It had only been three hours since my new life under Princess Seraphina began.

  Three. Short. Hours.

  And I was already questioning every choice that led me here.

  I wiped the sweat off my forehead with my sleeve, dragging a heavy golden wardrobe across her room while Boris (the dog) barked at me like a drill sergeant and the macaw kept yelling random insults.

  "LOSER!" the macaw screeched.

  "WEAKLING!"

  “Traitorous parrot,” I muttered under my breath.

  Meanwhile, Seraphina sat casually on a velvet chair, sipping tea with her pinky up like a full royal villain. She didn’t even pretend to help.

  If anything, she occasionally pointed at random objects just to make me suffer more.

  “Move that statue an inch to the left.”

  “Now an inch to the right.”

  “Oops, back to the left again~”

  Every second stretched longer than the last, and somewhere deep inside me, a dangerous thought took root:

  Was money even worth this?

  I remembered the hiring poster I first saw.

  It was all glitz and glamor: "Earn 100,000 gold a month! Easy job! Serve royalty!"

  EASY??

  I nearly dislocated my shoulder trying to lift a lamp!

  I collapsed on the floor, arms spread wide, staring at the grand ceiling above.

  The chandeliers seemed to spin mockingly as I lost what little strength I had left.

  And that's when it hit me —

  Like a dramatic anime flashback, all gloomy and black-and-white:

  Money ruins everything.

  I imagined my past self, fresh and na?ve, happily signing that cursed contract.

  “Ooooh, 100,000 gold! I’ll be rich!”

  What a fool.

  A beautiful, dumb, fool.

  I sat up dramatically, clenching my fist to the sky.

  “No amount of money is worth my dignity!!” I declared to no one.

  Find this and other great novels on the author's preferred platform. Support original creators!

  Boris tilted his head.

  The macaw coughed awkwardly.

  Seraphina, across the room, just raised an eyebrow.

  “Are you done monologuing?”

  I slowly got up, dusted myself off, and somehow found the strength to keep going.

  Even if I had to crawl, I wasn’t going to give her the satisfaction of seeing me give up!

  NOT TODAY!

  ---

  Later that evening... things took a strange turn.

  While organizing her library — aka, a monstrous mountain of books taller than me — I started mimicking her out of sheer, rebellious boredom.

  She walked past me with her usual haughty air, hands on hips, nose up in the air.

  I waited until her back was turned...

  Then, copying her exact posture, I strutted behind her like a dramatic penguin.

  Hands on hips, chin up, exaggerated steps.

  She spun around suddenly.

  Caught in the act.

  I froze mid-walk, one leg raised awkwardly in the air.

  We stared at each other.

  Her golden eyes widened for a moment — just a tiny moment — and then...

  A faint pink dusted her cheeks.

  She looked away, coughing into her hand, pretending it never happened.

  "Hmph! I have better things to do than watch you... act like a moron."

  But I saw it.

  I saw that blush!

  Victory tasted sweet.

  ---

  It became... a habit after that.

  Every time she acted all royal and dramatic — flipping her hair, crossing her arms, rolling her eyes —

  I'd sneakily do the exact same thing behind her.

  Exaggerated. Ridiculous. Full of dramatic anime energy.

  Sometimes she'd catch me and stomp her foot like a kid.

  Other times...

  She'd get flustered, hiding her smile behind a fake scowl.

  “Idiot,” she'd mutter, cheeks slightly pink.

  (Which, honestly, made her look way less scary and a lot cuter.)

  And somehow, without me realizing it...

  The gap between us started to shrink.

  Maybe she wasn’t a terrifying boss monster after all.

  Maybe... just maybe... she was a normal girl too.

  A chaotic, bratty, royal girl.

  Still crazy though.

  Absolutely crazy.

  But...

  Maybe I could survive this.

  Maybe.

  If the llama didn’t kill me first.