At that moment, as I was grappling with such questions, a strong wave of dizziness hit me. Unknowingly, I dropped the teacup.
Clang! The teacup fell to the floor with a loud crash, shattering into pieces.
What? What on earth is happening?
Along with the dizziness, all the strength drained from my body. I couldn’t grip anything, and I could barely keep my body upright. Just as I was trying to grasp the situation, I heard Isaac’s voice.
“Did those b*stards send you?”
Those b*stards? What is he talking about?
His silver-gray eyes were burning with contempt as he looked at me.
“If they thought they could shake me up like this, they made a grave mistake. How dare they bring up Mia?”
Isaac, wait. Please listen to me…!
“You’ll pay the price. You and those b*stards.”
I tried to speak up to persuade him, but no sound came out. My vision grew increasingly blurred. I couldn’t even see what expression Isaac was making.
As darkness enveloped me, my hand fell limp to the floor. The last thing I saw was a notification window in front of my eyes.
[You have died.]
* * *
A white light was flickering above my face. I lay on the bed, staring blankly at the light.
Ah, what is this? Is this heaven…?
My second death came quickly. Fortunately, there wasn’t much pain, but the fear from that moment was still vivid.
What on earth happened? Have I really come to heaven?
Just then, a message appeared before my eyes.
[The Guardian Stone has been destroyed in your place.]
Ah, right. That’s what the Guardian Stone was for.
This game didn’t have a save function, but it did have an item called the Guardian Stone. If you died, the stone would be destroyed instead, and you would restart the day. The game was notoriously difficult because there weren’t many Guardian Stones available.
If I hadn’t luckily found that Guardian Stone last time, I would have surely died…
I sprang up from the bed. The memories before my death were still vividly clear, leaving me in a state of confusion.
What the heck…? Did Isaac really kill me…?
The confusion wouldn’t go away easily.
I couldn’t believe Isaac’s cold, murderous voice was directed at me. Just claiming to be Mia was enough for Isaac to kill me. It was truly horrifying to me the fact that the Isaac I trusted had killed me and the fact that Isaac had grown into an adult who could easily kill someone.
“…What on earth.”
What on earth happened to you, Isaac?
My heart pounded wildly in my chest from the shock. Just then, the door burst open, and someone came in.
“Mia! Get up quickly!”
I stared blankly at the woman as she laughed cheerfully.
“Gosh, you sleepyhead. It’s your first day, and you’re already late?”
“First… day?”
“Would it be the second day? Hurry up and change into your maid’s uniform and come out.” The woman let out another light laugh and left.
So, the day has reset again. It seemed I’d have to work today as well.
I changed into my maid’s uniform and stepped outside, but my mouth felt dry. The new morning wasn’t filled with hope but with fear and a sense of unease.
Could I keep working in this house? As I pondered that, a middle-aged maid approached me, carrying a rag and a bucket.
“Mia. Go and clean the window sills and windows.”
The moment Isaac killed me flashed through my mind. The warm scent of herbal tea. The sensation of losing strength. Recalling that, words slipped from my mouth before I realized it.
“I want to quit.”
“What?” The woman looked at me as if I had said something absurd.
I clutched my apron and spoke again. “I want to resign.”
I was glad to have seen Isaac again, but after being killed by him, an indescribable fear overwhelmed me. It was a primal fear that couldn’t be alleviated by the years we spent together. Remembering the voice that echoed through my fading consciousness made my shoulders tremble. I couldn’t stay in this house any longer. I didn’t want to stay.
The woman stared at me incredulously before speaking. “Resign when you haven’t even done anything?”
“I’m sorry. But I can’t do it…”
Quitting on the first day of work, even I would find it absurd. But I had no choice.
She looked at me quietly and then sighed deeply. “If that’s what you want, go tell master. I’m not your employer, so what’s the point of telling me?”
“Yes? My employer…?”
“It’s Lord Isaac. Go and tell him.”
Do I have to meet Isaac directly? Chills run down my spine. I had to face the person who had just killed me. Couldn’t I relay the message through someone else?
“Um, could you perhaps speak on my behalf…?”
“I’m not your errand girl, Mia. If you want to resign, you have to do it yourself.”
She was right, but I was at a loss for words. I needed to convince her somehow, but as I hesitated, another maid came in and spoke.
“Mia, go to the third floor. The master is looking for you.”
“What?”
What is going on? Isaac is looking for me?
As I stood there in disbelief, the woman I had been talking to earlier chuckled and said, “Perfect timing. Go ahead. The master’s room has a dark blue door.”
I was practically pushed out of the room. As I looked up at the stairs, they seemed unusually long and dark.
Why was he calling me? Well, since it’s come to this, I should just resign and escape…
I dragged my heavy feet up to the third floor. When I knocked on the dark blue door, a cold voice responded.
“Come in.”
With trembling hands, I opened the door and stepped inside.
Isaac was sitting on a chair by the window, the morning sunlight glinting off his silver hair as if it were about to shatter. From this angle, he looked like an angel. It was hard to believe this was the same person who had killed me.
Isaac calmly looked at me before speaking. “I heard you started working today as a maid. What’s your name?”
“…Mia,” I replied in a trembling voice.
He’s not going to kill me again just because of the name Mia, right?
[Isaac’s affection level: 0]
…At least it’s not -100. But I couldn’t relax. The memory of being killed was still vivid, and I couldn’t stop trembling.
Isaac continued to stare at me before finally speaking. “Alright, you may go now. I just wanted to see your face since you’re new.”
Phew, so I can leave now? No, not yet. There was still something I needed to do.
“Um, Master…”
“What is it?”
“That, I’m sorry, but… can I quit?”
I wanted to leave this place as soon as possible. I didn’t want to stay even a moment longer.
Isaac stared at me quietly before speaking. “Why?”
“That, I, don’t think… I’m fit for the job…”
“For such a trivial reason?”
How could I possibly tell him I wanted to quit because he killed me? I was still so scared… Tears threatened to spill from my eyes.
As I stood there trembling, unable to say anything, Isaac sighed deeply and spoke. “I don’t know what your reason is, but fine.”
What? Is he really going to let me go?
I looked up in surprise. At that moment, Isaac’s firm voice reached my ears.
“If you pay back all the advance payment in full.”
“Advance payment…?”
Advance payment? Did I receive any money separately?
As I looked at him in confusion, Isaac spoke without a hint of humor in his voice. “Yes. You received an advance of 50 gold.”
Fifty gold? How much is that, exactly? It didn’t sound like a small amount.
“Um, how much is my salary…?”
“Can’t you even remember that?” Isaac looked at me with disdain. “The starting salary for a maid is 25 silver per week. So that would be 1 gold per month.”
Are you kidding me? I almost swore out loud. Are you serious…! My monthly salary is 1 gold, and I received an advance of 50 gold? That’s 50 months of work—over four years!
Isaac picked up a book from his desk and said, “Let’s talk about resignation after you bring the 50 gold. You may leave.”
I left the room in a daze, barely holding onto my senses. As soon as I closed the door behind me, I collapsed to the floor.
So, I have to stay in the same mansion as a murderer for four years? Really…?
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Poor Mia…
Thank you for translating this story!
Thank you so much for the update!
50 months?? 😭😭 at least it’s not 50 years, but STILL???