Chapter 3
Winsphere was one of the Four Great Ducal Families, the pillars of the Empire.
But it wasn’t famous simply because it was a ducal family.
The reason was that no one ever came out of the duchy, and no one was allowed to enter it, so there were countless rumors surrounding the place.
And it wasn’t just rumors, either!
Although they never set foot in high society or showed their faces in public, they possessed overwhelming military power. Because of that, neither the Imperial Family nor the Temple dared to interfere with Winsphere.
Everyone in the Empire knew only that Winsphere existed.
But no one actually knew anything about the place…
So, in a place like Winsphere, which was so reluctant to reveal itself and so unwilling to let outsiders enter…
‘Why on earth would they want me?’
Perhaps my thoughts were obvious from my expression, because Roan smiled.
Was it just my imagination, or was there something creepy about that smiling face?
I unconsciously rubbed my arms when he casually spoke.
“Hmm, not long ago, His Grace’s aide requested that we hire someone. Otherwise, he was making such a fuss that he threatened to quit.”
It was a strange explanation.
But before I could ask anything, Roan continued.
“Well then, let’s discuss the rest in more detail after we arrive at Winsphere.”
“Oh, shall we?”
I felt like he was brushing the subject aside, but honestly, as long as I could get my 300 gold coins, I didn’t really care.
And besides, this was Winsphere.
It was only natural that I was curious.
“But it should take at least four days to reach Winsphere. How are we going to…”
“Don’t worry. A capable mage is waiting just ahead.”
“Oh, I see. …Huh?”
Apparently, Winsphere had a mage in its service, someone who was such a rare resource that even the Imperial Palace couldn’t easily employ one.
Roan paid no attention to my confusion and held out his hand.
“Shall we go, Miss Walker?”
Nothing about this situation made sense to me, but I had no particular reason to refuse the hand he offered.
“Thank you for escorting me, Mr. Roan.”
“Don’t mention it.”
I stepped outside with Roan.
The rain had stopped by then.
I didn’t have time to pay attention to every little thing around me.
Soon, the mage Roan had mentioned appeared, and I immediately traveled to Winsphere with them.
With a flash of light, the scenery around me changed.
A magnificent mansion came into view.
“Miss Walker, from here, that person over there will explain everything to you.”
“What about you, Mr. Roan?”
“Unfortunately, my role was only to bring you to Winsphere.”
“I see.”
“If you end up working here, you’ll be able to see me often, so don’t be too disappointed.”
“Then I suppose I’ll be seeing you often.”
I could say that because I had already made my decision before coming here.
At my words, the corners of Roan’s lips curved into a beautiful smile.
“I look forward to seeing you again.”
He shamelessly kissed the back of my hand.
When I pulled my hand back, Roan stepped away without hesitation.
Then he disappeared together with the mage who had brought us here.
I don’t know how long I stared in the direction they had disappeared when a tired voice reached my ears.
“Miss Walker?”
I turned around to see who it was.
A man with long brown hair tied into a single ponytail stood there. He wore glasses, and dark circles were clearly visible beneath his eyes.
“You came to review the contract, correct? My name is Bael, and I serve as His Grace the Duke of Winsphere’s aide.”
The moment I heard Bael’s name, I flinched.
In an Empire where people worshipped angels, there was a demon named Bael.
Not just any demon, either.
Bael, who was known as the King of Demons.
It was such a strange name for someone like the Bael standing before me, who had a generally gentle appearance despite looking extremely tired.
“Ahem. Nice to meet you, Mr. Bael.”
“Please feel free to call me Bael.”
“No, it’s fine. Once I stamp the contract, I’ll be working at Winsphere, so how could I casually call someone who will soon be my senior by his name?”
At the word senior, Bael looked disgusted and flinched.
His strange reaction made me tilt my head.
Seeing him shiver and rub his arms, I frowned.
Then I let out a short sigh and replied,
“If you don’t like me calling you Bael, I’ll call you Lord Bael.”
Bael’s expression became even more distorted.
Well, what else was I supposed to do?
I didn’t want to casually call someone I’d just met by their first name, so I simply shrugged.
I heard what sounded like him grinding his teeth, but Bael gave me a positive answer.
“…Mr. Bael. That’s a very good way to address me.”
“You’re very easy to talk to. Good.”
Bael shook his head as if he were already exhausted by me and walked away.
I shrugged once behind him and hurried after him.
We passed through the main entrance and headed toward the drawing room he was guiding me to.
During the entire journey, we didn’t meet a single other person.
Finding that strange, I asked Bael,
“I don’t see anyone else.”
“It’s nap time right now.”
“Nap… time?”
I opened my eyes wide at the bizarre answer.
When I asked again, Bael kindly explained.
“I said it’s nap time.”
I even rubbed my ear as if I had heard him incorrectly, but all I got in return was Bael’s serious gaze.
Seeing how calm he was, I let out an incredulous laugh.
‘Who takes a nap at their workplace?’
And what kind of employer actually allows that?
“There is nothing better for improving work efficiency.”
Bael adjusted his glasses with one finger and nodded.
“Ah, ha ha… I see. Winsphere has some really great employee benefits.”
I stopped myself from saying anything more.
If I kept talking, I felt like I would just stand there with my mouth hanging open at the ridiculous things I was hearing.
So I remained quiet and slowly looked around the hallway as we headed toward the drawing room.
And the more I looked around, the more certain I became that something was very strange about Winsphere.
So strange that I even wondered if I should run away right now.
“The sense of style is really…”
Terrible.
The colors didn’t match at all.
There were decorations that made me wonder why they were even there.
Even the paintings made me question the owner’s sense of aesthetics!
Normally, I would have continued my criticism in my head.
But this time, I couldn’t.
Bael’s shoulders were raised so high that they looked like they were about to touch the ceiling.
Thanks to that, I realized who was responsible for this interior design.
Bael cleared his throat several times before asking me, while trying to hide the corners of his twitching mouth,
“There are many wonderful works here, aren’t there? Each room has been decorated according to its own theme. If you stay at Winsphere, we’ll decorate your room according to your preferences as well.”
A tired-looking man speaking in an excited voice.
The contrast gave me serious cognitive dissonance.
Still, I did my best to respond positively and continued following him.
“It’s been a long time. We haven’t had a new human come in, so there hasn’t been any need to prepare a room for one. How many years has it been?”
My eyes narrowed at Bael’s muttering.
A human?
Bael continued maintaining this strange act, and I felt my mind becoming increasingly confused.
At the same time, I desperately wanted to get out of this peacock-like mansion.
Fortunately, we seemed to have reached the drawing room.
Bael announced,
“All right, we’re here. This is the place.”
As I looked into the open drawing room, I seriously wondered whether I had come to the wrong place.
The inside of the room was painted a vivid, blood-red color, making me instinctively frown.
Even the tea that was served was red like blood.
“Hmm.”
Even though I desperately needed the money, I was beginning to think that perhaps working in such a strange place wasn’t a good idea after all.
Before I could even sit down, I smiled brightly and opened my mouth.
“Um, Mr. Bael.”
“You’re very lucky, Miss Walker. Normally, it would take at least a week for your advance payment to be issued… but His Grace personally arranged for a check that could be issued immediately.”
“Can I sit here?”
Bael gestured toward a chair, and I obediently sat down.
Then I took a sip of the tea that I had found unsettling just moments ago.
“Now, please take a look at the contract.”
He slid a contract toward me.
“It will probably be the best terms you’ll ever find.”
I slowly turned through the thick contract and began reading.
The contract contained detailed information about the work I would be expected to do.
In summary, I would assist the Duke alongside Bael and, separately, manage the internal affairs of the Duke of Winsphere’s household.
‘But isn’t this normally the job of the lady of the household?’
