[I’ll be back after finishing my work, so just wait quietly.]
With those words, Viviana left coldly. As a result, I was left all alone on the big bed. I tried to get the rope tightly bound around my hands undone, but it seemed like there was something extra tied, as the rope wouldn’t budge an inch.
“…I guess there’s no need to worry too much.”
Even though I was tied up on the bed in the yard, to be honest, I didn’t have any real worries. I didn’t think she would do anything harsh to me like Mardian would.
After all, Viviana is a saint.
I can vouch for that, having played this game a few times. Unless Viviana follows a different path towards corruption in the game’s later stages, she may appear cold on the outside, but she is warm on the inside.
“Sigh.”
I slowly leaned back and sprawled out on the bed. With my arms bound, there was nothing much to do, so it would be more efficient to think about what to do moving forward since I was alone anyway.
Viviana was going to keep me locked up in this room for a month. She said if I cooperated with her, I’d be allowed to explore other parts of the mansion, but for now, I had to stay on this bed for a while.
There was no issue with the essentials since it was written in the contract that they would take care of them, so all I had to do was eat and sleep while enjoying Viviana’s food from this bed.
“…This isn’t so bad, is it?”
Isn’t this the idle life I’ve always dreamed of? I wouldn’t have to wear a mask and face people in a tiring way; I could sleep whenever I wanted.
Moreover, where was this place? A grand mansion of a duchy, one of only four in the Empire. The food served here was bound to be delicious.
‘The bed is incredibly soft too.’
A smile crept up on my face as I couldn’t help but giggle at Viviana’s naivety.
“You underestimated me, Viviana.”
Ignoring the true laziness of an idle person? Here, I would indulge in my laziness without a care.
*
“…I’m bored.”
I muttered to myself as I stared blankly at the ornate patterns on the ceiling.
I didn’t expect this to happen. I was inflated with the joys of the idle life I had imagined, but an unexpected trouble had come.
Boredom.
In Korea, there were plenty of sources of dopamine to fill this boredom. Games, web novels, movies, variety shows—you could spend a whole week just lying in bed with a smartphone in hand.
But this place was different. Obviously, no smartphone existed, nor even tools that were similar.
After Viviana left, time passed unbearably slowly. At first, I found it amusing, but as time went on, the increasing boredom weighed down on me. Moreover, with my arms bound, all I could do was stare at the ceiling or observe the wallpaper beside me.
For someone like me, drenched in the dopamine of modern society, this time felt excruciatingly monotonous.
“Is there anything…?”
I lost count of how many times I closed and opened my eyes. Being trapped in such a luxurious space should have felt like a dream, yet within it, daily life was dull.
And as time dragged on, the boredom mounted. I desperately needed some dopamine. If only there were people around, I could play around with them and enjoy, but in this vast bedroom, it was just me, with nothing to do.
It had only been seven hours, yet enduring this for a month might be a greater ordeal than I thought.
As time passed, the internal agony gradually built up into stress, and the irritation from that stress turned towards Viviana.
No.
“…If you said I was a pet, shouldn’t you at least provide something to play with?”
Thinking back, it really was quite selfish.
What was the point of locking me in this empty room? If you’re going to confine me, at the very least, throw in a few books or some newspapers—would that be too much to ask?
With a surge of frustration, I buried my face in the pillow and shut my eyes. The time dragged on so slowly that I tried to force sleep, but even that didn’t come easily.
But as they say, no pain, no gain—my efforts were finally starting to make me feel drowsy.
Just as I was about to slip into sleep, I heard footsteps from the hallway. The door opened, and in walked none other than Viviana.
“Did you wait long?”
At her calm and dignified voice, I lifted my head.
“…Not really.”
“Still, you managed to wait quietly. I’m impressed.”
Viviana came over and untied the rope binding my hands. As my arms were freed in an instant, it felt somewhat strange.
“Tina, I have people I want to introduce to you.”
“Introduce me to people?”
That was unexpected. I thought Viviana would lock me in here alone and not let me meet anyone.
“Come in.”
As Viviana spoke, the door opened, and three pretty girls dressed in maid uniforms entered. They looked to be roughly the same age as me and bowed their heads to greet Viviana.
“These are the girls who will assist you from now on.”
“Assist… me?”
“Yes, if you feel hungry or uncomfortable, tell these girls. I can’t tend to everything myself.”
Oh.
In other words, they are my attendants.
That’s great for me.
I thought it would be boring, but this turned out well.
“Nice to meet you.”
With my eyes smiling, the three girls greeted me in turn.
The first girl with long blonde hair bowed to me with a calm smile.
“I’m Ciriel. Nice to meet you.”
“Hello, Ciriel.”
The second girl with a lively brown bob lifted her head. Her big eyes sparkled with curiosity as she looked at me.
“I’m Luna! I hope we can learn a lot together!”
“I’m happy to be with you too, Luna.”
Finally, the girl who looked calm approached me. She had deep black hair and matching dark eyes. Thanks to her sharp gaze, she had quite a cool demeanor.
“I’m Iris. Nice to meet you.”
“Yes! Nice to meet you, Iris.”
They all had youthful appearances, but Iris especially stood out with her extraordinary beauty. Without the maid uniform, she might easily be mistaken for a cool, noble girl from the North. I felt like I could get a bit closer to Iris.
‘Definitely, having people around makes a difference.’
With their entrance, the room suddenly began to fill with life, and the previous boredom seemed to vanish. Viviana stood back with a faint smile as the girls stepped back.
“Oh, by the way, from now on they won’t speak a word to you.”
“Excuse me?”
“They’ve greeted you, so there’s nothing more to say, right?”
I blinked in confusion at the incomprehensible statement. Didn’t she say they would be serving me? But if they weren’t talking, how was I supposed to communicate when I wanted food or needed something?
“Here, take this.”
“…What is this?”
Viviana handed me an unfamiliar object. A small bell that fit snugly in my palm. It was something typically used by nobles to summon their attendants.
“One ring means meal time, two means bathroom, three means bath, and four means you need to see me urgently.”
“….?”
“These girls will only respond to the sound of this bell. Even if you ring it, they won’t speak directly.”
“What the…”
I wasn’t some mute chick; I was a human with the perfect communication tool called language—who in their right mind would use this kind of system?
With incredulity, I glanced at the girls who had just warmly greeted me, but they just looked at me without any intention of saying a word.
And maybe it was just my imagination, but it even seemed like one of them was looking at me with hostility.
Luna wore a somewhat goofy smile, but it seemed without malice. Iris continued to show her calm and serene eyes.
However, Ciriel, the blonde girl, looked at me with disdain. Though the other girls seemed oblivious, I could distinctly sense her slight animosity.
“You all can leave now.”
With Viviana’s words, the three girls only bowed to her before exiting. My confusion only deepened at their clear disregard for me.
“Viviana, why go through all this trouble?”
“Well, I thought you might know.”
What do I know about anything?
…Or did she somehow read my mind about wanting to boss those girls around? That seemed plausible. Viviana certainly had eyes as sharp as the sword she wielded.
Well, fine.
Considering I was imprisoned, I felt rather fortunate. In fact, aside from Iris, I didn’t feel much inclination to talk to the others.
The girl named Ciriel, who seemed perfect for breakfast, appeared to dislike me for some reason, while Luna seemed pretty dimwitted.
Personally, I didn’t like dumb people. Having to spend time with them could lead to their stupidity rubbing off on me.
But the girl named Iris seemed quite decent in various ways. Her face gave off a considerable cool beauty vibe, and her calm demeanor appealed to me.
Well, thanks to Viviana, I couldn’t even get close enough to initiate a conversation, let alone become friends.
“Weren’t you bored?”
I shot Viviana a quick glare, but all I received in return was her nonchalant voice.
“Of course, I wouldn’t be bored. I was tied to this bed, letting in all that sunlight for seven hours.”
“If you want, I can give you a book. A book full of knowledge, or a novel with a fabricated story.”
“…Really?”
Naturally, literature in the form of novels existed in this world too. While it might not be as stimulating or refreshing as in my previous life, at least it shouldn’t be as dull as it was now.
“If so… I’d like to read a novel—”
“Depending on how you behave.”
Viviana’s firm voice cut off my sentence abruptly. While I blinked in confusion for a moment, she continued with a strange smile.
“I mentioned it briefly before, but how well you fulfill your role will affect the benefits you receive.”
“…”
“If you perform well, the perks you get in the mansion will increase.”
In short, if I wanted something, I had to stick to my role as a pet.
Well, that’s not too difficult.
In fact, it might be easy for me.
I’ve been living as a pet in high society for nearly two years now. I might not know much, but pleasing my master as a pet should be straightforward enough.
“Sounds good.”
I grinned. I looked up at Viviana with eyes full of innocent and pure goodwill, just as always.
They say strike while the iron is hot, so I decided to take action immediately while the mood was right. I subtly smoothed out the wrinkles in the bedspread and spoke in a heartfelt tone.
“You must be quite tired from all the work today, my master?”
“…My master?”
Viviana said she disliked flattery, but since being a pet inherently involved being obsequious, there was no choice. Viviana would understand that.
I gently shifted aside and patted the middle of the bed with my hand.
“Could you lie down comfortably on the bed? I want to give you a massage since you’ve had a tough day.”
“…”
Seeing Viviana’s eyes subtly quiver, I flashed an even brighter smile.
Satisfying people is nothing.
Piece of cake.
