How Much Is the Monthly Pay?
"How much is the monthly pay?"
Clatter—!!
The interview room door burst open and a girl came sprinting out.
"Hiccup…!! I hate this freezing country too!"
She was crying so hard her eyes had turned scarlet, and she kept running without looking back.
"Looks like we're up soon…"
The brown-haired girl waiting beside me for her own interview muttered quietly to herself, then turned to me.
"Alice. I'm so nervous… What if I fail?"
I looked at her and forced a smile.
"You'll be fine, Enri."
This girl with fluffy brown hair and light freckles that suited her perfectly was named Enri. Surprisingly, we'd only started talking ten minutes ago, yet we'd already become friends.
While I'd been waiting alone in the interview lounge, Enri—who happened to be sitting right next to me—had spoken to me without any hesitation. Her sociability was off the charts; from that moment on she hadn't stopped talking even once. As an introvert, it was a little overwhelming… but it was still better than sitting there awkwardly by myself. No, honestly, I was grateful to her. Thanks to our conversation I'd picked up quite a lot of useful information.
First of all, just as I'd expected, this was a hiring interview for maids. I had no idea how much money they had to burn to run an interview for maids on this scale, but the fact that so many people had braved the bitter cold to show up meant this had to be a very prestigious household.
Second, I'd managed to get a rough grasp of the currency system here. The main coins were copper, silver, gold, and platinum. There were other currencies with varying values, but those four were the standard across the entire continent. One copper coin seemed to be worth about a thousand won, one silver around ten thousand, and one gold coin roughly a hundred thousand. I still couldn't gauge the exact value of platinum coins, but judging from Enri's reaction they had to be ultra-high-end—at least a million won each, maybe more.
Come to think of it, I never asked exactly where this place is.
If I had, I might have realized it matched the novel I'd been thinking of. A mansion this enormous with such a luxurious atmosphere practically screamed prestigious noble family.
Well, I'd find out soon enough.
I shook off my thoughts and looked at Enri. Her sparkling brown eyes were full of eager anticipation. I'd told her everything would be fine, but I wasn't so sure myself. How could I be? Including the girl who'd just run out sobbing, a total of twenty applicants had already fled in tears. Most of the others had walked out with grim expressions.
Enri's sociability was impressive, but would that alone be enough to pass? I had no idea how strict the interviewers were, but honestly it didn't matter much to me. I hadn't come here really wanting the job anyway. Even if I passed, I'd planned to quit later for personal reasons. A maid position wasn't going to help me achieve my dream.
While I was lost in thought, the waiting room door opened. A dignified-looking maid approached us—me, Enri, and the trembling girl beside us—and spoke.
"You're next. You may go in."
At her words Enri shot to her feet and looked at me.
"Let's go, Alice!"
"Yeah."
Enri linked her arm with mine, flashing an adorable smile, and we followed the guiding maid.
"We'll pass, right…? I heard the pay here is really good!"
"Is it?"
Enri leaned close to my ear and whispered.
"Yes! Otherwise why would so many people come all the way to this frozen wasteland for a maid interview?"
"That's true…"
Well… no matter how good a maid's salary was, how great could it really be? Still, I was curious.
The land where bitter frost seeped into the very soil. The Grand Duchy of Valaxar, swarming with monsters. No citizen of the empire could fail to know this territory ruled by Grand Duke Arvian Valaxar—a domain so powerful it need not yield even before the imperial family. To pledge loyalty to such a house was both a tremendous honor and a blessing. Those who served here were required to prove they possessed matching ability.
…It had to be so.
Rose Ambrien, head maid of the Valaxar Grand Duchy, had come to a clear realization while watching countless girls flee in tears: finding talent that met her standards was no easy task.
Bang—!
"Who do you think actually wants to work in this frozen hell?! If my parents hadn't forced me—!!"
A rather refined-looking young noblewoman shot up from her chair.
"That remark. Shall I take it as an insult to the Valaxar Grand Duchy?"
At the head maid's icy glare the young woman's body flinched. Transparent tears quickly welled in her eyes.
"Hwaaaang! I'm sorry!"
The blonde noble girl fled, displaying an undignified sight unbecoming of her status. Rose Ambrien stared at the now-empty seat and let out a deep sigh.
"…How many are left?"
The other interviewer—the mansion's gardener, who had been quietly observing—carefully read the room before answering.
"About ten more, ma'am. Roughly two of them are nobles."
"Haah… Nobles these days…"
Rose Ambrien clutched her throbbing temple and lamented inwardly.
I don't like this at all.
Every single young lady who'd come for the interview had been disappointing. Most were from fallen noble houses—or houses on the verge of falling—but if they'd come seeking a maid position, they should at least be capable of basic housework. If not, they ought to show the kind of resolve and passion expected of fallen nobility. Yet every candidate so far had been unsatisfactory. They were nothing more than hothouse flowers who'd grown up in comfort. Many had never even gotten their hands wet with dishwater, and some couldn't even fold a blanket placed in front of them.
"Even though they're fallen nobles, we can't dismiss them outright, so we held interviews… but it would be far more useful to just hire tavern workers."
The gardener chuckled and stroked his beard.
"Hehe, indeed. Maid work simply isn't suited for young ladies of their station."
"Then they shouldn't have come at all. I don't understand why they make both sides waste time like this."
"Isn't it because serving in Valaxar brings many future benefits? The high salary is just the bonus."
Rose Ambrien nodded in agreement. As a grand duchy whose power rivaled the imperial family, its wealth and prestige were immense. The saying "Experience working in Valaxar is no different from serving in the imperial palace" was so widespread that even provincial noble children flocked to apply for a mere maid position. Of course, most were from fallen houses, with the occasional desperate baron family thrown in, but the numbers were never small. The downside was that it created an overwhelming number of candidates who needed to be weeded out. How could she not feel drained?
Finding a girl with both the dignity appropriate for Valaxar and actual aptitude for the work is this difficult…
Rose Ambrien sighed once more and spoke to the maid waiting by the door.
"Send in the next group."
"Yes, Head Maid."
When the maid opened the door, the next three candidates entered and sat down in a row. Rose Ambrien scanned them with sharp eyes.
One clearly hopeless noble young lady, trembling with nerves. One plain-looking commoner girl. And…
She's rather pretty.
Rose Ambrien's gaze settled on the girl with light purple hair. Her face was as pale as the snow falling outside, and her vivid red lips—like ripe cherries—were quite striking. But what truly caught the head maid's attention were those amethyst-like purple eyes.
Still, it's probably just her looks.
She had seen countless noble-looking young ladies. Only a tiny fraction had ever proven they possessed real ability. That snow-white skin that looked as though it had never seen sunlight suggested she was some family's cherished princess. Though the fact that she'd applied for a maid position meant her house probably didn't have much left.
Having abandoned all expectation, Rose Ambrien addressed them.
"Please introduce yourselves one by one."
At her words the brown-haired girl widened her eyes and answered in a bright voice.
"Hello! I came because I want to work here. My name is Enri!"
"Welcome, Miss Enri."
"I-I'm… um… D-Drianne… of the Bernia barony…"
"Welcome, Miss Drianne."
"Alice."
"…Welcome, Alice."
Rose Ambrien frowned at Alice's curt greeting.
No family name. A commoner, then.
A noble wouldn't introduce herself that way. Moreover, anyone familiar with power would never dare speak so bluntly in the Valaxar Grand Duchy.
Unexpected that she's a commoner, but commoners do have their own shortcomings.
What Rose valued as much as ability was character and refinement. Yet she could sense none of that refinement in this girl.
With a small chuckle, Rose Ambrien looked at the three of them.
"Before we begin the interview, if you have any questions, please ask them now."
At her words the purple-haired girl immediately raised her hand.
"Speak, Miss Alice."
Not many candidates asked questions at this stage. She wasn't expecting much, but she was curious what the girl would say.
As Rose waited, Alice finally parted her plump lips.
"By any chance, how much is the monthly pay here?"
At the unbelievably brazen question, the gardener—who always wore a pleasant smile—dropped his jaw in shock.
"…Pardon?"
The middle-aged woman stared at me, utterly dumbfounded. Worried she might not have heard, I spoke more clearly.
"I'm curious how much money you provide."
The girl beside me gaped even wider, staring at me in pure horror. Even the ever-positive Enri looked at me with wide, flustered eyes, clearly not having anticipated this.
Was that rude?
True, it was rare for someone to ask about salary right at the start of an interview. It basically announced outright that I'd only come for the money. But I'd always been this way. I had only one goal: earn a lot of money and open my own fancy café. For that I needed a lot of money. If the pay was good, I didn't care how hard the work was. If it wasn't, I wouldn't even glance at the position no matter how cushy it seemed. So the first question I always asked was about money. That honest side of me was part of my charm.
And anyway—
If I don't want the job, I just won't take it.
The truth was I had almost no intention of actually working as a maid. Born a man, how could I spend my life waiting on someone else? I could never accept that.
"This candidate is quite impertin… No. Bold. Very well."
The woman radiating noble grace cleared her throat, then continued with a faint smile.
"Fifty gold coins per month. That is considerably higher than what the imperial palace pays its maids."
Her voice carried clear pride. I was inwardly shocked. According to Enri, one gold coin was worth roughly 100,000 won. Fifty of them meant about five million won a month.
That's pretty generous for a maid…?
No. It wasn't just generous. For someone who'd scraped by on minimum wage in my previous life, this was a salary worth bowing and giving thanks for. Sixty million won a year. If I worked here a few years, I could probably open a café with a nice atmosphere, couldn't I?
…Let's just go through with the interview for now.
Since I'd already come all the way to this frozen place, it wouldn't hurt. I still hadn't figured out exactly how to survive in this world. Having a safety net wouldn't be a bad idea.
It was absolutely not because the money had swayed me. Absolutely not.