There were many things in life I was good at.

1. Spending money? ✔ Easy.

2. Avoiding manual labor? ✔ A lifelong skill.

3. Accidentally causing problems for high-ranking nobles? ✔ Apparently, my greatest talent.



Now, thanks to a series of unfortunate events, Duke Adrian Reinhardt was starting to look at me like a puzzle that needed solving.



And that was very, very bad.



~~~



Cassian was still leaning against the door, smirking like a demon.



"Am I interrupting something?" he asked again, clearly enjoying my suffering.



I scowled. "No. You're interrupting nothing."



He glanced at Adrian. "You look... tense."



"I wonder why," Adrian muttered, glancing at his still-slightly-stained desk.



Cassian's smirk deepened. "Strange. You're not usually the type to entertain clumsy maids in your office."



I gasped. "I AM NOT BEING ENTERTAINED."



Adrian exhaled heavily. "Cassian. Leave."



Cassian grinned. "Fine, fine. But I will be asking questions later."



He winked at me, then strolled away, whistling.



I slumped in relief. "Thank the gods, he's gone."



Unfortunately, my bigger problem was still standing right in front of me.



Adrian crossed his arms. "Why are you always in the wrong place at the wrong time?"



I blinked. "Huh?"



He tilted his head slightly. "First, the guest wing. Now, my office." His icy blue eyes narrowed. "Are you actually a maid?"



I gasped dramatically. "HOW DARE—"



He held up a hand. "Let me rephrase. You're clearly employed here. But I find it hard to believe you're... qualified."



Rude. But fair.



I crossed my arms. "Listen, I'll have you know that I was a very successful person in my past life—"



I froze.



Oh no.



OH NO.



Adrian raised an eyebrow. "Your past life?"



I immediately started coughing. "HAHAHA, I MEANT—uh—past experiences!"



Adrian gave me a long, suspicious stare.



I needed to change the subject before I said something else stupid.



"Anyway!" I gestured wildly. "No need to be suspicious! I am a very, very normal maid!"



Adrian glanced at his ruined desk.



"...You just spilled ink all over my documents."



"...A very normal maid who makes occasional mistakes."



He sighed. "Are you some noble's wayward daughter playing servant?"



"Whaaaat?" I laughed nervously. "That would be so crazy! I'm just a regular, hardworking—"



[New Task Assigned: Sweep Duke Reinhardt's Office (Difficulty: Beginner)]



I gawked at the system notification.



ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!



I forced a very unconvincing smile. "I, uh... have been assigned to clean your office."



Adrian sighed heavily. "Of course you have."



I grabbed a broom from the corner, determined to finish this task without embarrassing myself.



Five minutes later, I had already:

1. Knocked over a chair.

2. Accidentally swept dust onto an important-looking book.

3. Tripped on the rug.



Adrian watched all of this in silence.



I could feel his judgmental stare burning into the back of my head.



Finally, he spoke.



"...You're not very good at this."



I whipped around, scandalized. "I'M TRYING."



He rubbed his temples. "Do you even know how to sweep properly?"



I hesitated. "...Define 'properly'?"



Adrian sighed again, like he was deeply regretting every life choice that led him to this moment.



Then, to my utter shock, he took the broom from my hands.



I watched in fascination as Duke Reinhardt—a man known for leading battles and intimidating nobles—started sweeping his own office like a professional.



"...Wow," I muttered. "You're better at this than me."



"I'm better at many things than you."



"...Wow, okay. Rude."



He handed the broom back to me. "Try again. Properly, this time."



I narrowed my eyes. "Wait a minute. Are you... teaching me?"



His expression remained unreadable. "I'd rather not have my office destroyed again."



I gasped. "Is this our bonding moment?"



"It is not a bonding moment."



"Too late! I'm telling everyone we bonded."



Adrian pinched the bridge of his nose. "Just sweep the floor, Thalia."



After ten minutes of less-disastrous sweeping, I finally completed my task.



[Task Completed: Office Swept!]

+2 Maid Experience!



I grinned. "See? That wasn't so bad."



Adrian leaned against his desk, arms crossed. "You're surprisingly persistent."



"I prefer the term dedicated," I said proudly.



He raised an eyebrow. "That's one way to put it."



I pointed a finger at him. "Admit it. You're starting to tolerate me."



He stared at me.



Then, with zero hesitation, he said, "No."



I pouted. "You hesitated."



"I did not."



"You totally did."



Adrian sighed deeply. "Are you done here?"



I saluted. "Yes, Your Grumpiness."



He gave me a look. "Get out before I change my mind about not hating you."



I grinned. "See? That wasn't a no."



As I walked out, victorious, I heard him mutter, "Why is she like this?"



Unfortunately, my triumph was ruined five minutes later.



Because the moment I entered the hallway, Cassian was already waiting for me.



He raised an eyebrow. "You again?"



I groaned. "WHY ARE YOU EVERYWHERE?"



Cassian chuckled. "I could ask you the same thing. You seem to be spending a lot of time with Duke Reinhardt."



I sputtered. "IT'S NOT LIKE THAT."



Cassian smirked. "Relax. I'm just wondering why he hasn't thrown you out yet."



...Now that I thought about it, that was a good question.



Cassian tilted his head. "You might actually be growing on him."



I gasped in horror. "You take that back."



Cassian laughed. "Too late. I'm telling everyone you're Duke Reinhardt's favorite maid."



I choked. "CASSIAN, NO—"