Chapter 2
The Male Lead Obsesses Over the Wicked Maid
“Phew.”
I wiped the beads of sweat rolling down my forehead.
“Ah, this is so nice.”
There was an abandoned garden at the duke’s estate. It was a small vegetable patch behind the old gardener’s shed, and since no one used it anymore, I decided to borrow it for a while.
The crops I had grown with such care were plump and thriving.
Feeding a thirteen-year-old illegitimate son of a duke as a fifteen-year-old maid was anything but easy.
Seriously, raising a child doesn’t come cheap. And do you know how much boys eat at that age?
Plus, he needed clothes, and medicine when he got sick.
I carefully placed the potatoes and onions into a basket.
This was all my blood, sweat, and tears.
A transparent screen appeared in front of me.
[+10 Farming Points Earned.]
This was my secret. The trick that allowed a penniless maid like me to feed a boy!
With this, I could grow anything in this little garden—potatoes, onions, peppers, sweet potatoes… and over there were some plump fruit trees. Some were food, some could be sold for money—fresh little treasures.
My precious garden. Just looking at it made me feel full inside.
I pressed a button and a status window popped up.
Name: Lani
Role: Maid who bullies the male lead and gets gruesomely killed (updating…)
Abilities: [Stealth v.1], [Farming Skill v.2], [Antidote v.2], [Wind Blade Fighter v.3], [Master of Acting v.2], …
There’s nothing I can’t do.
I furiously tapped the “Role” section. It said updating—why hadn’t it changed yet? Don’t tell me Hider still plans to kill me?
I sighed and closed the window.
Lifting the basket in one swoop, another skill activation window appeared.
[Girl’s Super Strength v.1]
See? I’m really an all-rounder maid who can do everything.
I hummed as I walked away.
The system window was useful in so many ways. More accurately, it held a bunch of skills that were essential for me. And one of my favorites was this one:
[Skill Activated: Stealth v.1]
The text blinked in the top-left corner. I always turned this on whenever I did something I didn’t want anyone to notice.
Once it’s on, no one can see me. I haven’t used it in front of Hider yet, though.
I brushed right past the people walking around the estate.
“Sniff sniff… do you smell fertilizer?”
“No way. The grocery store delivery just came—maybe something rubbed off? Like some gunk from the wheels or something?”
“…Maybe.”
It’s not the delivery. It’s me.
That fresh smell came from the crops I carefully raised and fertilized myself.
Stealth is the best.
Even when walking boldly right past people, no one could see me.
Yeah, if you’re going to keep me trapped here, at least let me have this much.
At first, I tried escaping. But every time I even thought of running away, my body would automatically return to the center of the estate.
As long as I didn’t intend to escape, I could walk out. But the moment I had the thought of escape, I’d get summoned back.
That system window—it could even read my mind.
It was a disgusting feeling, having my body move on its own against my will. So I gave up on running away after that.
Well, what could I do?
Hider would leave this place someday, and I would too. They wouldn’t trap me here forever, right? I just needed to keep watching the system and wait for the right moment.
With a sigh, I strolled out of the duke’s estate. No one could see me, so coming and going like this was easy.
Really, people need to have at least a couple of skills to survive.
Meanwhile…
Hider stood by the window, watching Lani’s retreating figure. Just from the back of her head, he could tell she was in a great mood. She skipped out through the main gate, yet no one stopped her.
Why?
Everyone who came and went had to pass the guards’ inspection.
And yet, a maid—who should be working—was leaving the mansion freely, and no one cared?
That wasn’t all.
Even though Lani was walking right through the center of the estate carrying a basket full of vegetables, no one found it odd.
“…Where did she get those?”
The basket she held was full of fresh produce, and it looked heavy at a glance.
How was she carrying that?
“…What is she?”
Hider’s eyes sparkled like gemstones as he watched her grow smaller in the distance.
Fresh fruit, placed on the table by Lani that morning, also sat before him. These fruits were hard to find in this season—and far too expensive for a maid’s salary.
“Where did she even get those…?”
She really was a strange maid.
Or maybe… a stroke of luck?
It wasn’t just the food that had improved.
Hider cautiously lifted his sleeve. It was a shirt he wore regularly, but something felt different.
It used to be worn out, and the sleeves were too short. But now the sleeves were comfortably long.
The buttons that barely closed before now fastened easily, and the overall fit was better. Same with the pants.
And…
“There’s no hole in the socks.”
Hider wiggled his toes. His toes bulged against the fabric—socks he had washed and worn himself.
He was sure there was a hole yesterday.
Tilting his head in confusion, he slipped his foot into his shoe, when the door opened.
“Oh! I’m glad the clothes fit well.”
Hider stared at Lani with wary, cat-like eyes.
“Did you do this? The clothes seem… bigger.”
“Yes!”
Lani replied brightly, her big eyes crinkling cutely. She looked so proud of her work.
“…How? And the socks. How do you even make socks?”
Hider swallowed hard. He could endure many things, but cold toes poking out of sock holes had been the worst.
“Would you like me to make more socks for you?”
Lani asked seriously.
“You made these?”
“Yes! There’s nothing I can’t do… oh, really, nothing! I can make socks in ten minutes. Need more?”
Hider nodded. He really couldn’t stand having cold feet. If there was anything he envied about the children of the duchess, it was their socks.
Their socks were probably sturdy and hole-free, right? They never had to feel the pain of frostbitten toes.
Winter was approaching.
When your body’s cold, you can curl up. But when your toes are cold, you can only rub them with your fingers.
And Lani had solved that for him. There was no way he could refuse warm, thick new socks.
In a low whisper, Hider said,
“…Thanks.”
Lani beamed at that.
All that joy over a single pair of socks? He barely reacted to the food I made him after buying meat and harvesting carrots…
Hider fiddled with the socks curiously, clearly liking them. If she’d known he’d like them this much, she would’ve made a hundred.
Small for his age, Hider suddenly seemed cute and pitiful.
Maybe, asking for more socks meant he was finally opening his heart.
Lani sat on the couch, and after hesitating, Hider sat on the other side. Lani grinned and held out a sandwich from the basket.
“If you eat this, I’ll make more socks right away. And take this too.”
In her other hand was a nutritional supplement. Hider hesitated, then took it too. Lani smiled in satisfaction.
Finally…!
Our male lead might be opening his heart!
He even accepted the supplement!
Lani’s eyes drifted to the bear-shaped fuzzy slippers on Hider’s feet.
‘I spent so much money on premium wool just to make those…’
But it was worth every coin.
Ah, so cute. They look perfect on him.
