“Muueeeeeeeh……!”
Tia’s groaning voice echoed throughout the tavern.
Her voice was brimming with dissatisfaction, yet her small mouth, nibbling on pastries one after another, told a completely different story.
Seeing Tia in a seemingly bad mood, the customers had already filled the table with sweets they’d bought her.
“Tiia wanted to come along too……”
Julia had said she would be stepping out for a moment to run some errands nearby before leaving.
However, Tia immediately realized it was a lie.
If Julia were just running a quick errand nearby, there was no way she’d bother with the unusual effort of styling her hair and putting on makeup.
What’s more, Tia had already heard from the customers that Julia was attending some grand party.
“Eat in moderation. If Julia finds out you’ve gorged on so many sweets, she’ll get angry.”
“Shasha. Will you keep this a secret…?”
“Uh…”
Tia’s big, gleaming eyes turned toward Sasha, causing her to instinctively avert her gaze.
No one could resist Tia’s ultimate weapon—except perhaps the emotionless monster known as Julia.
“Muueh. Oooom……”
Tia reveled in Julia’s absence, cramming her mouth with sugar-filled pastries, one after another.
It was a sight that would’ve made Julia panic if she were there.
This was a form of Tia’s emotional release, but even so, her mood didn’t improve.
All she could hope for now was that her mother returned quickly; the pastries didn’t matter even if they were all thrown away.
“Irina Aunt?”
“Irina is busy today. She doesn’t seem to have time to visit Tia. And by the way, Tia, why aren’t you calling her ‘Irina’ anymore?”
“Muueh! It’s because Tia couldn’t pronounce it right before! Now I can say ‘Irina’ perfectly!”
“So why do you still call me ‘Shasha’ and not ‘Sasha’?”
“Don’t know. Shasha is just Shasha.”
“……”
Sasha offered a faint smile.
Being called this nickname by Tia made her feel somehow special, as if she were someone unique.
“Isn’t Shasha going to work?”
“Mm. Apparently, I haven’t been called for a job today.”
“Why?”
“Well… because I’m not popular…”
Sasha gave a wry smile as she lowered her head.
She often thought about breaking the long horn on her forehead, which stood out prominently due to its size and distinctiveness. She had long considered it a disadvantage, making her horns prone to being mistaken as a demon’s. Yet this was the only advantage she had—since her horns didn’t attract much hatred.
But seeing Tia, loved by everyone despite having her own distinctive horns, filled Sasha with self-loathing toward her own.
As Sasha’s face grew darker, Tia rushed over, dropping the bag of cookies she had been holding, and gave Sasha a tight hug.
“Muhheehh. Shasha is liked.”
“Is that so? I like Tia too…”
“Tia likes Shasha best after Mom.”
“Really?”
“Muueh.”
Surprisingly so.
She valued Sasha even more than Irina or even the Master.
Sasha felt deeply moved as she patted the back of Tia, nestled in her arms. Even if this was just Tia’s way of giving compliments, it made her heart feel lighter.
Just being comforted by Tia was enough to uplift her mood.
“Mom should be doing fine right now, right?”
“Are you worried?”
“Muueh. Mom can’t do anything without Tia hugging her. She’s such a coward and cries all the time.”
“Hm……”
Surprisingly so.
Of course, everyone knew Julia’s mental state could be a bit unstable sometimes. But generally, Julia was regarded as beautiful, hardworking, responsible, and kind yet assertive when faced with unreasonableness. In most circumstances, such women were thought to deserve being taken down a notch, but in Julia’s case, it wasn’t the same. She carried an irresistible charm that no one wanted to suppress. Such people were destined to succeed wherever they went—unless they completely lost heart.
‘Now I’m a little curious…’
What would Julia look like if she ever sank into despair so deeply that she couldn’t get back up? Would being a coward and crying uncontrollably become her default state?
Sasha couldn’t help but feel curious—if only for a moment. It’s as if she wanted to see what it might look like, just once.
“By the way, Tia. Huh? Wait, what?”
“……”
Sasha had just snapped out of a bout of self-contempt and realized that Tia had vanished somewhere. Instead, she noticed the back door, which had been closed just moments ago, now stood conspicuously open. Realizing the situation too late, Sasha sprang up immediately—it was an emergency.
*
The day of the party arrived before I knew it.
Though I wasn’t attending as any grand figure and had no particular clear objective to accomplish, the tension was inevitable. Meeting the high-ranking nobles felt like encountering people from another world…
Even someone who had lived in a world without class distinctions as I had found it daunting, and what about the locals? To them, the nobility might as well be considered an entirely different race.
“Wow, so pretty!”
“……”
Before attending the party, I had first visited Anna’s place to pick up the dress she’d made for me. When I put it on and looked at myself in the mirror, my face immediately expressed dissatisfaction.
“Uh… Didn’t I ask you to make adjustments yesterday? It all seems the same to me.”
“Heheh. You asked to change all your ‘charming points.’ How were those possible?”
“……”
The waistline was too tight, the chest area restricted, and I’d hoped the skirt length could have been made longer…
Yesterday, Anna had given assurances that she’d all the necessary changes, but today, as I tried on the dress again, I noticed absolutely no differences. Actually, the hemline seemed even shorter.
“Relax your expression. If you frown like that, things won’t turn out well.”
“I don’t want to go to this party anymore.”
“Did you originally want to go?”
“……”
Lost for words, I hesitated, gripping my skirt. Just then, Anna from behind wrapped her arms around me.
“Sometimes we must do things we don’t like. Why not try to enjoy this while you’re here?”
“That sounds good… let’s have fun…”
The sense of artificiality overwhelmed me.
Meeting new people had once been one of my favorite activities. I used to go crazy over parties or clubs, but now I felt afraid of meeting new people. Apparently, personalities really do change over time.
“Thanks, Anna. I’ll go now.”
“May nothing happen to you. Oh, by the way, the money hasn’t been deposited yet. Can you ask Leopard when he’ll make the deposit?”
“Ah, I’ll ask him when we meet.”
“Right, definitely. This is the fifth time he’s owed me.”
“……”
Suddenly frightened, I hurriedly left Anna’s house. If he hasn’t repaid after the fifth instance of owing money, isn’t it just considered as debt default? It’s amazing she still accepts orders from him…
Love is scary, isn’t it?
‘Now that I think about it, is Anna also a lesbian…?’
Come to think of it, Leopard is a woman…
If someone initially thought Leopard was a man and developed feelings, then later found out she’s a woman and continued liking her, does that still qualify as being a lesbian? Was she already inclined to love women, or does she love people regardless of gender?
The more I thought about it, the more complicated it got. I decided tentatively to conclude that Anna had always been a lesbian, though she might not have realized it herself.
“Wow…”
Even before arriving, I could tell roughly where Dragania’s villa was. There were countless carriages arriving and departing even from the busy streets nearby. As I walked among the crowds towards the villa, I felt my confidence slowly building up—I was clearly the most beautiful woman around. Though, gaining confidence in this way did seem questionable…
Strangely, all the women seemed to have gentlemen by their sides…
Looking around, all the other women had a man accompanying them on their right side. It made my side feel somewhat awkward and empty. Although I definitely didn’t want to hold arms with a man…
I just feared standing alone, standing out among the crowd. That’s all. I swear.
Tossing away such distracting thoughts, I briskly walked toward the main gate and arrived. A man resembling a butler called me as I stood there daydreaming, leading me through the staff entrance.
“Unless addressed by another guest, do not speak. Do not stray more than three steps from your assigned position. Always maintain proper posture, and if you are unclear about anything, learn by observing the other maids. Do you understand?”
“Yes…”
Hmm? I thought I hadn’t actually applied yet….
I thought I’d come here for an introduction but ended up being treated like one of the maids of this household already. Apparently, my employment here was predetermined even before anything was discussed. That’s the extent of the Hero’s influence, I guess. The butler’s perpetually sour expression made it clear he considered me a parachutist—a preferential hire…
But to an extent, he wasn’t wrong…
“Lord Dragania is present.”
Sitting aside in my designated corner, no one approached me until the party officially began. Well, with me neither serving food, nor wearing a maid’s outfit, or even dressing in flashy aristocratic clothes, it might have been natural for me to be ignored. Would I formally meet the head butler and the Duke after the party for salary negotiations?
Probably yes. I assumed I was being tested during the party, seeing if I’d cause any trouble before any sudden incidents erupted.
“Excuse me, madam. May I inquire about your name?”
“Huh?”
Out of nowhere, a deep male voice startled me. It took me a moment to turn my head and see a tall gentleman standing right in front of me. Only then, noticing the gazes of all the nobles gathered behind him, did I realize the gravity of this situation. The person standing in front of me was none other than Duke Dragania himself.
“Ah… I… well… that is….”
At that moment, as I became acutely aware of the crowd’s stares, my vision narrowed, dizziness overwhelmed me, and chaos ensued.
What I said next—it’s all a blur now. My memory of the events after that moment is nearly nonexistent…
I only vividly remember one thing…
Something I’d rather not recall, but if I must forcefully pull it out of my memory…
That day, I was raped.
