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It was just past noon that day.
Naturally—though there was nothing natural about it—we were sued by the baron for assault and intimidation.
Damn it. I hadn’t even finished bringing in the laundry yet!
“Miss Daisy, a maid serving the Weatherwoods family. And the person behind you is the head maid here. Is that correct?”
“That’s right.”
“I am Officer Thomas. Please come with me for a moment.”
The head maid and I were taken in separately for questioning. Or rather, the head maid only answered a few questions from the officer, while I alone was brought into an interrogation room.
When I arrived, it wasn’t the officer waiting inside, but another man.
The man, putting on an air of heavy seriousness, shuffled through some documents before finally speaking.
“Nice to meet you, Miss Daisy Fager. I’ll be direct. We’ve discovered something unusual about your identity. It may be unpleasant, but we must address it.”
From his sharp gaze, I could feel him probing for my reaction. I simply shrugged, as if to say I didn’t care.
“First of all, when were you employed at the estate?”
“Ten days ago.”
“And what kind of work were you doing before coming to this city?”
But before long, I had to close my mouth.
This question was troublesome. The reason was simple—answering it properly would take a very long story.
I am Daisy, a maid.
But before I became a maid, I had a different name.
Andert, the Emperor’s Sword.
One of the heroes who stood at the forefront of the ten-year-long Arcane War, protecting the fate of humanity.
That… was me.
Ten days earlier, at a manpower office in the city.
“Next applicant.”
When I quietly raised my hand, a stern-looking woman with silver-rimmed glasses looked at me.
“Please come in.”
I followed her into the office. As I sat on the plain metal chair in front of the desk, the door closed as if on cue.
Across from me sat a woman who looked even stricter than the secretary who had guided me in, flipping through documents at a rapid pace.
There was a trace of exhaustion on her face, as if she’d been conducting interviews endlessly.
I glanced down at the number pinned to my chest.
‘Applicant number 38.’
A number that would exhaust anyone.
“Nice to meet you. You’re quite beautiful.”
After inspecting me from head to toe, the interviewer spoke first.
“What is your name?”
A good question.
“Daisy Fager.”
My real name is Andert Fager.
To hide that name, I chose an alias that would make anyone think “maid” at first glance.
I’d bet there are over a thousand maids in this world named Daisy.
Daisy was the perfect mask to guide me into the unpleasant world of labor. No matter how experienced an interviewer might be, people are always weak to familiarity.
“You share a surname with a hero of the Arcane War. Though, I suppose it’s quite a common one. What about your family?”
A good question.
“I have a younger brother.”
My younger brother died long ago defending our homeland.
His name was Andert Fager.
Using ancient magic, I had transformed my original female body into a male one and lived for years under my brother’s name.
It had been a long time since I abandoned the name given to me by my parents.
So long that I no longer missed it.
“Where is your hometown?”
Another good question.
My brother and I came from an unfortunate island called Quinn—no longer fit for human habitation.
The southernmost island of the Empire’s southern archipelago, Quinn, was suddenly engulfed in flames one day. The Empire sent reinforcements multiple times, but to no avail.
The culprit was Mephisto, a grand mage who slaughtered tens of thousands in pursuit of immortality.
Thus, Mephisto became the enemy of all humanity overnight.
To eliminate this vile murderer, thirteen nations led by the Empire united to form the <Arcane Alliance>.
The war lasted ten years, and though the Alliance emerged victorious, the damage was immense.
Four years had passed since the war’s end. Now, the world was stretching itself toward a future where life might sprout again, overcoming the pain of the past.
Though my burned homeland would never return.
“What is your height?”
“170.”
“That’s quite tall for a woman. It will certainly be an advantage in the position you applied for.”
A good compliment.
“We’re almost done. Just a few more questions. You have no prior experience as a maid—what have you been doing until now?”
An even better question.
“Unemployed.”
I had been one of the commanders of the Arcane Alliance.
And I had fought across battlefields alongside the hero of the age, Raphael.
“I can’t entrust my back to anyone but you, Andert. You’re the only one I can trust. It may sound ridiculous, but sometimes I think… if I had a lost sibling, it would be you.”
Raphael, the Supreme Commander of the Allied Forces, was the hope of the Arcane Alliance and the savior of humanity.
We defeated countless enemies and gathered precious allies, advancing step by step.
And finally, we returned to my homeland, which had become Mephisto’s stronghold…
At the end of it all, the fate given to me was death.
“Damn it, are you really going to let go of my hand? Wait! Stop right now, Andert! You can’t die! I won’t let you die like this! Come back—Andert Fager!”
Yes. I had definitely died.
I stepped alone into enemy lines, believing it to be a noble sacrifice for humanity.
‘So why did I come back to life?’
After four whole years.
And even then, the male body I had trained with ancient magic was gone without a trace.
All that remained was this weak female body.
“What made you apply for this job?”
Ah.
A good question.
“Money.”
The answer is money.
Whether hero, noble, or commoner—everyone needs money to live.
That truth applied equally to me, who had miraculously come back to life after the final battle with Mephisto.
I needed money.
Not more, not less—just enough to live for three years.
“Final question. What kind of estate would you like to work at?”
An important question.
“A place so harsh and dreadful that one person could die and no one would even notice.”
“What kind of employer do you want?”
“A vicious one who squeezes their employees dry.”
The interviewer looked at me as if observing a lunatic. But only for a moment.
“Thank you for your time. This concludes the interview. You’ll hear from us within a week. And take this book.”
Did I pass? Before leaving the office, I took the small book she handed me.
How to Speak Politely
When I looked up after reading the title, the interviewer was staring at me as if I were a golden pig rolling down the street.
‘Why a golden pig?’
I only found the answer to that question a week later.
At my second workplace in life—where I was hired as a maid.
I received a call from the manpower office the very next day.
The interviewer handed me a slip of paper with an unfamiliar address and added a brief explanation.
“You’re very lucky. It’s rare to find a job in just one day. The place you’ll be working at is a grand estate located in the city’s central district. The owner is Baron Weatherwoods. The Weatherwoods family is one of the most prestigious in the Empire. In some ways, it’s an honor to work there.”
I nodded and reached for the note, but she held onto it firmly with her fingertips.
“I have one request for you. Stay at least a week before quitting. If you leave too early, it will damage our office’s reputation.”
I nodded again, but she still didn’t let go.
“Didn’t you read the book I gave you yesterday? A maid must be polite. Answer with words, not gestures.”
I recalled the book I had used as a pillow on a park bench the night before.
Of course, I hadn’t read it.
“Yeah.”
“In polite speech.”
“…Yes.”
“It would be better to answer more kindly. Adding ‘I understand’ wouldn’t hurt either. At least as a maid. Try again.”
This picky, glasses-wearing interviewer…
I was annoyed, but I knew it was sincere advice. Still, out of sheer resistance, I clamped my lips shut for five seconds before finally forcing them open.
“Yes, I understand.”
I disliked speaking at length. I wasn’t used to this voice.
Not just the voice—my reduced height, softer features, and smoother skin all felt unfamiliar.
After ten years living as Andert Fager—as a commander of the Arcane Alliance, and as a man—this female body felt like it belonged to someone else.
It felt like I had been forced into an ill-fitting mold, to the point that it was hard to believe I had once been a woman fourteen years ago.
“Well done. That’s much better.”
But I couldn’t keep distancing myself from my own body forever.
Since I’d become a maid, perhaps it wouldn’t be so bad to get used to it slowly.
Very, very slowly.
“You may go now. I hope Midwintry becomes your new home.”
After leaving the office, I asked passing street vendors for directions to my new workplace.
“Oh, that place? Easy to find.”
Apparently, the estate I’d been hired at was quite famous—so much so that it was incredibly easy to locate.
Really easy.
Right in the middle of the bustling city center,
stood a gloomy grand estate that could easily be mistaken for a haunted mansion, radiating an overwhelming presence that was impossible to ignore.
