Interlude 1: Master and Maid

“What the hell is going on…?”

Thanks to Oliver’s suggestion, the black-haired girl Marie became my personal maid—so far, so good. But right now, my mind was in utter chaos.

The reason? I couldn’t read Marie’s intentions.

No one in their right mind would want to serve a corrupt lord who blew their cherished home to bits.

Yet, Marie chose to become my attendant. There had to be some ulterior motive.

Above all else, I needed to figure out what it was.

One thing was clear: deep down, Marie must harbor resentment about working as my attendant.

“So, the best way to expose her true feelings is…”

“Master-sama, you called?”

“!”

Lost in thought, I hadn’t noticed Marie approaching.

I flinched for a moment, but this was perfect timing.

I’d use my genius intellect to brilliantly uncover whatever she was plotting.

“Marie, I’m going to teach you your duties as my personal maid. Follow me.”

“Y-Yes, understood!”

With a nervous expression, Marie followed me.

First, I took her to the kitchen.

“Let’s start with cooking. A maid must be able to brew tea, of course, but also prepare at least basic meals.”

“Y-Yes, I’ll try!”

Nodding, Marie began cooking with awkward movements.

Likely due to her history of slacking, she didn’t seem very skilled.

Truth be told, I wasn’t that interested in her cooking ability itself.

So why bother with this? To see if, in the process of working for me, she’d crack under pressure and reveal her resentment.

People show their true selves when angry or frustrated.

It was a genius plan to uncover her scheme—but…

“…Hm.”

—At least during cooking, Marie didn’t show any signs of irritation.

Worse, the chefs I’d thrown in the dungeon earlier gathered around, teaching her cooking tips.

The atmosphere became oddly cheerful, thwarting my original goal.

I was pondering how to intervene when—

“It’s done, Master-sama!”

In no time, a simple meal was prepared.

…Now what?

To make Marie angry, I could just throw the food away, but that would deviate from my goal of provoking resentment through her duties.

…Fine, I’d go with the flow.

Sitting at the table, I glanced at Marie’s cooking.

Scrambled eggs, grilled bacon, and tea—pretty basic stuff.

I picked up a knife and fork, eating slowly.

“…Hm.”

Honestly, it wasn’t anything special, but thanks to the chefs’ help, it wasn’t inedible. Still, I couldn’t just say that…

“…”

Marie watched me intently, holding her breath.

To her, I said:

“Next, let’s go.”

“Huh? Y-Yes, Master-sama!”

Without commenting on her work, I headed to the next destination.

After that, I assigned Marie various tasks.

Laundry, cleaning my room, assisting with administrative duties.

The workload was immense for one maid, and I hoped she’d snap at some point, but unfortunately, it didn’t go that smoothly.

“Maybe expecting results in one day was too much…”

I might have rushed things. So, I switched to a long-term plan.

Even if she could endure one day, a few days of this should push her to her limit.

Thus—

“Marie, you’ll do the same tasks tomorrow and beyond. Got it?”

“…! Yes, of course, Master-sama!”

I’d declared she’d endure the same suffering moving forward, yet for some reason, Marie nodded with a radiant smile.

To think she could keep up such a facade.

This girl was shaping up to be a tougher foe than I’d imagined, and I trembled with apprehension.

◇◆◇

A few hours earlier—

“I, Marie, will serve you with utmost sincerity to meet your expectations, Master-sama. Please, from now on, command me with anything.”

Marie declared this with a smile and elegant demeanor.

But inwardly, she felt as much anxiety as joy at becoming the personal maid of her revered Klaus.

She understood Klaus was a great man who treated black-haired individuals without prejudice.

But being his personal maid, sharing daily life with him, was another matter entirely.

That anxiety swelled rapidly.

However, she soon realized it was a misunderstanding.

Marie’s first task as Klaus’s personal maid was cooking.

Under the previous lord, she was barred from the kitchen, making cooking a near-unknown territory. Having been told multiple times that people didn’t want to eat food touched by a black-haired person, she had a deep aversion to it.

Still, summoning her courage to meet Klaus’s expectations, and with help from the other chefs, she managed to prepare a simple meal.

It was slightly burnt, far from perfect.

—Yet Klaus ate it all without a single complaint.

Though he didn’t offer feedback, the fact that he didn’t reject her food filled Marie’s heart with warmth.

Her happiness didn’t stop there.

He entrusted her with personal tasks like laundry and cleaning his room. Though the workload was heavy, for Marie, who’d been given minimal tasks under the previous lord, it felt like a sign of trust, filling her with joy.

And the clincher was his final words:

“Marie, you’ll do the same tasks tomorrow and beyond. Got it?”

“…! Yes, of course, Master-sama!”

Honestly, Marie’s work today was subpar.

She wouldn’t have had grounds to complain if she’d been sacked as a personal maid.

Yet Klaus had said he’d continue entrusting her with tasks.

It was proof of his expectations and permission to stay by his side.

After parting with Klaus, Marie, filled with unprecedented happiness, vowed fiercely:

“I’ll keep striving to become a personal maid worthy of Klaus-sama’s expectations!”

Oblivious to Marie’s heartfelt resolve, Klaus was busy fretting over what tasks to assign next to make her resent him, completely missing the mark.