Episode 5: Entry Number One – Conquering Baizen (2)
It was three in the afternoon—too late to play, too early to do nothing.
But my mind was still a mess. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t sort out my thoughts.
I tapped my fingers on the floor, hoping some kind of idea would shake loose.
Nothing.
My head started to throb.
No matter how many ways I tried to approach the problem, I couldn’t figure out how to deal with Baizen.
Sure, I needed to keep working on changing the tone of the original story, just like I planned. But the real problem was figuring out how to break Baizen’s obsession with Odelia.
How did other heroines in romance-fantasy novels get rid of obsessive male leads, anyway?
…Ah, wait. They usually end up with the obsessive male leads. Damn it.
“Miss, would you like your afternoon tea?”
“…No, I can’t just sit here like this!”
I shot to my feet. Annie jumped back in alarm, but I wasn’t in the mood to worry about that.
“Annie!”
“Y-Yes?!”
“Isn’t there anything I can do?”
“…Pardon?”
Annie tilted her head in confusion.
My thoughts were a complete mess—no, more like my brain was on the verge of exploding.
I needed to do something to get my mind off it. But no matter how I tried, my brain kept drifting back to Baizen’s face and Odelia’s tragic future.
Sure, changing the genre was important, but breaking Baizen’s obsession came first.
And since I couldn’t focus anyway, my head was ready to burst.
“No more thinking. Just give me something to do.”
“Um, Miss?”
“Hold on a second, Miss.”
Lucy stepped between us, gently guiding me back into a chair like she was calming a child. Then, she started scolding me—softly, cautiously.
“You’re a noble, Miss.”
“Nobles have hands and feet too.”
“What if you hurt yourself while working?”
“Then I’ll just do something easy.”
“But nobles aren’t supposed to do any work…”
“I want to work. Isn’t doing what I want part of being a noble too?”
“….”
When I replied clearly and firmly, Lucy bowed her head in resignation.
“If we get caught, we’ll be fired…”
“We won’t get caught!”
Lucy finally gave in and staggered to her feet.
“That’s permission, right? Annie!”
“Y-Yes?”
“Do you have a spare maid uniform?”
Annie’s face turned ghostly pale.
“Are you really going to do this?”
“Yes.”
“It’d be better if you just rested like you always do…”
“But you only live once.”
“What does that—”
“It means everything’s worth trying once. Let’s go!”
At my declaration, Annie bolted out of the room.
“Good luck out there!”
…What does she mean “like I always do”? Wake up late, get fed, sit around like a potted plant until the sun goes down, then fall asleep again?
Sure, they say beautiful people don’t need to do anything else, but that kind of idle life felt wrong to me.
I’d spent my whole life working, from school every morning to mental and physical labor all day long. It was ingrained in me—wake up early, never stay still.
Leisure? That had always felt like a luxury. I gave up weekends, spent my rare days off with my siblings to stave off loneliness.
I had to keep my mind distracted. Otherwise, I wouldn’t survive.
…Since I’ve already possessed the body of a noblewoman in a fantasy novel, would slipping into a maid uniform for a little role-play really be such a bad thing?
At the very least, it would stop me from spiraling into all these dark thoughts.
As I shook off the negativity, Annie returned breathlessly.
“I got it, Miss!”
“Good job, Annie!”
She was panting, having obviously run the whole way.
“You didn’t have to rush, you know.”
“I… I don’t know why I did either.”
Still catching her breath, Annie held up the perfect disguise: a black long-skirted dress, a white apron, and a maid’s cap. As soon as I slipped it on, Lucy rushed over, grabbing my arm.
“Miss, you haven’t even had dinner yet! Maybe you could do something small after eating—”
“I’ll just eat at the maids’ cafeteria while I work. That should be fine, right?”
“No, it’s not fine…”
Lucy let out a soul-sucking sigh and covered her face. Was she crying?
She must’ve been thinking hard right now—wondering whether the rumors about the “real” Odelia were true.
As with all characters in these kinds of novels, those who return from death or another world react in one of two ways:
One, try to blend in with how they were before.
Two, boldly move forward, treating the past as past.
I, as a proud transmigrator, was going for the second option. Not to rewrite tragedy… but because I wanted to have fun.
“Lucy.”
“…Yes, Miss.”
I called her while Annie was still catching her breath. Poor Lucy sounded like she was about to cry.
Did I push her too far? I didn’t think I’d done anything that bad.
But I was too close to back out now.
“Could you fetch me a pair of glasses? I need a proper disguise.”
“Your face is… not something that can be hidden with glasses, Miss.”
“I know. But a little effort wouldn’t hurt.”
“…Missss—”
“No crying! Move, move!”
With my message loud and clear—‘I’m having fun today, don’t get in my way’—I shoved Lucy toward the door.
Now it was just Annie and me in the room. Time to finish up.
I dressed carefully in the maid uniform, tied my hair up in a neat bun with a net, pinned everything in place so no golden strands peeked out, then dropped my bangs just enough to shade my eyes. Finally, the maid cap went on top.
When Lucy returned with the glasses and I slipped them on…
“How’s this? Think I’ll be recognized?”
“Where did you learn to do this?”
“It’s amazing! You look totally different!”
Lucy, once ready to stop me, was now stunned into praise, and Annie was clapping her hands in excitement.
My little sister in my past life had been in the beauty industry. I must’ve picked up a thing or two along the way. I should send her a thank-you gift if I ever get back.
“All right, let’s go!”
“But are you sure you won’t be recognized? You really stand out, Miss…”
“Oh, don’t be silly. I’m clearly just a new maid!”
As we stepped out of the room, Lucy still looked worried, and Annie trembled with excitement.
Seriously, Lucy’s too timid for her own good.
“How should we call you now?”
“Can’t call you ‘Miss’ anymore.”
“Then how about a fake name? Elizabeth?”
“Too princess-y. How about Stella? It sounds kind of familiar.”
“Hmm… What about ‘Queenie’? It’s short and easy to remember.”
Even Lucy joined in, her cheeks flushed. She looked like she was starting to enjoy this, too.
Illicit fun really does change a person.
“Lucy, you genius! I love it!”
“Then it’s Queenie from now on! …Oops, I mean, ‘Queenie’!”
“Ahh, I’m already nervous!”
“Me too!”
We walked—well, ran—down the hall toward the servants’ cafeteria. My steps felt so much lighter compared to when I had to walk with Baizen.
Just being free of those thoughts, even for a bit, brought immense relief. I grabbed their arms and laughed as we hurried along.
Thankfully, no one seemed to recognize me on the way.
Well, except for the few who stared in shock—but I just pressed a finger to my lips and whispered, “Shhh.” That always worked.
The handful of male servants who tried to hit on me? Lucy and Annie blocked them like a fortress.
“Lucy, who’s that—”
“Run.”
“Huh?”
“If you value your life, run. Get close to her and you’ll be the one suffering.”
Okay, maybe not a fortress. More like quarantine.
I was grateful and slightly disturbed at the same time.
But the real lifesaver was someone unexpected, who helped me avoid suspicion right before we reached the cafeteria:
Stra, the head maid.
Since Stra already knew my face, I got busted the second she saw me. But she quickly grasped the situation and gave Lucy and Annie a death glare.
Still, thanks to my desperate plea, she agreed to cover for me.
She explained to the other servants:
“This is Queenie, a new helper from another estate. She’ll be assisting with general chores today.”
After that introduction, I stepped forward with a wink and a peace sign.
“Nice to meet you! I’m Queenie!”
…The room was dead silent.
Only Lucy, Annie, and Stra gave me awkward smiles.
Was it… too much?
I rushed over to Annie, who dry-washed her face in embarrassment.
“Miss, if you’re not feeling well, maybe you should head back to your room…”
“Was it really that cringey?”
“Yes.”
Lucy didn’t even let Annie answer first. She nodded firmly and warned me never to do that again.
So it was really that bad, huh.
Anyway, I grabbed a tray and settled in with the others. Surprisingly, the food looked decent. I took a spoonful of soup.
Warm, smooth… comforting.
“Does it suit your taste?”
“Yeah, it’s surprisingly good.”
“You barely ate breakfast and skipped lunch, right?”
I’d only had some veggie juice for lunch.
“Sorry. I just didn’t have an appetite…”
“Please try to eat properly, Quee— I mean, Queenie.”
“You too, Lucy. Relax a little. You’re my senior now.”
Lucy looked like she was still struggling with the whole name switch, but I found it kind of adorable. She reminded me of my little sister.
“I hope things stay like this.”
“Queenie, try this! The bacon’s really good today!”
“Annie, you got used to this way too fast. But… sure!”
“Lucy likes bacon too, right?”
Annie stuffed her cheeks with potato salad while Lucy muttered under her breath about propriety.
We were chatting and eating peacefully until…
“Queenie, huh?”
A maid with canary-yellow hair stood in front of us, head cocked sideways.
She looked like a delinquent straight out of a 90s high school movie. I had to fight to keep a straight face.
“Yes! I look forward to working with you, senior!”
“Who’re you calling senior, huh?!”
She sounded just like a disapproving mother-in-law from an old morning drama. I pinched my thigh to keep from laughing.
Then she grabbed my chin.
“Wow, even put on makeup, huh?”
Yes, and now we’re back in the high school delinquent genre. What is with this woman’s vibe?!
It was too much. I was going to laugh. I had to fight it—if I laughed now, they’d definitely think I was insane.
Just as I was bracing myself, Lucy shot to her feet.
“Nala! That’s enough! What are you doing bullying a junior? This is childish and pathetic!”
No, Lucy—don’t do it!
She was like some crusader for justice from a superhero anime. I squeezed my eyes shut.
And of course, Nala curled her lip.
“Oooh~ the knight in shining armor shows up~”
She mocked Lucy in the highest pitch she could muster.
…Great. Now we’ve switched genres again.
Please, God. Just take away my sense of humor. I beg you.
