The Castle’s Employees
“Isn’t this place really a dream job?”
It was only my first day, yet both my mind and body felt remarkably refreshed—honestly, even more so than when I’d spent entire days at home just reading books.
Most importantly, my biggest worry hadn’t come to pass. Despite working all day in the library, Kalz hadn’t shown even a hint of himself. I’d fully expected him to drop by and scrutinize every little thing I did, but he never appeared. Perhaps Butler Squawk was right; maybe Kalz really was a generous employer to his staff.
“Well, that’s good. At this rate, lasting two years will be a piece of cake.”
That night.
I had a vivid dream where I triumphantly stormed home and demanded Father immediately hand over the Merchant Guild rights.
But reality promptly shattered that optimistic fantasy the very next day.
“This is Marianne, who is in charge of cleaning the mansion. And this is Briel, who started yesterday.”
“Nice to meet you!”
“…”
“Then I’ll leave you two to it. Good luck today.”
After Butler Squawk finished introductions and left, I found myself face-to-face with a rabbit wearing a purple dress and a white apron. A very cute rabbit at that.
Yes, it was definitely the fluffball I’d met before.
I completely forgot about this.
My mind spun chaotically, but I quickly flashed a harmless smile, trying to seem friendly.
“Hello, Miss Marianne…?”
—*!!
Ah. So it was possible for such a cute face to radiate such intense hostility. Her freezing glare clearly spelled out, ‘Who do you think you are, calling my name so casually?’
“…I mean, Sunbae.”
“…”
“Hahaha…”
Only then did Marianne finally lower her head, smacking the basket of cleaning supplies firmly with her paw before turning away. Without a word, she started walking, presumably expecting me to follow.
I quietly picked up the basket and followed her cautiously. Unlike yesterday, today’s work atmosphere felt unbearably tense, but I had no room to complain. The reason was painfully obvious.
If this mansion followed the original story, everyone inside—including the Beast—was undoubtedly under a magical curse. Unless Marianne was historically a common male name, or the dress was specifically tailored for rabbit anatomy regardless of gender, Marianne was almost certainly a woman transformed into a rabbit.
Ugh. Dear God, please forgive my reckless hands for thoughtlessly petting an unknown rabbit…
Gender aside, anyone would be furious if a stranger started randomly touching them in their sleep. It would be saintly not to get angry.
So, right now, the best thing to do was to stay humble and submissive. A clumsy apology might give the impression I was making light of the situation. Eventually, a genuine opportunity to apologize would come naturally.
Without once glancing back, Marianne stopped in front of a second-floor hallway window. She pulled a dry cloth from the basket and began wiping the glass.
So adorable…!
Seeing her short ears flap while she hopped up and down to clean the window was ridiculously cute. But clearly, with her size, reaching the upper portion was nearly impossible. I quickly took the hint and grabbed another cloth.
“I’ll handle the top part.”
“…”
She didn’t reply, but since she didn’t stop me, it seemed like permission. The window was quite high even for me, so I fetched a chair from a nearby room.
I climbed onto the chair, stretching out to vigorously clean the top of the glass.
“Huh? What’s this?”
Instead of becoming cleaner, the window grew dirtier. Confused, I checked the cloth and found it smeared with something oily and black. I’d unknowingly smeared it all over the glass.
“I-I’m so sorry, this—”
—GLARE.
“Eek!”
As I stumbled through my apology, Marianne’s eyes flashed dangerously at me.
Right. Even the cutest animal became terrifying if more whites showed in their eyes than pupils. I’d never known that before—and frankly, I wished I could’ve gone my whole life without finding out.
“I’m truly sorry! I’ll clean it right away—”
—SMACK!
Flustered, I quickly searched for another clean cloth. But then Marianne set down the one she’d been holding. From the basket, she took out a small glass bottle and placed it beside the cloth.
—Nod, nod.
She gestured meaningfully between the cloth and the window, then promptly disappeared down the opposite corridor. Was she trying to say, “I’ll handle other things, you fix the window”?
“Ugh, I was supposed to impress her, and now I’ve already messed things up.”
A deep sigh escaped me, but I couldn’t just give up. Fortunately, when I soaked the cloth with the liquid Marianne had provided, the black stains gradually faded away. Completely absorbed in restoring the glass to a spotless shine, I didn’t notice someone approaching behind me.
“Who cleans a window so crudely?”
“Ah!”
The sudden, deep voice startled me so badly that I spun around—and promptly lost my balance.
I’m falling!
Squeezing my eyes shut, I braced for impact, expecting pain and flashing stars. Instead, I felt nothing but a gentle, secure sensation.
“…?”
Confused, I opened my eyes. A solid, muscular wall completely filled my vision. Wait—wasn’t this chest a little too close?
I raised my head cautiously. The Beast’s face hovered above, his usually stern eyes widened slightly in surprise. Our eyes met briefly, and he quickly replaced the shocked expression with one of irritation.
“…What exactly are you doing?”
Wait, this position… wasn’t this straight out of a cheesy romantic-comedy drama finale?
“Ah!”
Realizing the awkward situation, I sprang upright like a toy soldier, while Kalz simultaneously withdrew his supporting hand.
Incredible. Had he really caught me with just one arm—and so gently, as if catching me on a mattress?
Was that even physically possible?
I wasn’t exactly muscular, sure, but I was still an adult man of average build. Could someone seriously pull off such a feat?
Clearly, my first impression had been accurate.
Wow, the Beast’s muscles are something else.
As I stood there dumbfounded, Kalz spoke up, loud enough for me to hear clearly.
“You boasted so confidently about your work skills, yet you’re causing this much fuss cleaning a single window?”
“That’s because you…!”
“You?”
“No—I mean, because you startled me, Kalz-nim.”
“So now it’s my fault? You’re truly gifted at blaming others.”
What a jerk.
He really didn’t give me a chance to feel gratitude. Although he was the reason I’d fallen in the first place, he’d undeniably saved me from serious injury. Breaking a bone would’ve been a huge inconvenience. I couldn’t let this slide without at least a small thank-you, purely for my own peace of mind.
“Anyway, thank you for catching me.”
“Huh? Ah, mm. Right.”
I understood he was probably startled by my sincerity, but did he really have to reply so awkwardly? Now I felt even more embarrassed. Perhaps sensing the mood, Kalz hastily changed the topic.
“So, is this the window you cleaned?”
“Just this side. The other side still needs to be done.”
“Let’s see…”
He scrutinized the glass with the meticulous intensity of an auctioneer inspecting valuable antiques. Pretending indifference, I picked up the dropped cloth, but inside, I felt incredibly nervous. It should be fine, right? I’d cleaned it thoroughly.
Finally, Kalz turned from the window to face me. The slight lift at the corners of his mouth—did that mean it passed inspection?
“How is it?”
“You really have to ask? It’s terrible. All these streaks make it look like a spotted cow.”
“What? Where exactly?”
“Here, and here. The transparency is completely uneven. And over there—look at those cloth marks. Do it again.”
As if he’d been eagerly awaiting the chance, Kalz immediately began pointing out flaws here and there with his thick finger. I desperately wanted to bite off that irritating finger, but what choice did I have? If the employer demanded it, I had no option but to obey.
“Yes, yes, understood.”
After leaving behind one final critique, the Beast disappeared down the hall. Left alone, I couldn’t help but grumble quietly.
“What’s the use of all those muscles if your heart’s smaller than a pea? Always nitpicking over nothing. Honestly, what difference is there between my window and Marianne’s… Oh.”
On closer inspection, Marianne’s window gleamed brilliantly, like crystal-clear mountain water. In contrast, mine wasn’t exactly dirty, but it resembled murky river water instead.
“Wow… Sunbaes really are on another level.”
If Marianne could achieve such perfection with her tiny paws, I had no excuse left. Fine, if it was possible, I’d master it. Rolling up my sleeves with newfound determination, I gripped the cloth tightly.
In the end, I spent the entire day cleaning windows. When Marianne came to find me as the sun set, she sighed quietly at the many unfinished windows. That small sigh pierced my heart more painfully than any of Kalz’s sharp critiques.
I’ve never been told I’m bad at my job before…
If I’d known this would happen, I wouldn’t have refused my friend’s invitation to clean skyscraper windows together in my past life. At least then I could’ve avoided this humiliation.
