Surviving as a Maid in a Horror Game

When I opened my eyes, the first thing I saw was the ceiling of my room. How did I even get here yesterday? I rubbed my blurry eyes and slowly tried to recall the events.

I vaguely remembered stumbling out of the Countess's room after witnessing her horrifyingly bizarre dance. Then, I went to Adrian's room and was generously granted an early dismissal. After that, I must have returned to my room and promptly collapsed. Somehow, I managed to crawl into bed, grumbling about not being able to sleep without my pillow.

Ugh, why did I have to remember the Countess's popping dance again?

I squeezed my eyes shut like I had just seen something traumatic. Her cold, clammy hands clung to me like damp paper, sending shivers down my spine. Weak and icy, yet stubbornly refusing to let go.

I can't avoid meeting her since she’s necessary to unlock parts of the map, but every encounter feels like a cardiac arrest waiting to happen. The Countess mentioned going to the temple, and I couldn’t help but dread the horror she’d bring next. Would it be better to risk dying of a heart attack on the way out, or to stay trapped here with my heart beating healthily?

With a sigh, I opened my eyes again and noticed some changes from the day before. First, my entire fortune, which had dwindled to 0 gold, had somehow increased to 60 gold. Second, a new feature called the "Request List" had appeared, something I hadn’t noticed in the chaos yesterday.

When I clicked on the Request List, a new window popped up. It displayed the number of workers I could hire based on my level (2/3) and what tasks the workers were currently doing.

Emily: -_- Removing weeds… Lv.3 (20/30)
Isaac: ^0^~♬ Chatting uselessly with the villagers… Lv.3 (20/30)

Even as I stared at the status screen, I could see a constant "+1" popping up on the experience bar. It seemed like Emily was working alone. At intensity level 3, she occasionally got breaks, but at level 4, the system seemed to relentlessly make her work. It was a cruel system, both for the player and the NPCs.

What bothered me most, though, was Emily’s “-_-” expression. It stood out even more next to Isaac’s cheerful face, which practically screamed how much fun he was having. I’d already felt guilty seeing Emily’s strained expression when I made a second request, but seeing this on the status screen made it impossible to ignore.

This won’t do. I need to go give her a special cup of coffee.

I got up quickly, brewed a cup of coffee in the kitchen, and wandered around the garden in search of her. Even after walking halfway around, she was nowhere to be seen. In the end, I decided to ask the gardener, who’d likely been working here all morning.

"Excuse me, Gardener! Have you seen Emily?"

"Emily?"

The gardener paused mid-pruning on his ladder and tilted his head in thought. I grabbed a handful of my loosely tied-up hair and lifted it up to give him a clearer description.

"Yes! She ties her hair neatly like this, has green eyes, and is about my age. She’s a kind girl with a soft gaze, probably pulling weeds all by herself."

"Ah, weeds. I remember now. It was strange seeing a maid your size pulling weeds so early in the morning. No matter how much I asked, no one seemed to know who assigned her to it. I even told her it wasn’t necessary since we just dealt with the weeds recently, but she didn’t respond and kept pulling. It was like the weeds had killed her parents or something."

"Where is she now? Did you see her?"

When I asked urgently, the gardener scanned the area with a distant look.

"Let’s see… I think I saw her passing by over there about an hour ago."

"Thank you!"

I threw out a hurried thanks and dashed off in the direction he pointed. Following the rustling sounds in the bushes, I finally found her. Emily was hunched over, furiously pulling weeds like a woman possessed. Seeing her like that, I could finally understand why the gardener had made such a grim comparison.

"Emily!"

As if I’d cast a spell, her movements froze. She stood up slowly, still clutching the weeds in her hand, and turned to face me. Her pale skin made the dark shadows under her eyes even more pronounced. So, even NPCs will snap if you overwork them like this. This isn’t something I can just ignore.

"Emily, did you really start working at dawn?"

"...You made a request," she said in a stiff, mechanical voice. Her face remained expressionless as only her lips moved, making her look like a ventriloquist’s puppet. A chill ran down my spine.

Her once tidy hair was a mess, and her apron and clothes were caked in dirt. I hadn’t meant for her to go this far! I stood there gaping, unable to find the words. Emily watched me with cold eyes before turning back.

"I have to pull more weeds. That’s what you requested."

"No, Emily. No! Stop pulling weeds and take a break. You look terrible right now."

"Cancel the request?"

Of course, I’m canceling! Seeing her like this, how could I not? As soon as the prompt appeared, I clicked "Yes." Emily froze mid-motion, just as she was about to crouch down again, and finally set the weeding tool aside. Wow, even the labor system in this horror game is designed to terrify.

"The request has been forcibly terminated."

"Emily, you must be exhausted. Here, I brought you some coffee."

"…Thanks," she muttered.

I’d made the coffee extra special with whipped cream swirled into a perfect spiral and chocolate syrup on top, thinking it would cheer her up. But her expression remained as cold as ice. There was no message saying her favorability had increased either. Instead, a new white notification appeared above her head:

"Overexertion due to excessive request intensity has drastically increased the favor target’s fatigue."
"Fatigue has caused a 50-point decrease in favorability."
"Current Favorability with Emily: Lv.1 (0/10)"
"If favorability decreases further, the target will be removed from the favor list. Removed targets cannot be re-added, and hostility may increase instead. Hostile targets can form alliances with others who share animosity toward you."

Hostility? Alliances? So if Emily’s favorability drops further, my actions could increase her hostility, and she might team up with other hostile characters against me? My only friend, Emily…

I glanced at her with a sinking feeling. She sipped the coffee I’d given her, but her eyes were dark and hollow, like she hadn’t slept all night. The thought of her no longer smiling when she saw me made me feel miserable.

I didn’t realize intensity level 4 was so grueling. If I’d known, I never would’ve asked her. Why couldn’t the system give a proper warning? Why does it always wait until I’ve already messed up to show its true colors?

"Emily, I’m—"

"I’m going to rest in my room now."

Emily handed the empty cup back to me and walked away without another word. I wanted to stop her, to ask her to talk, but the memory of her cold, waxy expression made me lose my courage.

Yeah, ‘working nonstop’ was too much. We’re all just trying to get by. Why couldn’t I let her rest? Even a digital NPC deserves basic respect… I learned a valuable lesson today.

As I watched Emily’s retreating back with regret, I resolved to give her some time. It wasn’t too late yet—her favorability hadn’t completely disappeared. If I apologized and treated her well, maybe she’d be my friend again. Feeling slightly deflated, I trudged back to the mansion.

"Hilda, the young master said he would like to have tea this morning. Make sure you don’t forget to bring it."

As I was preparing Adrian’s medicine in the kitchen, Retisha briskly appeared, rattled off the reminder, and disappeared just as quickly. When our eyes briefly met, a faint notification popped up: "Would you like to add Retisha as a favor target? (1/3)" It lingered for a moment longer than the notification I’d seen for the Countess.

So, the higher the character’s value, the harder it is to add them as a favor target? The Countess's notification disappeared almost instantly, like trying to catch a legendary Pokémon with a cheap Poké Ball. This was starting to make sense.

In this game’s logic, Emily and Isaac must be the common monsters, Retisha the rare monster, and the Countess—or Adrian—would be the legendary ones. What would happen if I managed to add Adrian as a favor target? How much gold and experience could he bring me in a single day? Surely, as a Count, he could earn more in one day than I could in an entire year as a mere maid. If I played my cards right, I might not even need other favor targets to run my little factory of tasks. Who knows? Maybe I’d be able to afford a bed stuffed entirely with legendary pillows.

The mere thought of it made me so giddy that even though my Adrian Detection skill turned my vision a bright shade of red, I happily opened the door to his room. Just imagining this golden age of my life made me feel like I’d already struck it rich. It was rare for me to feel so lighthearted before meeting Adrian.

Grinning like an idiot, I entered the room—and my mood improved further when I realized Adrian wasn’t there to greet me immediately. Instead, I heard faint noises from behind the partition. He was probably in the middle of washing up.

I placed the tray—laden with medicine, a teapot, tea leaves, and a cup—on the side table. Then, as if drawn by a magnetic pull, I let myself sink onto the bed.

As soon as my head touched the springy, soft pillow, all my accumulated fatigue seemed to melt away, and my eyelids grew heavy. According to The Eye of Insight, this pillow was one of the very few objects in the mansion untouched by malice. Honestly, if someone could harbor evil intentions while using a pillow like this, they wouldn’t be human. Then again… Adrian wasn’t exactly human, was he?

“Ah, if I could just sleep for ten minutes… No, even five would be enough…”

The last time I’d slept on Adrian’s pillow, I’d felt like all my latent fatigue had evaporated, and every task I touched afterward was a critical success. If I could just keep this pillow for myself, I wouldn’t need to overwork Emily anymore. I could easily do the work of two people on my own. Of course, I’d still make everyone else pull their weight—except for Emily, of course.

Just then, I heard the soft click of a door opening from behind the partition. Adrian, apparently unaware of my presence, emerged from the bathroom wearing a robe. Startled, I shot up from the bed, and our eyes met. We both froze in place, flinching at the same time.

The difference was, my eyes screamed, Oh, it’s the demon! while his clearly said, What the hell is this pervert doing?

“Y-young master…”

Great. He’d caught me like this again. As embarrassment flooded over me, I couldn’t help but recall the moment two days ago when I had buried my face in his chest and… sniffed him. My cheeks burned bright red at the memory. Although, to be fair, his scent was undeniably attractive.

My blush seemed to make Adrian flinch even more. He looked at me with a clear expression of I really don’t want to get any closer to you. Where’s my dignity as a human being?

“Hilda, you’re on my bed again…”

His gaze, filled with annoyance, seemed to ask, Is the robe not enough to keep you away? It was humiliating, but I reminded myself of my purpose. Focus. Persevere. As a maid clinging to her livelihood, I couldn’t afford to let shame stop me.

“Oh, young master, you’ve just finished bathing! Would it be inappropriate if I licked the water droplets off your hair?”

With superhuman self-restraint that would bring tears to the heavens, I clasped my hands together in mock reverence and gazed at Adrian with wide, sparkling eyes. He recoiled in horror, taking a step back.

“Do the droplets that fall from your radiant form taste like milk? Or perhaps cream? Ha… Just imagining it is so sweet…”

“Hilda. Do you realize how inappropriate it is to keep lying on my bed like this?”

As I continued spouting nonsense without so much as a change in expression, Adrian let out a long sigh, dragging a hand down his face.

“I’m sorry, Young Master. I know I’m in the wrong, but my body moved before I could stop myself. So, if I may suggest something—could you give me your pillow instead of your robe? It’s just that the scent of your hair clings to it so strongly, I can’t help but lie on it!”

“…A pillow?”

“Yes, and two would be even better! You see, there’s another person living in my heart, so I need one for each side when I sleep. And who is that person, you ask? Why, it’s you, Young Master!”

“…Just bring the medicine, Hilda.”

“Understood, Young Master.”

His response made it clear—there was no way he was giving me that pillow. What a stingy bastard. With all his wealth, you’d think he could spare one pillow for his maid. This is the same demon who calls himself a philanthropist? What a joke. Honestly, this demon is more of a burden than a blessing to me.

While I cursed him endlessly in my head, outwardly, I forced a bright smile and handed him the tray. Adrian took the medicine without much fanfare but paused as if he noticed something. He turned back to me, his sharp eyes making me feel like I’d just been caught with a knife in my back. I forced my brightest smile, wondering what he might say.

“You look… tired today.”

“…Excuse me?”

“You’re smiling, but you don’t seem to have the same energy as usual.”

“Well… yes. To be honest, I had a small falling-out with my closest friend.”

Despite the ridiculous things I’d just said earlier, he could still tell I wasn’t myself. I’d been putting on my best performance, but it seemed like it hadn’t fooled him in the slightest. Could he actually have some kind of mind-reading ability?

“I made a mistake, and I ended up really hurting the feelings of the only person I could rely on here. I don’t know what to do to fix it. I’m not even sure we can go back to the way things were.”

“Hmm.”@@novelbin@@

As I spoke, my true feelings started spilling out. I slumped my shoulders and sighed deeply, but Adrian only gave me a fleeting glance before turning away indifferently. Seriously, could he at least pretend to care when someone’s sharing their problems? Demon or not, a little empathy wouldn’t kill him.

"Unique Ability of the Demon’s Servant: You can monitor the demon’s state in real-time whenever it undergoes significant changes. Would you like to activate this feature?"

A new notification popped up, and I forgot all about Emily for a moment. My eyes widened as I read the text.

What? Real-time monitoring? This was a feature? If I could keep tabs on Adrian’s state, it would be a huge help in surviving. Knowing even a little about what he was thinking could make all the difference. Without hesitation, I pressed “Yes,” and the notification disappeared.

…but nothing happened. No new alerts, no obvious changes.

What qualifies as a “significant change,” anyway? I mulled it over as I watched Adrian swallowing his pills. Trying to gauge his mood, I decided to test the waters.

“My goodness, Young Master, even the way you take medicine is so graceful and dashing! My gloomy mood just vanished!”

“…Cough, cough!”

Adrian choked mid-swallow, his ears turning slightly red. Encouraged by his reaction, I unleashed another volley of compliments.

“Did you know, Young Master? If everyone who thought you were handsome put a finger down, the whole world would fold in half, and people on the other side would end up greeting each other! Honestly, with you around, world peace seems achievable!”

"Adrian’s chronic condition ‘Headache’ is triggered."

“Hilda, cough, go outside and get some fresh air.”

“What do you mean? How could I possibly leave when the radiant Young Master is here?!”

"Adrian’s chronic condition ‘Headache’ is worsening."

“Hilda, calm down, and for the love of… stop talking about milk—whatever!”

“Which part, exactly? The radiant, milk-colored Adrian part?”

“…Yes, that part. Now, please, just go outside for a walk.”

“I’m sorry, Young Master, but as your loyal servant—no, as your devoted personal maid—I can’t leave your side. Besides, I need to watch you brew tea!”

"Adrian is in despair."

As I continued to spout nonsense, I subtly read the notifications popping up.

So, this is how the system monitors the demon’s mood and state? Fascinating. This could actually be useful for survival. Still, there’s something unsettling about seeing his emotions spelled out in text.

Despair, though? Really? What a joke. He’s the one who designated me as his personal maid and made my life exhausting, but now he wants to send me away because he finds me unbearable? No way. This is the perfect time to teach this demon a lesson in patience and resilience.

“By the way, Young Master, I’ve prepared the tea set as you requested. Let me know if you need more tea leaves.”

I dutifully placed the teapot, cups, and leaves on the table. Adrian sighed and retreated behind the partition to change clothes.

After a short wait, he returned, freshly dressed. Probably because I mentioned the water droplets earlier, he had thoroughly dried his hair this time. Good. If he hadn’t, I’d be the one stuck mopping up the drips.

"Adrian’s chronic condition ‘Headache’ improves."

As Adrian brewed the tea, his complexion visibly brightened. He handled the tea set with such precision and care that not a single clinking sound escaped, despite the delicate porcelain. Even without a timer, his timing was impeccable, pouring the water and steeping the leaves in perfect intervals. The scent of the tea filled the room, so soothing it almost made me forget who I was dealing with.

From what I’d observed over the past couple of days, Adrian was a sickly nobleman who loved nature, art, and tea. I couldn’t believe it, so I used The Eye of Insight to secretly check the tea, teapot, and cups. To my surprise, none of them were tainted with malice. Not a single trace of red energy.

Wait, was he actually just passionate about brewing tea? I’d suspected he might be poisoning the tea, but it turned out he’d genuinely been pondering the perfect brewing ratios. What kind of idle noble has time for this?

“Here, try it, Hilda.”

Out of nowhere, Adrian handed me a cup of tea. The liquid shimmered in the light, crystal clear and fragrant. My eyes widened in shock.

“Me? You want me to drink it?”

“Yes. I was experimenting with the ratios yesterday and would like your feedback.”

His tone was casual, as if there were no ulterior motives, but something about it felt suspicious. There had to be a catch. This was Adrian, after all. Why would a demon offer me tea with no strings attached? And yet, my Eye of Insight wasn’t detecting anything malicious about the tea.

“Then… thank you, Young Master. I’ll drink it.”

I cautiously raised the cup to my lips, inspecting the tea from every angle under the light. No matter how hard I looked, there was nothing unusual. If the system said it was safe, it should be fine… right?

“How is it?”

“It’s sweeter and more delicious than I expected.”

I sipped carefully, waiting for any adverse effects. When none came, I hesitantly shared my thoughts. Adrian, looking satisfied, opened the teapot and poured from a second cup hidden behind his arm.

Wait, that cup isn’t one I brought…

“This, too, is for you. I prepared it especially as a gift, so make sure you drink it.”

“A gift? For me?”

“Yes. Now, hold out your cup.”

He smiled faintly, tilting the teapot. Just as the tea poured out, my Eye of Insight blared a warning. Malicious red energy swirled into the tea, filling the cup and even staining my hands where it splashed.

He expects me to drink this?

I stared at Adrian, horrified. He smiled at me, the perfect image of a devilishly beautiful man. His voice dripped with sweetness as he spoke.

“Please, make sure you drink it all.”

What, poison? Is this literal poison?!

I felt cracks forming in my facade. I wanted nothing more than to hurl the tea in his face and run, but my legs felt like they were bound by invisible chains.

Get it together. I’ve survived this long—I can’t let it end here. I frantically scanned the system for any clues.

If he’s handing me poison, he must have murderous intent, right? But there was no warning from the system about his intent. Yet, the Eye of Insight was clear—this tea was deadly.

No intent to kill, but handing me poison?

Could it be…?

A chilling realization struck me.

Is he testing whether I can detect malice?

I glanced at his arm, partially hiding the original teacup. The source of the malice was definitely coming from there.

First, he had me drink the harmless tea to lower my guard. Then, he offered poison to see if I’d notice. He was testing me, no doubt about it.

But what do I do? If I refuse, he’ll grow suspicious. But if I drink it… I’ll die.

Sweat beaded on my forehead as I stared at the teacup. My hands trembled so much that the tea rippled inside the cup. Why did I ever accept anything from this demon?

I had to stay calm. Think.

“Y-Young Master, I’m truly honored to receive tea that you put so much thought into brewing. It’s so overwhelming, I can’t possibly drink it…”

“No need for that. I made this tea with you in mind.”

The way he said it sounded almost like a proposal, but with poison. What kind of demon obsesses over tea ratios just to kill someone?

“Then, perhaps you should take the first sip, Young Master?”

“Hilda, are you trying to negotiate with me?”