Chapter 5

After that, I immediately called for a maid, thinking I would have Evan see how I was doing as Grace.

"Please prepare some tea. Hurry up."

"Huh? Ah, yes! Right away!"

I tried to say it in a villainous manner, but for some reason, the maid even seemed relieved.

On the other hand, Evan, standing beside me, made a gesture with his hand indicating a score of zero. It seemed to be a grading system.

When I was shocked to receive no points at all, Evan whispered in my ear.

"If it were the usual young lady, just a click of the tongue and a tap on the table would make the tea appear."

"Really?"

The difficulty was too high. It seemed I still had a long way to go to fully embody Grace.

As beautiful pastries were lined up, my heart couldn't help but leap, imagining a charming tea time straight out of a picture book.

Just as a teacup filled with tea was about to be placed in front of me, I unconsciously said "thank you," and the startled maid accidentally knocked over the cup.

"I-I'm so sorry...! I-I'll die to apologize, so please, just spare my family..."

"It's okay! I'll stop it!"

"Calm down, it's fine! It's dangerous, so put down the knife and pull back your arm to avoid getting burned!"

"Minus 100 points."

"Come on, just pull back your hand!"

Evan tried to shield me from the hot tea spilling across the table, while the maid, who had placed the knife to her throat, was crying. I needed someone to clean it up.

In an instant, the elegant tea time turned into a chaotic scene. The maid who had spilled the tea started crying, and the other maids, perhaps fearing my wrath, froze in place.

In the end, worried that the expensive dress, which was undoubtedly quite costly, would get wet, I wiped up the spilled tea with a towel from the cart.

"Hurry up and make a new pot. There won't be a next time."

"Thank you...!"

The maids, in response to my words, all showed expressions of disbelief before quickly and perfectly preparing the tea. They apologized again and left the room.

Once again alone with Evan, I sighed deeply. It was so over the top that I felt like crying.

"...Sigh, this is a minus. I'm no good."

"Yes, but as a person, I think you get 100 points."

"You're suddenly saying nice things."

If I continued like this, I would be far from being a villain. I had read in a novel that maids love gossip, and any changes in the mansion could leak out.

Especially in the Sentsbury Marquess's household, the turnover of staff was reportedly high.

While I needed to maintain a villainous appearance, I couldn't bring myself to scold a crying child who had made a mistake, even if it wasn't intentional.

"...Wow, this is delicious."

Thinking that just drinking tea had exhausted me, I took a sip from the teacup.

It tasted like something I had never experienced before, so expensive.

"Still, why do the staff work at the Sentsbury Marquess's household? There must be better places to work."

"Many people leave because of Miss Grace, so the wages are reportedly very high."

"I see... Is that true for you too, Evan?"

"Yes, I think I'm overpaid. I've been refusing, but the Marquess insists I take it, so I've been using it at the casino."

"You should save it."

The Marquess, my father, must have realized that Evan was someone Grace liked, and he didn't want him to leave.

Looking at him closely again, he really had a handsome face. I could understand why Grace liked him, even though he was quite strange.

I had heard that many of the staff in this mansion were struggling financially, and given my past life, I couldn't bring myself to act like a villain and be harsh to them.

After thinking for a while, I sighed softly and put down the teacup.

"Evan, can you bring me one of the maids who is particularly poor, strong-willed, and trustworthy?"

I had heard that he got along well with all the staff in the mansion. Although he wasn't doing much as a knight, I hoped he would understand.

"Yes, right away. But, what are you going to do?"

"I'm thinking of hiring a fake."

"Sakura...? I'll bring her right away!"

Evan quickly brought a maid named Yana, who was apparently 20 years old.

"...Pretend to be bullied?"

"Yes, as my personal maid."

So, my plan was to hire a personal maid to take care of all my daily needs. Since I could mostly do things myself, one person would be enough.

In front of others, I would pretend to bully this maid harshly. If I explained from the start that it was just a pretense, it wouldn't hurt my heart, and I would pay her extra money on top of her salary to make her life a bit easier.

Grace had a vast personal fortune, so I decided to use that for now.

Yana seemed quite surprised by my appearance and proposal but quickly nodded with a smile.

"Understood, I would love to do it. I'll do my best to pretend to be bullied! I'm confident in my crying skills, and I'm both mentally and physically strong, so you can go all out. Of course, I won't say a word about this to anyone."

"Thank you! I look forward to working with you."

"Well, I'm stronger, though."

"Why are you competing?"

Yana, with her red hair, came from a very poor family with debts and young siblings. She was eager to work hard, which was reassuring.

I decided to keep her as my personal maid for at least a year and use this plan within the mansion.

I felt a bit relieved, as it was tiring to always act and be on guard at home. I could be myself in front of the two of us.

Still, this was just a temporary solution. I resolved to be more diligent in other situations.