Night came and I was led to “my” room. I almost forgot that this mansion was still, technically, my home. The room itself? It was alright.

It was a bit bigger than my room at the capital estate. It was also fully furnished complete with the typical dark blue furnishing, from the curtains to the chairs. The bed was also a canopy-styled one, but when I plopped down on it… meh.

My real bed’s better. No contest.

The way things were furnished though, I could tell this was Leila’s handiwork. I realized this was where she was during the feast, shame she didn’t join us, though. 

Leila did pop in to give me a quick goodnight before heading off to some meeting with the main estate staff, particularly Scofield, the old butler who practically ran the place. Head maid meets head butler, I wondered what they could be discussing.

As I lay on a bed that was both mine and not, I couldn’t relax. I had another problem to take care of: my other self’s hunger. Despite Carine enjoying a fine feast, I had no choice but to just sit still as Feyt. It was a kind of self-torture.

Should I just head out and find the nearest staff? I could still hear several of them hanging around the halls and their quarters. They were really enjoying their freedom, huh? The rumors and dangerous small talk I constantly picked up yesterday had almost doubled tonight.

I knew that the family was out for the day, but you guys do know there could still be bootlickers, right? Don’t you guys know work culture? Heck, could the firing spree from last month—taken from Carine’s memories—be related?

After ensuring my throat wasn’t as dry as an old parchment, I decided to act. Sitting idle wouldn’t solve anything. I swung my legs off the bed, stood, and headed out.

The halls of the East Wing were quieter now, in the ears of a typical person at least. There weren’t any immediate staff in the current hall I was in, and the dark atmosphere reminded me of when I tried sneaking out once as Carine.

Thankfully, tiptoeing wasn’t necessary tonight.

The halls were dim, lit only by the faint glow of oil lamps hanging on the walls. The servant quarters weren’t too far, just a few turns down the corridor. As I approached, I began to focus on the chatter inside. Most of it was mundane: talk about the weather, complaints about laundry, and, oddly, whether or not Carine would be worse than the Duchess or not.

I wasn’t sure if I should take offense to that…

Turning the final corner, I found myself at the edge of the servant’s lounge. A few maids were seated around a small table, their laughter dying down as they noticed me. For a moment, they just stared.

Well, here goes.

“Uh…” I scratched the back of my neck. “Sorry to disturb you all. I was just, uh… wondering if I could grab something to eat?”

The tallest among them, a woman with voluminous dark brown hair tied into a simple braid, was the first to react. She stood up quickly while dusting her apron. “Sir Feyt, you shouldn’t be wandering the halls at this hour. You need only call for us to bring you food,” she answered with a warm smile.

“A-Ah, sorry about that.” Guessed I really was supposed to stay in my room. “I didn’t want to bother anyone by shouting, and I wasn’t sure who to ask… haha.”

The maid placed her hands on her hips. “Sir Feyt, you’re a guest here and a student at that. There’s no need for such hesitance.”

Although she was frowning, I could somehow tell from her tone alone that it was done out of worry for me. Her concern was genuine, which caught me off guard. I’d half-expected to be ignored or dismissed as ‘the commoner’ they were forced to tolerate.

“I…Uh… Thanks,” I said, feeling my cheeks heat up. “That’s very kind of you.”

She waved her hand dismissively, flashing a faint smile with a light scoff. “It’s nothing, Sir Feyt. You’re a young and growing man, aren’t you?” She pulled the chair on the table and gestured to it. “Now, sit tight. I’ll whip up something swiftly.”

Before I could protest, she disappeared into the kitchen, leaving me alone with the other maids, who were all still staring at me.

Although the older maid was definitely kind, like Eliza, I was still unsure what the other maids thought of me, especially due to the cacophony of their expressions as their eyes bore into me. Some showed a small smile, some were indifferent, and one of them was smirking like crazy.

The smirking maid, a girl with dirty blonde hair tied in a side ponytail, patted the empty chair next to her. “Sir Feyt, come sit with us!”

“Well… If you insist,” I said cautiously, slowly sliding into the seat. As soon as I sat down though, I felt goosebumps.

“So… Sir Feyt, huh?” the smirking maid said, leaning forward on her elbows. “Tell me, you’re a commoner, aren’t you?”

So they already knew I was a commoner, which meant their kindness wasn’t misdirected at all. Somehow that gave me relief. 

The others leaned in, expecting my answer as much as the smirking maid. 

“Y-Yeah,” I admitted, scratching the back of my head. “I’m… not exactly from around here. Everything’s still new to me.”

“No kidding,” she replied. “You’re way too polite to be one of the sword students here. They treat us as furniture until they actually want something from us.” She turned to me again with her smirk. “So, how did you get here, anyway? This is probably the first time I’ve seen the Duke recruiting a commoner for his classes.”

I shifted in my seat, unsure how to respond. “It’s not like I planned it.”

Another maid, a quiet demeanored girl with jet-black hair. “If you’d rather not share, that is fine.” She turned to the smirking maid. “Just know that you will keep Ressa here pondering about you for a while.”

“Wha—Hey! Where did that come from? Haha!” The smirking maid, Ressa, laughed it off. Then she went back to staring right at me, leaning her head on her palm. “Seriously though, I’m really curious. You wouldn’t actually leave me in the dark, would you?”

“We’re curious too!” Another maid jumped in.

“I, as well,” the quiet maid said.

To think that I was the hot gossip for tonight, I wasn’t sure if that was a good thing. Depending on my answer, it could cause problematic rumors to spread, knowing how full of holes the buckets are in this mansion. So, I decided a simple answer to be the best.

After mulling it over a bit, I cleared my throat and stated my answer. “I was kidnapped.”

“…Huh?”

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