Chapter 5
Chapter 5
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 5
Chapter Title: Development (3)
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And that very night.
I lay down side by side with Isabel in the servants' quarters we shared, exhausted, and tried to fall asleep.
Starting tomorrow, I'd finally be working in the kitchen, something I'd been looking forward to.
Sure, it was a transfer prompted by Lilith's looks, but I had no intention of wasting this rare opportunity.
For Lilith, who couldn't openly practice magic to expend mana or venture outside the estate to hunt monsters, this was the first real chance to do something.
It was only for a week, but right now, I had to be grateful for even this much.
My heart raced at the thought of finally using magic, keeping my mind from drifting off to sleep.
Isabel, noticing I wasn't asleep yet, called out to me softly.
"Lilith, you asleep?"
"...No, not yet."
"You're starting kitchen duty tomorrow? It'll be lonely working apart for a while...."
"It's just a week. Once the guests leave, I'll be back to my regular duties."
"I know, but still...."
From Isabel's perspective, Lilith was a colleague she'd worked with for a year, so it made sense she'd grown attached.
I wasn't thrilled about being separated from her either, but magic training came first.
In my current situation, even a little growth could mean the difference between escaping Ethan later or not.
So, I had to focus on growth over sentiment now.
"By the way, Lilith."
"Yeah?"
"You know you've changed a lot lately, right?"
"......Huh?"
"How should I put it? You've felt like a different person since about a week ago."
...Huh?
"R-Really? I feel the same as always...."
"See? That's different from before."
A chill ran down my spine at Isabel's firm suspicion, cold sweat beading along my back.
She pointed out my speech pattern, cautiously suggesting I might not be the real Lilith.
"You used to use formal speech even with me, but lately, you've stopped completely. Your tone and actions feel subtly different too."
"........"
...I'd let my guard down.
In my despair over possessing Lilith, I'd completely forgotten her character traits and acted out of character.
Of course, her nickname was 'Foolish Maid Lilith' for a reason.
To keep pretending to be Lilith after regaining my past life memories, I should've kept up her unnecessarily obedient and frustrating personality.
Otherwise, it was natural for someone close like this to notice.
...What do I do?
If Isabel found out I wasn't really Lilith, how could I brush it off?
Or should I silence her some other way?
As anxious thoughts raced through my mind, Isabel continued quietly.
Tense, I listened intently.
"So, what I'm saying is... maybe..."
-Thump. Thump.
"...maybe you want to be friends with me?"
"......Huh?"
"You've suddenly stopped using formal speech, and for some reason, it feels like we've gotten closer. I-I was wondering if that's it...."
...Yeah, that makes sense.
People in this world wouldn't imagine someone from another world possessing a body or regaining past life memories.
As long as I didn't say anything, there was no way I'd get caught. It was needless worry.
"O-Of course!"
"...Really?"
"Actually, I've wanted to be friends with you since we first met. I never had time to play with friends outside because I was always helping my dad, and since we're colleagues who started working together..."
"M-Me too...! I've wanted to be friends with you for so long...! B-But you always used formal speech even with me, so I thought maybe you found it burdensome...."
"I-I see...."
...Ouch.
Isabel's pure reaction, completely falling for my shameless lie, hurt.
But what could I do? I couldn't just spill the truth.
Since it had come to this, brazening it out was my way of surviving.
"So, from now on, let's act like friends?"
"Y-Yeah! Pinky promise!"
"Yeah, promise...."
Isabel poked her head over from the top bunk, extending her pinky downward.
Meeting her eyes, I raised my own pinky and hooked it with hers.
With our slender fingers linked, we shared a quiet smile.
"Promise~."
"Yeah, promise...."
...Not bad at all.
Having one more reliable connection in this world.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ The next day, 4 a.m.
Reading the current time on the Time Stone, I got out of bed to prepare for work.
For reference, a Time Stone is a stone whose transparency changes with time. It's darkest black at midnight and nearly glass-clear at noon.
Numbers of varying shades are marked on it, and whether they're visible serves as a clock substitute in this world.
Wound-up mechanical clocks exist too, but they're typically magic tools here.
Not something for a tiny room shared by two junior maids.
To avoid being late, I quickly changed into the maid uniform I'd prepared from the closet.
The rustling woke Isabel, who stirred on the top bunk.
"Lilith.... Is it morning already...?"
"Sorry, did I wake you?"
"No.... I have to get up anyway...."
"You can sleep two more hours, Isabel. It's only 4 a.m."
"......Huh? 4 a.m.?"
Isabel climbed down with bleary eyes and checked the Time Stone.
Confirming it really was 4, she looked puzzled.
"It is.... Really 4 a.m...."
"Sleep more. If the top bunk's uncomfortable, take my spot."
"What about you...?"
"Kitchen duty means starting two hours early, the seniors said. Gotta head out soon."
"Really...? They didn't teach us that...."
With that, Isabel slyly slipped into the bedding I'd just left.
A growing girl worked from dawn to dusk; no wonder she was tired.
From tomorrow, I'd move more quietly so I wouldn't wake her.
"Sweet dreams, Isabel."
"...Zzz, zzz."
Leaving Isabel asleep on the bottom bunk, I quietly closed the door behind me.
Moving silently to avoid waking others, I reached the first-floor dining area.
Taking a deep breath, I stepped inside.
-Creaaaaak.
Dining hall, prep room, kitchen.
Mindful of the old hinges' squeak, I opened each door slowly and entered the kitchen.
The forbidden space off-limits to a junior maid like me.
"...No one's here."
I'd hurried a bit, worried the Time Stone showed too late, but luckily, I wasn't after the seniors—no scolding.
Maid work was grueling, with a strict hierarchy.
In a duke's household with many servants, it rivaled the military from my past life.
To avoid nitpicking, arrive early.
"Haa, so much damn work...."
Mountains of potatoes and carrots piled in the corner drew a sigh from me.
This was just for breakfast. Same for lunch prep and dinner.
Breakfast at 9, called at 4—it clicked.
This workload justified two hours early.
Four maids could handle it in three hours, maybe.
"...Let me check something before the seniors arrive."
Arriving first was an opportunity—no eyes on me to use magic.
Scanning again, confirming alone.
Recalling how to open the info window from playing Luminor Academy.
...Lilith's gesture was this, right?
⚔ STATUS ⚔ 📛 Name: Lilith Rosewood
🏷️ Title: Junior Maid
♀️ Gender: Female
🎂 Age: 18
💼 Job: Maid
🏰 Affiliation: Blackwood Family Servant
⚔ Attack Power: 3
🛡️ Defense Power: 5
🧠 Intelligence: 4
💖 Charm: 12
🍀 Luck: 0
⭐ Current Level: 2
📈 Remaining EXP: 19
🛠️ Current Skills: >>
❤️ HP: 15 / 15
✨ MP: 21 / 21
"...Oh, it worked."
The familiar Lilith status window from Luminor Academy, where I'd sunk 2,000 hours, appeared before my eyes.
In Luminor Academy, you opened info windows by making the character perform a specific action.
For the protagonist, you could set it yourself, but others had fixed gestures.
Lilith's was clasping hands in prayer silently.
Level 2 meant most stats were rock-bottom, but I'd level up to fix that later.
Charm and Luck stood out amid the averages, extremes mirroring Lilith's life.
Beautiful looks caught Pig Prince Ethan's eye, cursing her with bad luck until the academy.
Perfect stats for her.
Intelligence, Charm, Luck affected skill accuracy and power, not real IQ or such.
Higher Intelligence boosted magic effects; higher Luck improved hit rates.
Zero Intelligence didn't mean dumber than a shoe.
Level-up gains scaled with traits, though.
Charm influenced buffs/debuffs; as a support specialist, Lilith's was high.
Game treated her as attractive, so it fit.
"...Good, opening the window isn't treated as magic."
I'd hesitated even on this, fearing suspicion of magic use.
Now confirmed safe, I could open it anywhere.
Half my kitchen goal achieved already.
"...Oops."
Excited to be in Luminor Academy's world, I'd spent too long on the status.
Seniors not here yet, but idling would earn a scolding.
Check magic while pretending to work.
Peeling potatoes was doable with status open.
"Work, work. Plenty of chances later."
Avoiding suspicion first priority, I grabbed potatoes and a knife.
Prepping breakfast ingredients while waiting for seniors.
-Scrape, scrape.
"......"
-Scrape, scrape.
"......"
After 30 minutes.
Enough potato peels to fill a large pot, I finally noticed.
"...Those bitches."
I'd been duped into pulling seniority by the damn senior maids.