I really hadn't expected this.
If he used this as an excuse to cut my wages, I wouldn't even have a defense.
'Wait—what on earth is he saying?'
Eki had clearly warned me that unless summoned, I wasn't even to look at the Duke's office, much less enter it.
As for his private chambers—I didn't even know where they were. They weren't marked on the mansion map I had received.
"Truly disappointing. I was told you were meticulous, but you've never once cleaned my chambers or my office."
"…I apologize."
But an employee must obey the employer.
When I thought carefully, it was only Eki who had told me to stay away.
As the Head Maid, to not even bother with the Duke's own quarters—it was a serious lapse.
I should have asked him directly.
'This one is really my fault.'
I prided myself on my thoroughness, and yet I had overlooked the most important place.
Shame weighed heavy on me, and my head sank lower of its own accord.
"From today onward, you will clean my chambers and my office every day, Shasha. You, personally."
"…Yes, understood."
Still, his voice was gentle. Maybe he wasn't truly angry.
That was a relief.
I cautiously raised my head. The Duke was calmly stirring his tea with a silver spoon.
"However, forgive me, Duke… I don't know where your chambers are."
"They're the innermost room on this floor. The door is black. Easy to recognize."
Clack—
He gestured lazily, and a distant desk drawer flew open. Something small floated through the air toward me.
My gloom faltered, overtaken by awe. Magic! Even in this mood, it was impossible not to marvel at.
"A key."
"…Pardon?"
The key hovered before my eyes.
"When you enter, knock twice. If I don't answer, use that key."
"…Yes."
I carefully plucked the key from the air.
Since it was important, I tucked it into my pocket and fastened the button. (I'd had the foresight to sew a button on for just such needs—good thinking, past me!)
But he wasn't finished.
"Additional wages will be paid for this week. Do well again next week."
…What? Excuse me?
I blinked wide. Just moments ago, I'd been shrinking with dread.
But my wages weren't being cut?
"Y-you're saying… you'll pay me extra?"
"Yes."
"…!"
It wasn't a mistake. He'd said it twice.
My hands flew to my mouth.
'Heavens…'
How could I have doubted Duke Verma-nion, even for a moment?
I had almost treated him like that petty Baron Armond!
That alone was a crime worthy of death.
I bowed my head again and again, fervent.
"Thank you, truly, Duke!"
"Mm. Now clean the office before you go."
"Of course!"
I was going to anyway. Who could leave dust clinging to the Duke's table?
I immediately pulled out the cleaning rags from my apron pocket.
Duke Verma-nion rested his chin on his gloved hand, watching Shasha.
"I nearly forgot something—back in a moment!"
"…?"
She dashed off so suddenly I wondered what she had left behind.
When she returned, panting, her arms were full of cleaning tools.
Now she was polishing the tall glass panes behind the Duke's desk.
She had somehow affixed a dry rag to a long rod for reaching high places. The wet wiping had already been completed earlier.
"Hm~ hm~ hm…"
She was humming.
The Duke crossed his arms, leaning back in his chair. He noted the moment she realized what she was doing—her shoulders jerked, and she darted a guilty glance behind her. Then she quickly pretended to focus on the glass.
Too late. He had already seen her smiling as she wiped sweat from her brow.
'Those emotions—[joy], [happiness]… while cleaning?'
This was the first human of her kind he had seen.
Even after eons, Shasha remained unreadable.
To feel positivity while scrubbing floors—what kind of strange creature was she?
The reason he had summoned a new human after so long was simple:
The mansion had become too filthy.
He had ordered his vassals to clean, but their sloth never changed. They left everything half-done.
As expected. Years turned into centuries. Dirt compounded into filth.
So, if he must hire a human, why not grant her the Head Maid's authority?
He had planned to replace her in time anyway.
But this human… she cleaned too well. Beyond expectation.
And—
'I never even needed to intervene.'
With just a flimsy contract, she had somehow whipped his unruly vassals into obedience.
Calling it "whipped into shape" was an understatement. His notoriously volatile servants had grown… docile.
And curiously, the effect was strongest among those lowest in the hierarchy.
'Truly, truly strange.'
There had to be something more.
By now Shasha had finished the windows. They gleamed so brightly it was hard to tell glass was there at all.
The Duke tilted his head slightly.
'Echidna seemed taken with her as well.'
He recalled the dawn conversation.
"You gave the Head Maid your name?"
"…Yes."
"Explain every detail."
"Shasha… repaired me."
Once, he had indulged Echidna too much. She had dared to bare her fangs at him. In response, he had shattered her body—enough to keep her meek for centuries.
But Shasha had repaired her. As if it were nothing.
How?
The Duke's crimson eyes, once dulled with boredom, flickered faintly as he thought of the mended snake doll.
'Before she was broken, Echidna would never even approach filth. And now… she offers her name to a human she's known for mere days. She even warned others not to harm her.'
She had even entered Shasha's dream to shield her.
Was this strategy… or mere accident?
The Duke decided Shasha was worth observing further.
Of course, if she ever proved a nuisance, he would end her.
"Duke, what about these pens? Do you prefer the black ones kept separate from the colored ones? Personally, I like them sorted."
…Perhaps nuisance already.
"You may do as you like."
"Yes, sir!"
He waved her off, strolling to the freshly cleaned window.
Outside, he could see his vassals in the garden, grumbling as they worked.
Some scrubbed the outer walls. Others flew, scattering water from above.
All were working hard.
'Noisy, after so long.'
But too noisy was no good. When that time came, he would cull them.
For now, he simply watched, unaware that his tea had long since gone cold.
I gave the office one last sweep of my eyes. Was there anywhere I'd missed?
Nope. Spotless.
'Done!'
Now that it was cleaned once, it should be easier to maintain from tomorrow.
The Duke was already seated at his desk again, reading papers.
A breeze from the open window lifted his pale hair, the lowered crimson gaze briefly catching my eyes.
'He really does look like a painting.'
I quietly edged toward the door.
"Then… since the office is done, I'll proceed to clean your chambers."
"Mm."
He didn't even look up from his documents.
'Wait, he's not going to supervise?'
I closed the door as slowly as possible, half-expecting him to follow.
But the door shut fully, and he never moved.
"…Right."
'That must be why he gave me the key.'
Honestly, I preferred it. Cleaning alone was far less nerve-wracking.
The office had been nerve-shattering with him watching my every move. At least once he'd turned to his papers, I'd been able to breathe again.
Now, briskly, I walked the hall to the innermost door.
"Let's see… black door, he said."
There it was. Black as pitch, painted in a way that radiated unease. No mistaking it.
I slid the key into the lock.
Creak—
The door opened easily.
---
End of Chapter 8
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