The Art of Befriending Terrified Maids

I took a deep breath.

Alright. Time to befriend some terrified maids.

Easier said than done.

Because despite their duty-bound devotion, every single maid and servant in the room looked like they were about to pass out from sheer terror.

One girl, standing closest to my absurdly luxurious crib, had gone completely rigid, her hands trembling as she clutched the silver tray she had been holding. Her fellow maids weren't much better one was visibly sweating, another looked like she was praying to whatever gods still listened to this empire, and a third was slowly backing away, as if I was a cursed relic that might explode if they moved too quickly.

I gurgled in frustration.

Not exactly the most dignified reaction, but unfortunately, my options for communication were limited.

The moment I made a sound, the entire group of maids flinched.

One of them actually let out a tiny yelp.

Oh, for crying out loud.

Was I really that scary?

I was a baby. A tiny, helpless, can't-even-hold-my-own-head-up baby. And yet, these poor souls were acting like I was going to set them on fire with my mind.

…Actually, considering my mothers, that was probably a realistic fear.

[ Reminder: Your charisma is high, but your reputation is terrifying. ]

Yeah, no kidding.

I needed to fix this.

My goal was to make them less afraid of me, which meant I needed to act as harmless as possible.

Unfortunately, my only tools were:

1. My face.

2. My voice (which currently only made baby noises).

3. My tiny, useless limbs.

It wasn't much.

But I had to work with what I had.

I decided to start small.

Very small.

With eye contact.

Because apparently, even looking at people was enough to make them flinch.

So, I carefully turned my head which was honestly more difficult than it should've been and locked eyes with the closest maid.

She visibly froze.

The moment our gazes met, her entire soul left her body. She was staring at me like I had personally sentenced her to death.

I blinked.

She shuddered.

…Okay. Not a great start.

Time to switch tactics.

If looking directly at them was too much, maybe I could win them over with cuteness.

I needed to make them see me as a baby rather than an omen of destruction.

And there was one universal fact about babies that always made people drop their guard.

Babies were harmless.

Babies were cute.

And, most importantly babies were dumb.

I had to act dumber.

So I did the most baby thing I could think of.

I reached out with my tiny hands toward the nearest maid and let out a soft, pathetic little whimper.

The reaction was instant.

The maid sucked in a breath, her eyes widening in shock. The other maids stiffened, watching in horrified suspense.

It was silent for a long, painful moment.

Then, very slowly, the maid the bravest one, apparently took a cautious step forward.

Her movements were so careful, like she thought I might explode if she got too close.

Another step.

Then another.

I kept my tiny hand stretched out, doing my best to look as innocent and baby-like as possible.

Finally, she hesitantly reached out her hand , and our fingers barely brushed.

For a moment, nobody breathed.

The maid gasped dramatically.

"She—she has accepted me!"

Oh no.

The other maids gasped too.

One of them clutched her chest. "The Imperial Heir has chosen her!"

I chose nothing, actually.

Another maid dropped to her knees. "She must be truly benevolent to show us such kindness!"

Okay, this was getting out of hand.

I wasn't a holy artifact, I was just a baby trying to make them stop fearing me.

But before I could even attempt to correct this misunderstanding, the maid the one who had actually touched me suddenly burst into tears.

"I am not worthy!" she wailed.

…Are you kidding me?

[ Mission Update: Progress has been made, but they now think you are a divine being. ]

This was not the progress I wanted.

I tried again.

I cooed softly, hoping that would make me seem more approachable.

Instead, a different maid clasped her hands together. "Her voice is so gentle! She must truly be merciful!"

Okay. New approach.

If they thought I was divine, I needed to make myself seem normal.

Which meant… I had to do something stupid.

Something embarrassingly, disgustingly baby-like.

Something that would make them see me as a tiny, helpless creature instead of a tiny, terrifying ruler.

I took a deep breath.

I blew a spit bubble.

The effect was immediate.

Every maid stopped moving.

The room fell silent.

"…She's just a baby."

The maid who said it sounded shocked, like she had just uncovered some grand secret of the universe.

Another one whispered hesitantly, "She's… she's just like other babies?"

I nodded. Or at least, I tried to.

More silence.

Slowly, so very slowly, the maids began to relax.

One of them let out a breath of relief. Another even dared to smile slightly. The tension in the room finally began to lift.

And just like that progress.

[ Mission Complete! ]

[ +5 Charisma ]

…Great. Just what I needed.

At the very least, the maids weren't terrified anymore.

Now, they just looked a little nervous which was a huge improvement.

I still had a long way to go, but at least I had taken the first step.

Now, all I had to do was somehow survive the rest of my childhood without being worshipped as a living weapon of destruction.

…Yeah.