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Chapter 15
(Simple English Version)
I blinked and looked up at the Duke. He was staring at Seeker and Kelpie.
“You two are the most suitable for this job.”
His gaze was sharp, almost freezing. It felt like he could pierce right through them.
I followed his eyes. Both of them were already sweating so much that their pants were soaked. Kelpie’s pants were even dripping with sweat.
But still—the most suitable?
Jameson had said the same thing earlier. But how could two people with just horse heads be “most suitable”?
I felt a strange mix of curiosity and jealousy. Cleaning was my pride, after all. I clenched my fists.
Seeker and Kelpie, however, lowered their eyes and mumbled:
“Yes, that’s right… we’ll do it…”
The Duke pointed back at me with his chin.
“Do you think the head maid I chose is a joke? Jameson did his best and collapsed, yet you two hesitate.”
Ah!
Only now did I understand. The Duke wasn’t dismissing me—he was protecting my pride.
I almost embarrassed myself by saying “Please let me do it instead!” but thankfully, I stayed quiet.
When Seeker and Kelpie finally obeyed, they rolled up their pants. At first, I thought they were just being forced.
But then—something unbelievable happened.
The moment they entered the black water, their legs transformed. They turned into fish tails.
Heads of horses, bodies like fish. They weren’t just horse-head monsters—they were like sea-horses!
My jaw dropped. So that’s what they meant when they once said they “used to live in the sea.”
Jameson and the Duke were right. They really were the most suitable for this job.
There was no way I could compete with that.
While I was staring in awe, the Duke called me.
“Sasha.”
“Y-Yes!”
I looked at him quickly. His red eyes were fixed on me.
“From now on, if any servants don’t listen to you, don’t do the work yourself. Teach them properly instead.”
My heart swelled. He was looking out for me again!
“Y-Yes, I understand!”
But in my excitement, I dropped all my cleaning tools. The Duke’s eyebrow twitched slightly. I laughed awkwardly and hurried to pick them up.
Then, I heard his soft voice:
“I used to have tea here… a long time ago.”
“Tea…?”
I looked up—but he was gone. Vanished, without a sound or a trace.
Teleportation?!
I froze in place, realizing the truth.
“The Duke… is a great wizard.”
Later
“Everything seems to be going well, so I’ll go now,” I said.
The three monsters waved and smiled. But I could see they were forcing it.
I waved back and walked toward the mansion. But even as I left, I kept turning back, worried about them.
Still, I had something else on my mind.
The Duke had said he used to have tea by the fountain. I didn’t even know how to brew tea properly. A head maid should know these things.
“Maybe the Duke was hinting that I should learn.”
I sighed. Cleaning was all I was good at. But if I wanted to meet the Duke’s expectations, I had to study tea.
Back at the Mansion
I opened the front door and stepped inside.
Immediately—I felt it.
That watching gaze again.
The mansion’s first floor was empty. It was supposed to be. I had cleaned it this morning. Yet the feeling of eyes on me grew stronger.
I gripped the papers and pen in my hands. If anything happened, at least the pen tip was sharp. I also had a metal clip—sharp enough to stab.
“Stay calm. Nothing can hurt me.”
I walked slowly down the hall. Nothing happened. Maybe it was just my imagination…
But as I turned the corner—
I froze.
He was there.
The man I saw days ago in the dining hall.
The one holding a sword that moved on its own.
Standing right at the corner, pressed against the wall.
