“You’re the Lady, the Mansion’s only master. They’re maids. If they get paid, they do the job. Make any request, no matter how capricious. If they can’t, they’ll be replaced.” Chen Mo held the book and flipped back to yesterday’s page.
It was a book on psychology. Chen Mo hadn’t cared for this stuff, but after a couple pages yesterday, he found it surprisingly good.
He didn’t know a little maid outside with snacks, hand raised to knock, suddenly trembled.
The room had good soundproofing. But Chen Mo had to speak aloud to chat with Luo Xianxue, and he didn’t lower his voice. She couldn’t hear clearly, yet the little maid caught bits of it.
Even those few words made her whole body shiver twice.
The Lady just… said she’d replace people!
Is the Lady already unhappy with me?
No, please no. I’ve worked here less than a week. Everyone said the Lady puts on no airs—gentle, cute, never refuses anything, like a little kitty.
I stayed in logistics for days before I finally got to see the Lady. Why is she not like what everyone said!
Mossy Fir swallowed hard, and Grandma’s warning before she came flashed back.
“Children of wealthy houses are never simple. Mossy Fir, remember: the gentler they look, the sharper their schemes. Don’t ask, don’t listen. Self-preservation is the way to survive!”
Then she thought why she came here: the last batch of maids and the Butler retired. But in a rich house, was that really retirement?
Mossy Fir got “lucky.” On her first day, she saw the “retired” maids. The dejected, regretful look on their faces—did that look like collecting pensions and enjoying old age?
Not at all!
Maybe leaving this world counts as “retirement” too.
Chilling the more you think!
It’s over. Did the Lady see right through me and know I knew? If she wants me replaced, doesn’t that mean… erased?
I heard rich families sink disobedient underlings in rivers to feed the fish. Is Mossy Fir going to be…
At that thought, Mossy Fir turned totally bleak. The door ahead was no longer the study where Chen Mo sat, but the gates of hell she had to pass!
She took a deep breath and finally knocked, trying to sound calm. “Lady, the snacks are ready.”
“Mm. Come in.” Hearing Chen Mo’s cool voice, she flinched and pushed the door open.
Sure enough, the Lady wasn’t as they said. Even her voice sounded scary now.
She carefully set the cookies on the table beside Chen Mo. Mossy Fir backed toward the door. She glanced up and saw him bite a cookie, then his brows knit slightly.
Mossy Fir turned pale. It’s over. The Lady’s frown means she’s unhappy with me.
“Not good.” Chen Mo answered Luo Xianxue in his head, but the words dropped Mossy Fir into an ice pit.
Was the Lady saying the snacks tasted bad? Impossible. These were her favorite—matcha sandwich cookies!
You can’t read the rich with ordinary thoughts. The Lady was using the cookies to hint at me. “Not good” means I’m like this cookie—no reason to exist.
My life is over!
Mossy Fir looked crushed, on the verge of tears. She bowed deeply to Chen Mo. “S-sorry, Lady. I-if I get another chance, I’ll have them make tastier snacks.”
Maybe in these last moments, one more look at the Lady’s peerless face is luck enough for Mossy Fir.
But Chen Mo shot her a puzzled look. He’d only responded to Luo Xianxue that he didn’t like this flavor. Why did this maid look so despairing?
Her eyes held deep reluctance and longing.
Oh, I get it. Luo Xianxue said many maid duties here rotate. Except for necessary special maids, regular ones get different tasks daily.
Like Mossy Fir, a maid who waits at the door for Luo Xianxue’s orders—someone different takes it every day.
Her “another chance” probably meant she wants to stay by Luo Xianxue’s side.
As expected of the kind Lady. Her popularity is sky-high.
Hearing her promise tastier snacks, Chen Mo’s lips curved. “Next time, make strawberry sandwich cookies. Report to the Head Maid yourself. From today, you’re in charge of this.”
After hearing that, Mossy Fir froze like struck by lightning, then lit up. She thanked him and hurried out of the study.
By the time she left, her back was wet with sweat. The pressure of a Lady in a rich house was no joke. And that after-survival thrill (meow) felt downright stimulating.
She replayed that last glance in the study—the Lady’s intriguing, faintly pleased smile. Cool and a little scary.
Was the Lady really complaining about the snacks?
Not at all. Mossy Fir had figured it all out.
The Lady was giving her a chance—a chance to work by the Lady’s side!
“Next time make strawberry sandwich cookies”—could it really be only literal? Mossy Fir prided herself on being sharp. A quick analysis laid out the truth.
As everyone knows, the Mansion once had three voices of power: the Lady, the Butler, and the Head Maid!
The Butler started retiring last week. No new Butler yet, so the Head Maid naturally holds his authority. Rumor says the Lady never liked the Head Maid. And by chance, the Head Maid’s favorite thing is strawberries.
Why must the cookies be filled?
Whose heart is being sandwiched?
Do strawberry cookies hint at the strawberry-loving Head Maid?
The Lady is looking for a chance to remove the Head Maid!
As a new maid, I’m clean. So the Lady sees my use, and that’s why she gave me a chance to live!
I get it!
I understand everything!
Lady, rest assured. I won’t disappoint you. I’ll show you my full value!
Mossy Fir walked slowly downstairs. Her naive eyes turned steadily resolute.
Inside the room, Chen Mo set the matcha sandwich cookie aside and didn’t take another bite. He really didn’t like matcha.
Yesterday’s strawberry ones were better.
“By the way, was that little maid a bit scared of me?” Chen Mo cradled the book, thinking back.
Luo Xianxue giggled. “Phantom Sir, your aura is too heavy. She’s new. It’s normal she’s not used to it.”
“Speaking of that, my personality’s not like yours. Won’t there be problems dealing with them?” Chen Mo finally remembered. Luckily, he hadn’t interacted much with the maids.
Luo Xianxue didn’t mind at all. “It’s fine.”
“All right then. But your status in this Mansion seems a bit odd. Can you tell me the general situation?”
......
