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CHAPTER 9
The Duke’s room was surprisingly clean, considering how big it was.
‘Maybe it just feels empty because there isn’t much furniture.’
There was only a bed, a desk, and a few drawers. But then—
Something large was covered with a black cloth.
Unlike the other furniture, which was spotless, the cloth was covered in thick dust.
“Hmm…”
It looked like this would be the hardest thing to clean.
‘Later. I’ll start with the other places first.’
I set down the cleaning tools I had brought and grabbed some fresh rags.
‘Good thing I brought plenty.’
‘Next time, I should get a proper box to carry all this.’
I had gotten so used to using monsters’ bodies as cleaning tools that handling real cleaning supplies felt awkward.
‘Don’t get lazy. Back to basics.’
I rolled up my sleeves again, determined.
‘Alright, last one.’
I finished cleaning everything—except for the black cloth.
There was even a long sword lying by the bed, stained with some sticky liquid.
‘…That’s not blood, right?’
I checked. It wasn’t red, but bluish.
‘Weird. But anyway.’
Aside from that, the room didn’t have much dust. It actually looked like it hadn’t been used in a while.
‘Strange. But whatever.’
Finally, I dusted off the black cloth. Clouds of dirt rained down, making me cough.
But I didn’t stop. Carefully, I cleaned everything and reached for the cloth.
‘Time to see what’s under here.’
I pulled it away.
“……!”
Underneath was—
A mirror.
At once, my mind screamed with warning.
5. Inside the mansion, there are no mirrors. If you find one, do not look at it. Turn it around immediately.
I had forgotten! That strange rule Eki had told me on my first day!
Back then, I hadn’t really understood and let it pass. But now… a mirror, here of all places?
“Wait, wh—”
Before I could even look, my vision went black.
It felt like something had completely covered my eyes.
Startled, I stumbled back and hit something solid.
‘But there’s nothing here…?’
At the same time, a horrible chill spread through me, like a swarm of insects crawling over my skin.
I froze. My hair stood on end.
Then, a cold breath touched my ear.
“Didn’t I tell you not to look into the mirror?”
The Duke’s voice. But different.
It wasn’t calm or gentle—it was deep, cold, and heavy enough to make my heart pound.
“D-Duke?”
So… what was covering my eyes was his hand.
What I bumped into was his body.
And yet—I hadn’t heard the door open. Not even footsteps.
My heartbeat grew louder.
“Did you look?”
“N-No! I didn’t see anything!”
“Really?”
“Yes!”
I squeezed my eyes shut, tighter than ever.
But then a thought pierced my mind—
‘The Duke… is he even human?’
“Shasha.”
“Y-Yes?”
His voice had returned to its usual calm tone. The coldness in the air seemed to fade, too.
“Tell me. What should you do if you find a mirror?”
“U-Um… Turn it around, sir.”
“Good.”
So, still blindfolded by his hand, I fumbled for the mirror.
It was huge, but somehow, I managed to lift and turn it to face the wall.
Only then did he remove his hand.
Light returned. I blinked against the sudden brightness.
The Duke stood with arms crossed, scanning the clean room.
“Not bad. It’s clean.”
“….”
“Good work. You may go.”
“Yes, my lord!”
Relief flooded me. I gathered the tools and headed for the door. But before I left—
“Tell me. Are you not afraid of me?”
I froze. His voice was flat, emotionless.
I turned back. He was tilting his head slightly, watching me.
“…Excuse me?”
“Never mind. Go.”
“Yes… see you tomorrow.”
I left, puzzled. Closing the door, I leaned against the wall.
‘Afraid? Why should I be afraid of him?’
He paid me well, gave me food, even a place to stay. And he was handsome, too!
‘Wait… unless it’s about the mirror thing?’
That’s when I realized—
In this entire mansion, I hadn’t seen a single portrait or photo. Not one. Which was unusual for a noble house.
‘Could it be… the Duke has some kind of trauma about his face?’
Maybe he thought he was ugly, even though he was clearly good-looking.
Like those tragic “monster dukes” in romance novels.
‘So handsome… but hiding his reflection because of some painful past…’
I gasped at my own brilliant deduction.
‘But what could have hurt him so badly?’
The mystery only deepened.
But… I was just a maid. What could I possibly do?
I sighed, looking at the tools in my arms.
‘All I can do is clean.’
So I made up my mind.
‘Yes! I’ll clean with everything I have!’
The next morning, I pushed open the Duke’s office door with a cheerful voice.
“Good morning, my lord!”
