Nobody must have seen me, right?
Crossing the garden, I frantically scanned my surroundings. Now that I thought about it, I had done something utterly foolish.
I had promised myself not to stand out, and yet, right from the start, I got into a fight.
No matter how angry I was, I should have held back.
Making a commotion in front of Jeok Igeon’s yard was essentially like asking to be killed.
He was an extremely composed person who had an almost pathological dislike of noise.
Until I reached Geonyeonggak, I had resolved to stay as if dead, but my impulsive temper was clearly the problem.
Nobody must have heard, right?
The distance from the residence to the main gate isn’t that far—surely it wouldn’t have reached him.
It’s true that Jeok Igeon was a monster beyond the level of humans, but that was in the future.
Right now, he was only nineteen, a teenage boy at most.
Of course, he was an incredibly talented prodigy, likely already quite skilled.
So even if I got caught, it wouldn’t end well for me.
I must hold back. I must.
I couldn’t let anger ruin my life.
I had to survive. Even if this world was like a novel, and I didn’t know how to get back, staying alive was the only thing I could do.
Shinseolha, don’t be scared.
Just follow the steps as you know.
By the time I arrived at Jeok Igeon’s quarters, I took a deep breath.
Just one door away, and the work would begin.
Doea-seonbae and their group had already scattered to tend to their own duties.
I wanted to do the same, but today was my first day as a personal maid. I had to at least greet him out of courtesy.
Jeok Igeon wouldn’t care about someone like me, of course, but as a subordinate, that was the proper protocol.
“Phew. Stay calm…!”
Just as I finished my deep breath and reached for the doorknob, it happened.
The door opened without warning. And a broad chest filled my line of sight.
“Never seen you before. Are you a new personal maid?”
I was so shocked that I couldn’t even scream, freezing like a statue.
Chimi couldn’t even bring herself to raise her eyes and look at him.
Thump. Thump-thump. Thump-thump-thump!
My heartbeat surged to its maximum.
“Why no response? I never heard you were mute.”
Hearing his impatient tone, I finally snapped back to reality.
I quickly stepped back and bowed deeply.
“Ah, hello. I’m Shinseolha, assigned today as Geonyeonggak’s personal maid. I look forward to serving you!”
“Are you going to stay like that? You need to see my face to recognize me later, don’t you?”
“Y-Yes!”
My throat felt dry from tension. I carefully maintained my expression as I slowly lifted my head.
…but wait?
Is this person Jeok Igeon?
Standing before him, I was confused.
I had never met Jeok Igeon in person, but I had read about him countless times in books.
Porcelain-white skin, sharp nose, pointed jawline as if carved, lips as red as blood, and eyes as dark and deep as the night sky.
The author often described him as more beautiful than a woman.
But the man before me had tawny skin.
His looks were handsome, but not to the level that women would worship.
So this probably wasn’t Jeok Igeon.
“I’m Cheon Gang. I’m in charge of guarding the Gongja (Lord).”
My deduction was correct.
Of course. I didn’t skim the novel that badly.
Wait a minute… who are you?
“…!”
I unconsciously covered my mouth with my hand and let out an internal scream.
Cheon Gang!
How could I have forgotten him?
Although he was currently only acting as a subordinate, later he would be known as Hyeolgeomhon (Blood Sword Soul) and play the most significant role in Tianma Shin Church’s domination of the martial world.
As the heir of the Ma Sword (Mageom) family, one of the six great demonic families of the demon sect, he was also the only person capable of calming Jeok Igeon.
From early on, Cheon Gang had been placed as Jeok Igeon’s closest aide by the head of Cheon Ga, recognizing Jeok Igeon’s abilities.
“You seem to recognize me,” Cheon Gang said, frowning at my reaction.
Ugh, I was shaking!
I couldn’t speak to him, but Cheon Gang was my ultimate favorite.
Every time he intervened to restrain the rampaging Jeok Igeon, muttering how fortunate it was, I admired him.
He couldn’t prevent all sacrifices, but because of him, many lives were saved.
Though a demon, he valued life. I liked that about him.
And he had an unwavering devotion to a single woman.
Although they never became a couple, his actions for his beloved always made my single heart flutter.
“I-I’ve heard of your reputation. It’s an honor to meet you.”
“Are you going to act like this even in front of the Gongja?”
“…Huh?”
“Stop saying things like ‘pleasure to meet you’ or ‘honor.’ You just quietly do your work. Understood?”
His tone was curt, but it was a warning for me.
He must have known Jeok Igeon’s true nature since he was young.
My favorite was worried about me!
Just seeing him in person was overwhelming, and my heart was uncontrollably fluttering.
“Why no response?”
Seeing my stunned reaction, Cheon Gang’s expression shifted to one of mild disdain, as if thinking, “What am I going to do with her?”
To ease his worry, I quickly replied.
“Understood.”
“If you have anything to ask the Gongja, ask me. It’s better to refrain from speaking directly with him.”
“Yes, I will.”
“The bedroom is this way. The Gongja went out for early morning training.”
That was welcome news. I had the perfect opportunity to finish preparing the bed before Jeok Igeon returned.
I bowed to Cheon Gang and hurried toward the bedroom.
Meeting my favorite brought such joy that my steps felt lighter.
Jeok Igeon’s quarters were surprisingly simple. He was supposed to be the second son of Tianma, yet the interior was stark.
The furniture was just the bed, a wardrobe, a bookshelf with some books, and a desk for writing.
A frugal psychopath, indeed.
“Let’s start by airing the room.”
I’ll admit now, I enjoyed cleaning.
Even with a busy life, I never missed a day of tidying my home.
There wasn’t a particular reason.
I just felt good in a clean and orderly space.
The only problem was that my job as a maid happened to be for a demon sect, which made it tricky, but in terms of aptitude, it suited me well.
“But changing these bed sheets every day is going to be a pain.”
Jeok Igeon had obsessive-compulsive tendencies.
Many women had tried sneaking into his bedroom, but they were silenced because they dared not lie on his bed.
He wouldn’t allow anyone else to use his bed.
Even for heirs, he used a separate space for sleeping.
The irony of me, a maid, touching his bed to tidy it was not lost on me.
The pristine sheets proved his obsession; they were so neat one might think they had just been sewn.
Not a single hair in sight.
‘Zero humanity, zero,’ I clicked my tongue and folded the sheets into the laundry basket.
Then I pulled out a new set from the wardrobe and neatly set it up.
I silently prayed that Jeok Igeon would feel comfortable lying on it.
“Now, let’s pick out some clothes.”
The floor was swept clean, and I carefully dusted every piece of furniture and accessory.
The first place Jeok Igeon would go after training was the bath.
Naturally, after bathing, he would want to change into fresh clothes.
A personal maid was like a modern secretary.
We followed the master’s orders, anticipated their needs, and provided them before they asked.
Much of it was menial work, but if not done quickly, daily life became inconvenient.
And if it went wrong, your head could be on the line.
I had to survive, so I opened the wardrobe and carefully examined the clothes.
There were various types neatly hung in rows.
I picked out a blue robe and placed it at the foot of the bed.
If I remembered correctly, even after becoming Tianma, Jeok Igeon favored blue martial robes.
I realized even a psychopath had favorite colors.
What was next? Ah, breakfast.
Serving meals was one of the primary duties of a personal maid.
I turned toward the door, wondering what side dishes were served today, when it happened.
Since when had it occurred?
I hadn’t heard the door open at all.
And there he was, standing wet-haired as if he had just finished bathing—Jeok Igeon himself.
He stared at me intently.
