An Irresistible Offer and the Red-Haired Maid's Secret
I accepted the offer I couldn't refuse and returned to my room. Despite getting thoroughly scolded by the Maid Chief, this red-haired maid was relaxing in my room with astonishing mental fortitude.
"How do you keep sticking around the mansion?"
It wasn't like she'd only been caught hiding once or twice, yet somehow she hadn't been fired. She was still receiving a hefty monthly salary of fifty gold. She'd even gotten a promotion recently. It was nice for me to have a good conversation partner staying in the mansion, but I was seriously starting to wonder if this household was running properly at all.
"Huh? Young Master, you really don't know?"
Cani's eyes widened, as if she'd assumed I naturally knew her secret to survival.
"How would I know?"
"I saved your life!"
"You did?"
"Well, it happened when you were three, so I guess it's understandable you don't remember. I don't know how you got up there, but you were dangerously perched on a windowsill. I was the first one to spot you and saved you!"
Ah, that time. I'd been confident I could get down safely, so I hadn't thought it was dangerous at all. But from a third party's perspective, it made sense that Cani would think she'd saved my life.
No wonder she acted like she had some kind of insurance. She'd been relying on the title of "the maid who prevented the family line from being cut off."
"Honestly, if any other maid were sitting on Young Master's bed like this and fooling around, she'd get her head chopped off for trying to seduce you, you know?"
So she was aware she was crossing the line. I'd thought she was just a thoughtless maid, but she was actually a crazy one who crossed boundaries while fully knowing what she was doing.
Since I happened to have something to ask Cani, I figured this was perfect timing. I grabbed a notebook and pen from the bookshelf and sat on the bed.
"Are you going to study? Should I leave?"
"No, stay right there."
"Oh my, how embarrassing."
"You're insane."
My head was spinning. I knew she'd become a maid at the young age of ten, had no friends, and was starved for human conversation. But since I kept indulging her, it seemed like her boldness was gradually escalating lately.
Smack.
"Ouch!"
I slapped her plump thigh to scold her.
"That hurts. Sob sob."
"Enough of that. Tell me everything you know about Lady Marene."
"Lady Marene? Weren't you avoiding her, Young Master?"
"There's... a situation. From now on, I have to manage Lady Marene."
Cani's eyes widened in shock.
"What? Young Master, you're in for big trouble! There aren't just one or two maids she's made cry."
"It's Father's order. I have no choice."
"If it's the Count's command... then good luck, Young Master!"
A maid worrying about the eldest son of a prosperous count family. It felt like an employee fretting over a chaebol heir.
"Still, we're both nobles. She wouldn't harass me, right?"
"Well..."
Honestly, if Marene was truly destined to become a villainess, she'd probably charge at anyone—noble or emperor—without hesitation. But I had no choice but to believe she still had some minimal sense of discretion.
"Stop babbling and just tell me what you know."
"Um... Lady Marene hates carrots."
"And?"
"Oh! She despises broccoli too."
"That's... it?"
"Yes!"
I felt like I was going to get dizzy. She'd been the exclusive maid for three whole months, yet she knew this little? What on earth had she been doing?
"What exactly did you do for those three months?"
Cani scratched her head, embarrassed even by her own admission.
"Well... the number of times I actually had a conversation with her in those three months can be counted on one hand..."
"You were always whining about how she scolded you every day."
"It was just one-sided scolding. We never really talked..."
I could only sigh. If even Cani, who had lasted the longest, was like this, it was unlikely the other maids knew anything about Marene either.
"Ah!"
Cani, who had been sitting awkwardly, suddenly clapped her hands as if something had occurred to her.
"I know one thing that Lady Marene really likes!"
"Oh!"
Even if she was a failure, she'd still served as the exclusive maid for three months, so she must know at least something. While you could learn what someone hated by enduring their abuse, figuring out what they liked was difficult unless they mentioned it first. In that sense, knowing what she liked might actually be more valuable than knowing what she hated.
"Lady Marene goes crazy for sweet foods!"
"..."
I stared at Cani with cold eyes.
"W-why are you looking at me like that!"
"It's common sense for a girl to like sweet foods."
"Is it?"
In the end, I hadn't gotten any useful information from Cani. I felt utterly drained. It looked like I'd have to approach Marene from a completely blank slate and figure things out through direct confrontation.
In front of Marene's room.
"Hand the cart over to me."
"Yes, understood."
The maid pushing the snack cart must have been informed that I was now in charge of Marene. She handed it over without resistance. She must have really hated entering Marene's room—her exhausted face brightened up instantly.
Though they called it "managing Marene," the tasks I'd have to handle were essentially no different from being her exclusive maid. Feeding her, bathing her... well, I'd leave the bathing to the maids, but I'd have to put her to bed.
I knocked on the door to confirm the true nature of Marene, who carried such a fearsome reputation.
"My lady, I've brought some snacks. May I come in?"
"No!"
"..."
It wasn't like she was refusing to eat a meal—she was rejecting snacks. I had no justification to force my way in. I'd planned to gradually get closer to her by offering sweet foods, since I'd heard she liked them, but the plan had fallen apart right from the start.
"My lady, are you really not going to eat? We have sweet macarons and freshly baked chocolate cookies."
"I told you not to talk back!"
Crash. Thud.
"..."
I could hear things being thrown around inside the room. It seemed best to retreat for now.
"My lady, I'll see you at dinner."
"No!"
When she'd first arrived at the mansion, Marene had attended meals punctually, perhaps mindful of the Count's gaze. But lately, she'd apparently decided to stop caring entirely and was even refusing to eat.
If the Grand Duke's daughter starved to death, it would be a serious problem. So far, Father had personally begged her to eat. But now that I'd been given the task of managing her, it was up to me to make sure she ate from now on.
"If you refuse dinner as well, I'll break the door down and come in."
It was a threat no ordinary servant could ever make. But I wasn't an ordinary servant—I was a noble of the Count's household. I could get away with a threat like this.
"W-what are you—!"
She probably hadn't expected the threat to come from me. Marene's voice grew smaller.
I cleanly ignored her protest and left her with one final remark.
"I'm a man who does what he says. If you don't come to dinner, I'll use forceful measures."
"Hic."
Marene hiccuped, apparently intimidated by my threat. The surrounding maids smiled brightly, looking thoroughly refreshed.
I patted the shoulder of Marene's exclusive maid, whose dark circles were particularly heavy.
"If there's anything that needs to be done, leave it all to me. Understood?"
"Yes, understood!"
I returned to my room with a satisfied smile. No matter how much of a villainess she was destined to become, she was still just an eight-year-old child. She still had a long way to go before she could beat me.
The Edgar Count family's private dining room.
The table was filled with luxurious dishes, yet no one could pick up their utensils.
"It seems the young lady isn't coming out..."
Mother, with her charming pink hair, let out a deep sigh. I'd heard she was quite distressed lately because Marene had been smashing her cherished art pieces day after day.
"I'll go get her."
Father stood up with a stern expression. When Marene threw these tantrums, if Father stepped in, she couldn't completely ignore the current head of the Count family and would usually come out. However, considering how the frequency of her tantrums and the time it took to persuade her had been increasing lately, the day would eventually come when even Father's intervention wouldn't be enough.
"Just a moment."
I stopped Father as he rose from his seat. The fact that she still hadn't come out despite my earlier warning meant Marene was currently engaged in a battle of wills with me. If Father stepped in instead of me here, she might think she'd won that battle on her own terms.
Absolutely not.
I didn't know how much longer I'd have to deal with her, but if I yielded in this initial battle of wills, life would become exhausting from here on out.
"I'll take responsibility and bring her."
"Hendel... are you sure you'll be alright?"
Mother looked at me worriedly, knowing Marene's temper all too well. Father simply nodded without a word, as if choosing to trust me.
"I will definitely bring the young lady. Don't worry and start eating first."
"Alright, I'm counting on you."
After giving my parents a light bow, I headed straight for my room.
It must be around here somewhere.
Even though I'd possessed this body, there was no guarantee I wouldn't face assassination threats. That's why I'd prepared my own personal weapon in the room. I reached under the bed and rummaged around, feeling a heavy object in my hand. A sly smile spread across my face.
For a disobedient villainess, the answer was a club.