Chapter 2 – Part 2

Liese fastened the buttons on her black dress up to the neck and tied a white apron around her.

Her neatly tied-up hair ensured that not a strand was out of place, and she meticulously adjusted her clothes several times.

She continued to check her appearance until just before leaving the annex lounge. Although there wouldn’t be any encounters with the Duke now, she had no desire to be caught under his roof.

“The handmaiden is outside the common room.”

A maid who had just come in after starting her shift whispered. Liese leaned in, curious about what she had to say.

“I think she’s waiting for someone.”

“Did she say anything else?”

“No.”

The maids glanced at Lise as they changed. Liese concentrated on buttoning her sleeves in silence until Madeline, standing beside her, asked a question.

“Why did the Duke call you alone that day?”

At the question, the maids exchanged glances and waited for Liese’s answer. The deliberate silence made her stomach turn. Liese smiled bitterly.

“I don’t know; he just asked me to make tea and asked me a few questions, that’s all.”

“Really? That’s weird. For two hours?”

Madeline tilted her head with a puzzled expression.

“…Yes.”

Perhaps she misunderstood, like Florence. Liese forced a wry smile.

“What a strange man.”

Madeline repeated, shaking her head.

“What would he achieve by asking a newly arrived contract maid to pour drinks? How can a commoner like us be expected to serve her so skillfully? Didn’t you spill tea on his clothes? If it were me, I would have spilled tea and made a lot of mistakes.”

Blinking at the barrage of questions, Liese couldn’t help but chuckle. Madeline was genuinely curious. She didn’t seem to have any doubts about Liese’s words.

“Well, maybe the Duke thought you were too beautiful and wanted to see you up close.”

“Well, I don’t think he felt that way. The Duke must have tons of beautiful ladies around him.”

“Hey, stop it. Among the people I’ve seen…”

Madeline, who had her arm around Liese, was about to interrupt, shaking her mending. They spun around in surprise at the sound of a muffled cough coming from the doorway.

“Miss Brennan, may I see you for a moment?”

Mrs. Florence appeared at the doorway, gesturing for Liese to come. It was not a very welcoming summons, and Liese felt her heart sink. She approached with an uneasy feeling.

“What can I do for you, Madam?”

“His Grace has called for Miss Brennan. Since you seem to have changed your clothes, you can go right away.”

“…What?”

Liese’s eyes widened at the thunderous sound. Florence was unperturbed by her shocked reaction.

“A servant will show you the way, and you can go through the corridor to the main building just like last time.”

With that, Florence gestured to the waiting maid. Liese was so bewildered that she opened her mouth.

“Wait, wait, wait, why, why… My original duties are housekeeping. I have no idea how to serve someone as high as the Duke. I’m afraid I might offend the Duke with my inappropriate behavior….”

“I hope you’ll do well today.”

“Please be ready for today as well.”

Florence, who had tightly grabbed Liese’s waist, gestured to the servant waiting and called for her. Liese was too bewildered to say anything.

All the conversation was leaking through the half-open door. Even Madeline, who had misunderstood twice, found it strange that the Duke called her again.

With no other choice, Liese had to follow the servant, unable to protest any further.

As they passed through the hallway and arrived at the main building, another servant guided her. They walked through unfamiliar corridors for quite some time, and finally, they reached a door guarded by two guard. A large door seemed to lead somewhere else.

She wondered what the man was calling her in for again and what sharp words he was going to use this time.

“You can take this with you.”

Before opening the door, the servant held out a shiny silver tray. On it sat a flask of dark amber liquid and two crudely shaped glasses. Liese could see that the Duke was not alone.

“This is expensive whisky, so be careful not to drop it.”

“Understood.”

“Follow me.”

The two men tugged on the doorknob. The door opened with a dull thud, and Liese stepped through, clutching the tray tightly.

Stepping outside, she was greeted by a surprisingly open meadow.

There were no fences, just low hills dotted with lush greenery, and they were groomed to allow for easy travel. There were no sculptures or artificially planted flower gardens, suggesting no patronage.

In the distance, beyond the field, a green forest stretched out like a backdrop. For some reason, Liese felt strangely familiar. The dense forest seemed to go on forever.

“This way.”

Without pausing to think about it, she followed the servant, who led the way. In the distance, under the shade of an acacia tree, a row of simple chairs and a round table face in one direction.

The man she had met for the first time, holding a rifle, was speaking when she got closer, and Marcus, whom she never wanted to meet again, was sitting casually in a chair, crossing his legs.

“Oh! The whisky has arrived just in time.”

As she approached, she was greeted with a friendly smile. He wasn’t dressed formally for the outdoors, but it was clear from his clothes that he was of a higher class.

“I’m sorry, Marcus, for trying to get me a drink after losing the bet.”

“What’s new? ”

Marcus, who had been staring at the dense forest, turned his head to look at Liese. His eyes were the color of a foggy sky, and she already felt uncomfortable in the pit of her stomach.

“This is incomparably more luxurious than the whisky from Belfort, isn’t it? and Trevor’s going to freak out when he finds out I’ve been drinking it without him.”

Eric gasped as he read the label on the bottle. Then, naturally, his eyes fell on Liese, and he paused. His gaze lingered on Liese’s face for a moment before he realized it wasn’t polite, and he quickly forced a gentlemanly smile.

“Would you be so kind as to pour us each a drink?”

“As you wish.”

Eric sat down in the chair, and Liese set the tray on the kitchenette table. She tilted the bottle and poured whisky into two glasses. Eric watched her carefully.

“Thank you.”

Eric, who never forgot to thank a maid, smiled sweetly. He was the epitome of a well-educated gentleman.

Liese bowed politely with a faint smile, then glanced at Marcus, who hadn’t yet picked up his glass.

He’d been watching her the whole time, too, and their gazes met. Marcus’s pupils constricted slightly as the sunlight poured through the acacia leaves. It gave her the impression that the Duke’s mood was somewhat low.

“I suppose being a servant is in your blood.”

His low and mid-range voice pricked Liese like a sudden knife.

“I thought I had gotten rid of you that day, but you managed to crawl back into my house.”

“…”

“Unless your face is unusually thick, it must have been difficult for you to step your foot in again.”

It wasn’t that she hadn’t expected the cold shoulder, but her heart thudded in her chest nonetheless. Without taking his eyes off her, Marcus took his drink and sipped lazily. He glanced up at Liese, and she could see the unmistakable smirk in his triple-blue eyes.

Liese finally realized it. Perhaps the only advantage he had was his attractive appearance, and she found herself genuinely, terribly despising the wicked Duke.

However, she didn’t express the frustration that had risen within her. Instead, she replied in the most polite voice she could muster.

“I’m sorry, Your Grace. I can’t let a little incident get in the way of a job I didn’t even get to start. It’s also unavoidable due to the circumstances I mentioned.”

“If you can, just live by it. It would be convenient to spy on the duke’s n*ked body whenever you feel like it.”

“My quarters are in the annex, so I can’t go where the Duke is at will unless you call for me first, as you are doing now.”

“So, you’re saying that if I call, you’ll come running to see my n*ked body?”

“Even if it’s something I don’t want, I will do my duty with a sense of responsibility.”

“Ha.”

Marcus chuckled uncontrollably. It was ridiculous that a woman with her hands clasped politely in front of her said not a good word out of her mouth. Moreover, no matter how fiercely she spoke, the blush on her pure white cheeks grew.

“You have a colorful way of saying you’ll do anything for money, and it’s not like you can just stand there stiffly in front of me, right?”

“No, I’ll do anything you ask.”

Liese added cautiously, worried that her words might be misinterpreted.

“It’s just that, like I said, my situation isn’t the worst, and there are lines I want to keep.”