SNM 12🏞️

Chapter 12

One way or another, the nerve-war between Anna and Ivy continued.

“Humph, if you’re blinded by greed, there’s nothing you won’t do.”

“Would you be able to treat His Grace like that? Hm?”

“I’m different from you!”

“What’s so different? You’ve only been here a year too.”

“Wait, why are you getting worked up? Something guilty on your conscience?”

“What? You’re the one acting all high and mighty because you’ve got the head maid backing you up!”

“You little—!”

Ivy, now heated, was about to lunge when—

“You there.”

At that familiar voice, we reflexively turned toward the door. There stood the head maid, her face cold as ice.

Startled, we all scrambled back into proper posture. Anna and Ivy did the same.

But instead of scolding us for the noisy quarrel, the head maid pointed straight at me.

“His Grace is looking for you, Lillian.”

* * *

Gulp.

I swallowed unconsciously.

‘So it’s finally happening…’

Standing before Duke Pellium, I struggled to steady my nerves. Meanwhile, he leisurely looked over documents.

Rustle—

In the suffocating silence, only the sound of thin pages turning filled the air.

I fidgeted with my fingers pointlessly, until I recalled the short exchange I’d had with the head maid while walking down the corridor earlier.

‘Um… what exactly does a personal maid have to do?’

The head maid had scanned me up and down, then answered curtly:

‘Follow His Grace’s orders. Whatever they may be.’

Her answer had been unusually vague and uncertain, unlike her usual firm manner.

‘Whatever they may be…?’

What on earth was the duke going to order?

So I tried to imagine his intent.

‘Based on the role of a typical maid, Duke Pellium’s personality, and what I know from media in my past life…’

In my mind, the duke rose from his seat, strode over, and roughly loosened his tie.

‘You dare say you like me? Then prove it.’

‘H-How…?’

‘With your body.’

Nooooo—!!

My face twisted and my fists trembled. What had begun as a light imagination spiraled out of control.

Thud.

At that moment, the duke finished checking the last page and finally set the documents down.

“Lillian.”

At the low call of my name, my shoulders jumped. It was the first time he had addressed me by name.

Should I answer? Before I could decide, he continued.

“Full name: Lillian Shields. Youngest daughter of the now-fallen Viscount Shields. After your house collapsed and your family perished, you must have had it rough at such a young age.”

Wait—Lillian was noble born?

That was something I had never known. Nothing in her traces or people’s treatment of her suggested it.

‘Did she hide it on purpose?’

Thinking of her true profession, it made sense. A spy has nothing to gain by standing out.

“After that you drifted among relatives, it seems. But not treated entirely as a maid, judging from how clumsy you were with work when you arrived here.”

A strange feeling welled up. Lillian’s real circumstances felt so similar to mine that it almost made sense why I had possessed her body.

Tap, tap.

He tapped the papers with his index finger.

“Well, you can’t judge an entire life from just a few documents.”

The duke fixed his gaze on me.

‘That look…’

It was the assessing gaze of someone observing reactions. I had endured it countless times in my past life, so it was familiar.

But what was different here: there was no malice in his eyes. Though tense and overwhelming, oddly enough, it wasn’t cruel.

“Hmmm…”

Silence again.

He studied me wordlessly, while I kept lowering my head to avoid his gaze.

Finally, he spoke.

“Shall we begin?”

“…!”

My mind went blank. Instantly, the shameful imagination I had forced away surged back.

And then—clack.

The duke really did rise from his seat, striding straight toward me.

‘Wh-What do I do?!’

Panic flooding, I squeezed my eyes shut, clenching my fists tight.

Now he would loosen his tie and—

“From here to here.”

Huh?

Peeking my eyes open, I saw his long fingers pointing— not at his tie, but at the bookshelves flanking us.

‘The… shelves?’

The walls were filled with enormous bookcases, crammed with volumes.

Not understanding, I tilted my head. He explained:

“Organize them. Make them easy to find and neat.”

…All of them?

I stared in disbelief. Understanding my expression, he gave a small amused sigh and gestured.

“Ah, the ladder’s over there.”

Thud.

The heavy study door closed behind him. After even pointing out where the ladder was, the duke left me alone inside.

“…Huh?”

What was this situation?

Hadn’t I been summoned as a personal maid? Why was I suddenly reorganizing shelves?

‘No matter what he orders, I must obey… but… is this really it?’

The flow was so baffling my body wouldn’t move.

Why would the duke assign such a task? Out of nowhere?

“W-Wait…!”

Was he testing me?

To see if I’d act suspiciously? Perhaps he had hidden classified papers among the books, like bait.

‘If that’s the case—’

Then I had only one response to show.

I turned sharply to face the massive shelves, lips set firm.

And with determination, I hefted the ladder.

* * *

A few days later, I realized a simple but shocking truth.

‘So much for bait!’

I think I’ve just been singled out by the duke.

Why do I think that? Well…

“Cough, cough!”

On the first day, I had organized the shelves.

The books were heavy, the dust kept making me sneeze, and I had no idea how to categorize them at first. But I recalled volunteering as a library assistant back in school, and relied on that memory to sort things.

‘Back then I only did it for the gift cards…’

Who knew it would actually come in handy here?

‘When it was all done, I felt a bit proud!’

Hehe—

Back then, I laughed without a care.

I had no idea that was just the “beginning”…

‘The bedroom’s layout bothers me. Rearrange everything.’

So at the crack of dawn, I had to completely overhaul the furniture and items in the duke’s chamber. Who knew what about it bothered him, but he ordered it done.

‘There are wrinkled clothes. Iron them all, just in case.’

I dragged out every garment he had left untouched and pressed them all. Whether he’d ever wear them was irrelevant.

‘There’s still pollen sticking. Do it again.’

Even stricter than the head maid, the duke’s inspections made me redo cleaning again and again.

‘Always again, again!’

My hands clenched the curtain fabric tight in frustration.

But then—rip.

Startled, I let go immediately.

This was no ordinary curtain—it was far too expensive to risk tearing!