There were many things I had accepted about myself.

1. I was not a competent maid.

2. I was not respected by the noble staff.

3. I was barely surviving this job by the grace of sheer dumb luck.



So imagine my horror when I realized...



I was actually getting better.



It began innocently enough.



I was assigned to help prepare afternoon tea for a visiting noblewoman.



Easy, right?



Wrong.



Because the moment I lifted the teapot, my system pinged.



[New Skill Acquired: Advanced Tea Brewing Lv.3]

Your tea-making abilities have been mysteriously enhanced. Nobles will be impressed. Beverages may now have unintended buffs.



I froze.



"...Excuse me?"



Mara, who was setting plates, blinked at me. "What's wrong?"



I stared at the notification.



Then I stared at the teapot.



Then back at the notification.



"...Nothing."



I poured the tea.



It came out perfectly.



As soon as I set the tea tray down, one of the other maids—Elara—scoffed.



She was the type of palace maid who did everything flawlessly—and she hated me.



"Don't mess this up, newbie," she sneered.



I ignored her. "Wouldn't dream of it."



The noblewoman—Countess Moreau—took one sip of my tea.



Her eyes widened.



She set the cup down slowly, staring at it.



I gulped. Oh no. Did I poison her?



Then, to my absolute horror, she said—



"This is... excellent."



Elara whipped her head toward me.



I blinked. "Uh. Thank you?"



The Countess took another sip, expression genuinely impressed.



"I haven't had tea this well-balanced in ages. Who brewed this?"



Every maid in the room turned to look at me.



Elara's eye twitched.



I felt my soul leave my body.



Countess Moreau sighed happily. "I must say, I wasn't expecting such refinement from the palace maids."



Elara stiffened.



Mara tried to hide a laugh.



I, meanwhile, was having a small crisis.



I wasn't supposed to be good at this.



The Countess smiled at me. "What is your name, dear?"



I panicked. "Uh—Thalia."



"Well, Thalia, I'll be requesting your tea for my next visit."



I gawked.



Elara looked like she was about to explode.



~~~



By the time I escaped the tea room, the damage was already done.



Other maids were whispering about me.



"Did you hear? Thalia made tea for the Countess."



"And she actually liked it?"



"I heard she's secretly trained in noble etiquette!"



I groaned. "Oh gods. Not this again."



Mara giggled. "Looks like you're leveling up."



"I don't want to level up!"



"Too bad!"



I dramatically slumped onto a table. "Why is this happening to me?"



Later that day, I was carrying a tray of dishes back to the kitchen when I ran into someone.



Again.



Because of course I did.



I barely managed to catch the tray before disaster struck.



"...Thalia."



I looked up slowly.



And there he was.



Duke Adrian Reinhardt.



Standing right in front of me.



Watching me. Again.



I narrowed my eyes. "Are you following me?"



He sighed. "No."



I pointed at him accusingly. "Then why do I always see you everywhere?"



"That's a you problem," he muttered.



I huffed. "What do you want?"



He hesitated.



Then, very reluctantly, he said—



"I heard about your tea."



I blinked. "...My what?"



"The Countess was talking about it."



I stared.



"You... listen to noble gossip?"



Adrian crossed his arms. "I listen to everything."



Oh gods. That sounds terrifying.



He studied me for a long moment.



"...Where did you learn to brew tea like that?"



I panicked.



I couldn't just say, Oh, I got a skill upgrade from my system for no reason!



So I went with the least suspicious answer possible.



"I... read a book."



His eyebrow twitched. "You read a book."



"Yes!" I nodded aggressively. "A tea book! Very educational."



Adrian's suspicion levels increased.



"I see."



I sweated.



~~~



After awkwardly escaping from Duke Adrian, my system pinged again.



[New Passive Effect: Unintended Competence]

Your growing maid skills are starting to be recognized! Nobles may begin to notice you more.



I screamed internally.



Mara poked her head into the kitchen. "You good?"



"No!" I slammed my hands on the table.



I slumped onto the counter.



This was getting out of hand.