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The book—just one of them—was, to exaggerate only a little, thicker than the palm of my hand.
Big mouth, me.
The part where I’d boldly said I’d memorize five, ten books if needed? Yeah, I take that back.
‘Seriously, at this thickness, this one book alone is basically the size of ten normal ones.’
After a quick wash, I sat down and started flipping through the pages in earnest.
It didn’t seem like I’d be getting any sleep tonight.
The next day.
On the first floor of the main residence of the Vallot Ducal House, tucked away in a corner, was the laundry room.
The space was enormous, and thanks to the large floor-to-ceiling windows along the wall, natural sunlight streamed in.
Even though it was indoors, simply opening the windows allowed a refreshing breeze to blow through, and warm sunlight poured in generously.
The place was filled with the scent of fragrant soap and sunshine.
“…Count, are you sure this girl’s new to maid work?”
“……”
Rudia, the maid in charge of the laundry area, asked with a bewildered look.
Ahem. Norbert didn’t reply. He simply watched Freya, who was engrossed in her work.
Freya was sorting the laundry into piles based on washing methods.
Heavily soiled laundry was pre-washed and set aside; she adjusted the water temperature before the main washing process.
Of course, she did sway for a moment while lifting the soaked laundry to wring it out—it must have been heavy—but aside from that, her movements were precise.
“Count.”
Rudia spoke in a serious tone.
“You know we’re short-handed in this section, right? If you could assign that girl, Freya, to us—”
“You think this is the only section that’s short on people?”
Norbert cut her off immediately.
“Tch.” Rudia clicked her tongue softly.
Norbert rubbed his forehead.
This situation didn’t make sense.
‘This makes five times now.’
First it was Ters in the wine cellar, then Patrick in the garden, followed by Walter at the forge and Delson at the stables.
And now even the laundry staff were asking for Freya to be assigned to their section.
It was because Freya’s knowledge and understanding of every task she encountered far surpassed the ordinary.
“This is a Peldedor wine from the Kingdom of Villedro. It’s famous for its strong tannins and distinctive fruit notes thanks to the region’s terroir.”
“Patience. That’s the flower language of the Marin Hawk. Its blue petals are used in medicine, but if you dry and powder the roots, they can be turned into a potent poison.”
“Armor made of Planite ore? That’s rare and notoriously difficult to handle. But looking at it, I can see they increased the carbon content to boost strength and hardness.”
“This is a well-trained horse. You can tell from its eyes—it has excellent rapport with its trainer. The shine of its coat means it’s in top condition. May I brush it?”
She spoke fluently and without hesitation.
And this wasn’t just rote memorization.
‘She said she only remembered names. That was clearly a lie.’
If she truly hadn’t lost her memory, it would make more sense.
‘Wine and gardening are one thing, but how in the world does she know about forges and stables?’
It was absurd.
At this point, Norbert wondered if she’d simply forgotten that she claimed to have amnesia—
Or perhaps she didn’t care to hide it at all.
Almost as if reading his thoughts, Freya shook out a piece of laundry and said calmly,
“Have you forgotten? The book you gave me last night.”
Book?
‘Ah… right.’
Norbert recalled the book he’d sent to Freya’s room.
It was a thick manual detailing the ducal household’s regulations and the responsibilities of each work section.
Of course, it also contained detailed descriptions of how every type of work was to be performed.
“You… read all of that?”
“Read it? You told me to memorize it, remember?”
“…So you’re saying you memorized it all? Overnight?”
Freya simply nodded lightly.
If that were true, her impressive performance so far could actually be explained.
But…
‘…Really?’
Was she telling the truth, or was this just bravado?
‘No.’
It was an enormous amount of text. No one could memorize it all in a single night.
Just reading it would take a week.
Memorizing it, too?
‘She’s bluffing, no doubt about it.’
But if she wasn’t bluffing, then all her behavior made sense.
Norbert glanced at Freya again as she sorted the newly arrived laundry.
Beside him, Rudia whispered,
“You made her memorize another book? How many academy students have run away because of that?”
“……”
“And here I thought she was just a pretty face, but she’s good with her hands too. She’s that survivor they found on the Teridana coast, right?”
“……Yeah.”
“So, where are you assigning her?”
“……”
Norbert didn’t answer.
He’d already decided where Freya would be placed, but before that, he planned to take her around the manor so she could experience a bit of each section’s work.
‘I didn’t expect her to handle everything so well, though…’
Her looks were already enough to draw attention wherever she went.
‘Aside from her lack of stamina, everything she does is nearly flawless.’
It was at that moment Norbert fully accepted Freya’s request to train her body.
Even if I died, I’d die on the battlefield.
That was my mindset when I lived as a knight.
Now, I was a maid.
Then, if I died, where would it be?
‘The washtub, obviously.’
After dumping the murky water from the blackened laundry tub, I flipped it upside down to let it dry, then returned indoors.
By then, the freshly sun-dried laundry had already been brought in.
Maid after maid swarmed around the piles. I picked up the crisp, clean laundry and folded it neatly, sorting everything into labeled piles for easy retrieval.
“She’s fast with her hands.”
“And sharp, too.”
The maids working alongside me tossed casual compliments as they passed by.
‘Am I?’
I tilted my head, then focused on the work again.
Maybe it was because it was the first day, but compared to Norbert’s intimidating warnings,
‘Honestly, this is kind of fun.’
None of the work Norbert had shown me so far was unfamiliar.
‘I guess I should thank Serhin.’
Serhin, the crown prince of the Tenacis Empire, suffered from severe mysophobia.
Since I was the only one who served him personally, I’d had to become capable of handling everything to meet his obsessive standards—
His food, clothes, horse, sword, armor, even the single flower placed in his bedroom.
I was his shadow and his sword.
And I didn’t mind.
Repaying the man who saved my life and taught me the sword was only natural.
‘Maybe I was a maid in my forgotten childhood.’
The thought crossed my mind.
Anyway, if this was maid work—if this was butler work—
‘Maybe being a butler really is my calling.’
I felt like I could handle any section they assigned me to.
After all, my ultimate goal was to become a butler.
The butler of Duke Vallot himself.
The only thing still holding me back was my pitiful stamina.
If I could fix that…
‘Which is why the kitchen is off limits.’
Working there would eat into my training time.
“Phew…”
I wiped the sweat from my forehead with the back of my hand and took a deep breath.
Ah, so this is the joy of a job well done.
It was a different feeling from the thrill of victory on the battlefield after sleepless nights and endless bloodshed.
Less intense, maybe, but this warm sense of accomplishment was unlike anything I’d felt while taking lives.
Heh.
‘Honestly, what am I doing.’
Anyone watching would think I’d spent my whole life as a maid.
I felt oddly sheepish.
‘Anyway…’
The sun was already setting.
The crimson sun was dipping below the mountains, leaving a faint afterimage behind.
‘I guess we’re not visiting another section today.’
I glanced at Norbert. He was standing by the wall, talking to a maid.
Judging by the atmosphere, it looked like we were done for the day.
‘Maybe he’s planning to assign me here.’
We’d toured several sections since morning, but we’d spent the most time in the laundry.
‘Honestly, anywhere’s fine as long as it’s not the kitchen.’
The kitchen worked past midnight, while laundry duties ended once the drying and sorting were done.
And the sun was setting now.
At that moment, Norbert met my eyes.
“……”
“……”
A brief pause—then he jerked his chin, calling me over.
“That’s enough for today.”
End of work.
I quickly put down the laundry I was holding and followed him out.
“See you tomorrow!”
“Hope you get assigned here!”
Even though we’d only worked together for a few hours, the maids called after me warmly.
I turned and gave them a polite bow.
‘They’re nice.’
There was no hostility, no hazing, no sharp glares.
I really wouldn’t mind being assigned here.
I trailed behind Norbert, lost in thought.
Then suddenly, he stopped in front of a door.
‘Huh?’
I recognized this door.
It was the Duke’s office.
“Your Grace, it’s Norbert. May I enter?”
What the hell. Weren’t we heading home?
Why are we at the Duke’s office all of a sudden?
And why am I being brought in?
Oh no.
‘Is this about borrowing the training yard…?’
Then, a voice came from beyond the door.
“Enter.”
“Yes, Your Grace.”
I panicked and tugged at Norbert’s sleeve.
“Uh, Master, why are we—”
Shh. He cut me off.
“Be quiet and follow me.”
“……”
Ah, crap.
I’m screwed.
