Six-year-old Greg trotted over on his short little legs, stopping right in front of the bald thug. He looked up, and in a childish yet surprisingly authoritative voice, he spoke:
“Aren’t you ashamed of yourselves? All of you, bullying an old man and a little girl?”
The bald thug looked down at the tiny kid who barely reached his waist. He blinked in surprise before bursting into a loud laugh.
“Hahaha! Where did this little noble brat come from? Are you even weaned yet? Run along home to your mama! We’ve got the City Lord backing us—”
“My name is Greg Sass,” Greg interrupted. “Duke Sass is my father!”
“...”
The laughter died instantly.
The bald thug’s expression froze. If it were just some minor noble, he wouldn’t have been afraid, but Duke Sass was one of the most powerful figures in the northern part of the kingdom. He commanded a massive army, and even the royal family treated him with the utmost respect.
As a local thug who relied on a mere City Lord, he didn't even have the right to look the Duke in the eye, let alone provoke his son. Sweat began to bead on his forehead, and his voice turned into a stammer. “Th-This... so it’s the young master of the House of Sass... a misunderstanding, this is all a misunderstanding...”
“Since it’s a misunderstanding, can you get lost now?” Greg crossed his arms over his chest.
“And don’t you ever come near this orphanage again. If I find out you’ve come back to bully them—I’ll have you all locked up.”
The bald thug nodded and bowed repeatedly, leading his group of lackeys as they scurried away, not even daring to look back.
Six-year-old Greg watched them disappear around the street corner before letting out a sigh of relief. He turned back to look at Allie and the director, who were still standing there in a daze. A sunny smile spread across his face. “It’s okay now. They’re gone.”
Allie stared blankly at the boy, who was a full head shorter than her. A feeling she had never experienced before welled up in her heart.
She had seen too much of the ugliness of the world and too many bastards who preyed on the weak. But this was the first time—the very first time—that someone had stood up for her and driven away the bad guys when she needed help the most. And that person was a child even younger than her.
As someone who had survived on the streets for a long time, Allie didn’t allow herself to simply accept such a favor without repayment. She wanted to give something back, even though she had nothing to her name.
“...”
Allie remained silent for a moment before walking up to Greg. She lowered her head and spoke with a serious tone, “Thank you for saving us. I have nothing to give you in return... so, let me be your maid.”
Greg blinked, then shook his head without hesitation. “No thanks. That sounds like a lot of trouble, and I already have plenty of maids at home.”
Allie’s expression froze instantly.
Her eyes turned hollow and dark in a split second, and an bone-chilling aura began to radiate from her. She slowly lifted her head, her voice sounding as if it were rising from the depths of an abyss. “...What did you just say?”
Greg was startled by her sudden change in intensity and instinctively took a step back. “I—I said no—”
But before he could finish, Allie moved.
She lunged at Greg like a bolt of lightning. One of the escort knights tried to intercept her, but because he underestimated her, she took him down with a single kick. Then, Allie reached Greg and grabbed him by the collar, asking in an icy tone:
“Now, are you willing to let me be your maid?”
“...”
Greg stared at the scene in wide-eyed shock, his small face a mask of pure terror.
Seeing this, the other knights drew their swords, and the children from the orphanage squeezed their eyes shut in fear. In the midst of the chaos, the white-haired butler, Sebas, stepped forward. He observed Allie for a moment before nodding slightly, speaking in a calm and wise tone:
“Young Master Greg, this young lady possesses exceptional talent. With proper training, she will undoubtedly become a capable assistant for you in the future. I suggest you take her in.”
Greg looked like he was about to burst into tears. “I don’t want to! She’s scary!”
But Sebas had already turned to Allie with a smile. “Young lady, welcome to the House of Sass. From today on, you shall be our young master’s trainee maid.”
Greg’s jaw dropped. “!?”
Allie nodded and finally released Greg’s collar. Greg slumped to the ground, clutching his head, feeling as though his life was destined for misfortune from that moment on.
Soon, Allie packed her meager belongings. When she walked out of the orphanage gates, she found a crowd waiting for her.
The director stood at the front, with all the children behind him; even a few familiar neighbors had come to see her off. The director stepped forward, leaned down, and gave her a gentle hug. The old man’s embrace was warm and trembling, his voice thick with emotion.
“Take good care of yourself over there. Don’t go picking fights over every little thing. Learn to be patient.”
Allie was silent for a moment before whispering, “...Okay.”
She then turned to the children. A four-year-old girl was tugging at the hem of her dress, her eyes brimming with tears. “Sister Allie, are you leaving? Will you come back to see us?”
Allie knelt down, reached out to wipe the tears from the girl’s face, and spoke with a rare gentleness. “I will. And I’ll make sure no one ever dares to bully you again!”
The children nodded, some already beginning to sob. Allie stood up, gave them one last long look, then turned and walked toward the carriage parked by the road.
Greg was standing by the carriage, watching her say goodbye. His small face held a complex expression. He opened his mouth as if to say something, but ultimately just turned his head away and muttered:
“Once you become a regular maid, you’ll get a monthly salary. You can use it to buy things for them then.”
Allie saw his awkwardness, and the corners of her mouth twitched upward slightly. She hopped into the carriage, and with the driver’s shout, the vehicle slowly began to move down the street.
Allie leaned out of the window, watching the peeling paint of the orphanage’s wooden door grow smaller and smaller until it finally vanished around the corner.
Her days as a trainee maid were arguably the most difficult period of her life. She was certainly good at fighting, but housework was an entirely different matter.
She broke seven plates, burned three pots of soup, scrubbed a hole into an expensive shirt while doing laundry, and knocked books off the shelves all over the floor while cleaning...
Because of her formidable combat prowess, even the head maid didn’t dare to scold her. Yet, the fact that she was so useless frustrated her. And every time she was in a bad mood, she would go find Greg to release her pent-up irritation.
For instance, she would suddenly appear hanging upside down outside his window while he was concentrating on a book, giving him a massive fright. Or she would sneak into his room while he was sleeping and blow air into his ear. Sometimes, she would just stand behind him with a expressionless face while he ate, staring at him until he couldn't even swallow his food.
Every time she saw Greg’s reaction to her antics, Allie’s mood would miraculously improve. By relying on this method of “building her happiness on Greg’s suffering,” she managed to endure that grueling probationary period and eventually became Greg’s personal maid.
Since then, she had remained by his side, watching him grow from a doll-like little boy into the handsome young man he was today.
Allie’s thoughts returned from her memories to the present. She looked down at Greg, who was lying on her lap, and an involuntary, tender smile appeared on her lips. She reached out and gently pinched his cheek.
She realized that, at first, she might have only seen Greg as someone she owed a debt to, or a little brother who dared to ignore her. But over their ten years together, those feelings had unknowingly changed.
When she learned he had an adopted sister at age nine, she felt a sense of unease for the first time—a fear that she would be replaced. When he got a fiancée at age twelve, she felt an inexplicable sense of irritation and dislike. And when his engagement was broken at age sixteen, she felt such intense rage that she had rushed straight to the royal capital.
Every shift in her emotions seemed to revolve around Greg. And now, what she wanted most was for this boy to be free from his long-standing loneliness and find true happiness.
“I was the one who wanted to repay the favor, but now I’ve ended up owing even more...” she complained softly, her voice filled with infinite tenderness.
“You really are a foolish young master.”
She slowly leaned down, lowering her head, and with practiced ease, she pressed her lips against the boy’s slightly parted mouth as he slept. The kiss was light and soft, like a feather landing on a petal, carrying a deep affection she had cherished for a long time.
She didn't close her eyes. Instead, she quietly watched his peaceful sleeping face, as if trying to engrave this moment into her memory forever.
Rate on N.U.
