Wrapping her arms around herself, Sveta answered softly.

“Yes… it’s a little uncomfortable.”

“It would be. Ah, our poor Sveta.”

Beth stirred the bathwater before slowly pouring it over her shoulder. When Sveta flinched uneasily, Beth stopped at once.

Then, pressing gently against the red marks etched along Sveta’s nape, she muttered.

“That man is like a beast.”

Beth’s pale blue eyes flickered with anger.

“I suspected it the moment he started ordering the sheets changed several times a day.”

“…That’s not—”

Sveta tried to think of an excuse, but her lips were pressed tightly together. Nothing came to mind except words that were too humiliating to say aloud.

The heat had become stifling, and they had spent the whole day covered in sweat. Meticulous by nature, Aiden could not bear damp sheets. That was all it was. Each time they slept together, he simply ordered the bedding to be changed afterwards.

The maids in the laundry room were not naive. They knew exactly what that implied.

Her cheeks burned with shame. Unable to bear it, Sveta scrubbed her face roughly with her wet hands, as if she could wash away the heat rising beneath her skin.

“Even so… how could he treat such a delicate body like this—”

Beth caught her wrist and lifted it. Flustered, Sveta covered her chest with her other hand and turned her gaze away.

“He didn’t hit you, did he?”

“No, nothing like that.”

“Truly? You’re not just defending him?”

“It’s true.”

“Sveta, you always think of others before yourself. You don’t have to defend that man in front of me.”

Beth huffed, looking as though she might snort with anger.

As she carefully examined every inch of Sveta’s body, Sveta didn’t know where to look. She merely let her gaze slide along the edge of the bath and whispered.

“He tried to be gentle with me.”

“Hmm…”

Beth lifted her chin as though she understood.

“You love him, don’t you?”

“…Yes.”

“Our Sveta is still so honest. You’re always clear about what you dislike and what you cherish.”

Laughing brightly, Beth pressed a kiss onto Sveta’s damp forehead. Then, her expression turning serious again, she cautioned.

“But he isn’t a good man. He belittles you and keeps you isolated. That’s not right.”

“…”

Sveta thought the same, so she didn’t argue. At the same time, she was ashamed that Beth had seen through her façade.

Did everyone working on this estate know the truth?

Just as her mood began to dip, Beth crinkled her eyes into bright crescents and smiled.

“Let’s keep meeting like this from now on. Tell them you want me to continue attending your baths.”

“I will.”

“It’s the only way we can see each other. I noticed there’s a knight following you around.”

“How did you know? Sir Pailin hardly ever shows himself.”

Beth leaned back against the tub.

“Whose daughter do you think I am? My father made sure I was well trained from the time I was little.”

“…”

To Sveta, Jace Gould was the embodiment of her nightmares. To Beth, however, he was simply her father. How could fate be so cruel?

Recalling the Jace Gould she had left behind, Beth’s blue eyes filled with sorrow. Lowering her gaze, Sveta gently stirred the surface of the water with her hand.

It was Sveta who finally broke the silence.

“…Beth. Could you pass me the sponge over there?”

Beth paused for a moment.

“Now you really look like a princess. Our beautiful Sveta.”

“You’re the princess, Beth. I’m only your shadow.”

Beth handed her the sponge with her usual bright smile.

As Sveta gently washed her hair and body with soapy water, Beth watched her intently.

“Beth, but this place is dangerous. The Duke is hunting down the remaining Zloytan rebels and killing them.”

“My mother said it’s actually safer to stay close. That’s the best way not to be discovered.”

Stretching out her legs, Beth tapped her toes together idly as she continued.

“Look at me. I’m no better than a slave. Who would ever think I’m the Princess of Zloytan?”

“…”

Beth’s gaze shifted from her toes back to Sveta, her lips curving upward once more.

“A princess living like a slave. No one would recognize me. Besides, my hair is a different color.”

“Still…”

Seeing the worry etched into Sveta’s brows, Beth gently stroked them.

“Don’t worry so much. Do you know something? That man treats maids like furniture. He doesn’t even look at them.”

“…Really?”

“Yes. He’s so arrogant it’s as if his eyes are fixed on the top of his head. Unless he stands on his hands, he’d never see what’s below—even if he bowed.”

“Even so, Beth… I’m worried about you.”

Beth shrugged lightly and took Sveta’s hand in hers. Looking at Sveta’s wrinkled, water-softened fingertips, Beth said,

“If we stay like this too long, it might raise suspicion.”

“You’re right. Then…”

“Let’s go out for now. We can pretend to dry our hair and stay together a little longer.”

“Mm.”

After wringing out the sponge, Sveta put it in the far corner of the tub.

Rising carefully to her feet, she scooped clean water from the wooden bucket nearby and rinsed herself little by little. She gathered her hair, which was now hanging limp like wet seaweed, squeezed it firmly, and patted away the remaining moisture with a towel.

“Come here.”

After helping Sveta into her dressing gown, Beth led her out of the bathroom. She hurried to the vanity unit in the bedroom and pulled out a cushioned chair covered in emerald fabric.

“Here, sit down, Sveta.”

“Thank you.”

As Sveta settled into the seat, Beth slowly surveyed the room, her admiration plain to see. Sveta found this so endearing that she couldn’t help but let out a quiet laugh.

“Wow… the Duke’s household truly is different.”

Giggling along with her, Beth gathered Sveta’s hair in her hands and gave it a squeeze. Drops fell one after another, wetting the chair. Beth laughed again, carefree.

“But listen…”

Her laughter stopped abruptly. Tilting her head, Beth asked.

“Does that man not realize that you’re from Zloytan?”

He’s hunting down and killing our brothers, so why has he spared you? He knows you as Beth Gould, doesn’t he?”

Through the mirror, Sveta saw Beth’s eyes glint strangely. A chill ran through her and her heart sank.

“That’s…”

“I don’t like lies.”

Beth delivered the warning with a playful expression. When their eyes met, she let out another little giggle. Sveta hesitated.

‘If I tell her I chose to die in your place… would she be able to bear it?’

Fidgeting with her damp hair, Sveta pressed her lips together. Beth narrowed her eyes impatiently.

Avoiding the gaze that urged her to answer, Sveta finally said.

“I honestly don’t know. Even if he knows me as Beth Gould, I don’t understand why he spared me.”

Rubbing her hair with a dry towel, Beth murmured.

“So he’s a man with a pitch-black heart? And l*stful, too.”

“It doesn’t seem like that—”

“I think I know why he kept you alive.”

“…”

“Why would he refuse a beautiful girl as a bedroom slave? If I were a man, I’d have done the same. Being pretty is a sin, after all. Our poor Sveta.”

A faint discomfort began to rise in Sveta’s chest. For some reason, Beth suddenly felt unfamiliar. She pressed her lips into a straight line.

Beth’s words and gestures were no different to how they had been before. Perhaps it was Sveta who had changed.

‘So much has happened…’

She looked at Beth in the mirror.

The blue eyes that met hers were warm — the same eyes that had become her family when she was lonely.

Yes. Beth hadn’t changed. It was her who had changed.

“Beth, the Duke is—”

Just as Sveta began to defend Aiden in a gentle voice, there was a quiet knock at the door.

Head Maid Mariette opened the door and stepped inside. Folding her hands neatly in front of her, she addressed them politely.

“Beka is still new, so I came to see if you might require further assistance.”

“We’re almost finished, Head Maid. If it pleases you, may I complete the rest?”

“Miss, would that be acceptable?”

Two pairs of eyes turned to Sveta at once. She nodded with a faint smile. At the same moment, Beth moved swiftly to fetch her undergarments and a green linen dress.

“Miss, I will help you dress.”

With the head maid watching closely, Beth expertly dressed her, smoothing the lace trimming the short sleeves and instantly straightening the fine pleats along the neckline.

Beth had once been unable to dress herself.

Sveta could not begin to imagine the hardships she must have endured to become so capable.

‘I didn’t even ask how she’s been living.’

Their meeting felt painfully brief.

While Sveta lingered in quiet regret, Beth finished what she was doing, lowered her head slightly, and became the very image of a proper maid.

As the head maid turned to lead Beth away, Sveta spoke up.

“Next time, I would like a different maid to attend my bath.”

“Has Beka made some mistake, perhaps?”

The moment the head maid uttered the word mistake, Beth’s face drained of color.

Sveta answered in an even, unhurried tone.

“Not at all. I simply wish for them to take turns attending me. I think it would feel less lonely that way.”

This would also be reported to the Duke. To avoid arousing suspicion, she would have to endure it for a while.

Turning to Beth, who still looked uneasy, Sveta softly told her that she had done well. The head maid glanced briefly at Beth, who bowed politely in reply.

“As you wish.”

***

“I would like to recruit an informant.”

Dennis, who had been gathering documents one by one, looked up at Aiden.

“Have them investigate Beth Gould’s personal history.”

“Her personal history, sir?”

“Find out whether she had any maids or slaves she was particularly close to. And if so, what they looked like—what sort of temperament they had.”

Dennis quickly set the documents down on another table and noted his master’s orders.

As if something had just occurred to him, Dennis asked.

“Your Grace…?”