第一章
“A truly nostalgic dream, wasn’t it?”
Lisbeth slowly stirred awake as the morning light, faint but persistent, filtered through the curtains. She instinctively rubbed her eyes, a soft groan escaping her lips. It was then that Clotilde’s voice drifted into her ears.
“Good morning, Alex. What was the dream you just mentioned?”
“Ah, good morning, Little Sword. Don’t worry about it; I merely dreamt of things from the past. Even after so much time has passed, I can still vividly recall the first time I met Chris. It seems my fixation runs quite deep.”
Lisbeth offered a self-deprecating, wry smile, then pushed herself up from the bed. “But those are all things of the past, so let’s not dwell on them. More importantly, starting today, I’m to be a workhorse for that old hag. The thought alone makes my heart ache…”
Knock, knock.
“See? Here she comes.”
No sooner had Lisbeth finished speaking than a knock echoed from outside her room door. Witnessing this, Lisbeth sighed in exasperation, calling out, “Alright, alright, old hag, no need to rush me so early in the morning. I’ll be out as soon as I’ve washed up.”
“Th-that, I’m not an old… *ahem*, I’m not Head Maid Hilda. I’m Angelina. Do you remember me?”
“Eh? Gorilla Woman?”
Upon hearing the voice from outside, Lisbeth realized it truly was Angelina. With that thought, she quickly rose and flung open the door. “Gorilla Wom— *ahem* —Angelina, why have you come?”
“Hmph… I heard everything you just said, you know. I don’t know why you’re so fond of giving people nicknames, but if I hear it again next time, I’ll truly get angry. Hmph!”
Slam!!
As if to make a point, Angelina instinctively smashed her fist against Lisbeth’s door. In the next second, the perfectly fine door instantly shattered into two halves, falling cleanly from its frame onto the floor.
‘Hold on! And you’re still *not* a gorilla woman?!’
Watching the scene unfold, Lisbeth’s mouth twitched, and she barely managed to hold back the words that had sprung to her mind. Lisbeth knew full well that Angelina, unlike Hilda, was the type who could inadvertently ‘take care of’ someone with a single slip-up. With this thought, Lisbeth adopted an exceedingly respectful tone. “Th-that, Miss Angelina, please calm down. I won’t call you that again.”
“Why are you suddenly using honorifics with me?! We’re supposed to be peers, aren’t we?”
“N-no, you jest. How could a weak, insignificant person like myself ever be considered a peer to Miss Angelina?”
“I! Said! Don’t talk to me in that tone!!!”
‘Ah, that felt good. She used to chase me across battlefields, hacking at my heels. Annoying her now feels rather satisfying.’
Observing Angelina, who was on the verge of losing her temper, Lisbeth felt a surge of satisfaction. However, she also knew that pushing her too far would genuinely infuriate Angelina. Thus, she chuckled once more. “Alright, alright, I was only joking. More importantly, could you tell the old hag later that my room door is broken? Otherwise, it wouldn’t be good if she blamed me.”
“I know, I know. Lisbeth, you really are mischievous. But never mind that, hurry up and get ready. Head Maid Hilda specifically sent me to wake you.”
“Ugh… I knew it… So, today will be spent preparing for that damned banquet, won’t it?”
The thought of immediately beginning work that was three times the usual workload gave Lisbeth an instant headache. Noticing her reaction, Angelina suddenly shook her head. “No, today is payday for us. So, the Head Maid wants all of us personal maids to go see her.”
“Eh!? Payday!? I get paid too?”
“Of course! Even if your previous status was special, you’re still one of our personal maids now, so there’s no reason not to pay you. And you can look forward to it; our personal maids’ salaries are quite generous.”
“Eh? Really? Then let’s go quickly!”
Having said this, Lisbeth immediately tried to pull Angelina along, but Angelina cried out, “Lisbeth, wait! You haven’t even washed or changed yet! Otherwise, the Head Maid will deduct your salary!”
“Ah, I almost forgot, you didn’t mention it.”
Finally, reminded by Angelina, Lisbeth completed her ablutions at top speed. Then, still dragging Angelina, she sprinted through the corridors of the Demon Lord’s Castle.