Surviving as a Maid in a Horror Game

When I greeted Emily and finally entered my room, the familiar white text welcomed me. Was the “gift” it mentioned referring to the pillow I had returned to Dolores? It made me wonder—what exactly does this system classify as a "friend"? Dolores and I had practically been enemies, with the way she acted so hostile toward me.

Meanwhile, the progress bar, which had been nearing completion, filled entirely and reset to the start. As it hit Level 10, a cascade of white text appeared.

「You have reached Level 10. (Title: Shameless Yet Diligent Worker)」
「Skill unlocked! You can now use the ‘Seer’s Eye’ skill.」
「Lucky Bag unlocked.」

Looks like they’re never dropping the “shameless” label. Who in this area could possibly be more shameless than me?

But I had no time to dwell on that because something far more important had happened—I’d gained a new skill! I sat carefully on the bed, eager to inspect it.

With reverence, I gently dragged my pillow to the center of the bed and climbed on carefully, making sure not to put too much pressure on the worn-out frame. The old thing creaked at the slightest movement, so I took extra care not to hasten its eventual collapse.

Cautiously, like a thief sneaking into a treasure room, I moved slowly and stopped to check my surroundings. Fortunately, no ominous white text about bed durability appeared.

I opened the skill menu, adjusting the settings for the Detection skill first. The volume was fine from last time, but the glowing alerts were still irritating, so I nearly turned them off entirely. When activated near Adrian, the warning glow would paint my face red, which was terrifying for more reasons than one.

Once I was satisfied with the adjustments, I turned my attention to the newly unlocked skill: Seer’s Eye. A skill unlocked at Level 10 had to be more useful for survival than Detection. Given how many critical hits I’d landed today, I felt like I owed this new skill to Adrian’s pillow.

"Let’s see… What does this skill do?"

Unlike Detection, which was a passive skill with intuitive visual and auditory cues, Seer’s Eye wasn’t immediately self-explanatory. I pressed the little ‘+’ button next to the skill, and a detailed description unfurled.

「Seer’s Eye」
Unlock Requirement: Lv. 10
Duration: 5 minutes
Cooldown: 3 hours

Description:
In a world where goodwill and malice coexist, the Seer’s Eye helps you perceive others’ intentions more clearly. When activated, objects imbued with malice will emit a red aura.

• Poisoned blades and disguised assassination tools may surround you unnoticed.
• Use this skill to uncover the hidden malice in everyday items. The sooner you detect malice, the longer you’ll survive.

Note:

• Malice refers to a strong, harmful intention to cause injury or death.
• The skill cannot perceive malice in people themselves.
• Objects used without malicious intent, even if harmful, will not be detected.
• Objects obscured by walls or other barriers cannot be perceived.

"Wow, this is way better than I expected! They really gave me this at Level 10?"

The skill’s ability to identify tools Adrian—or anyone else—might use to kill was a game-changer. It was almost too good to be true, like the system had made a mistake.

Of course, the caveat about not detecting objects without malice made sense. After all, even the same knife could be used innocuously for cutting bread. Still, without this skill, I might’ve ended up overly cautious, falsely labeling everyday objects as threats. The Seer’s Eye would let me focus only on true dangers.

This felt like the kind of skill that would significantly increase my chances of survival. Considering how much Adrian relied on subtlety, I had a strong feeling this would be a lifesaver.

"Let’s give it a try, shall we?"

I looked around the room for a test subject and quickly spotted the garden shears Adrian had carried earlier. If he’d bought them with the intent to harm someone, the shears would glow red when I used the skill.

I picked up the shears cautiously and activated Seer’s Eye. Per the description, a malicious object should glow red, but the shears remained pristine and unmarked.

"…So he really was serious about trimming hedges for the countess?"

I thought he might have a future in acting, but it seems even demons can have filial piety. The fact that I’d forcibly taken these innocent shears left a sour taste in my mouth. I’d have to return them tomorrow.

"And what’s this Lucky Bag? A fortune bag?"

It seemed like leveling up had unlocked hidden systems one by one. I set the shears aside and clicked on the rainbow-hued bag icon. Instead of the usual white text, a decorative box appeared, resembling the ornate walls of a palace.

「Every three days, you can draw an item for free.」
「Item Rarity: Common ~ Heroic」
「Higher-level players will unlock premium draws.」

As someone who had spent her youth enjoying collectible games, I knew this type of system all too well. While useful items existed in these free draws, they were buried under impossibly low odds. Most players would never see anything beyond common-tier items. Still, free is free, right?

Before hitting the draw button, I carefully inspected every corner of the screen, searching for hidden disclaimers like, "By pressing this button, you agree to pay 10G," or "This constitutes a paid transaction." After being burned by this system so many times, I couldn’t help but be suspicious.

To my surprise, there were no hidden traps. Reluctantly, I pressed the button, all the while staring at the white text, ready to catch any sudden trick.

The moment the draw activated, the interface turned into something reminiscent of a casino. Items spun on a roulette wheel, accompanied by dazzling effects.

Pachinko sounds?

I was prepared for the usual disappointment. In most games, common items make up 97% of draws, with rares at 2%, and heroics at 0.0000001%. But as the wheel spun, a golden lightning bolt suddenly struck.

"Wait, am I actually about to pull a heroic item?"

The effects were far too extravagant for a common-tier item. Gold? It had to be something special. Maybe a heroic-tier pillow?

Could this be my lucky break? My heart raced faster than when I faced Adrian’s piercing gaze. The roulette wheel finally stopped, and a golden item gently floated into my hands.

The glowing object gradually dimmed, revealing its true form…

「You’ve obtained: Weeds!
Description: Useless.」

It was exactly as described. Weeds.

My euphoria plummeted as quickly as it had risen.

Weeds. Useless weeds.

Why had they been glowing like a treasure? Was this some kind of cruel joke? I laughed bitterly. This was just like those other gacha games I’d played—setting you up with false hope only to crush it. I knew better, and I’d still fallen for it.

Laughing hysterically, I clenched the weeds until they crumbled and threw them to the floor with all my might.

I should’ve known better the moment it said "free draw."

"Young Master, I’ve brought your medicine."

I knocked on Adrian’s door, and a calm voice from inside responded, granting me permission to enter.

When I arrived at Adrian’s room, it was much earlier than usual. I had decided to stop dragging my feet in the kitchen, hoping to finish this unpleasant task as quickly as possible. Unlike before, when I was constantly on edge wondering when and how Adrian might kill me, I felt slightly more at ease now, thanks to the Seer’s Eye skill. It was the perfect skill to accompany my new strategy: remove every potential murder weapon in sight.

Now, no matter what Adrian had on hand, I could deal with it. If it glowed red, I’d take it or avoid it. If it didn’t, I’d leave it alone. No more panicking over nothing.

With that mindset, I brought back the garden shears I had taken from him. Since the skill had confirmed they weren’t imbued with malicious intent, it was only fair to return them. If, by chance, they did glow red in the future, I’d just take them again.

With Seer’s Eye, I felt invincible. Buoyed by this hope, I pushed open the door with confidence.

"Hilda, you’re here," Adrian greeted me, but the voice wasn’t his.

Standing beside his bed was an elderly gentleman with neatly combed silver hair and a sharp, clean-cut appearance.

Oh no.
I had no idea who he was. He definitely wasn’t in the game, and worse, he seemed close enough to Hilda that asking his name was out of the question.

"Good… morning," I stammered awkwardly, unsure how to address him. Adrian’s eyes lingered on me, as if gauging my reaction. My hesitation made the elderly man chuckle heartily.

"Ah, still sulking because I went on a long trip without saying goodbye, aren’t you? My apologies, my apologies. It was an urgent matter, and I barely had time to prepare Master Adrian’s morning and evening medications before leaving. Speaking of which, let’s see how well you’ve been taking care of his doses."

He strode toward me, taking the tray from my hands and carefully inspecting the small bowls of medicine.

"You’ve brought the exact amount. Not bad. Hilda, you’ve improved a lot since your earlier blunders."

"Well, it’s not like I’m new to this anymore. Practice makes perfect."

"Oh my, talking back, are we? Seems like your mood’s already improved. Come to my room later—I’ve brought back a special souvenir for you. You’ll go back to following me around like before, calling me ‘Hubert, Hubert’ all day long."

"You didn’t have to bring me anything, sir. I wouldn’t feel right accepting it after you’ve traveled such a long way."

I quickly latched onto the clues he was offering and responded with feigned gratitude. His eyes crinkled with amusement, deep wrinkles forming at their corners.

"Well, well. You’ve learned to say such admirable things. Are you only pretending to be so composed because Master Adrian is present?"

"Excuse me?"@@novelbin@@

What on earth was he talking about? My confusion must have been obvious, as Hubert burst into laughter again.

"Look at her, acting like she doesn’t remember. Do you not recall what happened the day you arrived here?"

"I’m not sure I understand…"

I genuinely had no idea what he was talking about, and the more my face twisted in bewilderment, the more Hubert’s expression lit up with mischief. This wasn’t good. Something felt off.

"You cried your eyes out, saying Master Adrian was so handsome you wanted to marry him."

"What?"

For a moment, I forgot myself and nearly grabbed the old man by the collar. Even as my expression darkened, Hubert continued without hesitation.

"You clung to the Countess, begging her to promise you’d be Adrian’s bride. You were so loud and insistent that everyone was at their wit’s end. Thinking about it even now still makes me break into a cold sweat."

"Did that really happen?" Adrian murmured, his brows furrowed as if trying to recall the memory.

For the first time since being trapped in this game, I almost cursed out loud. Not even losing entire chunks of experience points or sleepless nights over stolen pillows had pushed me to this brink. If anything, that should’ve been proof of how utterly flustered I was.

Who, me, with him? A murderer? A demon?

A cold sweat drenched my back.

"Hubert, sir. Oh, goodness. Surely you’re mistaken. Haha, haha… Please, let’s not say such irresponsible things."

"Even though you were a foolish child, making such audacious remarks to Master Adrian should’ve gotten you executed. But the Countess, in her infinite grace, decided to let you sleep in the young master’s room for one night. You even declared loudly that you’d only hold his hand and nothing more, embarrassing the Countess yet again. You were such a bold little one. For days after, you wouldn’t stop following Master Adrian around."

Stop. Please, stop! Adrian’s expression is getting weirder!

I was close to shoving my fist into Hubert’s mouth to shut him up. My hand was already twitching, ready to act.

"And then—"

"Master Adrian! Here! I’m returning this! The garden shears from yesterday!"

I interrupted him loudly, cutting him off before he could spew any more. Shoving the tray into Hubert’s hands, I marched over to Adrian’s bed and held out the garden shears like a peace offering.

If I could, I would use these shears to snip away all traces of Hubert’s outrageous story from everyone’s memory.

"You’re returning them? How unexpected."

Adrian’s wax-like expression didn’t shift as he spoke. His tone was more to himself than to me, but I quickly responded, determined not to give Hubert another opening.

"I told you yesterday I’d bring them back when we returned to the estate."

"Really? Your face yesterday suggested you intended to bury them. You don’t even have a use for them. Strange."

"That’s not true! I would never do such a thing."

"Yesterday, you practically wrestled them out of my hands, as if just holding them frightened you. And now, you’re returning them as if nothing happened. I’m curious, Hilda—what about me always has you so terrified?"

His slender fingers tapped the handle of the shears rhythmically.

What part of him scares me? The part where he declared me his enemy, maybe? How does he not remember that? His kind and gentle tone didn’t make his words any less threatening.

It was clear he wasn’t expecting an answer, so lying felt pointless. As his tapping stopped, he looked up at me with sharp, unblinking eyes.

"…It’s fine. I can figure it out without you saying a word."

"…"

"Anyway, it’s good that you brought it back."

Adrian’s cold gaze swept over me, yet his lips curved upward in a faint smile. A cold sweat trickled down my back again. Could he possibly have some skill like Demon’s Eye that allowed him to read my intentions?

"Dr. Hubert, if you have time, why don’t we take a walk around the garden? There’s something I’d like to discuss."

Adrian placed the shears beside his bed and stood up. I instinctively took a step back, clearing the way for both of them. Hubert, carrying the tray I had shoved into his hands, set it on a nearby side table.

"Of course, Master Adrian. Let’s go."

"Have a nice walk, Master Adrian! You too, Dr. Hubert!" I quickly chimed in, pretending to tidy up the tray. Both men turned to look at me, Hubert’s bushy eyebrows arching in amusement.

"What’s that supposed to mean, Hilda? Don’t I live in this mansion?"

"Ah, well, it’s just that… I meant that since it’s been a while since we last saw each other, I hope you make it safely back to your quarters."

Adrian interrupted, his gaze flickering between us. "Hilda, about what Dr. Hubert mentioned earlier…"

At that, Adrian signaled Hubert with a glance. The older man quickly retreated, eventually disappearing from sight near the door.

I blinked, feigning cluelessness, while Adrian’s expression grew increasingly difficult to read.

"I never realized that’s how you saw me."

Not this again.

"Master Adrian, please don’t tease her too much. Can’t you see how embarrassed she is?"

That old man!

Hubert, who I thought had left, suddenly reappeared, his voice full of mock sympathy. Adrian hushed him, shooing him away once more. This time, Hubert seemed to withdraw farther, his footsteps echoing down the corridor.

I wanted to scream. If this were an actual game, I’d have rage-smashed my keyboard by now. My face burned with humiliation, and I felt my composure slipping away.

"No, no! That’s not true! Dr. Hubert must have misremembered. Ha, ha… Maybe it’s… old age?"

"You don’t have to deny it, Hilda. I remember everything now."

Dammit. Dammit all.

"So that’s why you said it was hard to look at me because your heart raced."

What the—? Did I say that?

As I scrambled to remember, fragments of all the nonsense I’d spouted to survive flashed through my mind. Yes, I’d routinely praised his appearance to deflect attention. How had that turned into this?

"I didn’t realize I was making things difficult for you by calling you in every morning. It must have been tough for you for quite a while."

Wait, hold on—

"And when I saw you sleeping in my bed…"

No, no, no.

"And the time you mentioned stopping by a lingerie shop…?"

This is getting out of control.

"Hilda, we’re adults now. Things don’t end as simply as holding hands like when we were children. It’s not such a simple matter anymore."

He looked at me with what could only be described as pity, his expression filled with a newfound gentleness. A completely new look.

I felt my ears burning as I bit down hard on my lip. This was mortifying. Far worse than being caught snoring or drooling in bed.

I couldn’t explain why I’d been in his bed, why I’d complimented him endlessly, or why this ridiculous misunderstanding had spiraled out of control.

Ha, should I just jump out the window? It might be cleaner that way.

"No, Master Adrian. As Dr. Hubert said, all of this happened so long ago. I was so young and foolish back then—completely out of my mind! I don’t know what I was thinking, throwing a tantrum and saying I wanted to, uh… to… to marry you! Hahaha, so ridiculous! I mean, really, it’s absurd. These days, I know my place perfectly. How could I—how could I even imagine being your—your wife? Just saying it is horrifying… and so improper. Hahaha."

"I see. I’m glad you’ve come to that conclusion."

The genuine relief on his face stung my pride. Did he really think I still wanted to marry him? Ugh, no thanks. If anything, I would’ve turned him down!

"You should go on ahead, Master Adrian. I’ll finish tidying up and join you shortly."

Despite the boiling embarrassment coursing through me, I forced a bright smile. My hands trembled as I rearranged the tray, the teacups clinking noisily as I tried to steady myself.

"…Very well," he said, pausing before leaving. He glanced back at me one last time, his expression still tinged with pity. His lips moved slightly as if to say something, but I quickly turned away, pretending to focus on my task. I couldn’t bear to face him any longer.

Don’t look at me. Don’t speak. Don’t pity me.

If you’re going to do anything, give me money!

Once Adrian and Hubert’s footsteps faded down the stairs, I finally let out a soundless scream into the empty room.

Humiliation… pure humiliation. So this is what dying of embarrassment feels like.

What kind of terrible taste did old Hilda have? Of all the men in the world, she had to pick him? A demon, of all people?

Overcome by frustration, I clenched my fist, ready to punch the side table. But then reality set in—it looked expensive. If I damaged it, the repair costs would be through the roof.

There was nothing safe to vent my anger on. Back home, I’d have pummeled my pillow, but in this game, pillows were practically sacred artifacts. I couldn’t risk it.

In the end, I was left punching the air, futilely swinging at nothing.

Did you see his face earlier?
And what was Hubert’s problem?
Why did he have to dredge up the past and humiliate me like that?

And Hilda… why, oh why, did you choose him?

"Hah, hah…"

My angry flailing soon came to a stop. Instead of looking furious, I probably resembled one of those inflatable tube men waving outside new stores. The ridiculous image made me laugh despite myself.

"Ha… ha…"

As eerie laughter echoed in the room, my sanity slowly returned.

Humans are rational beings, I reminded myself. Even if this game’s system tries to rob me of my reason, I am human. I can think.

Sure, Hubert had shattered my dignity and dragged it into another dimension, but this wasn’t real life. It was a game. These characters were just that—characters. If I kept that in mind, I could endure.

Right. Time to calm down. Focus on the task at hand and move on.

Taking a deep breath, I regained composure, checked my surroundings to ensure I was alone, and closed the door.

「Seer’s Eye activated.」