I was losing hope. My whole plan of action was foiled by a simple birthday. It was ridiculous. At least I could write down the year since I knew that Anastasia and Renee were the same age. I scribbled it down and racked my brain for the month and day. Eventually, I just wrote down my own birthday.

If it doesn’t work because of the birthday, then I guess I have no choice but to think about how to slap Hendel as... lightly as possible... Once I jumped over the birthday hurdle, the rest was smooth sailing. I had written countless resumes before, so it was a breeze. I was the hiring manager, after all.

“So I can write down whatever and no one will read it,” I said quietly to myself as I filled in the blanks. When I reached the end of the document, I was met with a section for a statement of purpose. A statement of purpose? In a resume? This wasn’t even a cover letter. It was a bit odd, but I chose not to dwell on it and wrote down whatever came to mind.

Finally, the resume was complete. It was still very sparse, but it was the best I could come up with since Renee Blair had no experience whatsoever. I decisively pressed the stamp I’d received from Reuden. It was so satisfying to see the resume stamped with the Blair family crest.

“I’m finally a maid!”

I was so happy that I yelled. It still wasn’t a done deal because of the birthday situation, but I decided to congratulate myself anyway. Once I calmed down, I stood in front of the mirror. My swollen cheek had developed a bluish tinge. I was impressed that Catherine didn’t mention anything about this mess.

Well, I guess Catherine knows all about Renee Blair’s crazy antics, so why would she care? It was a bitter thought. I shook my head firmly. Anyway, let’s first try a soft blow. After some careful consideration, I decided that there was no need to hit myself very hard. I gave my cheek a tap as a test. A jolt of pain bloomed from the bruise, and I groaned.

Beep.

================================

ERROR

Not a slap.

================================

Of course. There’s no way it would be that easy. So if this isn’t a slap, then it probably wants me to hit myself harder. I guess that makes sense. Renee Blair would have already figured out if some light taps would suffice.

I sighed.

It hurts just to tap myself. How much more will it sting if I give myself a real slap? I couldn’t stop sighing. No matter, the deed had to be done. It ultimately came down to my luck. I took a deep breath and readied myself for a slap.

God, why must you test me? I didn’t even believe in any god, but I blamed them anyway. I took in a deep breath and then swung my shaking hand. A loud slap rang out. It was already my fourth time hearing this deafening sound today. An indescribably intense pain pulsated through my cheek, and I couldn’t stop cursing.

Maybe I should just be the villain after all... A twinge of regret mingled with the pain.

***

“Mwahahaha!”

Hendel was at the door to Lady Blair’s room with a medical kit when she paused at the bizarre sound coming from inside.

Wh-what? What is this noise? Her startled heart was still beating fast, but she worried about the lady. She had no choice but to knock. Not only that, she could hear some more sounds.

“I did it! I did it! Mwahaha! I knew it. Mission window, try as you might to be a tough cookie, but you’re no match for me! You got that? Oh, I was so worried about the birthday, but I lucked out!”

Michelle Wyndham? Who is that? Hendel was shocked to realize that the strange noise came from the fair lady. The maid’s face had gone pale, and her hand hovered in front of the door, frozen in place. She couldn’t tell if she was allowed to knock or not.

G-granted, Lady Blair has been much more gentle lately... Hendel, who had always served as the lady’s personal punching bag, thought about what she had learned in the past week.

A week ago, Susan the housekeeper had assigned Hendel to serve the lady in the mornings for the time being. The lady had been in a particularly bad mood that day and she had struck Hendel’s cheek and shin. Hendel wanted to quit right then and there, but she had to send money home every month.

However, the next day, the lady had changed. She had not laid a finger on her. While it may have seemed laughable to others, this was a truly momentous occasion. Hendel could not help but cry tears of joy on behalf of her cheeks. There was indeed a chance that she could very well be slapped for crying, but that didn’t stop the tears from flowing.

Has Lady Blair... softened up? She was hopeful despite knowing that people were not so quick to change. Of course, the lady then proceeded to fall ill with a fever. Hendel became both disappointed and scared.

She chalked it up to the fact that her mistress must not have had the energy to hit her due to being so sick. Surely when she recovered, the lady would be back to her fearsome old self. But she was proven wrong. Today, the lady left the bed for the first time in a week and, for whatever reason, still hadn’t slapped Hendel.

“Don’t say such a thing, Hendel. Why would I hit you?”

She had even called Hendel by her name. At the same time, Hendel wasn’t an idiot. Two days of kindness were not enough to relax and act friendly with the lady. If she could so suddenly become kind, then she could just as easily return to being malicious.

“Mwahahaha!” the voice from the other side roared.

I’m scared... She must be happy since she’s laughing, but what if I set her off by knocking? It was a chilling thought, indeed.

Hendel couldn’t just turn back either. She looked down at her medical kit and recalled what had happened just a few moments ago.

“You,” the master of the house had said.

“Yes? Oh! Greetings, my lord!”

“You were the one who found her unconscious last time, right?”

“Uh, yes, my lord.”

“Take this and go put some ointment on her face.”

“Pardon? Oh, uh, at once, my lord.”

“Don’t tell her that I made you do it.”

Indeed, the medical kit was from the master of the mansion himself.

He even asked me to apply the ointment myself. In short, Hendel couldn’t turn back. She pushed back her tears as she knocked.

The sound seemed to close in on her heart as she waited for permission to enter. It wasn’t a voice she heard, but the clack of the door opening.

“Oh, it’s you, Hendel. Is there something you need?”

Hendel was so shocked that she staggered backward. She wasn’t expecting the lady to come open the door herself and greet her face-to-face.

“Oh, uh, I mean...”

“What do you have in your hand?” Lady Blair asked.

“Th-this, well, it’s a medical kit... I wanted to apply some ointment on your cheek...” Hendel paused in the middle of her stuttering and stared in awe at the lady.

Her hair was a rare mix of orange and pink, her eyes shone like jewels, her brows were soft, and her jawline was smooth. When Hendel came to the mansion and saw the lady for the first time, she had thought that the lady was beautiful. Such an impression had been shattered in no time.

Her body became tattered, as did her mind. She couldn’t tell if her job was to serve the lady or to get beaten up. Hendel had grown certain that she would never consider the lady beautiful again.

But...

“Really? An ointment for my cheek? How in the world did you come up with such an adorable idea? Anyway, do come in. Why do you look so pale? I’d wager that you’re the one who’s sick, not me.”

But why does she seem so beautiful again today? Light poured in through the open door, forming a halo behind the lady. It was a dazzling sight. Her hair captured the light and sparkled with vivid transparency.

It’s not that she looks beautiful... I wouldn’t even be thinking like this if it were just about her looks. There’s... something... different... Lady Blair held Hendel’s hand softly for the second time today.

Warmth spread from her hand, which was also strange. Her hand had always felt ice cold when it smacked Hendel’s cheek. She led Hendel effortlessly through the open door. As Hendel stepped into the pouring light, she slowly but surely grew certain of this new realization.

She’s changed. She’s definitely changed. For some reason, she wanted to cry.

***

A week had passed, and I had been able to spend my days in peace. I had succeeded in becoming a maid after writing a resume! As I looked back at the first time I’d completed the mission, I couldn’t help but laugh.

Man, that was the best feeling ever… Suddenly, I remembered how I had laughed like a crazy person back then and wiped the smile off my face.

I’m lucky no one saw me like that... Anyway, there were a few things that I had found out in the past week.

First, if I declined all three missions, then I would get a penalty. I didn’t know if the penalties were the same every time because I hadn’t received one after the first day.

Second, I learned after completing the mission that I didn’t need to carry out all three missions. When I succeeded in the mission to “slap a maid” a week ago, I thought that I’d get a penalty the next day because the two other missions weren’t completed. But a single successful mission was all it took to avoid the penalty! That made things so much easier. It was like lowering the mission difficulty all the way to the floor.

Because I can just pick the maid-related missions! Of course, it was no use if none of the missions were about maids, but luckily, there had been a maid-related mission every day for the past week. The only victim was my pure cheek.

That damn mission window... I lightly tapped the gold coins rolling around on my desk.

Third, once I accepted a mission, the window would disappear. If I said “mission,” the window for the current objective would pop up again. There was no way to close the window without pressing either “Accept” or “Decline.”

Fourth, and most importantly, when I succeeded in a mission, I obtained money as a reward. The gold coins piled on my desk were proof.

Is this why Renee Blair had so much money even though she did nothing? It made me hesitant to use it. It was dirty money, after all, earned from bullying someone.

Oh, this is getting nowhere. As I sighed in exasperation, the clock bell rang. This was one more thing that I had learned in the past week. Every morning at nine, the clock rang, and then...

Ding.

================================

TODAY’S MISSION

Enter Reuden Blair’s chancery and set fire to the paperwork he worked on all last night!

Accept / Decline

================================

The mission window popped up.

Oh, man... So cruel from the get-go. It wants me to commit arson? I pressed “Decline” with a frown. I heard a few curt knocks.

“Come in.”

I didn’t even have to ask who it was. There was only one person who visited me every morning. It was none other than my maid...

“Huh? Oh... Reuden?”

No, it was Reuden...