A Pet's Privilege
"You must be exhausted from work today, Master?"
Leaving only those words behind, Viviana departed without a shred of warmth. And so I was left alone, stranded on this enormous bed. I tried to work free of the rope binding my hands, but whatever special knot she'd used, the cord wouldn't budge an inch.
"…I shouldn't have to worry too much."
Even confined like this, tied to a bed, I honestly couldn't find much to fret about. I didn't think she would do anything cruel to me the way Mardian would.
Viviana was a good person, after all.
I could guarantee that — I'd played this game as Viviana through multiple playthroughs. Unless she took the corruption route that appeared in the late game, she was someone whose exterior might be cold but whose heart was warm.
"Ugh."
I slowly leaned back and stretched out on the bed. With my arms bound, there wasn't much else to do. Since I was alone anyway, it would be more efficient to start thinking about what came next.
Viviana intended to keep me locked in this room for a month. She'd said that if I cooperated well, she'd allow me access to other parts of the estate — but for the time being, I'd be stuck on this bed.
The contract stated she'd provide food, clothing, and shelter, so that wasn't a concern. All I had to do was eat the meals she gave me and sleep right here on this bed.
"…Not bad, actually?"
Wasn't this the freeloader's life I'd always dreamed of? No need to exhaust myself putting on a mask every time I faced people, and I could sleep whenever I wanted.
And where was this place, exactly? One of only four ducal estates in the entire empire. The food served here was bound to be delicious.
And the bed is ridiculously soft.
I didn't bother holding back the smile tugging at my lips. With no one else in the room, I freely snickered at Viviana's expense.
"How naive of you, Viviana."
Underestimating a freeloader's true capacity for laziness… Well, I'd show her. I was going to loaf around to my heart's content.
"…I'm bored."
I muttered to myself, staring blankly at the ornate patterns carved into the ceiling.
I hadn't expected it to turn out like this. I'd been giddy with visions of the freeloader paradise I'd painted in my head — but an unexpected enemy had arrived.
Boredom.
Back in Korea, there had been plenty of dopamine to fill that void. Games, web novels, movies, variety shows — with just a smartphone in hand, you could spend an entire week lying in bed.
But this place was different. Of course there were no smartphones, and nothing even close.
After Viviana left, time crawled by with agonizing slowness. At first I'd laughed at the leisure of it all, but as the hours wore on, the boredom doubled and settled over me like a weight. And with my arms tied, all I could do was stare at the ceiling or study the wallpaper beside me.
For someone pickled in the dopamine of modern society, it was an unbearably monotonous stretch of time.
"Isn't there anything at all…"
I couldn't count how many times I'd closed my eyes and opened them again. Being locked in a space this luxurious should have been a dream come true — yet the daily reality of it was utterly dull.
And the boredom only grew worse with every passing minute. I desperately needed dopamine. If there'd at least been another person around, I could have amused myself toying with them — but in this vast bedroom, I was completely alone, with nothing worthwhile to do.
It had only been seven hours, and I was already like this. The thought began to sink in that lasting a full month this way might be more of an ordeal than I'd imagined.
Time dragged on. The misery inside me gradually piled up into stress, and that irritation redirected itself toward Viviana.
No.
"…If you're going to call someone a pet, shouldn't you at least give them something to play with?"
Thinking about it again, it was completely self-serving of her.
What was the point of locking me on a bare bed like this? If she was going to confine me to a room, she could at least leave a few books — or a newspaper. Would that kill her?
Seething with the resolve to give her a piece of my mind the next time I saw her, I buried my face in the pillow and closed my eyes. Time was already crawling at a miserable pace, so I figured I might as well force myself to sleep — but even that wouldn't come easily.
Still, after hardship comes reward, or so they say. My efforts were slowly starting to pull my eyes toward sleep.
But just as I was about to drift off, footsteps echoed from down the corridor. The door opened, and the person who entered was none other than Viviana.
"You've been waiting a long time, haven't you?"
At the sound of her calm, refined voice, I lifted my head.
"…Not really."
"Still, you managed to wait quietly. Good girl."
Viviana approached and untied the rope binding my hands. The sudden freedom in my arms felt a little strange.
"Tina, there are some people I'd like to introduce you to."
"People to introduce?"
That was unexpected. I'd assumed Viviana would lock me away here alone and keep me from meeting anyone.
"Come in."
At Viviana's call, the door opened and three pretty girls in maid uniforms entered. They looked roughly my age, and each bowed their heads in greeting to Viviana.
"These girls will be attending to your daily needs from now on."
"Attending… to me?"
"That's right. If you're hungry or uncomfortable, tell them. I can't look after every little thing myself."
Oh.
In other words, they were my personal servants.
Well, that worked out fine for me.
I'd been worried about getting bored — this was perfect.
"It's a pleasure to meet you."
At my smiling eyes, the three girls introduced themselves in turn.
First, a girl with long blonde hair bowed before me with a composed smile.
"I'm Siril. Please take care of me."
"Hello, Siril."
Second, a lively-looking girl with short brown hair lifted her head. Her large eyes shone with curiosity as she looked at me.
"I'm Luna! I hope I can learn a lot from this!"
"I'm happy to be working with you too, Luna."
Last came a girl carrying a calm, quiet air. She had deep black hair and eyes just as dark. Her sharp gaze gave her a distinctly cold impression.
"Iris. Please take care of me."
"Yes! Looking forward to working with you, Iris."
They all had fresh, youthful looks, but Iris in particular possessed a beauty that stood out. If she weren't wearing a maid uniform, she could easily pass for some cool, aloof northern grand duchess. I felt like I wouldn't mind getting a little closer to her.
People really do make all the difference.
With their arrival, the room suddenly came alive, and the boredom from moments ago seemed to melt away. Viviana smiled faintly and waved the girls back.
"Ah — for the record, they won't be speaking a single word to you from now on."
"What?"
"They've already said their hellos. There's nothing more to say, is there?"
I blinked blankly at the baffling statement. Hadn't she just said they were here to attend me? But they wouldn't talk? Then how was I supposed to communicate when I needed food or wanted to ask for something?
"Here. Take this."
"…What's this?"
Viviana handed me an unfamiliar object. A small bell that fit snugly in my palm — the kind nobles typically used to summon their attendants.
"One ring for meals. Two for the bathroom. Three for a bath. Four when you need to see me urgently."
"…?"
"These girls will respond only to the sound of this bell. And even when you ring it, they still won't speak to you directly."
"What kind of…"
I wasn't some mute chick. What kind of sense did it make for a human being — equipped with the perfect communication tool called language — to use a system like this?
Bewildered, I looked at the girls I'd just exchanged cheerful greetings with, but they only stared back, showing no intention of saying a word.
And maybe it was my imagination, but one of them even seemed to be looking at me with hostility in her eyes.
Luna wore a slightly vacant smile, but there was no malice in it. Iris still showed those same unshaken, calm, quiet eyes.
But Siril — the blonde girl — was looking at me with something like contempt. It was a faint emotion, subtle enough that the others might not have noticed, but I could read that thin hostility clear as day.
"You may all leave now."
At Viviana's word, the three girls bowed only to her and withdrew. Their pointed refusal to even glance my way doubled my sense of absurdity.
"Lady Viviana, why go this far?"
"Well, I think you already know the answer to that."
What would I know?
…Or had she read my mind — that I planned to work these girls however I pleased? That was possible. Viviana had eyes as sharp as the sword she wielded.
Well. Fine.
For a prisoner, I was living pretty well. And honestly, aside from the girl named Iris, I didn't particularly want to talk to the others anyway.
The girl named Siril — a name that sounded like something you'd eat for breakfast — clearly didn't like me for some reason, and Luna seemed considerably dim.
Personally, I disliked stupid people. Spend enough time with them and their stupidity might rub off on you.
But Iris seemed fine in every respect. Her face radiated the air of a genuine cool beauty, and I liked her calm personality too.
Well — thanks to Viviana, I wouldn't be getting close to her, or exchanging so much as a single word.
"You weren't bored, were you?"
I shot Viviana a brief glare, but all that came back was her unbothered voice.
"Of course I was bored. I was tied to a sunlit bed for seven hours straight."
"If you'd like, I'll give you books. Ones filled with knowledge, or novels full of made-up stories — whichever you prefer."
"…Really?"
Of course this world had novels as a literary form. They wouldn't be as stimulating or satisfying as the ones from my previous life, but at least I wouldn't be bored for now.
"In that case… I'd like to read some nov—"
"Depending on how you behave."
Viviana's firm voice cut my words short. While I blinked blankly for a moment, she continued with a peculiar smile.
"I mentioned it briefly before, but the privileges you receive will change a great deal depending on how well you perform your role."
"…"
"The better you do, the more benefits you'll enjoy within the estate."
In other words: if I wanted something, I had to faithfully play the part of a pet.
Well, that wasn't hard.
In fact, for me, it was easy.
I'd been living as the socialite world's pet young lady for nearly two years now. Whatever else I might struggle with, satisfying a master as a pet was simple.
"Alright."
I beamed. Looking up at Viviana with eyes full of the same harmless, pure goodwill as always.
Strike while the iron is hot — now that the mood had struck me, I decided to act on it immediately. I quietly smoothed the wrinkles in the bedsheets and put on an affectionate voice.
"You must be exhausted from work today, Master?"
"…Master?"
Viviana had said she disliked fake coquetry — but a pet was a creature that cooed and fawned by nature, so it couldn't be helped. She'd understand that much.
I demurely shifted to the side and gently patted the middle of the bed with my hand.
"Would you like to lie down and rest? I'd love to give a massage to my hardworking Master after such a long day."
"…"
Watching Viviana's pupils tremble ever so slightly, I put on an even brighter smile.
Satisfying people?
Easy as pie.