The New Role and Its Surprising Twist

The moment I opened the door to the guest suite, the maids’ chatter cut off like a snapped thread. I felt the air inside the room grow strangely tense, more alert than usual, and I paused instinctively, standing still on the threshold.

“Hello. You must be Vivi?”

At that very moment, one of the maids approached me right away and spoke, pretending she knew me. She had curly brown hair and a slender, wiry build—clearly not one of the maids who shared this room.

“I’m Eliza.”

“……Hello.”

“Starting tomorrow, you’ll be serving tea for my master.”

“Me?”

Serving tea? So suddenly?

I had been in the role of maid for four days now. My hands were only just starting to grow accustomed to the rhythm of laundry work.

Of course, the youngest still kept a watchful eye on me and scolded me whenever I made mistakes. My body ached from the strain, yet I moved briskly and alertly whenever possible, and there were no real problems. Perhaps because I worked harder than anyone else, the other maids at the washhouse never singled me out for harassment.

I had expected to remain comfortably settled in the estate for just two more days, yet without warning, my duties had been completely reassigned in a single morning.

“Yes. His Lordship wishes you to serve tea for her.”

“Really?”

“That’s right.”

Even the order had come directly from Kian. I could hardly believe it. When I had first agreed to work here in the estate, I hadn’t shown any reluctance. What possible motive could he have for giving such a command? I was thoroughly bewildered.

Still, I had no authority to refuse the proposal. I had promised to prove myself useful within a week, and now Kian himself had suggested that this was exactly the “appropriate task” for me.

“Have you ever served tea before?”

“No.”

It was only natural, yet I hadn’t even known how one went about it.

“Hey, Eliza. An idiot who doesn’t even know her own name knows about this?”

“Exactly. I should be grateful for the opportunity.”

The other maids beside me exchanged knowing glances and burst into laughter.

Of course I wasn’t offended, yet the reminder of my current helpless situation felt a little sad.

“Don’t worry. You’ll learn. Serving tea is simple. You’ll just have to follow Lord Kian around with the tray. It’s not hard at all.”

Following him around with the tea tray. Looking back on it now, I hadn’t seen Kian’s face once since that day. Laundry work took place mostly outdoors, so I had never had any real contact with him.

“Well… this could actually be a chance.”

At first, my only goal had been to stay in the estate. Meeting Kian had come later.

If I served tea, I would see him every single day, right beside him. I would have opportunities to talk. This was the perfect chance to clear up misunderstandings.

“Since it’s something I already know, I’ll explain it in detail. Don’t worry.”

Unlike the surrounding maids who were mocking me, Eliza was kind and pleasant. It was a relief to learn that it was something easy to learn and practice.

“Thank you. I’ll study hard and learn quickly.”

With a flushed face, I gave my heartfelt thanks.

“Then I’ll go ahead to the kitchen and prepare. Say hello to the others, and I’ll follow you right away.”

“……Yes!”

As the target of my eavesdropping left the room, the maids immediately began whispering again.

“Hey, Eliza. Are you really going to teach her?”

“Of course I am.”

“You’re too good-natured. You don’t even get angry at the situation?”

Normally, serving tea was a task handled by more experienced maids like Eliza. Given how closely she stood to the master, she couldn’t afford to irritate anyone. In any group, those who hold responsibility often reflect their station.

In short, an apprentice who had only been here four days wasn’t the one supposed to do something like this.

Even if it was the master’s order, taking away a major duty overnight was bound to cause complaints—not only from the person involved, but from the maids as well.

“Lord Kian is really something. Even so, it’s a bit much, isn’t it? Assigning tea service to her?”

“It’s strange to begin with that we brought such an unknown girl into Larson.”

“She’s completely worthless except for her face. What on earth does that make our position?”

The maids kept muttering in discontent, but Eliza only laughed, as if she found it all rather amusing.

“Don’t worry too much. I’m doing this because I’ve thought it through.”

Eliza wasn’t concerned in the slightest. She already knew how her predecessor had been dismissed.

Between practicing tea service, I hadn’t slept much. Although Eliza had said it was easy, it felt more nerve-wracking because this was my first time and I had to perform in front of Kian himself. After Eliza left, I practiced alone for a long time, only returning to my room late at night.

Perhaps because I hadn’t rested properly after my shift, my wrists ached more than usual. I applied the herbal ointment Theodore had given me and took a short nap.

At first the tingling sensation startled me, but soon it turned soothing and I fell asleep soundly. It was morning when I woke, still half-dozing.

But the shoes I was supposed to have under the bed were nowhere to be seen. Of course I hadn’t had time to search for them, since I had to prepare for morning tea service.

I asked the other maids, but they all just said they didn’t know. In the end, I left the room barefoot.

“Well… this isn’t such a bad thing after all.”

Since I had come this far, I decided to make the best of it. It wasn’t as if I had chosen to wear shoes for humans. The tight feeling had always bothered me, but now it was actually convenient.

When I stood for long periods, my soles would swell and feel uncomfortable. Thinking that way, the frustration inside me eased a little.

The carpet beneath my feet felt slightly rough. I held the tea set carefully on the tray and walked alone down the long corridor.

“Maybe I should have practiced carrying a tray too?”

Out of fear that I might drop it, I moved with even more caution. The more I thought about it, the stiffer my body felt, so I deliberately tried to think of something else.

“Someday, when I get more used to it and have some free time, I want to walk along the beach.”

Just like the beach Kian had spoken of.

It had been a dazzling white, almost too perfect sand. The coral beach was said to be formed from broken coral reefs.

Splash, splash. I remembered the sound of waves when he walked. I wondered what it would feel like to walk on that sand with my own feet, stepping where I could only have watched before.

With all these thoughts swirling, I soon reached the door to my room.

Knock, knock. I knocked first. There was no answer from inside. Eliza had said the formal knock was just a courtesy and that no reply was needed. That was apparently Lord Kian’s way.

“I’ll be able to do it.”

I let out a slow breath, releasing the last of my tension, and carefully opened the door.

Despite worrying what expression I should make when we met eyes, Kian wasn’t in the room.

“Where could he have gone?”

Completely stunned, I scanned the room.

This was the master’s private bedroom in such a grand estate, after all. Kian’s room was far larger than the guest quarters.

The bedroom was divided into a small sitting area and the actual bed area. It was furnished exactly as his neat personality required—only the essentials. With so little furniture in such a vast space, it had a strangely empty feeling.

“Wouldn’t someone living in such a huge place feel lonely?”

These useless thoughts kept coming, so I snapped myself out of it and hurriedly recalled the tasks I had been given, then began moving swiftly.

“First, open the balcony door,” I said.

I pushed open the balcony door beside the bed, and a refreshing sea breeze rushed in.

Beyond the window stretched an endless, deep-blue sea. The morning sunlight made the gentle waves sparkle like jewels. I couldn’t help but let out a small, involuntary sound of wonder.

I hadn’t realized the sea looked like this when I lived underwater. This must be how Kian saw it. Floating on top of the water, it felt strangely unreal.

I carefully set the tea set on the side table and neatly arranged the shoes Kian wore by the window.

“Still… where on earth could he have gone this morning?”

There had been no mention that he wouldn’t be here, yet with everything prepared, standing idly made me grow increasingly restless.

“Right. I shouldn’t just stand here. I should practice.”

I thought I might avoid mistakes if I practiced in my head until he returned. I took the handle of the teapot in my hand and lifted it.

At that moment, I heard the sound of the bathroom door opening, and my gaze instinctively turned toward it.

“……!”

My eyes widened in shock. Kian stepped out of the bathroom wearing only a towel wrapped around his waist, completely bare, and we met eyes directly.