“Impressive. Can’t you stay still? Or are you just stupid?”

“That’s not it……”

Dietrich scanned my appearance with an irritated look.

“What’s with that maid uniform?”

“It’s a long story, want to hear it?”

“No. Forget it. The contract is terminated.”

As soon as he finished speaking, Dietrich turned around to leave the reception room.

If only I hadn’t knelt down and grabbed his pant leg.

“I’m sorry! I’m so sorry!”

“……”

“I was so hungry I went out for a bit, and wouldn’t you know, the mansion was in chaos. Then I was mistaken for a maid, got caught up working, and ended up like this.”

After blurting out the excuses I wanted to make, I put my hand on my chest and took deep breaths.

Dietrich just silently looked down at me without saying anything.

“You know it’s too late to explain you’re my mother’s distant relative now that the Duchess has seen you, right?”

Though he said that, it seemed he was willing to hear more as he sighed and spoke.

Since the Duchess had seen me in a maid uniform, that lie couldn’t be used anymore.

The frustrating part is that I had no idea things would turn out this way either!

I slowly released my grip on Dietrich’s pant leg.

Then I shouted loudly.

“Of course I know that!”

“…I wasn’t actually asking if you really knew or not.”

“Then what?”

“Haa……”

Dietrich finally rubbed his forehead and let out a deep sigh.

“I guess you really are stupid.”

“I can still help you though. So don’t abandon me.”

I opened my eyes as wide and round as possible, then blinked pitifully.

However, Dietrich didn’t even bat an eye and just wiggled his index finger.

It seemed to mean ‘stand up’. I quickly stood up and faced Dietrich.

He frowned while stroking his chin, but he definitely seemed calmer than before.

‘He doesn’t look like he’ll get angrier, right?’

Sneaking out was very wrong, but I could have starved to death if I wasn’t careful.

Dietrich clearly bears some responsibility for how things turned out this way.

But I decided not to mention that.

‘Oh well, it doesn’t matter.’

Whether it was my fault or Dietrich’s, we were comrades working toward the same goal.

My wish was to not make our relationship any worse.

“Looking like that, it’s problematic to say you’re a noble young lady.”

“…Do I look that dirty?”

“You haven’t bathed, so you don’t look clean.”

Damn.

I guess that mean old lady wasn’t entirely wrong.

Being in such a dirty state while wearing a maid uniform, it’s not strange that they immediately thought I was a maid.

“If you want to stay in this house, pretending to be a maid would be best.”

“…I don’t want to be a maid.”

“For someone who doesn’t want to, you sure went to the maid’s dining hall to get food and put on a maid uniform.”

“It’s unfair.”

Nothing changed no matter how unfair I felt it was.

I glumly fiddled with the rough fabric of the maid uniform skirt.

I thought I could pretend to be a noble young lady, but I guess that failed.

‘I guess I’m not destined to be nobility here either.’

Thinking that I wasn’t fated for special treatment before or after the possession actually made me feel more at ease.

Yeah, I don’t know noble etiquette anyway, so pretending to be a maid might be less stressful.

“I’ll tell the head maid. That you’re a maid I picked up off the streets.”

“Will she believe that you picked someone up off the streets?”

“…Even if it’s hard to believe, she’ll at least pretend to believe it, so it doesn’t matter.”

Dietrich glared at me irritably after I hit the nail on the head, but I quickly changed the subject.

Anyway, I quickly regained my spirits and clenched my fists with determination.

“Alright. Since it’s come to this, I’ll become the best maid ever!”

Who knows, I might become House Delgado’s ultimate maid!

“That’s quite an ambitious goal.”

“Can you please be quiet?”

If only Dietrich would stop interfering.

[This is the timeline separator]

The next morning.

The start of the day was simple.

Neatly making the bed in the dormitory and opening the windows wide.

Thanks to Dietrich, who was as good at taking action as I was, promptly telling the head maid, I was able to sleep in the maid’s quarters from last night.

Very thankfully.

Luckily, my roommate in the 2-person room is Marie!

Marie was truly the best friend and roommate.

As soon as she found out I was assigned to her room, she told me all the tips for the maid’s quarters – isn’t that what a true friend does?

Thanks to the valuable information Marie shared, I learned that if you go to the maid’s dining hall early, you can get one extra freshly baked warm white bread.

“Marie, Marie. Wake up! We need to go get white bread.”

“Mmm… Just a little longer…”

“Didn’t you say you were going to get some for your siblings?”

“Right, right. I need to open my eyes.”

Marie was the eldest daughter of a poor commoner family.

She said she became a maid at House Delgado to help her parents, who work as gardeners and kitchen assistants at other noble houses.

She has five younger siblings, all young and needing to eat a lot, so she was very worried.

In the end, the eldest daughter’s sense of responsibility won over sleep.

Marie rubbed her sleepy eyes and got up, and we quickly changed into our maid uniforms and headed to the dining hall.

The dining hall food was perfect again today. Since we arrived early, we were able to get an extra white bread each.

“Hmm, I’ll have to bring this to my siblings.”

Watching the delighted Marie, I quietly looked down at the white bread in my hand.

Since she said she has five siblings, one bread probably won’t be enough.

“Do you want to take this too?”

“Really?”

Marie stopped in her tracks on the way back to our room, apparently not expecting me to offer my bread.

“Are you giving this to me? Why?”

“Well, you said you have five younger siblings.”

“That’s true, but… You’re just as poor.”

Marie’s painful words made my heart ache for a moment, but I generously handed her all of my bread.

“I’m fine. I’m alone anyway.”

“Alone? You don’t have family?”

“No. I don’t.”

I never had a family to begin with.

Before or after the possession, not having a family was the same.

Recalling my past life where I grew up in an orphanage but always tried to stay bright and positive, I smiled as brightly as I could.

“So take this. Since there are a lot of people, it’s better to have more bread.”

“Heidi… You’re such a good friend!”

Moved, Marie hugged my neck tightly while holding bread in both hands.

It felt a bit suffocating, but I didn’t mind.

Marie’s embrace was warm and cozy.

Maybe that’s why.

I thought today wouldn’t be a bad day.

‘It’s bad! Really bad!’

I bit my lip hard as I looked down at the heavy stack of books.

Then I turned to look at the annoying maids standing behind me, waving their hands for me to hurry up.

“Heidi. New maids always do this kind of thing. Hurry up and move them!”

“That’s right. If the head maid sees, she’ll get angry at how slow you are.”

“She doesn’t seem to have much of a work ethic.”

It seemed they were hazing the newcomer.

As House Delgado was large, there were many maids.

Looking at the leisurely maids who came specifically to bully the newbie, I gritted my teeth.

‘How mean.’

Mean, but I had to do what I was told.

To avoid being ostracized among the maids, I couldn’t act too defiantly.

After quietly watching the giggling maids, I clenched my fists tightly.

At the same time, I lifted the stack of books with a jerk and smiled sweetly at the maids.

Well, this much is nothing.

Carrying them isn’t difficult.

Not wanting to show any signs of struggling, I walked while using all my strength. The laughter gradually faded away.

“Phew, this is tough.”

The room where I was told to move the books was an incredibly spacious and quiet room.

When I reached the door, I knocked carefully.

But there was no answer from inside the room telling me to come in.

“Huh, is it an empty room?”

Not having grasped the mansion’s layout yet, I couldn’t tell exactly where this was.

I awkwardly knocked on the door again.

Still no sound in response.

Just as I was leaning close to the door to listen for any movement inside.

“Hey, what are you doing?”

A youthful voice was heard.

When I turned my head, I saw a boy about shoulder height to me.

He looked to be around 10 years old.

A doll-like boy with golden hair and teal eyes was glaring at me with his arms crossed.

“I asked what you’re doing!”

The irritable voice and expensive-looking clothes.

It definitely reminded me of someone, but I couldn’t quite place it…

For now, I hurriedly bowed my head and faithfully carried out a maid’s duty by responding:

“I was ordered to move these books into this room.”

“Books?”

The boy looked at the stack of books on the floor as if in disbelief and wiggled his finger.

It seemed to mean ‘come closer’, so I approached, but suddenly he yelled angrily:

“Why are you coming closer!”

“But, didn’t you motion for me to come closer?”

“No, I didn’t!”

Then what am I supposed to do?

As he was getting irritated, I quickly stepped back.

Then the boy pointed at the books and shouted:

“Throw those books away right now!”

“What? These books?”

“Yes. I don’t repeat myself. Get rid of them all.”

As he spoke irritably in an authoritative tone, I started to get annoyed too.

However, unfortunately I was certain my status was much lower than this kid’s, so I could only ask politely:

“But someone else said this was a task the Duchess asked the head maid to do…”

“What does that matter! I don’t listen to what my mother says.”

“Your mother?!”

I was so surprised that my pronunciation slipped a bit, but that wasn’t important right now.

“Are you saying this tiny boy is Dietrich’s brother?”

“W-wait. What did you just say?”

“No way. They said he had a terrible personality, but how can someone this pretty exist!”

Dietrich’s younger brother was clearly described as a very bad child.

A nasty brat who would stop at nothing to fulfill the Duchess’s desires.

But to think he looked this adorable.

I stared blankly at the child and muttered:

“I can’t believe it.”

“…I’m the one who can’t believe it. Maid, are you in your right mind? Do you know what you just said?”

“Huh? What did I say?”

I shrugged with a confused look.

I definitely muttered in my head that this boy looked so pretty despite his personality.

‘Oh no, don’t tell me…’

It wasn’t even cold, but why did I feel a chill?

The boy, now looking dumbfounded beyond bewilderment, sighed and said:

“You just called me tiny but pretty!”

Oh no.