I'll Become the Sirius Duke's Daughter's Maid and Make Her Obsess Over Me
On the day of her sister's engagement ceremony, Serena—the youngest daughter of the Meridiana Count House—shuddered inwardly.
An arranged marriage… Ugh. Just imagining it gives me the creeps.
Though the memories of her past life had grown somewhat hazy, Serena still clearly remembered one crucial fact: she had been a man.
And so she harbored a deep aversion to marrying one.
I'd rather die than get skewered by some guy. Serena meant that with complete sincerity.
But still…
I'd love to live out my days as a spinster who never marries… but…
Given her family, that wouldn't be easy.
Serena was utterly convinced that her house was the empire's shadowy mastermind.
Not only the direct line but every collateral relative had slanted eyes, and somehow—by what dark magic she couldn't fathom—even her mother, who had married in from another house, possessed them too.
According to the common sense of her past life, slanted eyes were the hallmark of a scheming mastermind.
Suspicious looks alone might have been one thing. But the Meridiana family monopolized the empire's trade, logistics, and distribution—they were a massive conglomerate.
She couldn't even begin to imagine how many terrifying things they must have done to build their business to this scale. Serena had actually witnessed the Meridiana family ruin houses that stood in the way of their enterprises.
With a family like this, they would surely extend the tentacles of arranged marriage toward her for political gain.
Serena snorted.
Hmph. If they think I'll just quietly submit to an arranged marriage, they're dead wrong. I'll find a way to become a spinster no matter what.
—Serena, the twelve-year-old treasured daughter of the Meridiana Count House. Five years remained until the threat of arranged marriage would come for her.
The Meridiana Count House was a family of masterminds. And according to Serena's common sense, masterminds eventually fell and paid for their karmic debts.
Having no desire to be dragged to the guillotine under the charge of "Crime: Mastermind" and have her head chopped off, Serena began each morning with escape practice—that is, running.
"Huff, huff, haaah… One hundred meters in twelve seconds… I did it…"
It was a mid-February morning, still thick with winter's chill. The cool, refreshing air flooding her lungs with every ragged breath cleared Serena's head.
With her mind sharpened, she thought:
Arranged marriages are done for political purposes, right?
So if I can bring enormous political benefits to the family without getting married, wouldn't that work?
For example… becoming a maid to a high-ranking noble?
Huh? I was just thinking out loud, but this is actually pretty good…
Becoming a maid was the second most common means of political alliance after arranged marriage, since it established a master-servant relationship with a high-ranking noble. As the legitimate daughter of a count house, Serena could become a maid not only to any of the empire's five ducal houses, but even to a princess, forging ties with the imperial family itself.
If the benefits she secured were enormous enough, the family might force her into spinsterhood instead of an arranged marriage—keeping her at her master's side.
Wait. Wait just a second.
Serena recalled a fact that made the political advantages of being a maid pale into insignificance.
Maids can't get married without their master's permission in the first place, right?
It was an unwritten rule of noble society, born from cases where a maid married only to discover her husband's family was hostile to her master—leading her to betray them.
Seizing on that detail, Serena hatched a thoroughly wicked idea.
So then… what if I make my master obsess over me?
What if she refuses to let me leave her side and never, ever grants permission for me to marry?
This has real potential…
After finishing the rest of her escape practice for the day, Serena washed up and immediately began researching whether such cases actually existed. And she found one: a woman from a certain count house whose path to marriage had been completely blocked by the tyranny of her master, a duchess—leaving her a spinster for life.
Serena absolutely adored this story.
So being a maid was the answer all along? Then whose maid should I become?
After a bit of thought, Serena decided to become the maid of a princess or duke's daughter around her own age. An older mistress like a duchess might dote on young Serena, but she wouldn't seriously obsess over or depend on her.
And if I take a child as my master, gaslighting her will be that much easier.
She could create a state of psychological dependence so complete that the girl couldn't live without her. If a child in that state grew up and entered a marriage of equals, she would become a neighboring country's queen or a duchess. And that powerful figure, so dependent on Serena, would absolutely refuse to permit her marriage.
If my master says she can't live without me… even my family won't be able to do anything about it.
The Meridiana family ranked among the top ten great noble houses of the empire, but they weren't at a level where they could openly defy a queen or duchess. So if Serena's master took that stance, they wouldn't force an arranged marriage.
And since I'd be delivering political benefits to the family as a powerful figure's close attendant, it wouldn't be a bad deal from their perspective either.
Having mapped out this ideal scenario, Serena inquired whether any princesses or duke's daughters of her age were seeking maids. And at the end of her inquiries… she learned that at the northernmost tip of the empire, the Sirius Duke House of the north would soon be recruiting a maid for their eldest daughter, who was about to turn ten.
The duke was busy fighting the demons descending from the north, and his second wife had borne a late-born eldest son and had no energy left to spare for her predecessor's daughter. So they needed a maid who could be like a sister to her.
A sister-like maid… the conditions are almost too perfect.
Dad's busy, Mom's a stepmother who only cares about her own son.
If I become her maid, I'll be the only one she has, won't I?
Perfect.
I'll become the Sirius Duke's Daughter's maid, and make her obsess over me.
That evening, Serena declared to her family gathered in the dining room for dinner:
"I'm going to become the Sirius Duke's Daughter's maid!"
On behalf of the family, the countess asked about her late-born daughter's sudden announcement.
"Sirius—you mean the house in Canis Major in the north?"
"Yes! That Sirius Duke House!"
At Serena's firm confirmation, the countess was at a loss for words.
Serena becoming a duke's daughter's maid and forging ties with a ducal house was certainly welcome news. If that house hadn't been Sirius, that is.
The north where Sirius stood was far harsher in climate than the south where Meridiana resided, and it was an unstable region that fought wars against the demons descending every winter. Just six years ago, Sirius had lost the duchess when demons invaded even the ducal residence.
The countess was about to say no, but…
Sparkle, sparkle.
Her adorable youngest daughter's eyes shone so brightly. The countess knew from experience that if she dashed those expectations, Serena would throw an enormous stubborn tantrum.
Haa. The countess sighed mentally and said:
"…I can't send my precious you off to a place we know nothing about. Won't you wait until your father and I look into Sirius?"
"You'd better review it positively! Unless you want to see me stop eating carrots, stop eating broccoli, stop eating peas, and stop talking to you altogether!"
…Serena was already throwing a tantrum.
After Serena's declaration, the Meridiana Count House investigated the Sirius Duke House and the north. The results were surprisingly positive.
Apparently, the duke who had lost his first wife to demons six years ago had been slaughtering demons with mad intensity every year since. Thanks to that, the duchy had recently suffered zero demon-related damage. The north was unexpectedly safe.
We were planning to expand our business northward anyway, so paying our respects in advance wouldn't be a bad idea.
The Meridiana count and countess granted Serena permission to go north.
With her parents' blessing, Serena set out for the north together with her personal maid, Serasia. After a full week of travel by carriage, train, and carriage again, she finally arrived at the Sirius Duke House.
"I'm Serena of Meridiana! I heard you were looking for a maid for the young lady, so I came!"
"Welcome, my lady. The interviews are scheduled for the day after tomorrow, so we would be grateful if you would rest and recover from your journey in a guest room until then."
At this unexpected news, Serena tilted her head.
"Huh? I have to do an interview?"
"A fair number of people have volunteered to become the young lady's maid this time."
"Ahh, I see."
Lounging in the guest room the servant had shown her to, Serena thought:
The interview is the day after tomorrow… I've got quite a bit of time.
Might as well gather some information in advance as interview prep.
Of course, she had thoroughly researched Sirius before coming here. But she hadn't been able to obtain a single scrap of information about the most important person—the Sirius Duke's Daughter. Right now, Serena didn't even know the young lady's name or hair color.
It'd be nice to at least know what she looks like.
Serena decided to collect information on the duke's daughter. And so she wandered the ducal residence asking people about the young lady, but…
"Ah… that young lady. I don't really know much either."
"Can't I meet her?"
"That would probably be difficult."
For some reason, everyone seemed reluctant to discuss the topic, and meeting the duke's daughter in person was impossible.
Something's going on here.
Serena's instincts whispered as much.
If they won't tell me, I'll just have to find out myself.
Disguising herself as a maid, Serena began searching the mansion. The ducal residence was a four-story building. In houses like this, the second floor was typically used by the direct family, and the third by some family members and guests.
So she searched the second and third floors… but found not a single clue about the duke's daughter anywhere.
Where on earth is the duke's daughter…?
The clue came from a completely unexpected place.
"About the young lady on the fourth floor…"
From a conversation between servants she happened to overhear, she learned that the duke's daughter's room was on the fourth floor.
On the fourth floor…?
The top floor of the mansion. That space was hot in summer and cold in winter, so it was normally used as bedrooms for low-ranking servants or as storage.
Serena's expression went blank.
Why is a duke's daughter up there…?