003
Really, he’s bald?
There wasn’t a single father-in-law in any romance-fantasy novel who was bald.
Deeply disappointed, Marie tried to somehow put the Grand Duke in a good light as she stammered while I slumped back into the chair.
They say even the fathers in romance-fantasy worlds are handsome.
‘And it’s not even like I possessed the female protagonist. Apparently, I possessed a maid and came here to work myself to the bone.’
I went through all that trouble of possessing someone in a romance-fantasy world, only to have nothing pleasant to look at.
Other than becoming four years younger, there’s nothing good about this, is there?
“Anyway, the North is adjacent not only to the Dwarves Forest but also to the land of the barbarians, so wars are quite frequent there. It’s cool in summer, too. And it’s also a very cold region in winter.”
So, by dwarves, she must mean people like the dwarves from The Lord of the Rings.
Come to think of it, the Dwarves’ Forest and the land of the barbarians. The hairs on my arms stood on end at such quintessentially fantastical names.
‘So I really did possess someone. This really isn’t Korea.’
Only then did it truly sink in that I had possessed someone in a fantasy novel.
Marie, who had been quietly explaining everything, seemed to sense something strange and asked me in a subtle tone.
“No, more importantly. Gretchen, how could you lose all your memories? This is common knowledge that every citizen of the Empire would know.”
“Uh…… I guess it’s because I hit my head hard against the ceiling of the carriage.”
I felt guilty about lying to Marie, but I couldn’t tell her the truth.
“Come to think of it, I only found out today, too. I never knew a freight wagon could be this dangerous.”
Fortunately, innocent Marie believed my flimsy lie. She looked fearfully at the luggage that was swaying steadily.
It seemed she had experienced quite a lot while being jostled around with the luggage in the cramped carriage.
“We came in such a hurry, so what was I supposed to do? I should have paid extra and gotten a better carriage. I’m really sorry. If only I hadn’t been scammed along the way…… sob…….”
“Oh, Marie…… don’t cry.”
Marie began to shed tears, saying it was her fault.
Why does she keep crying like this? It makes me feel guilty. Come to think of it, she got scammed. Marie did look innocent, so she did have the kind of face that seemed likely to get scammed. I awkwardly patted Marie.
“It’s okay, Marie. Although I did lose my memories for a while, I think I can still tell what a kind person you are.”
Marie had been burying her face in her hands before slowly raising her head. I patted Marie on the shoulder.
“Even if we lose our memories, we’re still friends. Got it?”
“Sniff, sob, really, Gretchen…… you seem like a completely different person after losing your memories. Why are you suddenly so good at talking?”
Marie, you do have a perceptive side. “A different person”? That’s correct.
“I thought you were just a mischievous troublemaker ever since you put a live frog in my pocket, but Gretchen……. I guess I was wrong about you. I never knew you thought of me this way!”
Hmm. Did I possess someone whose personality is similar to mine? What Gretchen does is somehow exactly like what I used to do when I was young.
While I was waiting for Marie to calm down, the carriage suddenly came to a halt.
“Why did it suddenly stop?”
Could we have arrived?
Just as I was about to look outside the window, the window connected to the coachman’s seat opened on its own, and a rough-looking face suddenly poked through.
“Excuse me. Young ladies.”
Goodness!
I thought he was a bandit. I asked as I rubbed my startled chest.
“Is something wrong?”
“No, the horses just won’t listen. I won’t be able to take you young ladies all the way to the mansion.”
What does he mean?
I immediately got out of the carriage to check the horses. The horses were bracing themselves on all four legs, as though they were absolutely terrified.
As if something invisible were blocking their way.
“As you can see, the horses are like this. Still, the main gate is just ahead, so you should be able to get there quickly.”
I looked back and forth between the main gate visible in the distance and the luggage loaded onto the carriage.
……So I have to carry all this over there myself.
I looked sorrowfully at the horses whinnying softly.
“Gretchen, what should we do?”
“……We have to walk. What else can we do?”
My butt hurt from sitting for so long, so I decided to think of it as a good thing after all. I effortlessly lifted the luggage the coachman had unloaded.
“Let’s go!”
The mansion was closer than I had expected.
The guards were wary at first when they saw our shabby appearance, but when we presented the letter of recommendation, they opened the iron gate for us.
We had to pass through the garden to reach the mansion’s main entrance.
The garden was like a maze.
‘No wonder I’ve been smelling roses this whole time…….’
No matter how far we walked, all I could see were roses blooming abundantly along the path to the mansion.
Thanks to that, the entire garden smelled fragrant, as though rosewater had been sprinkled everywhere.
Even though it wasn’t an artificial scent, it was still far too strong.
When Marie knocked three times, I sensed someone on the other side of the door. Just as I thought I heard murmured voices, the door opened by barely half a handspan.
“Who might you be?”
The middle-aged woman’s voice from the other side was calm but cold. Marie seemed a little nervous, as she cleared her throat once.
“Hello. We are the maids Marie and Gretchen, and we have come with a letter of recommendation from the Marchioness.”
Marie lightly bent her knees. I followed her example as best I could.
“Come in.”
After a brief standoff, the door opened.
Perhaps because it was so late, all the lights in the hall were turned off.
The lantern held by the woman who let us in was the only source of light in the mansion.
“We should at least introduce ourselves. My name is Isadora Samuel. Call me the Head Maid.”
Her hair was pulled tightly back without a single stray strand, she wore a black dress that rose all the way to her neck, and her businesslike, expressionless face gave the impression that she was no pushover.
The Head Maid’s lips tightened for a moment when she saw the state we were in.
“You won’t be able to enter the bedrooms in that state. Make sure you shower before entering the bedrooms. Your shoes……. It would be better to throw them away.”
The Head Maid must have noticed my mud-covered shoes, because she wrinkled the bridge of her nose as though she were looking at a pile of filthy waste.
“For now, Marie will use the east room, and Gretchen will use the west room. I will reassign them later.”
Marie and I nodded demurely, trying our best not to make a bad impression.
“Have Zelda show you to the east. I’ll personally show you to the west.”
“Yes, Head Maid.”
A maid named Zelda appeared from the darkness without making a sound.
‘When did she get here?’
There had definitely been no one beside us. Marie and I were startled and took a step backward.
Zelda effortlessly took Marie’s trunk from her.
“Follow me.”
“Ah…… yes! I’ll go now.”
Marie glanced at me once. Sleep well, Marie muttered softly as she quickly followed Zelda.
“This way.”
The Head Maid raised the lantern a little higher. I quietly thanked her and followed closely behind.
From the outside, the mansion had looked magnificent, but inside, it was…… how should I put it? Cold and eerie.
‘More importantly…… is it just my imagination?’
Thud, thud.
Even when I strained my ears, all I could hear was the sound of my own footsteps.
I was clearly walking through a vast corridor with the Head Maid, yet it felt as though I were walking alone.
It was strange that, even though her footsteps didn’t seem particularly unusual, they made not the slightest sound.
Jingle. Jingle. Jingle. Jingle.
Instead, the only sound was the jingling of the bundle of keys tied around the Head Maid’s waist.
“You said your name was Gretchen?”
“That’s right, Head Maid.”
When I answered as politely as possible, the Head Maid’s stern expression softened slightly.
“I’ll tell you a few things you should know while we make our way to the servants’ quarters.”
Following the Head Maid, I stepped deeper into the secluded interior of the mansion.
“Our mansion has a curfew. With the exception of myself and a few other night-shift workers, the rest of the servants must not leave their rooms after 11:07 p.m.”
11:07 p.m. It was a curfew that reminded me of a high school dormitory.
‘Is it strict because it’s communal living?’
But even taking that into consideration, it was strange that it was set down to the minute.
Don’t people usually just say eleven?
“No matter what strange sounds you hear, never come out of your room. Do you understand?”
“Yes.”
“While working here, you may hear and see strange things. I don’t know what it was like at the Marquis’s residence, but…….”
The Head Maid, unusually for a maid, trailed off.
“Pretend you didn’t hear anything, even if you hear it, and pretend you didn’t see anything, even if you see it. If anything strange happens, report it to Zelda or me.”
Strange phenomena? What kind of strange phenomena could there be?
I hadn’t even been in the mansion for five minutes, yet I already had so many things I wanted to ask.
But given the atmosphere, I couldn’t bring myself to ask, so all I could do was nod vigorously.
“Lastly, sometimes outsiders will ask questions about our family.”
The Head Maid frowned, apparently reminded of “outsiders.”
“Answer, ‘I don’t know,’ or ‘I have no knowledge of that.’ If they keep asking, they’ll eventually leave on their own.”
Perhaps because this was the Grand Duke’s household, they were terrifyingly strict about keeping their mouths shut.
“We’ve arrived. Your roommate is Jessica. You’ll be sharing a room with one other person, so make sure you accommodate each other. Since you’re an experienced worker, I assume you’ll manage well enough.”
“Of course. I’ll keep that in mind. Thank you for showing me the way.”
When I slightly lifted the hem of my skirt and bowed, just as Marie had done moments ago, the Head Maid’s sharp eyes narrowed slightly.
“Is there something you wanted to say…….”
“Make sure you wear earplugs when you sleep.”
Earplugs? Why would I need earplugs?
“Why do I need those earplugs…….”
“Don’t try to learn too much. Miss Gretchen, all you need to do is perform the tasks you’re given well. Do you understand?”
As I tried to ask, a sharp rebuke came in response.
“Yes……. I understand.”
“The shower room is at the end of the corridor on this floor. Just take a quick shower and come back. It’s almost 11:07 p.m.”
“Ah. And, Miss Gretchen.”
The Head Maid turned away, then looked back at me.
“Should you ever be caught wandering around at night without permission…….”
Her chilly voice became even more solemn.
“You will be dismissed immediately.”
