcuts. Back to basics.

I rolled up my sleeves with renewed determination.

***

Alright, last part.

I had cleaned everything except the big black cloth.

Beside the bed, I had found a sword so long I couldn’t even hold it properly. A strange sticky liquid clung to it.

I scrubbed it as best I could.

Please don’t be blood…

But it wasn’t red. It was bluish, almost glowing.

Creepy, but fine.

Aside from that, there wasn’t much to clean. No clutter. Just dusting off furniture here and there. Honestly, it almost looked like no one used the room at all.

But that can’t be right.

I clapped the dust off my hands and turned to the black cloth.

Cough—dust rained down on me as I pulled it off. The cloth was taller than I was, and my head got showered in grime.

Still, I stayed calm, swept it all up, and tidied the floor.

Now, the real last part.

Whatever was under this cloth had to be important. Maybe this was why the Duke ordered me to clean his room.

I pulled the cloth away.

And froze.

“…!”

A mirror.

Warning bells screamed in my head.

Rule #5. There are no mirrors inside the mansion. If you find one, do not look at it. Turn it around immediately.

…I had forgotten.

That bizarre, nonsensical rule Eki had told me on my first day.

“You’ll never see mirrors in the mansion. Well, except sometimes in the Duke’s room… but you’ll never have to go there, so don’t worry.”

At the time, I’d brushed it off. Too many questions, too little energy.

But now? Of all places, there really was a mirror in the Duke’s room.

“Oh?”

Before I could even glance at it, darkness swallowed my vision.

As if something had blocked me completely.

Startled, I staggered back—straight into something hard.

“…Was there something here before?”

The room had been practically empty.

Yet when I bumped into it, chills shot down my spine. It felt like thousands of insects crawling over my skin.

I froze.

Then, a cold breath brushed my ear.

“Didn’t I tell you… not to look at the mirror?”

It was the Duke’s voice.

But not like before.

Not calm, not soft.

This voice was low, icy, enough to make my heart tremble in my chest.

“…M-my lord?”

So… the thing blocking my sight was his hand.

And the hard surface I’d hit was his body.

Yes, it had to be. His breath was steady on the top of my head.

But when had he come in? I hadn’t heard the door, not even a single footstep.

Thump, thump, thump—

My heart pounded. Because of all things, he’d caught me standing in front of the mirror.

“Did you look?”

“No! I didn’t see anything!”

“Truly?”

“Yes!”

I squeezed my eyes shut. How could I see, when he was covering me himself?

I felt like he was circling me slowly, though his hand never left my face. Maybe I was imagining it.

Wait… but is he even human?

“Shasha.”

“Y-yes?”

His tone was gentle again. The cold air from moments ago seemed to vanish.

Maybe he had decided I was telling the truth.

“What are you supposed to do if you see a mirror?”

“It… it said to turn it around.”

“Correct.”

Well, that meant I had to look at it in order to turn it.

Couldn’t he lower his hand?

Guess not.

Awkwardly, I groped for the mirror and heaved it backward, turning it around. It was massive, but I managed.

At last, light returned to my vision.

As I blinked against it, I saw clearly: yes, it really had been his hand covering me.

Such a large hand, blocking out light so completely…

I blinked again and saw the Duke standing in the room, arms crossed, surveying everything.

“Clean,” he said.

“….”

“Good work. You may go.”

“Yes, my lord!”

Phew—just hearing that made all the tension drain out of me.

Having the employer suddenly walk in while I was working? Of course I’d be nervous.

At least I’d stacked the cleaning tools neatly by the door.

I picked them up in my arms and headed out, when—

“You’re not afraid of me?”

The voice came from behind me. Cold, flat, without a hint of emotion.

I turned, startled. Did I hear him right?

The Duke tilted his head, watching me.

“…Sorry?”

“Never mind. Go.”

“Yes, my lord. See you tomorrow.”

I left, confused, and leaned against the hallway wall once the door was shut.

Not afraid of him?

Why would I be? What’s scary about the Duke?

He paid me well. He gave me extra pay. He provided a room and delicious meals.

And he was handsome, too.

The only odd thing was the mirror rule… Wait.

I realized something.

In this enormous mansion, I had walked through countless rooms in the past week. But I had never seen a single portrait or painting.

That was strange. Every noble house displayed portraits of themselves.

Even Baron Armond had plastered his smug face everywhere—huge paintings in every room and hallway.

So then…

The Duke must have trauma related to his face.

Yes, that explained it.

He looked fine—more than fine—but deep down, he believed himself ugly. That’s why he banned mirrors. That’s why there were no portraits.

A classic tragic backstory. The cursed Duke who thinks he’s a monster, hiding from his reflection.

Ding! A giant bell went off in my head.

It fit perfectly.

I slapped my forehead in awe at my own genius deduction.

But then a pang of sadness hit me.

What pain had scarred him so deeply?

To think someone so beautiful might be burdened by such sorrow…

Maybe it tied back to his parents. Or the Imperial family. A grand conspiracy.

Why else would he become Duke at such a young age? Why else were there no portraits of his parents either?

One suspicion led to another. I stroked my chin thoughtfully.

But in the end, I was just a head maid.

There was nothing I could do to help.

I was just a plain girl with black hair and brown eyes.

People said I was “pretty,” sure. But no hidden lineage, no secret past.

And I knew nothing of this world’s history.

…

Sigh.

I hugged my cleaning tools a little tighter and trudged away.

After some thought, I realized:

The only way I could help the Duke was by cleaning.

Yes. I’ll clean harder than ever!

He had already raised my salary and given me extra pay. The least I could do was repay him.

“Good morning, my lord!”

I flung open the office door with all the cheer I had.