Episode 6

"Madam?"

I rapped on the door once more, pondering if she was intentionally ignoring me. The silence persisted.

'Is she playing hide and seek?'

I couldn't loiter here forever.

'It'll be a problem if things go south from the start.'

I couldn't risk getting fired for a missed meal after having come all this way.

'What exactly do I have to do as a servant anyway?'

'You need to cozy up to the protagonist. In this case, the Countess.'

I don't think he understood that this lady wasn't your average local bakery owner.

Even if this era was one where titles were bought and peasants could sit in parliament...

However, Ute had rattled it off like it was no big deal and brushed aside modern social hierarchies.

'Who do you think has the biggest influence on romance genre protagonists?'

'Since the genre is romance... the lover?'

'Right. What next?'

'Family?'

'Their right-hand subordinates. Think personal maids, ladies-in-waiting.'

And then he added:

Romance protagonists either have no family or friends. At most, they have nothing.

'Are all these protagonists depressed and mentally messed up in the head?'

I was dying to ask, but his face was too distracting.

Wait, you can't just pass over the topic like that...!

If they ask, 'Why does my heart skip a beat around him?' you'd say, 'It's because of love!' and swoop in with advice. In romance, this kind of person is...

'A sidekick?'

'...They call them maids.'

Even maids in romances acted in ways that didn't make sense.

'Let's start by gaining her favor first.'

'But even so, getting close is like pie in the sky if I'm stuck in the kitchen all day--'

'I believe in you, Miss Sonnet.'

'I'll give it a shot.'

I shouldn't have fallen for that sexy face!

I tapped the trolley handle and gazed at the door with a sigh.

How could I get any closer without catching even a glimpse of this woman?

'I can't just swing the door like I own the place.'

And risk getting kicked out by the headmaid?

'Sir Ute confirmed she wasn't a mean person.'

Although it was a bit of a gamble to trust him.

'She seems soft-spoken and introverted.'

'How do you know that?'

'I saw her once. It's written all over her face.'

He said mumblings things like 'obsessed man' and 'regression'. At that point, I had tuned him out and simply admired his face.

'What's the point if she's nice? She won't open the door for me.'

I couldn't even guilt-trip her—

...Or could I?

'Normally, I wouldn't dare act this way.'

But if I was on the path of getting fired anyway, I might as well take a stab at it.

I rested my cheek against the door, and let out a long, exaggerated sigh.

"Oh, woe is me!"

I let it echo down the hall with dramatic flair.

"If the Madam doesn't show her face, I will definitely get kicked out without as much as a paycheck..."

A pause for effect was key.

"...And what of my rent?"

My house was already gone, though.

"What about my mother? She'd probably go blind from tears..."

Not that I'd let her know.

"Ahh, wherever you are, what do I do?"

My cozy sweet home!

Just thinking about it made my eyes water.

Sniffle.

After a few more sniffs, a voice piped up from inside.

"Come, come inside...!"

"Yes!"

I mentally fist-pumped and nudged the trolley.

The bedroom, inter-connected to a large shower, was bigger than my now-demolished rental.

And there she was, the Countess, the romance protagonist...

'Is she hitting puberty?'

I spotted her, all tucked up under the covers.

'I used to do that when I fell out with Mom.'

There was no sign of the blanket moving.

"Madam?"

"..."

"Where would you like to have your meal? Do you have a favorite spot?"

"..."

"I'll set it on the inside table for now."

The Countess didn't lift the blankets even as I served all the steaming dishes.

Tick, tock, tick, tock...

The room resonated solely with the rhythmic ticking of the second hand.

Sweat trickled down my neck.

'I never thought what to do in this situation.'

I'd rather get slapped in the face for being presumptuous as a mere maid.

'To get close, we need to have a conversation...'

A servant speaks only when spoken to.

Furthermore, they shall only speak when necessary.

'What do I say now?'

Tell her to eat before the food gets ice cold?

Comment I can still see her slight movement under the blanket?

'I don't know.'

Might as well try a 'hello' since blank staring got me nowhere.

In theory, face-to-face would be more polite, but whatever.

I walked right up to the bed.

Tufts of long silver hair peeked between the gaps of the rolled-up blanket.

"I apologize for the late introduction. I'm the maid assigned to work here starting today..."

Pop!

In an instant, the blanket burst open like a burrito.

"Sonnet?"

"—Sonnet Posa, yes, that is me..."

H-how did she know?

The Countess sprung from the blanket, eyed me up and down, and frowned deeply.

"Sonnet? Seriously?"

"Yes. A pleasure to meet you, Madam."

"Pleasure... right, first time..."

What the heck, I'm scared.

The Countess jumped from her blanket and wrapped her cheeks as she mumbled random words.

"Oh my goodness, it's real... this isn't a dream..."

"Madam, what about the food—"

"W-why now, already, what do I do..."

"Madam should eat first..."

From what the chef reckoned, it seems to have been a while since this unsettled soul last had a meal.

Her pink eyes bore into me.

I mean, this is surely better than outright ignoring me, but I would like to know where it's headed.

"How old are you?"

"I recently turned twenty-four."

"Oh, mercy me, you're a kid. So young. So, so young..."

Madam, you seem much younger.

Whether it was because of her round features or small stature, the woman appeared to be in her early twenties at most.

'Like a white rabbit.'

Her long, lush eyelashes fluttered nervously.

'Let's start by gaining her favor first.'

...This might be surprisingly easy.

For some reason, the Countess seemed to like me quite a bit.

As she held me by the shoulders, tears fell from her eyes.

"It really is Sonnet. This isn't a dream..."

I wouldn't be surprised if it was.

Her pale cheeks went sodden with tears.

"Ma, Madam?"

"Uuuh, seriously, hng, sniff, nng..."

I couldn't understand what the heck she was saying.

I tried to hold back her tears, but there was no way to stop the broken faucet.

"Hng... Sonnet..."

"But how does Madam know my name...?"

"How, hic, could, hng, forget your nameeeeee..."

"Madam, please calm down first..."

I don't know anymore!

I gave up on the conversation and focused on calming the unstable Madam down.

'I think I'm done with my job.'

The Countess was bawling her eyes out on our first meeting for some strange reason. I had a peculiar feeling we would grow closer by noon.

I patted her delicate back, envisioning a bright future.

It was then I heard heavy footsteps nearing the room.

"What is going on?"

Frosty eyes, a stubborn expression.

"Ha... again with the same occurrence."

The woman, who had been wailing just a moment ago, blinked and hiccuped in surprise.

The Count's black eyes fell on me.

"Is this the maid who was just hired?"

"Yes, master."

"Good. She won't have to pack her belongings."

"Does that mean..."

The next words were only to be expected.

"Don't set foot in the mansion again. You'll have a difficult time finding work in the capital from now on—"

"Wh-what do you mean by that all of a sudden?!"

Those words, not these.

The Countess jumped out of her bed, stood to shield me, and shouted.

"How could you say such cruel things to my poor Sonnet...!"

"...My?"

His icy eyes became even icier.

"My? Are you an old acquaintance of that maid?"

That's what I'm saying.

"That's not— that's not it...!"

"Then?"

"Why can't this innocent child work here?"

Right.

"Innocent? Being generous and foolish are two different things. She was unable to even serve dinner for her master and left you—"

"S-Sonnet was just comforting me! She is different from those kids before!"

"...Haha."

At that moment, the room temperature seemed to have plummeted by five degrees.

I clasped my eyes shut as best I could.

"I thought you were mute since you kept your mouth shut all this time, but I guess that wasn't the case."

"That—"

"Alright then. You, what's your name?"

"Sonnet Posa."

"You—"

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