Episode 1 : Ryoushin

“Are you sure this isn’t sketchy?” I squinted at him suspiciously. Like, for real—I barely knew this guy. What if he’s playing me?

He scoffed, clearly annoyed. “Tss. I’m not a scammer, okay?”

“You’re also not, like, a total psycho, right?” I pushed further. He gave me a sharp glare that screamed girl, don’t test me. I just threw up a quick peace sign before he could snap. Oops.

“If I was a bad person, Amelia, I wouldn’t waste my time helping you,” he said, way too serious.

I shut up real quick after that. Fair point. Still... why did he sound so mad? Chill, dude.

My mind started to drift as we drove. I couldn’t help but wonder—who exactly was this mystery person looking for a housemaid? A woman? A dude? Maybe it was just some rich middle-aged couple. Or maybe someone his age. Who knows?

Honestly, I didn’t even care at this point. I was desperate. Like, rock-bottom desperate. Reminded me of how my dad would ask me to sell his rice and avocados online, and I’d end up being his unpaid marketing intern.

The car slowed down as we turned into this fancy-looking road. It was narrow but super clean, with trimmed bushes and flowers along the sides. Definitely looked expensive. A few seconds later, we pulled up to a massive gate.

Then—get this—it opened by itself.

“Okay, whoa.” I legit looked back at it after we passed through. It closed automatically, too. What the—was that gate high-tech?

We weren’t poor, but damn, this level of rich? I’d only seen stuff like this in movies or K-drama.

I turned back to the road and almost gasped again. The driveway was lined with glowing ground lights and blooming flowers like it was straight out of P*******t. And right in the middle? A huge fountain, sparkly and dramatic.

We circled around it, and then I saw the house.

I. Was. Speechless.

Like, my jaw was literally hanging open. I probably looked like I was trying to catch mosquitoes with my mouth. Only snapped out of it when he tapped my shoulder.

I blinked and looked at him as he unbuckled his seatbelt.

“W-Wait… this your house?” I asked, totally in disbelief.

“No. It’s my friend’s place. I brought you here so I can introduce you.”

Next thing I knew, he was already out of the car. Just—poof—gone. I panicked a little. Not gonna lie.

I fumbled with my seatbelt, and just as I was about to open the door, someone beat me to it. I literally almost faceplanted onto the ground if he hadn’t grabbed my shoulder to stop me.

“Careful.” he muttered.

Great. Another awkward moment for the clumsy queen.

I nodded shyly, got myself together, and followed him toward the house. I had to lowkey speed-walk to keep up with his long-ass legs.

“By the way,” he said as we reached the glass doors, “whatever I say to him about you, just nod or say yes. Got it?”

Wait, what? “Why can’t I just speak for myself?”

“He’s picky with this stuff, Amelia. I’m helping you out here.”

“Okay but… what if he talks to me directly?”

“Then sure, answer. But only if you have to.”

I nodded slowly. This was weird, but fine. I didn’t have many options left anyway.

I smoothed out the wrinkles on my sunflower-print dress—it was kinda crumpled from earlier when I was literally hanging on a blanket like Spider-Woman. I even tried to fix my hair using the reflection in the glass door. My sunflower slippers didn't help the look, but hey, I had to work with what I had.

As soon as the glass door opened—again, automatically—I couldn’t help it.

Damn. The inside was even crazier.

The floor was shiny white with purple snowflake-looking designs. To the left, there was a long, expensive-looking white couch surrounded by glass tables and fancy-ass carpets. On the right, a glass staircase twisted up to the second floor, and there were huge windows covered in dramatic beige curtains.

I looked up and—holy crap—a giant chandelier hanging from the ceiling like we were in a ballroom or something.

It was so spacious you could throw a TikTok dance party and still have room for snacks and guests.

I was so stunned I didn’t notice someone standing right next to me until they tapped me on the arm. I literally jumped.

“S-Sorry!” I blurted out, awkwardly fixing my dress again.

The girl just smiled. I looked around—where the hell was that guy?

“Um, where’s the guy who brought me here?” I asked nervously.

“Sir Lorenzo went to get Master in his office. Just wait here,” she said politely, then gestured for me to sit.

The sofa looked so clean I felt like I’d leave a sin just by touching it. But I sat down anyway.

A few minutes passed, then I heard footsteps coming from the stairs.

I immediately stood up, eyes glued to the figure descending.

First came the sleek black shoes. Then the perfectly pressed slacks. The black button-up was slightly fitted, showing off just the right amount of toned abs every time he stepped down.

He pushed up his sleeves, exposing clean, veiny arms. Gym guy, clearly. But he wasn’t bulky—just lean and defined.

And then I saw his face.

...Oh.

Nope. I was not ready for that.

“This is Ryoushin Castillian,” Lorenzo said, stepping beside him. “He’s the friend I told you about. He’s the one looking for a maid.”

And yep. As expected.

He was my age.

And hot.

Of course, because fate loves messing with me.