A Villainess pulled out the Sword instead of the Hero.

 

‘A graceful gait. She’s been taught manners’,

Cecilia thought inwardly.

 

Tea poured in silence. It’s definitely elegant.

 

Cecilia drank her tea deliberately, then pretended to collapse.

 “Ack, po, poison…!” 

She collapsed in a frenzy, then opened her eyes to check on Morgana.

 

‘She’s quiet, when I’d rather see her freak out.’

 

Most people in this situation would cry or seek out a priest. She was lucky if she could call a guard. Many ran away for fear of being accused.

 

Cecilia was about to regret it,

‘She’s frozen, I expected too much.’

 

Morgana helped her to her feet, gesturing at the other applicants.

 “You, please call for the priest, and the other applicants, please ask the gardener to get us some frothy grass with leaves about the size of a finger, it’s easy to find!” 

Cecilia, in Morgana’s arms, was silent.

 

‘She’s not afraid to give orders, and she’s quick to follow through.’

 

Cecilia coughed loudly and stood up. Dabbing at the corner of her mouth with a handkerchief, she asked steadfastly.

 “What kind of grass did you tell me to get?” “It’s a herb called cardamom. When mixed with rosemary tea, it slows the absorption of toxins, though only temporarily.” “Do you know how to work with herbs?” “Tenuously, yes.” 

Cecilia didn’t bother to look back.

 

The perfect maid for Guinevere she had been searching for was now in front of her.

  

The interview was easier.

 “What does candidate 3002 think of the Royal House of Britain?” “The true masters of the continent, designated by the Oracle, the glory of the one and only Sun, and the brilliant future lies here, in the Royal House of Britain!” 

She exclaimed determinedly, clenching her fists, and the butler who was interviewing her clapped his hands in fascination.

 

Deanna glared at Morgana through clenched teeth.

 

She felt sick to her stomach thinking,

 ’Morgana had been a rascal in the slums, and here she was being treated as a faithful maid to the glory of Britain.’

 

Seeing a good person succeed was enough to make her sick to her stomach, but seeing a bad person succeed in such a way was killing her.

 

It was enough to make a whale of a scream within the kingdom.

 

She hadn’t seen her for a while, so she assumed she’d been dragged away by some noble.

 

Being a royal maid was a better position to meet nobles than any other job.

 

It was a rare opportunity to make such connections.

 

‘If I’m lucky, I might fall in love with someone with a title.’

 

Even if not, if she could finish the job with a letter of recommendation, she wouldn’t have to worry about finding a job in the future.

 

But not Morgana, at least not as she knew her.

 

Deanna chewed her lip hard,

‘Isn’t it a little disrespectful of the royal family to take advantage of a weapons dealer’s son just because she’s a little pretty?’

 

The final assessment for a character interview.

 

The Butler handed out a piece of paper to the candidates and said,

“Of the people interviewed, including yourself, I want you to write down whom you recommend and who you disapprove of. Be sure to be thorough with your reasons.” 

Deanna’s jaw dropped as she took the slip of paper.

 

She wondered how she was going to let the higher-ups know about Morgana’s character. It hadn’t been given to her like this.

 

There must be a process to weed out those with bad reputations.

 

Deanna filled in the blanks as if waiting.

 「In royal circles, Morgana was known as a woman who bossed people around and seduced men. If she were to enter the palace, she would surely wreak havoc with several men. That’s why I don’t recommend her.」 I

 scribbled my name on the recommendation.

 

The servant took the slip of paper in turn and held it out to the butler.

 

The butler, his monocle still in his hand, stared at the paper in silence.

 

After a few moments, he looked at the paper again and spoke solemnly.

 “Of these, three shall be accepted. You may return the rest.” 

Deanna was confident. An old acquaintance of the Count’s had told her he would recommend her.

 

She knew the test and had even prepared for it.

 

‘Morgana and I are so different, from personality to behavior.’ 

 

She was absolutely incorrigible. But she wasn’t among the names the butler called out.

 “Morgana, Sobella, and Sylvia, all but three, please leave.” 

Her heart sank. Deanna rose from her seat in disbelief. She felt even angrier.

 “Do you have any idea why, any reason why you failed?” 

Deanna continued to connect. She passed the test with flying colors.

 

She hadn’t caused any major problems like Morgana had.

 

So why was it that Morgana was the one passing and she was the one failing?

 

The butler tilted his head and stared at Deanna.

 “You have a very impressive reason for recommending yourself, young lady. Are you so excellent that the young lady of Count Marleau would recommend you?” “Yes, my lady thinks well of me…” “How can that be a measure of greatness?” “What…?” “I asked you to write the reason for your recommendation, not the judgment of others regarding you.” 

Deanna frowned, not understanding.

 

‘Oh my goodness, the words were not coming out in sentences.’

 

Seeing her frozen in place, the butler coughed and called out to her.

 “Miss Sobella, who did you recommend?” “I recommended Miss Morgana.” “And Miss Sylvia?” 

Sylvia bowed her head in response to the butler’s question.

 “I, I, too, recommended Miss Morgana.” 

He turned to look at Morgana with a questioning glance.

 “Miss Morgan.” “I recommended Miss Sobella, because I thought she could be a helpful colleague, someone who would help out by catching me if I almost fell.” 

The butler shrugged playfully,

“There are only three of you who have the heart to praise others, and I’d like to bring those three women back if they’re good, and those who spread unconfirmed rumors are not fit for the palace.” 

He tossed the paper onto the table and turned to face Deanna with a fierce glare.

 “And that, Deanna, is why you’ve failed.”  

Don’t discount the writing skills of someone who’s sent out hundreds of applications.

 

After twenty of these painstakingly crafted applications, in which I spin my motivations and shortcomings into compliments, it’s hard to tell if I’m writing a cover letter or a novel.

 

Of course, unlike in my previous life, this time.

 

‘I got the job!’

 

Morgana threw her arms up in the air as she exited the palace after receiving her letter of introduction.

 

Before entering the palace, there were many things to prepare.

 

With a brisk, light step, Morgana made her way to Raon’s Tavern.

 

A day like today deserved a good, strong drink.

 

With a bang, she kicked open the tavern door and entered.

 “Mister Raon, I’m back!” 

A familiar face right in front of her blinked in surprise at the sight of her.

 

Quickly regaining his composure, he bowed politely to her.

 “What are you doing here? Just in time for dinner and a drink.” 

What, wasn’t she supposed to be in Britain for a week? Worse, she was reciting the exact same thoughts he’d just had.

 

Confused by the time, Morgana folded her fingers together.

 

It must have been a week. 

 

Raon spotted her as she was fetching drinks from the kitchen and called out loudly.

 “Uh, lady. Arthur’s not here?” 

Oh, no. Don’t say Arthur’s name!

 

Instinctively, her head whipped in Raon’s direction. Morgana panicked and yelped loudly, pulling him to his feet.

 “Uh, what brought you out here? I thought you were gone!” “You seem to be in good spirits for some reason.” “Oh, I applied to be a maid at the palace, and I’m on my way to an interview.” “The royal palace…?” “Yes!” 

Morgana’s eyes flickered briefly in response to his enthusiastic answer.

 

Raon and the mercenaries cheered, though he remained quiet for some reason.

 “Lady, we must not forget that you have entered the palace!” “Ah, I’m guilty of getting a little carried away. This is why Britain is…!” 

Morgana laughed at their fumbling, then glanced at the still-frozen Kellive and shook her head.

 “What’s wrong?” “Nothing. It’s just a direction I hadn’t thought of.” 

The corners of his eyes crinkled into a habitual smile as he studied her for a moment. He looked up from the mercenaries’ table as if he remembered Raon.

 “My lady. The mercenaries on guard duty.” “Ah, yes. Is there a problem?” “No, they almost caught the thief, so they’re a little hurt.” “What…?”