Chapter 9
Riana’s eyes widened in realization.
‘Wait a minute… This guy…’
It was like someone had dumped a bucket of cold water over her head. Her mind instantly cleared.
In her previous life, Riana had studied human expressions and emotions. She could read faces like books.
And Killian’s expression just now? That satisfied glint in his eyes?
That wasn’t a man excited for romance.
It was the look of someone who had achieved a goal. He had already won something and was pleased with himself.
Ah. Now she understood what he was trying to do.
‘He was aiming to set a new record.’
He was planning to seduce her and get her fired for “inappropriate conduct” — all within a day.
His “love at first sight” act had been convincing enough that she nearly fell for it.
‘Impressive for someone untrained… But not enough to fool me, Your Grace.’
As a professional, she felt it was time to teach him a lesson.
“Duke, thank you for sharing such a personal secret with me,” she said with a calm smile. “I’ll tell you one of mine too.”
Her voice dropped an octave, sounding deep and masculine.
“Actually… I’m a man in disguise. I have my reasons.”
She gently lifted Killian’s hand — which had been resting on her cheek — and placed it near her flat chest.
“My real name is Ryan. I like blond women.”
Killian’s face went ghostly pale in shock.
‘Of course he’s shocked. He spent the whole day flirting with me, only to find out I’m a man?’
To make it worse, Riana let out a bold, manly laugh.
“Hahaha! Feels good to come clean.”
“…”
“Can I stand up now? My neck’s getting sore from looking up.”
Killian, still speechless, just nodded slightly.
“Would you like some tea? You seem like you might need it.”
Riana decided she’d make the relaxing blend from A Beginner’s Guide to Tea Blending for Professional Maids.
Even after she brought him tea, and for the rest of the evening, Killian didn’t say another word to her.
In fact, he didn’t even look at her.
‘All that time playing male roles in school theater finally paid off!’
She was pretty sure her voice had sounded manly enough. And her chest?
‘One of the things I had to leave behind in my past life.’
She glanced down at her body and sighed.
Compared to her previous life, her current figure was flat and boyish — thanks to poor nutrition.
It probably resembled a fit guy’s chest more than anything.
‘Even if he didn’t believe the whole story, he wouldn’t dare make a move after hearing I’m into blond women.’
And Killian was neither blond nor a woman.
So, for the rest of the night, Riana could enjoy peaceful rest in the maid’s room.
On the other hand, the black-haired man in the room across from hers was not at peace.
He could still feel the very real sensation of a woman’s chest on his palm.
‘Is she crazy?’
Riana had brushed it off as “flat,” but what he felt had been… completely normal. Maybe even too normal.
It had been a mistake to compare her to the overly blessed body of his past lover.
Riana may not have noticed, but Killian’s hand had learned the truth.
In vivid detail.
It took him the entire night to recover from the shock.
‘I couldn’t get any work done.’
And now, he had another reason to fire her.
“Tomorrow… I’m definitely firing her.”
And so, their first day — filled with confusion, determination, and very awkward misunderstandings — finally ended.
* * *
Riana, completely unaware of Killian’s internal chaos, woke up feeling great the next morning.
‘Maybe this time… I can get through a story without falling for the male lead?’
She wasn’t 100% sure Killian was the male lead, but come on.
Even if she did front flips, backflips, or head-banged while blindfolded — no one with that face wasn’t the male lead.
Not to mention, the name Killian? The most classic male lead name ever.
Sure, his personality was kinda suspicious…
But no matter how you sliced it, that face…
Riana left the isolation tower with a satisfied look on her face.
“Miss Riana! Good work last night!”
Bastian greeted her at the door. A few others were with him — likely the Duke’s staff.
“Thanks,” she replied.
As she approached, one of the men stepped forward and offered his hand.
“I’m the Duke’s secretary. Please, call me Kim.”
“Nice to meet you, Secretary Ki— I mean, Kim.”
‘Kim? Really?’
Whoever wrote this story must’ve been tired when naming characters.
“You haven’t met Allen yet, have you? You’ll be seeing him often.”
The next to greet her was a pale-skinned man in a silk robe, with neatly styled red hair. He looked like he came from a very wealthy family.
Riana didn’t know all the etiquette of rich people, but she remembered being a proud daughter of a “Land of Manners” once.
So she gave it her best shot.
“Pleased to meet you, Mr. Allen.”
He responded with just a polite nod.
“…Busy, huh?”
“He’s always like that,” Bastian said. “Anyway, shall we go?”
As they walked, Bastian began explaining Riana’s new duties.
“The place we’re heading now will be your daytime residence. You can rest there whenever you like.”
He kept chatting, whether she listened or not.
“Meals are served in the maid’s wing. You can ask the chef there for food anytime. But it’s best to set a daily routine… Are you listening?”
Nope. She was too distracted by Allen entering the isolation tower.
‘Why would anyone willingly go into that danger zone?’
So she asked.
“I thought only maids who signed a danger agreement could enter. Is Allen allowed in there?”
“Oh, Allen? He’s a Magia-user.”
“A what?”
“It means the Duke’s magic doesn’t go wild when he’s nearby.”
‘So… that’s how the Duke can act normal during the day?’
“Exactly. Allen is the only Magia-user in all of Diales.”
Bastian started rattling off details about Allen, like a walking encyclopedia.
But Riana didn’t understand half of it.
‘So basically, he’s like a human magic buffer?’
Able to suppress the Duke’s power for 12 hours or so?
“We’re here. This is the main mansion — your new home.”
The walk hadn’t taken long.
The main building was massive and incredibly fancy. Even before entering, Riana couldn’t take her eyes off the decorations on the outer wall.
“Wow… That’s almost too fancy.”
Bastian puffed up with pride.
“Of course. Aside from the Genevieve Tower, which houses our magic company, this is the most important building.”
Riana stepped into the grand hall, stunned speechless by how luxurious it was inside too.
Her eyes darted around in awe. Bastian was thrilled — he clearly took credit for some of this interior design.
“The Duke’s mansion is full of priceless items. Honestly, we might outrank the royal museum.”
“So all this is… cultural heritage?”
Riana pointed at a framed painting on the wall, wondering how much it might be worth.
“Absolutely. One of the most valuable paintings in the world. I personally acquired it on the Duke’s order—”
As Bastian boasted, Riana scanned the endless line of frames and sighed internally.
‘If only I were good at art.’
If she could paint like Leonardo da Vinci, she could sell art and buy her own island.
Unfortunately, no matter what she drew, it looked like abstract modern art.
And this world was not ready for that.
‘Even with a famous name, my art would still be trash. So sad…’
Bastian, eager to show off, now took on the role of museum guide.
“That one’s an oil painting by a little-known artist from five years ago. Now he’s a legend!”
That statue? Sculpted by a great ancient philosopher.
That painting? Depicted the last peaceful days of the now-destroyed Calcade Kingdom.
Bastian kept going — even as they reached the fourth floor where Riana’s room was.
But when they arrived, he suddenly went silent.
Riana’s jaw dropped.
Near the window at the end of the hall stood the most striking sculpture in the whole building — glowing in the sunlight.
“…Is that one of those medieval masterpieces? From the Aster Auction?” she whispered.
Bastian’s face turned yellow like an old pickle.
“…That would be the work of Lady Charlotte Droche, the former Duchess.”
“…Let’s make the agency fee 20%,” Riana muttered.
