"Your primary responsibility will be to accompany the young lady and keep her company."
"You will also assist with keeping her room and study clean."
"As long as you perform your duties properly and follow the household rules, you shouldn't have any problems."
The head maid spoke in a stern but professional tone as she led Hancock through the corridors of the enormous manor.
The residence belonged to the Roselith Family, an ancient lineage of World Nobles whose influence within the Holy Land had existed for generations.
Unlike Saint Casrot's manor, the atmosphere here was strangely quiet.
There were guards stationed throughout the estate, but they did not behave like the cruel men Hancock had become accustomed to seeing.
The servants moved efficiently through the corridors.
No one shouted.
No one laughed at the suffering of slaves.
No one openly displayed the kind of depravity Hancock had witnessed during her imprisonment.
Yet the Seastone collar around her neck remained an undeniable reminder that she was still a prisoner of the World Nobles.
"You will not enter the young lady's private chambers without my permission."
The head maid stopped and turned toward Hancock.
"I'll repeat that rule so there is no misunderstanding."
"The young lady's bedroom, personal study, and certain other areas of the manor are private."
"You may enter them only when your duties require it."
"Do you understand?"
Hancock immediately nodded.
"Yes."
Only then did she realize something.
She had misunderstood Victor's intentions.
She had believed that he intended to take her away as a personal possession.
Instead…
She had been brought here to serve as a maid.
A maid assigned to the daughter of a Celestial Dragon.
The young lady of the Roselith Family.
Hancock quietly lowered her eyes.
So I'm not going to be his concubine…
That was a relief.
But it also raised another question.
Who exactly was this young lady?
The head maid continued walking.
"The young lady spends a considerable amount of time in her study."
"I'll take you there now."
"You can begin by cleaning it."
"I was informed that you already have some experience with household chores."
"Yes."
Hancock nodded.
"Usually, the young lady takes a walk through the garden around this time."
"So if you complete your work according to the schedule, you probably won't encounter her immediately."
The head maid gave Hancock a stern look.
"I want you to remember something."
"The young lady's comfort comes first."
"Her belongings must be handled carefully."
"Her books must be returned to their original positions."
"And you must never move anything simply because you believe another arrangement would be better."
"Understood?"
"Yes."
Hancock nodded again.
Although the head maid's strict attitude surprised her, she could understand it.
This was the residence of a Celestial Dragon.
One mistake could cost an ordinary servant her life.
However, Hancock had another concern.
She had not seen her sisters since being taken away from Saint Casrot's manor.
She had no idea where Sandersonia and Marigold had been taken.
As their older sister, she couldn't stop worrying about them.
"Head Maid…"
The head maid stopped walking.
"Call me Head Maid."
"Yes, Head Maid."
Hancock hesitated before asking her question.
"Where are my sisters?"
"Mary and Sanda."
"They were taken away with me."
"I haven't seen them since we left Saint Casrot's manor."
The head maid's expression remained cold.
"Don't concern yourself with matters outside your assigned duties."
"But…"
"They are under Saint Victor's arrangements."
"That's all you need to know."
Hancock's hands tightened.
She wanted to ask more.
But she immediately understood that pressing the matter would accomplish nothing.
"Yes…"
The head maid looked toward the Seastone collar around Hancock's neck.
"Don't misunderstand your position."
"Not everyone is qualified to serve the young lady."
"If Master Victor had not specifically ordered that you be employed, someone of unknown origin would never have been permitted to enter this household."
She paused.
"Your appearance is the only reason Master Victor considered you suitable to serve the young lady."
Hancock lowered her head.
"I understand."
She hated hearing those words.
She hated being judged as an object.
Yet she had learned to endure such humiliation.
As long as she could remain close to her sisters…
She could endure a little longer.
And so Hancock settled into Roselith Manor.
The first few days were spent learning the household's routines.
The maids taught her how to clean the enormous rooms.
They showed her where every piece of furniture belonged.
They explained how the young lady preferred her books arranged.
They taught Hancock which flowers were changed each morning and which ones were left untouched.
They even instructed her on the proper way to prepare tea.
As the young lady's assigned maid, Hancock needed to understand her habits and preferences.
The young lady liked quiet places.
The young lady enjoyed flowers.
The young lady loved reading.
The young lady disliked unnecessary noise.
The young lady often spent hours inside her study.
Hancock carefully memorized every detail.
However, there was one strange problem.
Her cleaning schedule rarely coincided with the young lady's movements.
Whenever Hancock entered the study, the young lady was elsewhere.
Whenever Hancock finished cleaning the bedroom, the young lady had already left.
Whenever she passed through the garden, she was told that the young lady had only just returned inside.
For several days, Hancock never actually saw the person she had been assigned to serve.
It made her increasingly curious.
What kind of person is she?
Is she cruel like the other Celestial Dragons?
Or…
Is she different?
Hancock didn't know.
One afternoon, she entered the young lady's study.
The room was enormous.
Shelves covered almost every wall.
There were hundreds of books.
Some were ordinary novels and histories.
Others appeared to be rare texts that Hancock had never seen before.
Several beautifully bound volumes looked old enough to have been passed down through generations.
Hancock couldn't help staring.
The books were exquisite.
She had never lived in a place where so many books could be found in one room.
She slowly wiped the dust from one of the shelves.
Then her eyes fell upon a particularly beautiful book.
Her curiosity won.
She carefully picked it up.
She looked around.
No one was there.
Hancock hesitated.
Then she opened the book.
She had barely read a few lines when a soft voice came from behind her.
"You like books too?"
Hancock froze.
Her heart jumped.
She immediately turned around.
A young woman stood quietly behind her.
Her long silver-white hair cascaded over her shoulders.
She wore a pristine white dress without excessive decoration.
Her features were delicate and almost unreal.
Her pale complexion gave her the appearance of a porcelain doll.
But the most striking thing about her face was her closed eyes.
She was blind.
Hancock hurriedly closed the book.
"No."
The answer came too quickly.
She placed the book back where she had found it.
The head maid had specifically warned her not to touch the young lady's personal books without permission.
"I'm sorry."
The white-haired girl tilted her head slightly.
"Are you new here?"
Hancock's expression became nervous.
"Yes."
"I'm a newly transferred maid."
"I'm responsible for cleaning the young lady's rooms and study."
The girl remained silent for a moment.
Then a faint smile appeared on her lips.
"Oh."
"Me too."
Hancock blinked.
"You're a maid too?"
The white-haired girl smiled mischievously.
"Yes."
"I'm new here as well."
Something about her tone felt strange.
Hancock didn't know why.
She simply assumed the girl was another servant.
"So…"
The white-haired girl tilted her head.
"What kind of person do you think our young lady is?"
Hancock froze.
Our young lady?
The girl was asking about her master.
Hancock immediately became nervous.
What kind of person?
I've never even seen the young lady.
How am I supposed to know?
She swallowed.
"She's…"
"She's probably a quiet person."
The white-haired girl's smile disappeared.
"Quiet?"
"Yes."
Hancock nodded awkwardly.
"She seems like the kind of person who enjoys being alone."
There was a brief silence.
"You're lying."
Hancock's heart skipped a beat.
She immediately realized that her answer had been too obvious.
"No…"
"I…"
The girl smiled again.
"I can tell."
Hancock stared at her.
How?
The girl had her eyes closed.
Could she actually see?
No.
That was impossible.
Hancock's expression became increasingly confused.
"I'm sorry."
"I've never actually met the young lady."
The truth finally came out.
"I've only been told about her by the other maids."
The white-haired girl immediately became interested.
"I see."
"So you don't know what she's really like."
"No."
Hancock shook her head.
"I'm sorry."
The white-haired girl smiled.
"That's actually quite interesting."
For someone who had spent so much time isolated inside Roselith Manor, encountering a person who didn't recognize her identity was surprisingly refreshing.
She had spent years surrounded by servants who treated her according to her status.
Everyone knew who she was.
Everyone knew she was the young lady of the Roselith Family.
Everyone behaved carefully around her.
But this new maid didn't.
She genuinely had no idea who she was.
That made her curious.
The young woman slowly stepped closer.
Hancock remained still.
Then the girl raised her hand.
Her delicate fingers moved toward Hancock's face.
Hancock instinctively stepped backward.
But the girl's fingertips gently touched her cheek.
"What are you doing?"
Hancock's body stiffened.
She immediately caught the girl's wrist and moved her hand away.
The white-haired girl blinked.
"What's your name?"
Her tone remained gentle.
"My name is Hancock."
Hancock continued staring at her.
She couldn't understand this girl at all.
How could someone behave so casually toward a stranger?
Even if she was beautiful…
She shouldn't simply touch someone's face without permission.
The white-haired girl seemed to realize that she had made Hancock uncomfortable.
"I'm sorry."
"I shouldn't have done that without asking."
Hancock remained silent.
The girl continued.
"My name is Saint Roselith Seraphina."
"I am the young lady of this manor."
Hancock's eyes widened.
"What?"
She finally understood.
The girl standing before her wasn't another maid.
She was the very person she had been assigned to serve.
Saint Roselith Seraphina.
A member of the Roselith Family.
A Celestial Dragon.
The young lady Victor had spoken about.
And she was blind.
Seraphina smiled gently.
"As you can see…"
"My eyes don't work."
"I'm blind."
"So I cannot see your face."
"To remember what someone looks like, I sometimes rely on touch."
"But I should have explained that before touching you."
"I'm sorry."
Her apology was sincere.
There was no arrogance in her voice.
No anger.
No contempt.
Hancock stared at her.
This was a Celestial Dragon.
Yet…
She had apologized to a slave.
Hancock didn't know how to react.
"I'm sorry."
"I should be the one apologizing."
She quickly released Seraphina's hand.
"I didn't realize you were blind."
Seraphina smiled.
"It's fine."
Hancock hesitated.
Then, remembering how genuinely apologetic Seraphina seemed, she slowly reached forward.
She gently took Seraphina's hand.
"It's okay."
"You can touch me."
Seraphina's expression softened.
"Really?"
"Yes."
"Go ahead."
Hancock carefully guided Seraphina's fingers toward her face.
The young woman slowly touched Hancock's cheek.
She traced the outline of her face gently, committing the features to memory through touch.
Seraphina wasn't using Observation Haki to "see" Hancock.
She couldn't literally perceive Hancock's face through Haki.
Her Observation Haki allowed her to sense presences and perceive things within her range, but it did not restore ordinary eyesight or create a visual image of another person's face.
Moreover, she had already exhausted the amount of Observation Haki she could comfortably use that day.
For Seraphina, touch remained the simplest and most reliable way to remember someone's physical features.
"Your face is very delicate."
Seraphina smiled.
"Your hair is long too."
Hancock's cheeks became slightly red.
"Yes."
Seraphina gently moved her fingers away.
"Now I'll remember you."
Hancock stared at the blind young woman.
There was something strangely comforting about her.
She wasn't like Saint Casrot.
She wasn't like the Celestial Dragons who had treated Hancock and her sisters as possessions.
She seemed genuinely curious about the world around her.
And, for some reason, she seemed lonely.
Hancock suddenly remembered Victor's words.
"My daughter has been gloomy lately."
"Perhaps she needs someone her own age."
Could this be why Victor brought me here?
Was I brought here to become her companion?
Hancock didn't know.
But for the first time since leaving Casrot's manor…
She felt a faint sense of uncertainty that wasn't entirely filled with fear.
Seraphina turned her head slightly.
"Miss Hancock."
"Yes?"
"Would you like to help me with something?"
"What is it?"
Seraphina smiled.
"I want to know what the garden looks like today."
Hancock blinked.
"The garden?"
"Yes."
"Since I can't see it…"
"Would you describe it to me?"
Hancock looked at the young woman in front of her.
Then, after a moment of hesitation, she smiled faintly.
"Of course."
Seraphina's smile became brighter.
"Thank you."
✦ [SYSTEM] ✦
[SYSTEM: Relationship Update]
[Target Identified: Saint Roselith Seraphina]
[Relationship: Newly Acquainted]
[Current Assessment: Unknown]
[Observation Haki: Temporarily Exhausted]
[Warning: Observation Haki does not restore ordinary eyesight.]
[Warning: Kenbunshoku Haki should not be confused with visual perception.]
[Hancock's Current Condition: Severely Malnourished]
[Seastone Restraints: Active]
[Current Objective: Protect Sandersonia and Marigold]
[Secondary Objective: Remain within Roselith Manor]
[New Variable Detected: Saint Roselith Seraphina]
[System Analysis: The probability of future interaction between Hancock and Saint Roselith Seraphina is extremely high.]
✦ [SYSTEM] ✦
Hancock looked toward the closed eyes of the white-haired girl.
She didn't know what the future held.
She didn't know whether this manor would truly become a safer place.
She didn't know whether she would ever escape the Holy Land.
And she certainly didn't know whether she could trust a Celestial Dragon.
But one thing had already changed.
For the first time in a very long time…
Someone had spoken to her without treating her like an object.
And that person was the blind young lady of the Roselith Family.
Saint Roselith Seraphina.
WE ARE CURRENTLY ON CHAPTER 207 ON PATREON.
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