“Once again, congratulations on being hired. I believe you’ve all received your guidebooks. Have you read them?” asked the head maid, her tone strict and composed.

“Yes, Head Maid,” the three of us answered in unison.

“Good. For now, I’ll assign one of your seniors to show you around the mansion. Introduce yourselves to the other servants and familiarize yourselves with your duties and the layout of the estate.” She paused, her gaze sharp. “I have to attend to Lady Anavriel now.”

With that, she turned and exited the room, leaving us ourselves.

As if on cue, another maid entered. Her demeanor was warm and friendly, a stark contrast to the head maid.

“Hi there! I’m Hana, and I’ll be giving you a tour today. Can you tell me your names?”

“Good morning, Senior Hana. My name is Alice,” said the girl beside me.

“I’m Jane,” the other followed.

“And I’m Leah,” I said, offering a slight bow.

Senior Hana beamed at us, clearly satisfied with our responses. She began leading us around, explaining the do’s and don’ts of working in the estate. She took us through both the main mansion and the side mansion—where Lady Anavriel currently resided.

“Is Lady Anavriel going to be the new Duchess?” I asked, curiosity getting the better of me.

I had heard rumors that Duke Fraxven, despite refusing to remarry after his wife’s death, kept Lady Anavriel close and granted her everything she desired—jewelry, dresses, even partial authority in the estate. Though not officially wed, many already regarded her as the de facto Duchess of the Cappet Dukedom.

“You—!” Hana gasped, her eyes darting around. We were outside the mansion near the back garden. She quickly pressed a finger to her lips. “Shhh… don’t ever say that aloud.”

My hands flew to my mouth in instinctive panic. The other girls exchanged worried glances.

Hana sighed. “Listen. Never speak of that again, especially not in front of Lady Anavriel. She doesn’t take kindly to… assumptions.”

We nodded in unison, anxiety in our eyes.

We, the newbies, looked at each other and got curious. We came closer to senior Hana and asked her for more details.

A few minutes later, we found ourselves in a secluded section of the garden behind the mansion, squatting together in a corner that Hana claimed was “safe for talk.”

Normally, if it was any other maid we would have been scolded and this topic would have been shut down, but it seemed Senior Hana had a love for juicy tales.

“I get why you might think that,” she began, “but you’re wrong. From what I’ve heard, the Duke really did love the late Duchess Nyssira deeply. Lady Anavriel isn’t some mistress—she’s actually Lady Nyssira’s younger sister.”

All three of us gasped in surprise.

“But why does she live here? Isn’t her family nobility too?” Alice asked.

“They are. The Luce family— a Marquis rank.”

“I thought the entire Luce family died in an accident?” Jane said, brows furrowed.

“Well, Lady Anavriel claimed she survived thanks to her sister’s spirit. After that, they were both taken in by Duke Fraxven, who was Lady Nyssira’s fiancé at the time.”

“A tragic but romantic story,” Alice murmured. “Even if he is her sister’s husband, the way the duke swooped in to save them, there’s no way she won’t fall in love with him”

Hana shook her head. “Maybe, maybe not. She truly loved and respected Lady Nyssira. That’s why I’m warning you—don’t say anything suggestive about her relationship with the Duke. One maid made the mistake of saying she could be the future Duchess and was whipped and thrown out.”

We gasped and covered our mouths instinctively.

“Oh right!” I suddenly remembered. “Didn’t the late Duchess give birth before she passed? But no one talks about a young master or lady…”

At this, Hana’s cheerful expression dropped. She looked around cautiously, her voice dropping to a whisper.

“Never—and I mean never—mention the young master to the Duke or Lady Anavriel. That child is a monster who killed Lady Nyssira.”

We stared in stunned silence.

A kid killing an adult, how could that possibly be, especially when that adult was from the Luce marquisate who’s famous for their spirit summoning.

The three of us looked at each other and just tilted our heads. Senior Hana, seeing us confused sighed heavily and only warned us again to never mention him and that we should stay away from the forest and to never approach the child.

We continued our tour and arrived at another mansion, separated from the others by a tall iron gate.

“This mansion belonged to the late Duchess. The Duke had it sealed and maintains it with magic—no servants are allowed inside. Step foot in there, and an alarm will alert the Duke himself. He’ll behead you on the spot, like he did the others who thought they could sneak in and steal.” Her tone was deadly serious.

The three of us quickly nodded. That warning alone was enough.

“And that’s the end of the tour. Let’s head back to the servants’ quarters. Rest up today; you’ll start your duties tomorrow. I’ll call you when it’s time for dinner.”

We followed her back to our rooms. Once inside, she left us alone since she had more work to do.

The three of us lay quietly in our beds for a while. Then, Jane suddenly sat up.

“Why did you guys become maids?” she asked.

I sat up too. “That’s random. Where did that come from?”

“It’s quiet. I’m bored. Come on, let’s talk,” she whined.

Alice perked up. “Fine! I became a maid because I wanted to see nobles up close. Glamorous mansions, fancy food, pretty dresses... And maybe I’ll catch the eye of some rich nobleman!”

“Wow. That’s shallow,” Jane replied flatly.

Alice puffed out her chest. “So what? Money makes the world go round.”

“Are you trying to seduce the Duke?” Jane teased.

“If he falls for me, jackpot! But I’m not picky. I’ll aim for every nobleman I meet! Ahahaha!” Alice declared proudly.

“Uwaaah… you’re really something else,” Jane muttered.

Then her eyes turned to me. “What about you, Leah?”

“Oh… well… the pay is good. I have three younger siblings back home. Our parents died recently, so I’m the only one left to support them,” I answered quietly.

They looked at me with wide eyes and gentle sympathy.

“Oh… it’s not that bad, really!” I quickly added, trying to lighten the mood.

““What an admirable big sister!”” they chorused.

Flustered, I turned the tables. “Then what about you, Jane?”

“Me? I need money for school. I want to get into the academy, so I’m saving up,” she said calmly, as if it were no big deal.

“That’s quite the confidence,” Alice said, and I agreed. It wasn’t easy getting into a noble house like this, especially one as prestigious as the Cappet Dukedom. The hiring process was infamous for its difficulty—multiple tests, interviews, and unanimous approval from a selection panel.

And yet, Jane simply shrugged. “I knew I’d get in.”

“You cocky brat,” Alice muttered with a groan.

Before the conversation could continue, a knock came at the door. Senior Hana peeked in with a bright smile.

“Time to eat, girls!”

We immediately got up, and followed her to dinner.