SNM 01

Chapter 1

It had been a tragic life.

At a young age, I lost my parents and drifted from one indifferent relative’s house to another.

I dropped out of high school in order to become independent sooner. After that, I never managed to land a proper job—only working one part-time gig after another—until, on my way home one evening, I was hit by a truck.

I thought I had lived as best as I could.

Yet in the end, my life could be summarized in just three short lines.

Empty. Unfair. If I had known it would turn out this way, I would’ve slacked off more!

But regret always comes too late. A massive truck was already rushing toward me, and in that moment, I died—

“Oh my, child!”

Died—

“You’re finally awake!”

…Wait. What was happening?

I could only blink stupidly.

Her name was Lillian.
Her occupation, maid.
Two days ago, she had slipped while cleaning the stairs, hit her head, and lost consciousness.

That was the body I now inhabited.

So when they said she wasn’t breathing at first… did the real Lillian die then?

Most likely. The moment she passed, my soul must have slipped into her body.

“Ah, wait! I’ll go fetch the head maid!”

The chatterbox who had been babbling nonstop suddenly realized something and rushed out of the room.

Soon, a woman who could only be the head maid walked in. A strict-looking middle-aged lady, she gave me a once-over and curtly declared—

“You’ll be back at work tomorrow.”

Without thinking, I nodded. Somehow, it just felt like the right response.

And so here I was.

“Up we go!”

I was scrubbing laundry.

Scrub, scrub—

Is this really how it’s supposed to be…?

I never expected that transmigrating into another world would land me doing laundry.

My coworker had once said that the standard opening of such a tale was: “My lady!” —someone waking up in silk sheets with a maid calling them young mistress.

But me? I woke up as the maid.

Well, I suppose transmigration wasn’t a one-size-fits-all deal.

Che.

Unfair. Still, there was a silver lining.

“Hey, Lillian, you mean you?”

That meant I could naturally draw information about the original Lillian without raising suspicion.

If someone suddenly changes overnight, it’d be strange, right?

The problem was—I knew nothing about Lillian.

Thanks to her ingrained habits, I was blending in for now. But that wouldn’t last forever. I couldn’t just copy her mannerisms blindly.

Should I just claim I lost my memory?

The idea had crossed my mind.

But then I remembered the head maid’s expression when I first woke up—cold, assessing. If I acted addled, there was a 99% chance I’d be thrown out.

And in a world this unfamiliar, getting kicked out would be fatal.

So, for now, the plan was simple: keep my head down and play it safe.
(Definitely not because I was intimidated by the head maid. Nope. Not at all!)

“After collapsing like that, I’ve been… thinking a lot, you know? Like—what do I mean to others?”

“Ahh—”

“And, well… since hitting my head, my memory’s a bit hazy. Not seriously! But, you know… fuzzy.”

“Oh, I see…!”

To my relief, the other maids sympathized deeply with my flimsy excuse. One by one, they chimed in:

“Honestly, you weren’t very skilled.”
“Kind of like someone who learned things halfway.”
“But you were diligent! Even if you were shy, you always helped quietly.”
“Yeah! Strong, too, and reliable.”
“You’ve only been here three months. Give it time and you’ll get better.”

What started as frank criticism soon turned into encouragement.

I mentally sorted through the useful bits:
Lillian—quiet, shy, but earnest and kind.

Not a bad reputation, really. And oddly enough, her personality wasn’t so different from mine.

“By the way, Lillian, your laundry work has improved.”

“Oh, you’re right!”

“Normally, you either didn’t clean the stains at all, or scrubbed until the fabric tore.”

“R-Really? Haha…”

…So, she had been that bad at her job.

I forced an awkward laugh and silently thanked the dry-cleaning shop owner I once worked for.

Thank you, Evergreen Laundry! You may have saved my life.

After finishing the laundry, we moved on to the next tasks—cleaning, then dishwashing.

The bigger the house, the more chores it seems.

Still, we got proper breaks and meals. During those moments, I made sure to perk up my ears. After all, the best intel usually came out during idle chatter.

“At least the Pelium Archduke’s mansion is better than others. At my last place, four of us had to clean a mansion three times this size!”

“What? Four people? That’s insane!”

“And they nitpicked every speck of dust, too.”

“Ugh, I’d die.”

As they shuddered, I stored away the important fact:

This was the Pelium Archduke’s estate.

Sounded suspiciously like the kind of setting my friend used to gush about in romance novels. Something about the ‘Northern Archduke,’ if I recalled.

“When do you think His Grace will return?”

“The Archduke? Who knows…”
“Probably soon.”
“Ugh, when he does, the head maid will be impossible.”

So, the master of the house was currently away. No wonder I hadn’t seen him yet.

Then, one of the younger maids timidly whispered:

“…But isn’t our Archduke just so handsome?”

At once, the senior maids shook their heads in unison.

“Tsk, you haven’t seen his true self.”
“Be careful. More than a few girls tried to approach him and were tossed out without a word.”
“Remember Karen? That’s why she was dismissed.”
“Roses are most beautiful when admired from a distance, dear.”

I swallowed hard.

Right. Best to keep my head down. No need to test those waters.

When the day finally quieted, I thought to myself—

You know… this isn’t half bad.

In truth, it was better than my old life.

Back home, I had failed every job interview and worked multiple part-time shifts just to scrape by.

But here? This was practically a full-time job. Lodging and meals included, coworkers decent, and the Archduke’s household was known to pay well.

Most importantly—

“Pelium Manor pays more than double the average wage.”

Apparently, if I saved diligently, I might even afford my own house someday.

Yes, I had decided:
I clenched my fist with determination.

I don’t know how I ended up in Lillian’s body. But since I’m here—I’ll start a new life!

That was exactly two days and seven hours ago.

Until I stumbled upon it.

[ For the time being, report every single conversation the Archduke has. Leave nothing out. ]

A suspicious letter, disguised as idle scribbles.

But the moment my eyes scanned it, the code leapt out at me—reflexively deciphered.

And I realized—

Lillian… you were a spy?!