I Reincarnated as Slave in a Corrupt Noble House But I Have a System!

It started with footsteps.

Not the kind that stomp. The kind that linger.

I'd been pretending to nap near the empty storeroom beneath the west stairwell—head against the wall, breath shallow, body limp—but my ears were open. Always listening. Always counting. I was waiting for someone to pass through without knowing I was there.

That was when I heard it. Too soft for Bran. Too slow for Maela. Not a servant's shuffle.

Four steps. Pause. Then a single footfall.

A limp.

I opened one eye just in time to see a silhouette vanish down the corridor.

Another one watching me? Or... something else?

The system hadn't chimed, but my instincts did.

And instincts, in this place, were worth more than copper.

The first trail I followed was the one I had already started: the estate's layout.

I had marked three routes last week. Kitchen to the west well. Scullery to the laundry passage. East pantry to the compost pit.

Today, I needed more.

[Mapping Progress: 3/10][Objective: Create a full servant-level map of the estate][Reward: +1 Intelligence / Unlock: Shortcut Finder Passive (Locked)]

The kitchen wing was busy with preparations for the estate's monthly inspection. Nobles would roam the halls pretending they gave a damn about the staff's condition. But the kitchens? Always the same madness.

Which meant... fewer eyes elsewhere.

So I vanished.

Kyle and Hyle were cleaning copperware near the vegetable racks. I passed by them casually, then leaned in.

"I need you two to time Bran's next kitchen rounds. Mark how long he spends in each section and where he stops."

Kyle blinked. "Why?"

"Because I asked."

That was enough. Kyle saluted with the seriousness of a knight. Hyle just nodded.

Two boys. One loyal, one quiet. I was still testing which would break first.

I slipped through the eastern corridor, ducked under a loose tarp hanging from a broken beam, and pushed open a rarely-used storage door.

Inside: dust, crates, a half-shattered mirror, and... stairs.

I counted as I climbed. Twelve steps up. Then twenty-three down. These weren't cellar stairs. They were more like tunnel spirals. At the bottom was a thick, sealed wooden door.

Locked.

No handle. Just an iron hinge and three tiny slots shaped like keyholes.

[New Location Discovered: Forgotten East Passage][Mapping Progress: 4/10][Intelligence increased to 6][Shortcut Finder Passive: Unlocked]

Interesting.

I marked it on the cloth scrap I used as my hidden map. The system didn't give me auto-drawing perks. I still had to sketch by hand. But the Shortcut Finder perk gave me something better: memory. I remembered angles now. Stone texture. Airflow changes. My brain stored it all in perfect clarity.

Back in the main hall, I made it to the granary door just as two workers passed by carrying sacks.

I waited. Counted to thirty. Then entered.

Dust, wood, and grain.

The storeroom was lined with shelves and barrels. I knew this room well. Too well. But today, I paid attention to something I hadn't before.

The records.

Small wooden tags hung on each crate, marked in chalk with delivery dates and weights.

One barrel said: Flour shipment, 32 stones.But the barrel was nearly empty.

Another said: Wheat, new, 41 stones.I tapped the side. Hollow thud.

I opened it. Half-filled. With stale oats.

I frowned.

Then I checked the ledger book in the corner.

The handwriting was clean. Too clean. All weights rounded. Dates never skipped.

Which meant someone was forging them.

And if someone was stealing food stocks... they weren't doing it alone.

[Discovery: Resource Tampering Detected][Optional Task: Sabotage Ledgers Without Being Caught][Reward: +1 Intelligence / +Suspicion Reduction (Bran, Sera)]

I smiled.

"Time to cook the books."

I copied the handwriting pattern, down to the ink stroke. Rewrote four entries, inflating totals and moving dates. I made it seem like errors had happened months ago—someone else's fault. Bran's, maybe. Or Maela's.

Then I slid a broken quill into the book's spine and left the page slightly folded—subtle signs for an inspector to notice.

"Happy inspection day," I muttered, closing the book.

Later, I found Kyle sitting near the ash bin, hands blackened.

"Bran walks the north side every six minutes," he said. "Stops longer near the bread ovens. Hyle said it's where he talks to Cook Jonna."

I nodded. "Good."

Kyle grinned. "Am I your second-in-command now?"

"You're my second to be watched," I said, ruffling his hair.

He didn't know whether to take that as praise or threat. Perfect.

Near evening, I stepped into the hallway leading to the stables. I needed air. Just a moment without smoke or salt or shouting.

That's when I saw her.

Livia.

She was leaning over a small flower bed that should've been dead this time of year. Yet a single blue bloom had pushed through the frost. She stared at it like it had whispered a secret.

I cleared my throat.

She didn't jump. Just turned her head slightly.

"Reed."

"You remember names quickly."

"I remember the interesting ones."

I stepped closer.

"You're not supposed to be out without escort," I said. "Even I know that."

She tilted her head. "I like seeing which rules are real."

"You test them a lot?"

She smiled faintly. "Not as much as you do."

I said nothing.

She motioned toward the bloom. "This flower isn't supposed to grow in this soil. But it did."

I raised a brow. "You're poetic now?"

She stood, brushing off her tunic. "Just observant. I watch what others ignore."

"Same."

Her gaze lingered on me. Not flirtatious. Calculating.

"You're not just another servant, Reed. You speak like someone who's seen more."

"And you're not just another bored noble."

She looked amused. "You'll either be very useful... or very dangerous."

"Sometimes both."

She stepped past me, brushing my shoulder.

"Oh," she said without turning, "one of the barrels in the south storage has a false bottom. But you didn't hear it from me."

Then she was gone.

[Potential Ally Identified: Livia (Trust: 3/10)][New Location Added: South Barrel Cache][System Hint: NPC May Have Her Own Agenda]

No kidding.

I returned to my cot late. I hadn't even eaten dinner. Scamperton was already there, sitting on my blanket like he owned it.

He twitched.

[New Message Delivered via Familiar][Message: "You are being watched. Not just by Bran. Not just by Sera."]

My breath caught.

"By who?"

No answer. The message disappeared.

[System Warning: Passive Observation Detected][Unknown Entity Tracking Behavior Patterns]

I sat in silence.

Someone else had noticed me. Not Livia. Not Tarn. Someone unseen.

Fine.

Then notice this.

I opened the system menu.

[Task: Knife Familiarization — Progress: 87/100 Swings][Time Remaining: 1 hour]

I stood.

Drew my hidden blade.

And began to swing.

Over and over.

Each cut cleaner. Each motion faster.

[Task Complete: 100/100][Reward: +1 Dexterity / Knife Mastery I Unlocked][Dexterity increased to 6]

The system chimed again.

[Minor Skill Unlocked: Silent Step I][You move 15% more quietly while sneaking]

Perfect.

I sat back down, sweat on my brow, and stared up at the ceiling.

I used to think escape was the goal.

Now?

Power felt more useful.

Let's see what I can build with it.