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‘This place looks like a demon might crawl out of it.’
Even the doorbell was broken, so I had to shake the iron gate at the front entrance to call someone.
After rattling it nonstop for about three minutes, someone finally came out of the mansion.
A woman in her mid-to-late thirties, dressed as a servant, stared at my face for a moment before opening the gate.
“Are you Miss Daisy Fager, the new maid? Sorry for being late. I’m the head maid of the Weatherwoods estate. Please come inside.”
Just as she was about to lead me toward the entrance, the head maid stopped and turned back to look at me.
“Where is your luggage?”
I was about to shake my head, but then I remembered the interviewer’s advice.
“Empty-handed.”
The head maid gave me a strange look, then turned back around.
“Ordinarily, maids are not allowed to use the front gate or the main entrance. But in this estate, you may use them freely.”
We passed through a small garden that looked as if it had been ravaged by war—dry, desolate, and lifeless.
“The owner of this estate is Baron Weatherwoods. Just one person. The staff consists of you, me, and a cook who will also serve as a gardener, arriving in three days. A total of three. Your duties will be divided appropriately—cleaning, laundry, cooking, errands, gardening. Everything.”
We stepped onto the faded carpet of the main hall and went up to the second floor.
“Your wages will be paid on the first of every month. Work starts at 6 a.m. and ends at 7 p.m.”
We walked down a corridor lined with dust-clouded windows and stopped at the room at the very end.
When the head maid opened the door, a wide, empty bedroom greeted us.
“It’s big, isn’t it? This is probably the only estate where a maid gets to use a second-floor bedroom instead of an attic, annex, or basement.”
The only reason I could tell this was a bedroom was the large, old bed sitting alone against the wall.
A refined but outdated stone heater. A refined but worn desk. A refined but aging chair. Heavy blackout curtains that looked like shaking them would make dust fall like snow. A refined but rusted iron chest. And a door that appeared to lead to a bathroom.
All in all, it was a properly furnished room. As the head maid said, it was quite luxurious for a maid.
“You may move freely throughout the estate. But there is one thing you must remember.”
The head maid warned me in a firm voice.
“Do not enter the master’s bedroom. And if anyone asks about the master’s whereabouts, tell them he is out. No exceptions—acquaintances, friends, distant relatives. The master is very busy and cannot receive visitors. Make sure you remember that.”
Nod.
“Don’t just nod—answer.”
“Yes.”
I think I was supposed to add something after that. I forgot.
“…Sigh. You… never mind. Unpack your things. Once you’re done, start working—ah, you said you had no luggage? Then take a 10-minute break and come down to the entrance on the first floor. I heard this is your first time, so I’ve prepared some clothes for you over there. Let’s get along well from now on.”
The head maid said everything she needed to say and quickly left the room.
I was alone, but I didn’t feel like indulging in sentiment. I threw myself onto the bed.
“Cough!”
A ridiculous amount of dust enveloped me, but I had no intention of getting up. How long had it been since I last lay on a bed? It felt like my body was melting.
After I lost consciousness during my final battle with the grand mage Mephisto—
When I opened my eyes again, nearly four years had passed.
When I awoke from the ashes, I no longer had the appearance of my younger brother, Andert.
The male body maintained by powerful ancient magic had returned to its original female form.
‘Did I die and fall into hell?’
The question didn’t linger long.
Because I could hear the powerful beating of a heart inside my chest.
“…I definitely died.”
And yet, I had come back to life. Just what had happened?
First, I went down to the island village where I used to live. It had been burned black, leaving behind only chaotic ruins. There was no trace of people anywhere.
Among the remains, I found a piece of cloth that somewhat resembled clothing and put it on before heading to the port.
Fortunately, there was a military outpost along the coast. Soldiers coming up from the shore spotted me and took me inside.
As they began investigating my identity, one of the soldiers looked at the loose sleeve of the dress I was wearing and asked:
“Berti? Is your name Berti, miss?”
Berti Lushan.
That was the name stitched faintly inside the sleeve—and also the name of someone I knew well.
‘So this was Berti’s dress.’
I traced the name of my long-deceased friend with my fingertips.
Berti and her family had died during the war, killed in an air raid by Mephisto. I still vividly remembered the day I gathered their bodies and buried them myself.
“You look quite young. How old are you, miss? Is your name really Berti?”
After a brief moment of thought, I nodded.
The rest of the investigation wrapped up quickly. Berti had been a close childhood friend. I knew her home, her family, her entire life better than anyone.
Assuming her identity was easy.
‘I’m sorry, Berti.’
I’ll just borrow it for a little while… and return it later.
“Don’t worry, Miss Berti. The world is safe now. The Arcane Alliance defeated Mephisto and brought peace! It’s been four years already. The Empire is at peace now!”
From the soldiers, I carefully learned everything that had happened over the past four years—what became of the Alliance, how the Empire had changed.
They suggested I go to a refugee shelter in the southern Empire, but I refused.
The reason was simple. I didn’t want my identity to be exposed there and get entangled with my former comrades—including Raphael.
By then, I had already realized that something was terribly wrong with my body.
When my soul clashed with that of the grand mage Mephisto, my lifespan had been reduced to three years.
I had no desire to reunite with Raphael in this state.
I was no longer Andert—and there was no longer any reason for me to live as Andert.
Raphael and the others were all connected to Andert, not to me.
‘If I return in this broken woman’s body, all I’ll receive is pity and sympathy.’
I didn’t want to burden them with guilt.
Considering everything, it seemed best to live from now on not as Andert, but as “myself.”
‘While living as myself, I’ll try to fix this broken body.’
Even if it’s impossible, I should at least try.
That’s why, among the many cities in the Empire, I chose Midwintry.
If I could find “that thing” hidden in Midwintry…
my lifespan, limited to three years, might be extended.
I started recalling the month it took me to get here, but every memory was nothing but hardship from beginning to end, so I gave up.
After changing into my maid uniform, I went down to the entrance, where the head maid was waiting.
“We spent a considerable amount of money to bring you here. At the very least, I’d like you to last a week. That way, you can be properly paid for your work.”
So that’s why the interviewer had looked at me like a golden pig.
“Shall we begin? There’s a lot of backlog. It’s going to be a bit tough.”
From that moment on, the head maid worked me like a slave.
And I worked like one.
Taking down the chandelier in the main hall—amazing it hadn’t been sold off yet—dusting it, wiping it, reinstalling it. Cleaning the stair railings and steps. Scrubbing them. Beating the massive carpet. Beating it endlessly. Cleaning window frames. Cleaning windows. Sweeping floors. Scrubbing floors. Oiling them…
“Thi—”
This is insane. Am I a maid here? Or a slave? Am I some kind of slave maid?
“As expected, things go faster with two people. You have good stamina and quick thinking.”
It was a sincere compliment, but I couldn’t even smile.
The head maid is the one who will feed me, house me, and pay me for the next three years.
I must not hit her.
“The sky’s already getting cloudy. We should get ingredients before sunset. I’ll finish up here, so go run an errand.”
The head maid is the one who will feed me, house me, and pay me for the next three years.
I must not talk back.
“Here. These are the ingredients we need and the budget. Don’t even think about skimming anything. I know the market prices around here inside and out. It won’t do you any good to get on the merchants’ bad side, so be polite. Especially your way of speaking.”
If you’re that worried, go buy them yourself.
Maybe guarding the estate is part of her duty.
I took the small amount of money and stepped out of the estate.
“Whoa! Watch your head. It would be a disaster if that pretty face of yours got scratched, miss.”
A large dining table passed right by my face.
I turned to look—workers were carrying furniture of all sizes out of the house across from the Weatherwoods estate.
‘They’re moving.’
Maybe the owner had changed.
If it were me, I wouldn’t want such a gloomy mansion as my neighbor either.
