The Reluctant Maid
I don't like this guy.
Rose Valentine.
My name in this life, the only daughter of the Valentine Count family.
And... the villainess from the romance novel The Villainess's Maid is Tired.
The villainess Rose tormented the female lead Rachel from childhood, and as an adult, she tried to kill Rachel who monopolized the male leads' attention.
During that process, she was overpowered by the male leads and ultimately executed.
That's in the distant future, right? If I don't torment her and just live quietly, there won't be any problem.
Even though she didn't do anything wrong, she can't execute the count's daughter. She already cursed at her when they met...
"Hehe."
It seems she doesn't hate me or fear me.
Annoying.
Having lived without any shortcomings or fear for 8 years, a troublesome kid came in and complicated my head.
I let out a light sigh and looked at Rachel. Her smiling face looked like a fool.
"...You're not my maid. That's how it is."
I need to keep my distance from this kid as much as possible. Neither getting close nor tormenting her.
"Huh? But the Count asked me to take care of the young lady-"
"We're only two years apart. You're not a child either, are you?"
"Th-that's true...
"Who takes care of a child? I don't need a maid like thing, so go work somewhere else."
Rachel stared blankly at me. Unable to bear looking at that face, I turned and headed to my room on the second floor.
"Ah, I'll go with you, Miss Rose!"
Of course, I had to wrinkle my face at the footsteps following from behind.
Did she understand my words? I don't need a maid like thing.
"Don't follow me."
"It's the Count's order."
"I'll tell Father. So don't follow me."
"Then I'll go with you to see the Count!"
Click. I frowned and looked back from the stairs. Rachel was smiling brightly.
Is she not afraid of me?
"Are you joking with me? Am I funny?"
"Ah, no?!"
Only then did Rachel's face become serious. It annoyed me even more.
I couldn't just kick her out. I glared at Rachel and bit my lip, then continued up the stairs.
I had to go to Father's study. I had to drop this burden as soon as possible.
Is a maid allowed to talk back to her master?
It was ridiculous. Even though she was young, she had to know the difference.
I climbed the stairs with a face full of anger, heading to the study.
Fortunately, the only sound from behind was footsteps. Rachel was quiet.
I arrived in front of the study door and knocked three times.
"Dad. It's Rose. Can I come in?"
"Come in."
I opened the door. The familiar scent of wood tickled my nose.
In the spacious study, Father, the assistant, and the housekeeper were organizing documents.
I strode in front of Father and raised my arm to point at Rachel.
"This kid. Don't make her my maid. If you just make her a maid to do the housework in the mansion, that's fine. I don't need a maid."
"Rose."
"Why."
"How long are you going to leave me alone?"
"......"
Father, who had taken his eyes off the documents, looked at me with soft eyes. In fact, this kind of blunt talk from me was Father's wish.
Father's wish for me to act spoiled and spoiled like the children from other families.
I fell silent for a moment at Father's words.
"You're going to lose it again, aren't you?"
"...No. It's just that I don't like her."
"Is that so? Then tell me what you don't like about her. I'll have the head maid educate her."
"No, it's not that... I just don't like this kid herself. So don't make her my maid."
Rachel was silently listening to our conversation.
This also didn't sit well with me.
Father thought for a moment at my words and shook his head.
"This time, I can't do that."
"...Why."
Father's eyes briefly turned to Rachel. Rachel also met Father's gaze.
No hesitation. No fear. The Rachel who was a commoner didn't avoid the eyes of a great noble count.
Is it because she's the female lead that she has no backbone?
I narrowed my brows and was about to say something to Rachel when Father took the lead.
"This child doesn't get affected even if she's close to us."
"...What?"
"Our power has no significant effect on this child. So, from now on, you won't lose anything again or feel sad."
"......"
"It's also been circulating lately. The count's daughter has had no maid for half a year."
Father smiled faintly and reached out to pat my head.
"I hope you listen to your father's words this time. If you really don't want to, I can arrange for her to be placed somewhere else."
"...Okay. Got it. Just leave it."
I dodged Father's hand on my head and turned my back.
There was no such talk in the original story. That's why the villainess took Rachel with her.
Because our curse doesn't work.
It was strange. I wondered how the female lead could stay with the villainess for a long time.
I watched the original story a long time ago, so now it's hazy.
I only remember the big things, not the small details. I sighed.
I left the study with heavy footsteps.
***
"Rachel. You stay here for a moment."
At the Count's words, Rachel stopped trying to follow the young lady and looked back.
"What is it?"
At that, the assistant and the housekeeper flinched and shook their shoulders. What kind of maid talks back to her master like that. But the two knew.
How the girl was before she came here.
Rachel turned back to the Count and looked at him. It wasn't the eyes of a 10-year-old girl.
The eyes of someone who had experienced everything.
"The assistant and the housekeeper leave for a while."
With those words, the assistant and the housekeeper hurriedly left the study.
So, only the two of them remained in the study.
"As per your request, I've placed her by Rose's side. So tell me."
The Count's eyes became calm. His expression was serious.
"The method to save Lucia."
"Ah, yes. Since it's a deal, I'll tell you."
Lucia. The wife of Count Abel and Rose's mother.
She was lying in the hospital bed now, along with her worsening illness.
Abel had searched all the information in the empire for years to treat his wife's illness... but couldn't find a way to cure her.
Unable to give up, he went to the remote village corner, and at that time, he met a girl named Rachel.
Abel couldn't forget that day. Rachel sitting on the corpses of dozens of monster bodies, carefree.
And the girl who proposed a deal to Abel.
At that time, Rachel said to Abel:
"Please give me the position of Rose's maid. Then I can save the Countess for you."
It was an unbelievable thing, and it shouldn't have been said. But Abel had to find any possibility.
He made a deal with the kid, pretending to be fooled.
"Boil the Pistle Herb and drink it three times a day. In the morning, evening, and before going to bed."
"...What?"
"Yes. That's it. In my hometown, there was an uncle who got the same illness as the Countess, and by boiling and drinking Pistle Herb, he woke up after a few years."
"......"
Abel widened his eyes at Rachel's words. Pistle Herb. That thing considered just a weed in the empire.
But if Rachel was lying, that treatment method would only come out after 10 years in the future.
Common folk remedies in the village corner? Generally, you die after eating something you don't know.
The story just told was made up. But the treatment method was true.
Abel decided to try it anyway. Since Pistle Herb had no poison and no harm to the human body.
"I understand. Thank you. Rachel."
Even now, he couldn't express sincere gratitude. But Rachel nodded and bowed politely before leaving the study.
The Count's gratitude? Well... it would be nice to receive it, but right now, the young lady's interest was more urgent.
While moving from the study to the young lady's room, Rachel recalled her past for a moment.
"You know, Rachel. When Mom died, it was this feeling, right?"
"But it's fortunate. You were there in front."
"Don't look at me with those eyes. I'm the great villainess."
"I'm sorry for tormenting you a lot. Sorry for going mad with madness."
"But... with Rachel by my side, really..."
"It was really happy."
"Kwa-jik.-"
That was the Rose Aga-sshi Rachel remembered.
The Valentine's Curse that anyone close to them dies from illness or accidents.
It wasn't true. It was just that one past accident turned into a rumor.
But it wasn't a perfect lie either. The Valentine is a family with a power that normal people don't have.
People who couldn't withstand that power got injured or died.
Rose Aga-sshi also couldn't handle the power well and injured and... killed several people...
That's why from then on, the young lady didn't have anyone by her side. Except herself.
The reason was the same as what the Count said earlier about the young lady.
Rachel doesn't fit well with the Valentine's power. So she's safe.
The future young lady knew that and had her by her side, but now she didn't know, so the Count told her instead.
The young lady thought people died because of her, and her mother Lucia died because of her.
Because of that, she went mad and tormented Rachel day and night. In fact, tormenting her wasn't the problem.
The young lady looked too miserable. Even before execution, she didn't admit to madness.
She wasn't even tormenting at that level... it was just her twitching.
The men around Rachel misunderstood the young lady and eventually killed her with their own hands.
Only at the very end did the young lady say her true feelings.
And she disappeared from the world so emptily.
This time, I won't let it be like that.
Poor our young lady.
This time, I'll make you happy. Really.
Rachel smiled brightly again and headed to Rose's room.