If you're a female brunette (or anybody other than Sumi), you're essentially set up to be a baddie.The new maid, Reiko, arrives at the Ashida's residence. Komai, the ever faithful butler, is suspicious of her from the beginning -- after initially agreeing with him, Soichiro changes his mind and agrees to let her stay. Komai's suspicions are correct, because Reiko was hired by Natsuki to dig up Sumi's background and to prove that she's not a worthy wife for him.Reiko is so "by the book" bad that it's laughable. She interrupts the couple each time they get intimate, she sabotages Sumi's cooking by adding a laxative into the onigiri (riceballs), and she skulks around Sumi's old home like a wannabe detective. Of course, who could forget the bungled seduction scene when she offers to wash Soichiro's back, wink wink.Nozomu's wife, Miu, on the other hand, is so pathetic in trying to find ways to win her husband's love. In most fiction where the marriage is obviously one arranged for political gain, it's not common for the wife to want the husband to be in love with her. Miu may have only known a sheltered life, but I suppose that doesn't mean that she wanted to be in a loveless marriage of her own. When she married Nozomu, she wanted him to be doting and devoted to her alone; not to another woman, one she considered her friend.Still loving this series very much. All of Sumi's outfits are so ruffly and impractical: I love them! I love this series!! The evil maid sure is interesting. I noticed a translation error for the first time in this series, which was a shame. It's a sentence that does not make any sense. I felt scared for Sumi when they went past her old house, but why was komai there late at night? And is komai gay?!?! I suspected it in the last book, but even more now. Keiko is a cunning witch, but I don't really see the point in what she's doing and how it's going to expose sumi's secrets? Also, I feel sorry for poor miu! Nozomu is a loser! Poor thing!I was interesting seeing komai leave at the end, he must be very annoyed at keiko and how soichiro didn't believe him. I still think soichiro is a jerk and Sumi deserves someone who doesn't call her an idiot, throws her aside, pushes her and just practically puts her down a lot.
Do You like book Stepping On Roses, Volume 4 (2011)?
Don't trust the maid! Don't trust the maid! Why in the world are you trusting the maid?
—yanawave
Why don't they fire the evil maid already?!
—Jason
