Daisy had a fleeting, bizarre thought—why had Maria, who was constantly rejected, suddenly been accepted for this job by the new mistress? But she quickly shrugged it off, thinking she was overanalyzing. The other woman, Daze, had also been picked up along with Maria.

Daisy had interrogated Daze before disguising herself as her, so she knew there was nothing particularly special about her identity, nor did Daze seem to hold any critical information. This must just be a fluke.

"But the little master has completely transformed into a different person. He didn’t even respond when the master asked him to treat her as his mother. And his aura—it was terrifying," Daisy shook her head and moved to her bed, lying down. "But in the end, it has nothing to do with us. I just hope our future here is peaceful and we don’t get entangled in any chaos."

She turned over on the bed, but a nagging thought lingered. Did it really have nothing to do with her? 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶

...

The next morning, Daisy woke up at 6, only to face an unexpected twist early in the day.

"You will be responsible for serving meals, and you should be present in the dining room," an older maid told her abruptly.

Daisy blinked, surprised. "But that’s not my job..."

"Your job is whatever I say it is. Don’t talk back," the older woman scowled before turning on her heel and leaving.

"Daze, I’m so sorry. This is my fault..." Maria rushed over, holding Daisy’s hand. "This was supposed to be my task. You were assigned to miscellaneous chores around the mansion, but now our jobs have switched because of the mistake I made yesterday."

Daisy sighed softly. She wasn’t pleased with the sudden change. She had been content with her previous assignment, which allowed her to explore the mansion and keep an eye on things in case something went wrong. The switch would disrupt her plan.

Initially, Daisy hadn’t intended to stay at the mansion long. Her goal was to get Ryle out of there if he was in trouble. If not, she’d stay to help him achieve his goal, whatever that might be, before they left together. But now, neither option seemed viable.

Ryle was staying willingly, and she had no clue how long he planned to stay. Regardless, Daisy knew she couldn’t afford to let her guard down. Everything felt calm, but it was that eerie calm that often preceded a storm.

"Stop worrying so much, Daze. You’re still shaken from yesterday’s incident, but try to see the bright side. Other sisters will be with you. You won’t have to do this job alone," Maria reassured her gently.

Daisy pulled herself out of her thoughts and nodded. "I hope you’re right..."

Maria smiled, though Daisy couldn’t fully shake her concerns.

Contrary to what one might expect, the breakfast table was anything but lively. Even with Ryle present, there were no warm father-son interactions. They acted like strangers. The Kingsley mansion exuded a cold, oppressive atmosphere—not the cold of an unheated room, but a kind that seeped into your bones, causing a subtle yet persistent discomfort.

After the maids served the food, they retreated a few steps and stood off to the side. Since entering the living room, Daisy had only met Ryle’s gaze once—he had spared her a fleeting glance before refocusing on his phone. When the food was served, he ate quietly, almost as though she wasn’t there.

Had their eyes not met briefly when she first came in, Daisy would have thought he hadn’t noticed her presence at all.

"So, what’s next?" Ryle’s indifferent voice cut through the stillness of the room.

Nathan looked at him. "What do you mean, son?"

"Your purpose," Ryle said, picking up his glass of juice and sipping slowly. His voice was bored, his words drawn out lazily. "You’ve been calling me here for a while now. If you don’t need anything from me, I’ll take my leave."

"Are you really so eager to go?" Nathan frowned. "Even after coming back after so long?"

Ryle sighed softly. "It’s not that I want to leave, but... this place is disgusting." He took another bite of his food, chewing slowly before continuing. "Once or twice is fine, but I’d get nauseous if I had to eat with you every day."

The entire room seemed to freeze, a palpable chill hanging in the air. Everyone went silent. The servants turned pale, visibly trembling at the tension that had filled the space, anticipating their master’s reaction.

"How cute," a soft chuckle suddenly broke the silence, cutting through the heavy atmosphere. The sound made Daisy freeze where she stood. Until now, her emotions had remained steady—not when Ryle openly humiliated his father in front of everyone, nor when all the others looked as if they were on the verge of collapse—but now, a faint trace of paleness crossed her face.

It took Daisy a moment to process what was happening, then her head snapped up. The maids standing nearby tugged at the corner of her apron, silently urging her to keep her head down.

The servants were trained to keep their heads lowered in front of their masters. But in that moment when Daisy had looked up, she had forgotten everything about her disguise. She felt like in the grand living room of the Kingsley Mansion, it was just her and the person she was looking at.

It was just Daisy and the Si Yena who was descending the stairs, giggling and swaying, unserious and charming. The woman whom Daisy had once trusted with her life, her Angel. The woman who was supposed to be dead was descending the stairs right in front of her.

Throughout the process, Ryle had not looked at Daisy even once but his attention had never swayed from her. With every bite of the food he ate, with every time he lifted the glass of juice to his mouth, when he looked at his phone, checked his watch, with every movement, he would take a glimpse of her from the corner of his eyes.