Blood beaded on the servant’s mint-green forehead where the vase had struck him, pushing aside his unkempt bangs.

“So what! I clearly warned you to get out…!”

As blood finally trickled down, Mayfield quickly averted her gaze, heat rising to the back of her neck.

“It’s your fault for standing there!”

Despite Mayfield’s shout, the servant remained rooted in place. Once started, the blood traced down his auburn eyebrows and seeped into his eyelids. The undeniable wound made Mayfield’s mouth go dry.

Though she’d made countless threats before, she’d never actually hurt anyone.

At most, she’d only bitten her own hand and pulled her hair.

“H-how could this…”

The servant’s whimper made Mayfield clench her teeth.

“File a claim for medical expenses if you want! That’s what you really want, isn’t it? You’re just like the others, only here because Father ordered you!”

“It was meant to be the young lady’s meal, but now it’s ruined…”

“What? What does that matter now?”

“There’s glass shards mixed in everywhere…”

Mayfield was taken aback as the servant collapsed in front of the spilled food and began to sob uncontrollably. Crystal tears streamed down like waterfalls.

He wasn’t crying from pain?

The servant wailed before the overturned meal as if the sky had fallen. Though she couldn’t understand why, he seemed utterly devastated. As if using this chance to forget some other sorrow…

Wait.

According to what she’d overheard from that man outside earlier, his brother had left.

What reason is there to be sad over something so trivial? Siblings are just competitors who get in the way of your future anyway.

Mayfield suddenly narrowed her eyes. But perhaps this was all her own delusion.

Because the servant had reached out his hand. To pick up a large potato that had fallen from the stew.

“sniff“

His mint-green index finger poked at the fluffy potato.

“You’re not…”

The color drained from Mayfield’s face.

“Don’t put that in your mouth! Stop!”

The servant’s pointed mint-green ears perked straight up. Not from Mayfield’s cry, but from the taste of the food that had entered his mouth.

“What are you doing? I said don’t eat it!”

He showed no signs of stopping despite Mayfield’s protests. The servant began frantically scooping up the food scattered on the carpet.

His pointed ears that had spread wide in delight at tasting the carrots soon drooped languidly at the taste of the meat. The experience must have been deeply moving, as his amber eyes welled up with tears.

“Are you insane! Are you stupid? You just said there’s glass mixed in!”

Though he finally jolted at her latest outburst, his mint-green hand paused only briefly. His cheeks were already puffed out like he’d been slapped ten times, stuffed full of potato and meat.

“Spit it out right now! Can’t you hear me? Hey!”

Seeing him determinedly chewing and trying to swallow, Mayfield finally got up from the bed.

“This is so infuriating! Who do you think you are, making your master move, you mere servant!”

“Ah…”

Mayfield swiftly lifted up the light, tiny servant.

He flailed helplessly in the air, as weak as a puppy just rescued from a pool. After reaching futilely toward the floor, he seemed to give up and went limp.

“I-I’m sorry…”

Without meaning to, Mayfield found herself studying his body—or more specifically, the servant’s uniform he wore. It hung loose on his frame despite being the smallest size.

Mayfield’s brow creased deeply.

Honestly, she should have known. Putting together what she’d overheard, the answer was obvious.

His brother had gone somewhere, dead or alive…

So they’d sent this broken person here to pull himself together. To at least earn some money by working.

“He’s docile and does whatever he’s told.”

She recalled the man’s words describing the servant. The half-demon before her was, like herself, merely being used. She as a bride sold off to a foreign land, he as a laborer sent wherever needed.

Mayfield carelessly set down the unnaturally light servant. As soon as his feet touched the ground, he scurried back outside. Before she could even ask where he was going, he reappeared carrying a meal tray on his head.

“Th-the chef prepared this meal with great care. I sincerely apologize for my unseemly behavior earlier.”

“Hah, you know about proper etiquette?”

“A-a little… from overhearing…”

The servant lowered his head bashfully before placing the tray laden with hot food on the bed table.

“Please enjoy your meal, young lady.”

Though clearly swallowing his own saliva repeatedly, his mint-green face beamed with a bright smile. As if truly serving his master despite being on the brink of starvation. His amber eyes gazed directly into Mayfield’s, not at the appetizing food.

“You must be full already, aren’t you?”

“W-well yes… I’m sorry, young lady…”

“Come on, who gets full from just a few bites of stew? I was only joking.”

Having lived in abundance her whole life, Mayfield wasn’t familiar with the existence of the lower class. Still, she had met them before.

The conclusion she’d drawn after those few encounters was depressingly predictable.

There was no real difference between upper and lower classes. They all had the same look in their eyes, searching for whatever scraps they could get from the great House Mayfield.

Favors, connections, cooperation. Or if not those, then easily sold confidential information.

Mayfield had only ever trusted one employee. And even she had returned to her hometown now.

Her nanny had bid farewell in that soothing, warm voice that brought comfort just from hearing it.

“It’s time I truly returned home. I must look after my own children who grew up without a mother. Though I leave now, I will always pray for your happiness, young lady.”

The nanny had been holding a round brush. As she always had since Mayfield was small, she delivered her final words while gently brushing Mayfield’s hair with touches that almost tickled.

“Remember what I say, young lady. There’s no need to worry. Don’t be anxious. Someone will surely appear to fill the void I leave behind.”

Emerging from the fond memory, Mayfield suddenly looked down at the pea-sized servant. Then she shook her head.

It definitely won’t be him.

After scrutinizing the scruffy servant, Mayfield finally stabbed a plump sausage with her fork.

Her long hunger strike came to such an anticlimactic end, overwhelmed by the guilt that welled up under that sparkling gaze looking up at her.

“Ah, I-I’m so happy the young lady is eating!”

“What are you smiling about? I’m still not giving you any.”

“Of course not. About earlier, I apologize again.”

“…Don’t report to Father that I ate.”

“Wh-why not?”

“Just don’t if I tell you not to. Say you spilled it somewhere and threw it out.”

“Yes, young lady…!”

“Hmph.”

Her feelings were all mixed up. Ridiculously, Mayfield, who had spent her life ordering others around, was starting to be swayed by this half-demon servant.

“Good night, young lady. Thank you for treating me so well today…”

“What are you saying? Did you already forget getting hit with a vase on your first day?”

“Y-you didn’t throw it on purpose…”

“How would you know that?”

“I just do.”

The tiny servant gave a slightly mischievous smile. Mayfield quickly looked away from his gentle gaze.

“Fine. I’m tired, so hurry up and leave.”

“I-I’ll see you tomorrow, young lady.”

“…”

Thus ended the first day with the new servant. Though for Mayfield, it wasn’t over yet.

“And who are you?”

“I’m the new servant’s superior.”

After the servant had left and the crescent moon hung overhead, a red-haired man visited Mayfield’s bedroom.

“And also his close friend.”

The hem of his long black coat rippled near his ankles. His arrogant, leisurely attitude was particularly irritating. And the wet tobacco smell that clung to him from head to toe was absolutely foul.

How dare he not even properly introduce himself to me?

Mayfield narrowed her eyes. The man hadn’t even observed proper etiquette and formalities. It was basic courtesy for subordinates to state their occupation and name first.

Besides, I never permitted this visit.

He seemed to come and go from the mansion freely through his connection to her father.

To even enter her bedroom so casually—she couldn’t understand why her father accommodated such an obviously suspicious individual.

If he were truly someone powerful, she would certainly know about it. Unless he was operating under a hidden identity…

“‘Do not feed indiscriminately.’ You might need to hang a sign like that around his neck.”

The man didn’t say much else. He was simply informing her of basic precautions. He explained that the new servant’s body was extremely weak and would be in grave danger if he didn’t carefully watch what he ate. She was so taken aback by this information that she couldn’t even call him out on his impudent attitude.

Damn it!

Mayfield tried to shake off the sudden thoughts that arose. She couldn’t help but think of the new servant. His face stuffed full as he frantically chewed food off the floor.

“I’m going to chase him out tomorrow anyway, do you really think I care about things like that?”

“The servant you’re going to chase out tomorrow returned with a full stomach today. Don’t encourage him at all. Won’t that just make him want to eat more?”

“He started picking up and eating it himself!”

After her outburst, Mayfield gave a derisive snort.

“If you care about your subordinate so much, why don’t you look after his welfare first? Sort out that skeletal body of his before coming to complain to me.”

“What an insolent young lady.”

“What did you say?”

“All talk without knowing anything.”

The man suddenly grinned.

“…is what that foul-mouthed fellow I met on the way here was muttering.”

“Hah.”

As Mayfield let out a hollow laugh, the man pulled out a cigarette.

“Generally, those with foul mouths tend to have foul hands as well. You’ll need to be especially careful since you never know when they might cause harm.”

His words were slightly muffled by the cigarette between his lips.

“Are you threatening me now?”

“Of course not. I’m making a request.”

The man glanced around as he spoke. He then helped himself to the matchbox on the table to light his cigarette.

“To please look after our subordinate well, that is.”