Chapter 31

Shit. Shit. Shit.

Swallowing all the curses that could naturally spill out of my mouth at any moment, I quickly made my way up to the upper floors of the mansion.

Shit. Why the hell am I in this position?

Shit. What did I do wrong?

Shit. Why, you damn bastard, am I becoming that freak’s exclusive maid?

I begrudgingly gave my thanks for his “well wishes.” *1

As much as I wanted to destroy that bastard Dittmeyer’s mouth, it wouldn’t solve anything and would only unnecessarily complicate the situation.

Barely holding back my complex emotions, I quickly made my way to the study on the 3rd floor where Harold would be.

What am I going to do when I get there?

Damn, how would I know?

First, I have to somehow leave this damned sex slave…no, exclusive maid position.

I can’t understand why that Harold bastard made me Ethan’s exclusive maid in the first place.

Why?

At least in the original game, there was some understandable reason for Lilith to become Ethan’s exclusive maid.

There was a plausible reason that the freaky bastard insisted on making Lilith his exclusive maid after being captivated by her appearance.

In the first place, it was simply impossible for Lilith, who was too young, to become Ethan’s exclusive maid.

That’s for a good reason – Lilith is only 18 years old in her current state.

In just a week, she’ll turn 19.

Not only was she young, but strictly speaking, she was also a little younger than Ethan.

At most, there was only a difference of a few days.

An exclusive maid assists the noble she is assigned to with their every move.

Naturally, it was a general rule that the exclusive maid be much older than the noble she served.

In fact, according to the game’s setting, the maid initially appointed as Ethan’s exclusive maid was not Lilith but an experienced senior maid.

It was because Ethan insisted that he didn’t like his original exclusive maid that the position was moved to Lilith – a process that could be somewhat understood from just looking at the story.

It was understandable that the father, Harold, being a fool for his son, would assign Lilith to Ethan due to the latter’s insistence.

In that sense, this outrageous personnel move made no sense at all.

A father is a fool for his son and changes his son’s exclusive maid from an existing maid to Lilith?

That sounds reasonable.

But a father being a fool for his son and making the debt-maid Lilith, with no proper qualifications or background, Ethan’s exclusive maid?

That’s just nonsense.

This can’t be done.

This setting really doesn’t make sense.

Where exactly did the story go wrong?

Though I unintentionally left a somewhat good impression on Harold, it seemed more than enough to leave the impression that I was also dangerous.

To appoint a maid with the crazy mentality to throw herself at a boar ten times her size as his son’s exclusive maid?

Are you in your right mind?

Are you in your right fucking mind?

With such thoughts swirling in my head, conjuring an imaginary Harold to bombard with questions, my steps had already reached Harold’s study on the 3rd floor before I knew it.

Probably because I felt he would be in the study, I quietly took a deep breath outside the door.

“…Whew.”

The insane noble who made me his son’s exclusive maid, that son-of-a-bitch Harold, is behind this door.

The debt maid with an unknown background and the crazy woman who dares confront a level 10 monster is now his son’s exclusive maid behind this door.

I have to change it somehow.

If the original story progresses, there’s no doubt I’ll eventually reach a point of no return.

Of course, even if I avoid this exclusive maid position, I can’t be 100% sure I’ll avoid Lilith’s future of being disciplined.

Even if I somehow negotiate with Harold now and get out of this position, it could change at any time with just one mention from that bratty Ethan.

If that appearance of Lilith’s never caught that freak’s eye, I would have had a chance. Unfortunately, I’ve already had several run-ins with him before.

“……”

Maybe it really is meaningless.

Maybe it is better to just accept it instead of wasting my time.

Lilith probably made the same choice in the game.

If I made a half-hearted attempt to negotiate or transfer positions only to talk back to a noble, I might only make a worse impression.

In fact, that was very likely to happen.

When I think about it, the best and safest option is to accept the exclusive maid position first and somehow find an opportunity to leave it later.

That’s probably the safest and most efficient method I can take now.

…

…

…

Damn it, screw that.

What’s the point of obediently conforming to reality like that?

This is why I have to accept it.

This is why I have no choice but to let it go.

Then, when the time comes for me to be inevitably manipulated by Ethan, will I let myself succumb to his commands?

If the situation arises where I inevitably have to be collared, will I just get collared without a word?

From what I’ve seen of ‘Ethan Richard Blackwood’ in the game, I’m certain that once you give that opportunistic piece of shit an opening, it’s no different than saying you’re going to get sucked dry to the bone.

To survive as Lilith, who has gone through all sorts of hellish routes, I can’t give an inch on even the slightest thing.

What’s the point of doing something meaningless?

At the very least, I can probably convince Harold that ‘I’m a weirdo.’

Judging by how the rumors haven’t spread throughout the mansion yet, he probably only informed a few servants like Dittmeyer about my transfer.

Now is the only chance I have to reverse it somehow.

*Knock knock knock!*

Even in this shitty situation, if I violate the basic etiquette of a servant, it would be hard to apologize later.

So I knocked on the study door three times with my fist, letting some of my emotions seep through.

Soon after, that damned Harold’s voice answered from inside the study.

“Come in.”

Click.

As soon as I heard Harold’s voice, I opened the door and entered the study.

Our eyes immediately met when I entered as he looked towards the door.

“……”

“……”

After the quiet sound of the door closing behind me, an awkward silence lingered for a moment.

I wondered if I should be the first to speak in this uncomfortable situation, but fortunately, Harold broke the silence first.

“Miss Lilith Rosewood, is it?”

“…Yes, that’s correct.”

Damn it. I’m screwed.

The fact that this man, who seemed to have no interest in others, learned my name meant one of two things.

Either he judged it would be good to remember my name since I would be someone he’d have to deal with for a long time, like Head Maid Melissa or Dittmeyer, the head butler.

Otherwise, I unnecessarily stood out, forcing him to remember my name.

In my case, it was undoubtedly the latter.

As regrets about where I had misstepped came flooding back, Harold’s mouth opened again, giving me the floor to state my reason for coming to his study.

“I don’t recall summoning you today. What brings you here?”

“…I have something to say regarding the transfer notice I received from the head butler, Mr. Dittmeyer.”

“Regarding your own transfer, it must be about becoming my son’s exclusive maid.”

“That’s correct.”

“Well then, let’s hear it.”

Fixing his gaze on me with eyes that seemed to say, ‘Let’s hear you babble,’ Harold allowed me to state my opinion without hesitation.

After all, if not now, I may never get another chance to object to this situation.

“I understand it is impudent to question Your Lord’s judgment, but allow me to say just one thing.”

“…..”

“I am woefully inadequate to become the exclusive maid of the young master, Ethan Richard Blackwood.”

“Hmm.”

“So I wish to relinquish the position of Master Ethan’s exclusive maid to another senior maid who would be far more capable of properly attending to the young master.”

After listening to my words, Harold quietly met my gaze, not moving, his expression so indifferent that it was hard to tell what he was thinking, his eyes barely even blinking.

Harold’s voice broke the awkward silence that felt suffocating, which sounded a bit displeased.

“Does your statement just now…mean there is an issue with my personnel transfer order?”

“……”

This was the crucial part.

In our conversation, I had to somehow convey that I was unsuitable for the exclusive maid position without offending Harold’s feelings.

If I mistakenly showed an attitude of defying his order or revealed my feelings regarding Ethan, my head would roll within just a few days.

That wouldn’t be surprising at all.

I had to speak confidently and assertively in front of Harold if I wanted to survive in this world as Lilith.

Having made up my mind, I met his gaze squarely and stated my opinion firmly.@@novelbin@@

“Yes, that’s correct.”

“Hmm.”

“Unfortunately, I am not as capable and skilled a maid as you think, my lord. That is why I must reiterate that I am ill-suited for the position of Master Ethan’s exclusive maid.”

“…Indeed, you are alike.”

“Pardon?”

“…No, go on.”

Harold looked at me with widened eyes as if he hadn’t expected me to deny his words directly.

Since I had already come this far, it would be foolish to stop halfway.

With the feeling of sticking my neck into an alligator’s mouth, I somehow blurted out the words that had been brewing in my mind, gritting my teeth.

Getting involved with Ethan any further in my life was like signing a death warrant, almost as if it meant putting a knife to my throat.

T/N

The actual line here is 금스흡느드 (geumseuheumneudeu), which sounds like 감사합니다 (gamsahamnida) or thank you, but said begrudgingly as if Lilith’s teeth were clenched. I couldn’t think of a way to rewrite it without sounding weird.