The daily life of a maid in the castle always begins with the morning assembly.
To call it morning was a bit of a stretch; it was the early dawn, long before the sun even thought of rising. In order for the high and mighty to start their days smoothly, maids like me had to move diligently.
"Seolha!"
As I entered the courtyard, Seolok waved her hand as if she had been waiting for me. News of my appointment as the personal maid for the Second Young Lord had clearly spread; unlike usual, the number of lingering, side-eyeing glances was significant.
Among them were even some glares filled with resentment. You’d think I’d stolen someone’s man. I made a conscious effort to ignore my colleagues’ stares and approached Seolok to greet her.
"Did you sleep well yesterday? You must have been scared sleeping alone."
Seolok, who shared a room with me, was particularly fearful once the sun went down.
"No, I slept with the girls in the next room," Seolok whispered into my ear, ensuring only I could hear. "You went to see your grandmother, right?"
"Yeah, I figured I wouldn't have much time for a while."
"Still, I'm jealous. To be able to see that face every day... if it were me, I’d feel full without even eating."
The probability of that was zero, but I simply offered a silent smile. In truth, I was in a state of extreme tension. They say even if you're dragged off by a tiger, you can survive if you keep your wits about you—the problem was whether my wits would remain intact.
In the original novel, Jeok Igeon was the definition of horror itself. The gruesome scenes of slaughter I had only read about as a reader could now unfold right before my eyes. Since last night, images of myself bleeding and crying in the middle of it all had been tormenting me.
"Is everyone gathered?"
Just as I shook my head to dispel those horrific thoughts, Madame Gwak finally emerged from her quarters. The assembly point was always the front courtyard of her residence.
"There are some minor shifts in work assignments today. Seolha has been appointed as the personal maid for the Second Young Lord, so please take note and ensure there are no disruptions to your duties."
The sound of whispering grew louder for a moment, then quickly subsided at Madame Gwak’s subsequent words. She added a few more instructions and concluded the brief assembly.
"Now then, let us all move vigorously today!"
As soon as Madame Gwak gave the order, the maids scattered quickly to find their respective tasks. It was a sight I saw every day, and I was always part of that crowd. But today, I couldn't move my feet so easily. My vision clouded at the thought of facing Jeok Igeon.
"Seolha, do a good job!"
Seolok’s voice reached my ears. Right, I didn't have time to stand here dazed. I heard that Jeok Igeon was an early riser. I had to hurry if I wanted to arrive before he woke up.
Ignoring my pounding heart, I headed toward the Hall of Lasting Glory, the residence of the Second Young Lord, a place I had never visited before.
"I knew it was far, but this is ridiculously far."
The scale of the Demon Cult castle was one thing, but the paths were almost like a labyrinth. The first thing I did after being hired as a maid was memorize these complicated routes. It was the only way to arrive on time and handle my assigned duties.
Fortunately, I wasn't bad with directions. In fact, I had memorized the map of the castle faster than anyone, almost to the point of genius. It was practically a survival instinct—fueled largely by my determination never to set foot near the Hall of Lasting Glory.
Thanks to that, despite it being my first visit, I arrived at the Hall of Lasting Glory on time without making a mistake.
"Wow, I can't believe I'm actually here."
A sigh escaped my lips the moment I stepped through the main gate. The lingering hope that someone would tell me this was all a dream refused to leave my mind.
"My, listen to her. She’s so happy she’s practically in an uproar."
The sudden verbal assault came out of nowhere.
"Seolha, I didn't see you that way, but you've got a cheeky side, don't you?"
"Just how much did you bribe Madame Gwak?"
Three pairs of eyes filled with hostility were suddenly glaring at me. I recognized one of them—the owner of the gaze that looked ready to kill me during the assembly. Was her name Doae? She was a senior with two years more experience than me.
"I heard you live alone with your grandmother after losing your parents. I guess you're desperate to climb the social ladder, huh?"
"For someone of her status, she sure has high standards for faces. How dare you aim for the Second Young Lord!"
"Do you really think that's possible for someone like you?"
What is this? Am I being treated like some kind of gold-digger? Listening to them, I was so dumbfounded I didn't even know where to begin explaining. I was already stressed enough by this garbage situation, and now these girls, whose brains were apparently made of flowers, were saying what?
I'm aiming for who?
For four years and ten months, I hadn't caused a single incident, but today, I was overcome by a decidedly violent impulse.
"You don't actually aim to become the mistress of the Hall of Lasting Glory, do you?"
"If that's the case, you'd better wake up from that dream."
"Do you think the Second Young Lord would pay even a bit of attention to someone like you?"
"Did you go mute all of a sudden? Why aren't you answering when your senior is talking!"
"Ah, were you waiting for my answer?"
They had been chatting non-stop among themselves, and now they were throwing a fit because I was ignoring them. I suppose there's no choice but to fight nonsense with nonsense.
"But what can I do? I can only respond when the words actually sound like speech."
"What?"
"You're all taking turns barking, and I honestly can't understand a word of it."
"B-Barking?"
"Yes. As you can see, I'm a human. Unfortunately, it seems you three are not. I'm good at many things, but I haven't mastered 'dog' yet. If I have time, I'll try to learn."
The three of them looked stunned by my counterattack. I was the type who usually got along well with my colleagues and stayed quiet and gentle. They must have picked a fight thinking I was an easy target, but my tongue was sharper than they expected.
In truth, I had nothing left to lose. If I might die by Jeok Igeon's hand today, why should I let myself be pushed around by some maids? My survival instinct was stronger than ever.
"W-Why, you...! Do you think talking is everything? Do you want to die today?"
"Are you actually going to hit me?"
"Taking you down would be a piece of cake for the three of us!"
"Three against one. How incredibly cowardly."
When I continued to sneer, they lost it. Unable to contain her rage, Doae shrieked and lunged at me, aiming for my hair.
Her movements were full of openings. There was no trace of martial arts training in the way she moved. While I wasn't some incredible master, I wasn't entirely ignorant of martial arts either. My Ms. Shin Geum had insisted that one must know how to protect themselves and had given me a sort of early education from a young age.
I lightly struck the right shoulder of the charging Doae with the edge of my hand.
"Aaargh!"
Doae screamed and tumbled to the ground. Since I hit her pressure point, the pain in her right arm would be significant. I doubted she’d even be able to lift her arm today.
Now, who’s next?
Without giving me a moment to breathe, another one lunged to grab my collar. She was quite large. In a fight, swift and decisive action usually wins the day. I thrust the palm of my hand upward into her chin.
With a dull thwack, she was knocked out cold.
"Y-You...!"
One time could be dismissed as a fluke, but not twice. The girl who had lost two of her companions in the blink of an eye stared at me in terror. Her expression was still resentful, but after what she’d seen, she didn't dare attack.
"What shall it be? Do you want to continue fighting me, or shall we call a truce here?"
"W-What’s going to happen to them?"
"They’ll wake up soon. We still have to clean the Hall of Lasting Glory, don't we?"
I didn't want to be held back by poor cleaning on my first day. I assumed the seniors felt the same.
"I'll let it slide quietly this time. But there won't be a next. From now on, I am responsible for everything that happens inside the Hall of Lasting Glory. That means I am essentially your superior. You do know I have the authority to give demerits based on your performance, right?"
She looked flustered, as if she hadn't considered that far. Had she just acted on impulse? Seriously, what was so great about Jeok Igeon?
"One last thing. You seem to have a massive misunderstanding. I'm the one who's most upset about being assigned here, okay?"
I pounded my chest in frustration.
"I didn't give any bribes. I might be cheeky, but I have no desire for success. A mistress? I don't want to be that, nor do I have any intention of becoming one. I have unique tastes—I absolutely hate handsome people. Among all the maids in the castle, I'm probably the only one who doesn't like the Second Young Lord. To me, he's nothing short of a disaster. Who in the world would want the attention of a disaster? Oh, and of course, our popular Second Young Lord wouldn't have the slightest interest in someone like me either."
That absolutely had to be the case. And it was highly probable.
"Anyway, that's how it is, so I hope you won't harass me with the same issue again. Do you understand, you three?"
At my question, the two lying on the ground flinched. They seemed to have understood my hint to stop pretending to be unconscious and began to awkwardly pick themselves up.
"Let's try to get along until the day our shifts change."
As long as I was the personal maid, the Hall of Lasting Glory would always be kept in top condition. I couldn't afford to give him even the smallest excuse. For two months, I was going to do my absolute best!
My heart shrank again at the thought of Jeok Igeon, but I tried my best not to show it as I strode further into the interior of the Hall of Lasting Glory.
A moment later, a black figure dropped down from a nearby tree where the scuffle between Seolha and the maids had taken place.
"A disaster, is it...?"