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Episode 7
I flopped down onto the soft, wide bed in my room and shouted,
“I’m so glad I came to the Hamilton household!”
I’d been worried about how I’d ever clean such a huge estate by myself, but it turned out to be a pointless concern.
“The annex is cleaned regularly by assigned maids. Just make sure you don’t run into the other servants while they’re there.”
“If you leave laundry in a basket, the butler or I will take care of it.”
Remembering what Lisa had told me, I felt deeply moved.
So all I had to do was attend to the young master? Was it really okay for a job to be this easy?
“And I think I’ve gotten a little closer to the young master, too. That’s a relief.”
Thanks to showing him magic—well, tricks—he seemed to have opened his heart to me a bit.
He was still grumpy with his words, but if I kept taking good care of him, I was sure he’d soften up.
At least, that’s what I believed.
That belief didn’t last very long.
Jingle, jingle.
The clear sound of a bell rang the moment I entered my room.
“Again…?”
With a sigh, I headed straight back to the young master’s room.
Knock, knock.
“Young master, it’s Mary.”
As soon as I knocked and said my name, I got an answer.
“Come in.”
“Yes, young master. I’m coming in.”
Thinking back to the first time—when he refused to open the door and I had to climb in through the window—this was huge progress.
Now he even answered properly. I was almost grateful.
The young master’s room was always dark. The annex didn’t get much sunlight to begin with, and the large window was always covered by thick curtains.
Keeping the windows shut like this can’t be good for his health.’
When I once asked if I could open them, he’d flatly refuse.
“When light hits me, my eyes hurt, and my skin hurts. I hate it.”
Lisa had said sunlight helped improve his condition, but the young master was completely against it, so I always left the curtains closed.
I entered the dimly lit room and saw him leaning back on a soft sofa.
“What did you call me for this time?” I asked.
“Bring me a book.”
“Which one?”
“That one.”
Without even looking, he pointed at a book lying on the table.
A book that was literally one step away. No—close enough that he could’ve grabbed it just by stretching out his hand.
The way he calmly stared at me was unbelievably annoying.
Maybe he sensed my burning glare, because he glanced my way.
I quickly fixed my expression.
“Well? Why aren’t you bringing it?”
“Oh! Yes, I’ll get it.”
Forcing a smile, I handed him the book.
“Is there anything else you need?”
I asked just in case, but the answer was indifferent.
“No.”
“Really?”
“Yeah.”
“Really, really?”
Annoyed by my repeated questions, he scowled.
“I said no. Why do you keep asking?”
I glared back and snapped,
“Because the moment I go back to my room, you’ll just pull the bell again! Do you know how many times you’ve rung it today?”
The corner of his lips curled up mischievously.
“Ten times?”
Exactly.
Since breakfast, this naughty young master had pulled the bell more than ten times.
And the reasons were all over the place.
“Open the window.”
“I’m cold. Close it.”
“Close the curtains.”
“It’s too dark. Turn on the light.”
I wasn’t training a puppy, you know.
And the worst part was, this wasn’t just today.
The first day, he called me twice.
The next day, five times.
The day after that, ten times.
Now, a full week later, he was ringing the bell all day long.
At first, I was happy just to be called by him. But nonstop, pointless calls were starting to get on my nerves.
“Did I do something wrong?” I asked.
“No. Not really.”
“Then why are you doing this?”
“What do you mean?”
“You keep pulling the bell all day.”
When I finally snapped and demanded an answer, he replied calmly,
“I need you. You’re my maid.”
He wasn’t wrong.
I was his maid, so of course I had to come when he called.
…but still, this was too much!
“If you need something, why not just ask for everything at once? Why do you keep calling me again the moment I go back to my room?”
He seemed to think for a moment, then slowly moved his lips.
“I don’t like it when you go back to your room.”
“What… what do you mean by that?”
Ricardo couldn’t answer right away. He didn’t even know why he hated it when Mary left.
But one thing he knew for sure.
“When you go back, I get irritated.”
Whenever Mary finished her task and left, irritation bubbled up for no reason. He felt like he had to call her back immediately.
So he made excuses and pulled the bell. The moment Mary came running, that irritation melted away.
But once she arrived, there was nothing he needed. So he sent her away again with trivial errands.
Mary sighed.
“Then should I just stay next to you instead of going back to my room? So I can help whenever you need me?”
Ricardo answered instantly.
“No.”
“What? Why not?!”
“I don’t know. I just don’t like it.”
“How can you not know? Think about why you don’t like it!”
He didn’t like her leaving—but he didn’t want her constantly by his side either.
If he had to name a reason…
“You make me uncomfortable.”
When Mary was around, he kept glancing at her without meaning to. Even when he tried not to, his nerves stayed tense, always aware of her movements.
Well, that’s normal. Everyone feels uncomfortable when someone else is nearby.’
The only people Ricardo considered family were his mother, Lady Lianne; Head Maid Lisa; and the butler, old Hollent.
To Ricardo, Mary was still an “outsider.”
Though among outsiders, she was closer than anyone else.
Not family, but not quite strangers either.
Mary was something new—and unfamiliar.
“Then should I wait outside the door?”
“No.”
“Why not this time?!”
“It’s cold.”
“…Huh?”
The Hamilton estate was in the northern part of the Hersian Empire. Even in spring, it stayed chilly. And now it was late autumn, almost winter.
“It’s cold. You might catch a cold standing in the hallway.”
“…Are you worried about me?”
Mary’s eyes sparkled with hope.
Caught off guard, Ricardo blurted out the first thing he could think of.
“D-don’t be ridiculous. If you catch a cold, you might pass it to me. And if I get sick, will you take responsibility?”
Mary nodded seriously.
“That’s true. It’d be a big problem if you got sick.”
Thankfully, she didn’t push it.
“Can I go back to my room now?”
“No.”
As I turned to leave, the young master stopped me firmly.
“You said it’s annoying going back and forth. Stay here.”
“You said I made you uncomfortable.”
“…Just sit here. I’ll deal with it.”
So fickle.
I obediently crouched down beside the sofa.
Instantly, his face twisted in displeasure.
“Why are you sitting there?”
“I can’t sit in the same seat as you.”
“Why not?”
“I’m a maid, and you’re the young master.”
Over the past few days, Lisa has taught me servant etiquette.
Servants shouldn’t eat in front of their master.
They shouldn’t sit in the same seat.
They should address their master by title, not name.
There was a lot I didn’t know.
I wanted to be a proper Hamilton servant, so I worked hard to learn the basics.
“And?” he said.
And?
Was he too young to know etiquette?
When I explained what Lisa had taught me, he snapped back irritably,
“Aren’t you my maid?”
“Yes. I’m your maid.”
“Then you should listen to me, not Lisa.”
…That actually made sense.
I quickly climbed onto the sofa and sat down.
“Good. You’re mine, so from now on, listen only to me.”
“Yes, young master.”
Only then did a satisfied smile appear on his face.
