A Sudden Reversal
One morning, Vivienne’s situation had completely flipped. All the lavish privileges Duke Kian von Larson had bestowed upon her were swept away with surgical precision.
The opulent chamber, the dedicated maid, the pretty dresses, solitary meals, and the soap bubbles in the tub—they all vanished like illusions, as if they had never been granted.
She quickly tidied the room she had used, donned the maid uniform, familiarized herself with the estate’s layout, and learned the rules the servants were expected to obey. By the time she greeted everyone at the inspection, an entire day had already passed.
“Here, please wear this, Miss.”
It was bedtime. Matilda had brought Vivienne to her assigned room and now extended a luxurious negligee.
It was the nightgown Vivienne had worn the previous day.
Could she even wear something like this? At first there had been no thought, but now that things had come to this, even wearing fine clothes felt burdensome.
“I am not a lady. Please call me Vivi.”
“Yes, Vivi. Since no one will be around, we’ll sneak it in.”
“But…”
“In my opinion, this suits you far better, Vivi. I’d love to dress you when we’re alone. Quickly now.”
There had been no other nightgown prepared, and Matilda’s insistence left her no choice, yet her heart remained uneasy. Matilda, the head maid, had her own private quarters and only one bed. Vivienne worried she might be imposing.
“Won’t that be inconvenient for you? I could sleep elsewhere.”
“I said I would sleep with you tonight. This bed is larger than the one I have. Come, sit.”
Vivienne sat tentatively on the edge of the wooden bed. The old piece creaked under the slightest shift of her body. Matilda looked helplessly at the discomforted girl, her eyes full of pity as she brushed Vivienne’s hair.
“Matilda, there’s no need for this. I’m already…”
“You haven’t decided to be a maid yet. It will be decided in a week.”
Exactly one week remained, as Matilda had said.
She had spoken with confident bravado, daring herself to prove her worth, but doubt gnawed at her. Could she truly find her role in this house?
No matter how she thought about it, the memory of the first meeting refused to fade—the feeling that everything had gone wrong from the very beginning.
She did not know the reason, but it was clear Kian disliked her.
She could still feel the sharp gaze he had given her, and the urge to bury her face in shame and weep rose inside her.
Vivienne tried to recall what mistake she had made—from the moment she stepped into the room until now. She had gone over it thoroughly, yet now it seemed pointless to dwell on it any longer.
She had awakened from a dream. Perhaps the sweet illusion that had led her to force him into the role of a prince was nothing more than a fantasy born from her own longing.
She had watched him for quite some time and nurtured feelings for him, but to him she was simply an unexpected visitor who had appeared out of nowhere. She acknowledged that, yet the pain in her chest felt like thorns pricking her.
But there was no other way. She had made a contract with the witch in exchange for legs, and failure to fulfill it would turn her into nothing but a bubble.
“There is no lady in this house. It was quite refreshing, like playing with a doll. How long has it been since you woke? Your master is truly cruel.”
Matilda muttered resentfully, treating her master as though he were the villain. The timid girl regained a faint smile.
“It’s not his fault. I wanted to stay here, so I insisted he let me serve.”
“I understand your circumstances. But Vivi, you were crying.”
“……”
Matilda must have noticed the tear tracks. Embarrassment flooded her, as though her deepest secret had been exposed and her face burned.
“Lie down.”
Matilda helped her settle on the bed, then lightly patted her side. When Vivienne lay beside her, Matilda gathered her close and stroked her gently.
“I’m here. Actually, I had a daughter who was just like you.”
“A daughter?”
“Yes. She always went to the sea alone without telling anyone and played dangerously. She grew so worried. I told her to stop, but she never listened. She really did take after me.”
Her words were not entirely sincere, yet Matilda’s lonely tone lingered. She had tried to smile, but the effort only made her voice sound hollow.
“If she were alive now, she’d be about the same age as you. That’s why I want to treat you well and help you. It’s just my nature, isn’t it?”
“…I hope your daughter was beautiful and kind.”
“Are you a fortune teller, Vivi? How did you know?”
Matilda asked with a playful laugh. A cute smile even reached Vivienne’s face, which had looked ready to cry moments ago.
“Because if she was your daughter, she would take after you. Matilda is kind and beautiful.”
“We haven’t known each other long. Are you truly that certain?”
“Yes.”
“What if you’re wrong?”
Matilda was right. Sometimes one could be mistaken.
“…Still, it doesn’t matter. There is nothing sadder than not trusting others from the beginning.”
She had never been betrayed, but she was certain she would be.
Creatures that carry sharp thorns cannot fully relax—whether they prick or maintain distance, neither allows them true happiness.
“Because Vivi spoke so warmly, I want to become a good person to you.”
Matilda was a warm soul.
She had known her only a short time, yet she felt as though Matilda had seen her late daughter in her.
Vivienne had lost her mother early and had no memories, but if her mother had existed, she imagined this feeling would have been the same.
“Will I be able to do well? Honestly, I’m scared.”
That was why she had suddenly wanted to share her heart.
Matilda was the only one she could speak to.
Could Kian be convinced to clear up the misunderstanding?
Time had been bought, but she had no plan yet.
Matilda brushed her hair back and smiled benevolently.
“Don’t worry. There’s an old saying: worrying constantly is like praying for more worries to happen.”
“……”
“So, when you dream, dream only of good things.”
Good dreams.
As Matilda said, even while trapped in the mermaid palace, Vivienne had always dreamed of good things.
How could she dream of them? She disliked him so fiercely, yet a strange sorrow welled up, making her nose tingle.
“Do you really think that just by having legs I could become a princess who is loved by a human?”
Suddenly, the witch’s mocking question from before resurfaced. Vivienne had clearly answered then.
“What I want is the opportunity. With legs, I could at least approach him first.”
Yes. What she had wanted from the beginning was simply the chance. The first meeting had been disappointing, but now that the chance seemed lost, she wondered if it truly was gone.
Of course, Kian might not be a good person. But that very danger was why she had sought the chance in the first place. She had never experienced such a thing, so she did not know how fleeting it might be.
Generally, valuable things take time to obtain. To clear up the misunderstanding and draw closer, she needed to stay near him at all costs, using any means necessary.
Tomorrow marked the start of the week of opportunity. She could not simply cry, could she?
Once that thought reached her, tomorrow, which had once been frightening, began to feel strangely hopeful.
* * *
“They say you were found lying on the beach.”
“Why did you leave out the important part? She was completely naked.”
“The soldiers there all saw it, they say.”
One maid spoke up, and another added as if she had been waiting.
“Oh my. Honestly, it’s ridiculous just to say it.”
“Well, what can you do? It’s just us girls.”
The maids gathered before a large laundry tub, chattering and laughing as they worked.
“A slave who escaped a slave ship, perhaps?”
“Who knows. We don’t know where she was or what she was doing.”
“She seems suspicious. And she just happened to be lying there when the ship docked.”
Behind them, Vivienne instinctively realized it was her own story.
On her first day learning the maid’s duties at the Larson estate, the maids had not welcomed the strange newcomer. Matilda had already warned them in advance, but caution remained.
Eventually she had been pushed around until she was sent to the laundry area. She had no idea she was coming and had spoken of it casually as gossip.
The first emotion she felt was shame. At the same time, the memory of Kian having saved her without mentioning the details resurfaced.
That was why it embarrassed her to even mention it.
And perhaps.
Perhaps—just perhaps—he had been kind out of consideration for her embarrassment.
What should she do? Should she simply run away?
She wanted to escape, yet her legs would not move.
“…They seem to dislike me here too.”
She had vowed to endure, but facing open hostility was not easy.
Anyway, if she avoided everything like this, it would never end.
If even strangers spoke like this, the entire estate would have heard the rumors. Everyone probably thought the same. Going elsewhere would not change anything.
Yes. She would close her eyes and greet them first.
“Hello. My name is Vivi.”
At least she would not spit on a smiling face.
When Vivi smiled brightly on purpose, the maids behind her turned with hesitant expressions.
“What should I do first?”
They exchanged glances, then the oldest-looking maid spoke first.
“…Have you ever done laundry?”
“No. This is my first time.”
The maids burst into laughter, as if her face was absurd.
“But if you teach me, I’ll really try hard to learn.”
It was not a friendly attitude, but now was no time to hold back. The maids needed help, not the other way around.
“Please take care of me. Please call me Vivi.”