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Chapter 6
“Do you have a close lady-in-waiting named Rike? I don’t think I’ve ever heard that name before…”
The maid murmured with a puzzled look.
“Don’t joke around. How could you not know Rike? She’s my personal maid.”
“Eh? But I’m your personal maid, aren’t I…?”
Fleur’s eyes trembled violently.
Some of the data has been reset.
Could data mean not land or money, but a person?
Rike was the very first maid Fleur had opened her heart to after she found herself inside the game, living as Fleur.
Not only was Rike her personal maid, but despite her cheerful and kind nature, she didn’t blindly bow to Fleur. She spoke her mind honestly, and Fleur had liked that.
She had cared for Rike deeply because she wasn’t just an in-game character, but someone who had chosen, of her own will, to stay by Fleur’s side.
“Don’t joke about this! This kind of joke isn’t funny. Call Rike to my bedroom right now.”
In shock, Fleur grabbed the maid by both shoulders, pressing her for an answer. The maid looked at her with troubled, pitying eyes.
“My lady, are you all right? Ever since Master passed away, you’ve still been under a lot of strain…”
“No! That’s not it! Rike is definitely… How could Rike…!”
Tears welled up in Fleur’s eyes. She released the maid’s shoulders and hurriedly ran out of the parlor.
“James! James, where are you!”
Hearing her urgent cry, the butler James quickly approached from the end of the corridor.
“My lady? Did something happen?”
“You know Rike, right? My personal maid, Rike, don’t you remember?”
“Pardon…? There has never been a personal maid by the name of Rike. In fact, as far as I know, no one in the entire household has that name.”
James, who oversaw the household, always kindly called every servant by name. If even he didn’t know, that meant Rike had truly disappeared.
“That’s impossible…”
Her strength drained, Fleur’s body swayed unsteadily.
“My lady!”
James reached out in alarm to catch her, but before he could, a sturdier arm appeared from behind and firmly wrapped around her waist.
“It’s dangerous.”
It was Dylan. Even after Aidan had left, Dylan had stayed nearby out of concern. The moment he saw her falter, he reached out and held her securely.
He let her rest her head against his broad shoulder and strong chest so she could calm down.
“What happened?”
Sensing Fleur wasn’t in a state to reply, he turned to James for an answer.
“My lady was searching for a maid who doesn’t exist in this household.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“I don’t know either. Suddenly she asked for a maid whose name I’ve never heard. It seems the shock of losing her parents has… My lady?”
Fleur pulled herself free from Dylan’s arms and stood straight on her own.
The confusion she’d shown moments ago had vanished, replaced by composure.
“I haven’t gone mad from grief, so don’t worry. James, make sure no one else hears of what happened today. Dylan, I’ll be hiring a new maid. Gather suitable candidates.”
Her tone carried a hint of anger, and both men nodded carefully.
“Understood.”
“I’ll see to it immediately.”
Fleur straightened her back and walked to her bedroom.
Only after shutting the door and being alone did tears stream down her face as she sank against the door.
“My lady, if you stay out in the sun too long, your skin will be damaged.”
“Then share the parasol with me, Rike. You’re always shielding only me, so you end up getting burned.”
“As long as you’re unharmed, that’s what matters most to me.”
Rike’s bright laughter still echoed in her ears. Fleur had never once properly thanked her for the care and affection she had given, thinking only of Fleur’s well-being.
“I lost Rike because I failed the quest… I lost her because of my mistake…”
She had treated her life in the game too lightly. Everything went as she planned, and every scheme had succeeded.
Even when she lost land in the first reset, she had quickly recovered, so it hadn’t felt like a great blow.
But losing Rike was an unimaginable shock. Wealth could be regained, but once you lost a person, they could never be replaced.
“Sob… It’s my fault.”
For the first time, the quest felt unbearably heavy, and Fleur couldn’t rise for a long time.
A few days later.
“I-I’ve done dishwashing for years at my mother’s restaurant…”
“I’m skilled at sewing and even worked at a boutique. But in return, my salary would need to be a little higher…”
“I’ll just work hard at anything. Whatever you tell me to do, I’ll do it!”
Since morning, maid interviews had been ongoing, but none of the candidates pleased her. By the time the day’s interviews ended, Fleur slumped back into the sofa in the parlor with a heavy sigh.
“None of them suit you, do they?”
Dylan, who had been observing the interviews with her, poured chilled black tea into her empty teacup.
“Yeah. No one feels right.”
“Then what about promoting one of the current maids to your personal maid?”
“They all already have too much work. I want to bring in someone new.”
“Then what qualities are you prioritizing?”
Fleur touched her chin thoughtfully at his question.
“Being a personal maid is harder than it seems. She has to sense what her mistress wants without being told, while also protecting the private secrets of a young lady who might even be seen unclothed.”
“I see.”
“Someone not too serious—lively, but capable of doing her tasks neatly, and still warmhearted and human.”
“That’s quite specific. It sounds like there’s someone in particular you’re looking for.”
At that, Fleur felt a pang of guilt. She had been comparing every candidate to Rike.
Secretly, she had been hoping Rike might show up among them. But after days of interviews, she hadn’t seen even a single strand of hair resembling Rike’s.
It was as if she had been erased from the world entirely.
That thought made Fleur clench her fists tightly.
“To hire someone who fits Fleur’s standards may take considerable time.”
“Sigh… Am I being too picky? But this is someone who’ll be so close to me, I can’t just choose carelessly.”
“Then how about I conduct the first round of interviews, and you only see the promising candidates for the second?”
“That might be easier, but I still want to meet them myself. I’d like to pick someone who resembles even half of you, Dylan.”
One of Dylan’s eyebrows arched upward.
“So you trust me quite a lot, it seems?”
“I personally chose you as my aide. Of course I have to trust you.”
Feeling thirsty, Fleur reached for her teacup.
“Then until a suitable person appears, I’ll take on that role myself.”
“…Huh?”
“I mean the role of personal maid.”
Her hand, halfway to lifting the cup, froze in midair.
“Trustworthy as I am, I’ll be your personal maid as well, Lady Fleur.”
“…What?”
“I’ll help you dress, assist with your adornments, and even attend you during your baths.”
Fleur turned to look at him, baffled. Dylan’s blue eyes were locked firmly on her, without a trace of a smile.
Deep within those eyes, something fiery seemed to burn.
She met his gaze silently, then gave a weak laugh.
“Dylan, you really can’t joke, can you? Not funny at all.”
At her response, Dylan finally allowed a faint smile. But it felt as though he had briefly let slip a desire, only to suppress it again.
“Is that so? Next time, I’ll try to bring a more amusing joke.”
“I’ll look forward to it. And try smiling when you say it. If you’re that serious, it doesn’t sound like a joke at all.”
She acted casual, but inside she was startled. She wondered if Dylan’s ambitions might grow until he tried to consume the Valen family itself.
Fleur forced herself to look away naturally and changed the subject.
“Anyway, Dylan, keep gathering maid candidates.”
“Understood.”
“And send the prepared breakup letter to the Houser estate.”
One of his eyebrows twitched upward briefly before settling.
“You truly mean to end your engagement with Young Master Aidan?”
“Of course. If I’m to become the head of the family, breaking the engagement is essential.”
“Very well. I’ll send it today…”
Knock knock. Their conversation was interrupted by a knock at the door. Dylan called for the visitor to enter, and James appeared.
“My lady, you have a guest.”
“A guest? Don’t tell me…”
James adjusted his glasses with a troubled expression.
“Yes. Young Master Aidan Houser is here.”
