DMSM 04

CHAPTER 04

It felt like morning, but there was no sound of birds calling from the mountains. The sky outside the window was only faintly brightening.

Ilena blinked slowly, then suddenly sat up.

This isn’t home.

Turning her head, she saw that the maid she shared a room with was still asleep. Checking the clock, it was almost time to get up.

If she wanted a proper warm-up, she had to move before others woke. Ilena quietly got out of bed and stretched her arms and legs thoroughly on the floor.

“Mmm.”

Every time her roommate shifted in bed, Ilena flinched slightly, but the girl didn’t wake easily. After finishing her stretches, Ilena sat back on the bed and quietly meditated, waiting for the alarm.

When the alarm finally rang loudly enough to feel like it could shake one’s sanity apart, her roommate Ruin let out a long yawn and turned it off.

“From today, you’ll be walking around with me and getting introduced to the mansion layout and the servants. Yesterday was just a brief introduction, so today might be tough. The ducal house is ridiculously big.”

Ruin shivered dramatically. She said she had suffered a lot when she first arrived. From the room to the dining hall, the conversation continued nonstop.

At the dining hall, Ilena rewarded herself for choosing to become a maid by biting into a large sausage. The servants’ food at the ducal house was far more refined and luxurious than what she had eaten in her estate.

“Wow—you really eat well.”

Seeing Ilena’s satisfied expression, Ruin laughed loudly. Others dining nearby nodded in agreement. Ilena was eating calmly—but very quickly, clearing her plate.

After breakfast, they moved to the classroom for lessons. Ilena opened the door without hesitation. Many people were already seated. A few she had met earlier greeted her warmly.

“Hello. You’re Lady Louis, right?”

“Yes. You’re Miss Bessie, right?”

“Oh my, ‘Miss Bessie’? We’re all nobles here. Just call me Bessie.”

“Really?”

After greetings, the teacher entered and class began with a brief introduction of Ilena.

Wow, the ducal house must be overflowing with money.

Ilena sighed while staring at the blackboard. What kind of insane employer makes their staff study this much?

From the very first class, Ilena was certain the ducal household was not normal. This was supposed to be only “ten times the basic education”?

Ruin was clearly assigned as an escape-prevention guide for new servants.

“This battle…”

Only the teacher’s voice and the sound of pens filled the room. The instructor passionately explained famous battles and tactics from the founding myths. It was basic material—Ilena had studied it before.

But why did they also need to know the era’s daily life, clothing, food, geography, and even people’s psychological states?!

Even bonuses depended on exams. Ilena felt slightly deceived. Still, her hands obediently wrote everything down. If she intended to stay here, she needed at least the basics to avoid getting fired.

Whoosh.

Someone in front of her swayed slightly. As the lecture grew denser and the teacher’s monotone voice continued, heads around the room began bobbing up and down. Ilena quietly snickered.

But even her writing hand gradually slowed. Her full stomach was using all its energy to digest.

After an internal debate, Ilena sided with the “correct” option—doing the minimum necessary. She had no intention of working hard just to be promoted and get more work. More effort only meant more tasks.

So she decided to relax and simply attend.

Sunlight poured softly into the classroom. The warmth of people and light made the room almost perfect for a nap.

Ilena blinked slowly, fighting sleep. A few students had already collapsed onto their desks like sunken ships. Seeing the teacher’s sharp gaze pass over them, she resolved not to fall asleep completely—just to doze.

Yawn.

Bored, Ilena turned her gaze outside.

The air was still cold, but the sunlight was warm. It was clearly spring. A breeze shook the branches outside.

What kind of tree is shaking that much?

Ilena squinted at the swaying branches.

Then the tree suddenly convulsed violently, as if struck by lightning, before freezing still. Leaves fell in a flurry beneath it.

Ilena’s eyes widened.

A person suddenly appeared.

‘Wow!’

She barely suppressed a gasp with her hand. Then she carefully scanned the classroom.

No one else was paying attention outside. Even the teacher seemed unaware of the man who had just jumped down from the tree.

Ilena had never seen such a handsome man in her life—not even in the remote Louis estate.

Even she, someone uninterested in appearance, thought he looked almost unnaturally perfect.

After becoming a Sword Master, her vision had improved, so she could clearly see him even from a distance.

He looks prettier than most women.

Neatly swept silver hair and deep violet eyes like polished amethysts. His features were so sharp and refined that she felt like applauding a work of art.

Do other people see this too?

Ilena watched him like a painting on display.

But no one in the classroom reacted at all. How could they not notice something like that?

A bit strange—but Ilena, knowing she was more sensitive to presence than others, simply leaned back more comfortably and kept watching.

The man circled the tree after shaking off the leaves, then suddenly turned his head.

Their eyes met.

His violet eyes widened slightly as if startled.

Even his surprised face is good-looking.

Ilena casually looked away, pretending nothing had happened.

‘What now?’

Karl raised his head at the faint gaze he felt from afar—and caught a flash of green eyes.

“A servant?”

Thinking he had been noticed, Karl kept watching to confirm, but the servant didn’t turn again.

Did she not see me? No, wait. Was she just shocked by my face?

There were quite a few servants who wandered around pretending to be busy just to see him. So Karl assumed this girl had been trying to get a closer look at him.

But her reaction was different from the others. He unconsciously brushed his face.

Still there. My face is still there.

“If she was turning her head, shouldn’t she have stopped when she saw me? How does she just keep turning away like that?”

Ilena had simply turned away so she wouldn’t get caught staring. Karl, unaware of this, found it unbelievable that someone—especially a woman—did not blush after seeing him.

To Karl, “seeing” included any form of visual contact: a full stare, a quick glance, even a passing look at the edge of vision.

In his dictionary, it was impossible for someone to look at him and not visibly react.

“From that distance… she turned away and still didn’t see this face?”

“Young master, if this is too painful to listen to, please go back to the training ground.”

A shadow—part of the ducal household’s secret knight order—spoke dryly while disposing of a corpse nearby. The “Shadows” handled intelligence gathering and covert protection throughout the empire.

“Isn’t it a problem if there are servants with bad eyesight?”

“As far as we know, all servants are physically fit. No need to worry.”

“Then how can someone be looking down from above and still not notice me?”

“Are you done yet?”

The shadow sighed, clearly tired of the conversation.

“Being handsome is a fact. Why are you so annoyed?”

“Facts can still be annoying. And you say you hate girls chasing you for your face, yet you complain about a single glance.”

Even the shadow agreed—his master was undeniably handsome. The problem was that he knew it far too well.

“That’s the first woman who hasn’t blushed after seeing my face. Even if she tried to hide it, people usually react.”

“Maybe she just has different taste. People have preferences.”

“That’s an insult to my face. My face doesn’t have preferences.”

The shadow stopped responding.

After finishing his task, he left silently. Karl fell quiet as well, then looked back toward the classroom window where the girl had been.

Interesting.