Chapter 2
“There is something I would like to announce to all the distinguished guests gathered here today.”
Standing on the raised platform in Florette Hall, Lady Mariposa stepped aside.
From the shadows emerged a short, middle-aged man—Baron Milpianne.
“Today, I am pleased to announce the union between the House of Florette and the House of Baron Milpianne.”
Standing beside him was Giselle, her face pale and lifeless.
The Baron stretched out his wrinkled hand and smiled lecherously.
“Oh, Giselle, my beautiful lady.”
“…”
“What do you think of my hair? Isn’t it beautiful and shiny?”
But Giselle simply lowered her eyes without saying a word.
As if she had completely given up on her fate.
The nobles below the stage exchanged glances and burst into laughter.
“Lady Giselle looks just like always. She has the complexion of a cute deep-sea fish.”
In other words, her face looked as gloomy as a fish from the bottom of the ocean.
After laughing at her, they casually fanned themselves while gossiping.
“Today’s banquet includes many high-ranking nobles. Shouldn’t the fiancée at least dress a little more appropriately…?”
“She’s shameless enough to show up in that old dress. I guess that’s why they call her ‘Everyone’s Lover.'”
“If she gets engaged to Baron Milpianne too, she’ll really deserve that nickname.”
Giselle was famous for clinging mindlessly to two men—Marquis Berto and Duke Leshaniel.
As people mocked her with the nickname “Everyone’s Lover,” Giselle reacted exactly as she always had.
She lowered her head without saying a word.
“…Sigh.”
Her trembling hands made her look like a puppy shivering in the rain.
At that moment, Lady Mariposa whispered coldly.
“Today is the day your engagement is being announced, yet you dared to come wearing such a pitiful, cheap dress, Giselle Florette.”
The smiles on everyone’s faces widened as Giselle looked ready to burst into tears.
Then…
She slowly raised her head.
And quietly spoke.
“Ah… would everyone just shut up already?”
Silence instantly fell over the hall.
“…What did you just say?”
“I said you’re all too noisy.”
“…W-What?”
“What? Are your ears clogged?”
Giselle’s lips trembled as if she were about to bite someone, and her eyes were blazing.
Lady Mariposa stared at her in shock.
“M-My ears… clogged?”
“I was talking to myself. Lady Mariposa, you certainly have good hearing.”
Had she suddenly gone insane?
Everyone instinctively took a step back.
After all, the last person anyone wanted to get close to was a madwoman.
Yeah. Your passive-aggressive insults don’t work on me anymore.
Maybe they would have worked on the old Giselle—the heroine of a regret story.
But not on me.
Three thousand six hundred and fifty days of part-time work experience.
Barbecue restaurants.
Movie theaters.
Kids’ cafés.
Coffee shops.
Government offices.
Even a home shopping call center.
That’s right.
In my second life as a modern person…
I had become the ultimate part-time worker.
A master at dealing with impossible customers.
‘Go ahead. Talk behind my back. Insult me to my face. Curse at me. I’ll handle all of it.’
Back then, I had dealt with countless people who thought customer service workers were beneath them.
My very first part-time job was promoting products at a supermarket.
“So this is supposed to be on sale? Then why isn’t it discounted? Are you trying to scam customers?”
A father shopping with his child threw a stuffed toy at my face.
I bowed my head like a criminal.
“This item isn’t part of today’s sale…”
“So you’re saying this is my fault?”
“This won’t do.”
“Call your manager.”
“Um… the manager is…”
“What kind of training do you people get?”
“I’m sorry, sir…”
“Forget it. Just call the manager. What’s the point of talking to some part-timer?”
At that moment…
All I felt was overwhelming humiliation.
I cried for hours that day.
But as the saying goes, after three years even a dog learns poetry.
And after ten years in customer service…
You become a cultural anthropologist specializing in nightmare customers.
“Hey, you! There’s a hair in my food! Get the owner out here!”
“Our head chef is bald.”
“…Cough!”
People like that usually backed down once you hit them with facts.
But there were also the truly troublesome ones.
“Listen. I know meat. How is this one serving?”
“It is one serving.”
“I grew up in Majang-dong. I’m an expert. How can this possibly be one serving? Call your owner!”
There was still raw meat sitting on the table.
With every customer watching, I deliberately raised my voice until it sounded like I was about to cry.
“The owner… passed away last night.”
“W-What?”
The troublemaker’s eyes widened in panic.
People around him immediately began whispering.
“Wait… the owner died?”
“He’s picking a fight with a dead man?”
“What a jerk.”
Coincidentally, the restaurant owner had just been about to walk out of the kitchen.
The moment he heard me, he quietly stepped backward.
His lips clearly mouthed:
“Right. I’ll come back to life tomorrow.”
Pretending to wipe away tears, I calmly continued.
“Allow me to explain on behalf of our late owner.”
“Our meat is weighed on an electronic scale.”
“See?”
“W-Wait… since when were you carrying a scale?”
“One serving is exactly 150 grams.”
“It’s perfectly accurate.”
Even now, I could vividly remember how red that customer’s face became.
I spent over ten years dealing with the worst customers modern society had to offer.
Compared to them… these nobles were practically delicate flowers in a greenhouse.
I tilted my head while looking at Lady Mariposa.
“Giselle.”
“I can no longer tolerate your insolent behavior.”
“I told you to be quiet.”
“Excuse me.”
Time to begin…
Step One: How to Deal with Difficult People.
First, lower your voice.
Slow everything down.
Then…
“Did you happen to eat fish today?”
I calmly pinched my nose shut.
Maintain perfect composure…
And deliver a calm personal insult.
Lady Mariposa immediately realized what I meant.
Her face turned bright red.
“What nonsense are you talking about, Giselle? How vulgar!”
“Ah, fine.”
“You’re right.”
“I’m filthy.”
“I’ll go wrap myself in a garbage bag and bury myself underground.”
“What’s the point of someone like me staying alive?”
“W-What… what did you just say?”
Step Two:
When the other person starts losing their composure…
Silence them with absurdly excessive self-deprecation.
Lady Mariposa was left speechless.
Then her eyes landed on the teacup resting on the nearby table.
I know exactly what she’s going to do next.
She has absolutely no control over her temper.
Besides…
I was involved.
In this ridiculous world, logic only stopped working whenever it came to me.
Just as I expected…
She grabbed the teacup.
Unable to contain her anger, she threw the tea straight at my face.
Splash!
“Oh my!”
“Baron Milpianne!”
“A-Are you alright?!”
But…
The one who got splashed wasn’t me.
The stream of tea suddenly changed direction in midair.
Instead of hitting me…
It flew straight into the face of Baron Milpianne, who had been reaching for my hand.
“…Huh…?”
It struck the thick head of hair he was so proud of.
Except…
It wasn’t his hair.
It was a wig.
Plop.
A black wig fell pitifully onto the floor.
Under the chandelier’s light…
His completely bald head gleamed brightly.
“M-My hair…!”
“W-What is the meaning of this?!”
The Baron’s face turned deathly pale as he realized what had happened.
He scrambled across the floor to pick up his wig before stomping his feet in fury.
I covered my mouth and giggled.
“Oh my.”
“What could have happened?”
“Maybe the wind blew the wrong way.”
“Or perhaps it was because of Lady Mariposa’s bad breath?”
Of course, Lady Mariposa couldn’t magically make tea curve through the air.
After making me work like a maid all these years…
I happened to learn a little cleaning magic.
I hardly had any mana left in my body.
But using a simple wind spell was still possible.
Naturally…
Lady Mariposa would never suspect a thing.
She believed I couldn’t do anything.
And besides…
This isn’t over yet.
Swish!
Smiling mischievously, I reached into the hidden pocket inside my dress…
And pulled out a small, pitch-black object.
