I really like it! And fl seems to be very down on earth, despite being born a noble. She w...

It's just a waste of her abilities :[
Like being a maid isn't a bad work at all but that's not her work and what she trained for she should be handling ledger and other duty.

its probably gonna happen. like he's gonna need an assistant or something, and she'll say something like "I can do it". & that's how they'll get closer or something. this story is giving slow burn. reminds me this other story where the fl becomes the secretary or something of the prince

I understand but at least she's living a much better life than before. It could be much worse and as this person under your comment said, it will eventually happen.

She is still a slave without free will.
Before she was a slave too kinda. Forced to do everything to survive and suffering the consequences of actions of other. Working from dawn to night. :/

Now she is a official slave and a maid. Maybe she isn't abused much but her situation is not better she don't have the protection of being a noble anymore. Litteraly anyone could come around and just take her. Because as much as she is a maid like the other she is still a precious fallen noble and what's more delightful for those greedy and disgusting men ?

Like at least she had some hope to flee before now she depend on a man that obviously got an inferiority complex and see her as a bad person. (And we all know how much damage a man with an ego can do). Also everyone see her with contempt because, what's better to see someone of high status especially a woman fall from grace ?

Never said that her current situation is ideal but it's certainly MUCH better than before. She isn't in as much of a horrible situation as she was when she was married off to some old man that most likely sexually abused her, with her father also controlling every aspect of her life and using her only as means to power. She wasn't even eating properly as a noble because they controlled her food intake. Also definitely not anyone can come around and just 'take' her because she is by contract a maid that belongs to ml who clearly has no other intention, other than to have her as a maid. This IS her protection. No one has the right to take her from ml by law and if they did, it would be treason since the king gave her to him officially. That's why the men in the room were dissapointed she was given somewhere else. They CAN'T legally touch her.

Also, she definitely had NO chance to flee before. Women belonged to their fathers back then, she would be on the run and eventually get caught, because her father by right, would be allowed to detain her. If anything, considering who her contractor is, now she has more chances to live a better life. Considering ml's personality, she even has a chance to lose her slave status if he chooses to rip her slavery contract as her 'owner'. Fl stated herself that she's glad she's at least finally free from her 'family' since she was a prisoner and only means to an end.

And are we even reading the same thing? Clearly, not everyone sees her with contempt, she made some really good friends and her true friend from when she was a noble still cared for her. The people who turned their backs to her, weren't her close friends in the first place.

Also, ml feeling inferior doesn't make him a bad person. In fact he took his time and even changed his original opinion that she only wanted to commit suicide out of 'pride' because he tried to understand her. He's just realistically portrayed, a person's mind isn't filled with flowers and butterflies, especially someone's that was treat like nothing, just because he was originally a commoner. Let's not be quick to judge ml because he has certainly done nothing to hurt fl other than follow orders and give her a much better position than being his sex slave like another noble creep would have done. This position is also less likely to raise any suspicion since he is closely watched by the Crown prince which IS the one with the true 'complex'.

I do agree generally I just was just saying that to nuance a bit.

Her situation is dire now. Even if the alleged ML doesn't sexual assault her. He does have contempt for her. A lot of other maids do too and a lot of the nobles do too.
She is just very positive and it's her story we follow.

Also like you said the prince got all the power. At any point he can decide he want her elsewhere. I'm not saying alleged ML is a bad person but we saw a lot of ML going from a grey flag to a red flag very fast.

She has no power over her own life right now. Just like before.
The ML might protect her for now but it's not sure how long it will stay like that. He see her as a greedy dumb noble. He got this weird admiration jealousy sentiment going too.

Like I don't trust the man with the little thoughts we got out of him.
Like we are not sure her care that much about her without putting out romance glasses on.

She is a prisoner and a slave she is not in a good place and she is definitely not safe.