Side Story 1

Marie Herona was an exceptionally skilled lady’s maid.

She knew how to instantly select dresses that would suit her lady from countless designs created by dozens of clothing shops, and she had an uncanny ability to find the perfect hair accessories, jewelry, and shoes to match those dresses while visiting scattered stores.

She always kept up with the latest styles in high society, and she was well-versed in hairstyling techniques that complemented different outfits, methods for maintaining smooth skin, and makeup techniques that concealed flaws while highlighting attractive features.

The noble ladies who had employed Marie were all satisfied with her outstanding handiwork and discerning eye. Thanks to their recommendation letters filled with words of praise, Marie was able to become the dedicated lady’s maid to the Duchess of Elmano, earning a salary significantly higher than others.

Working for the mistress of the Elmano ducal family—the most noble and wealthy family in the Bayaroman Empire—was the greatest honor she could ever have.

Marie wanted to perform this honorable role well.

She ordered luxurious dresses for the Duchess, selected dazzlingly splendid and expensive jewelry. She stocked various types of intense and seductive perfumes, and even procured plenty of precious Alistro flower petals.

Marie did her utmost to dress and adorn the Duchess, determined to transform her into the finest lady in high society, especially since people whispered about her rural origins.

However, when Marie realized that her ambitious preparations had not only failed to help the Duchess but had actually caused her to return to Polar territory without even consummating her marriage, Marie felt utterly devastated.

Even though she had acted without knowing better, this was an unacceptable mistake for Marie, who prided herself on being “the most capable lady’s maid in the capital.” Looking at the results, she wouldn’t have been able to complain even if she had been thrown out of the castle without a single letter of recommendation.

For Marie, the Duchess’s return was nothing short of miraculous.

When the four-horse carriage arrived in a cloud of white dust and stopped before the long line of servants, and Duke Elmano emerged carrying the Duchess in his arms, Marie finally felt relief and shed tears of joy with her hands tightly clasped together.

Having been given another chance to serve the Duchess, Marie was determined to do better.

She resolved to return to basics and succeed this time without fail.

Marie removed all the extravagant and luxurious dresses she had previously selected according to fashion trends, and instead prepared simple yet vibrant dresses that would highlight the Duchess’s loveliness. She also chose modest hair accessories and jewelry, and replaced all the perfumes and cosmetics with ones that had lighter scents and colors.

The results of these choices were quite satisfactory.

At the tea party the Duchess hosted for noble ladies after returning to Castle Elmano, the ladies were greatly surprised by the Duchess’s distinctive style.

The Duchess’s natural beauty shone nobly among the noble ladies who were adorned in overwhelmingly ostentatious ways. Having fully confirmed Duke Elmano’s affection, the Duchess carried herself with confident dignity as she interacted with people.

When the Duchess’s style became a major topic in high society that day, and other ladies began to imitate her style, Marie felt her shoulders rise with pride.

People praised her as indeed the most outstanding lady’s maid in the capital, and her self-esteem, which had been severely deflated for a while, began to swell robustly again.

Marie was overflowing with enthusiasm. This time, she truly felt she could perfectly fulfill her role without any mistakes.

But she soon encountered an unexpected obstacle.

That obstacle was Duke Elmano, who would pick up the Duchess at any time and disappear into the Duchess’s chambers.

When she had seen the Duke carrying the Duchess in his arms as they disembarked from the carriage upon their return from Polar territory, tears of joy had streamed down her face. But now, whenever she saw the Duke’s back as he ran up the stairs with the Duchess in his arms, Marie could only sigh deeply.

When they disappeared like that, not only would she be unable to see the Duchess all day, but the next day she would have to dress the Duchess in stuffy, unfashionable high-necked dresses instead of the newly ordered ones, because the Duke would leave reddish lip marks all over the Duchess’s body.

She had hoped it might lessen with time, but the couple’s passionate displays only grew more intense as the cold winds blew stronger.

They seemed to show some restraint when there were parties or gatherings to attend, but when winter came and social events became scarce, the ducal couple would often shut themselves in their bedroom for days at a time.

Today was no exception.

Hoping that the Duchess might be alone, Marie had gone to the Duchess’s room at the scheduled morning wake-up time, but upon hearing Duke Elmano’s laughter from inside, she had to turn away without even knocking on the door. She knew from experience that knocking at such times would only earn her a stern rebuke from the Duke.

Marie’s role at Castle Elmano was clear.

As the Duchess’s dedicated lady’s maid, she was to be the Duchess’s companion, help select the Duchess’s dresses, jewelry, and shoes, assist with her grooming, and provide appropriate advice to help the Duchess adapt to the complex and luxurious social scene of Bayaroman. All of her duties required her to be by the Duchess’s side.

Yet here she was, unable to even enter the Duchess’s room, let alone see her, even as lunchtime approached. Marie could only wander around idly like someone with nothing to do, endlessly waiting for the Duchess’s call.

Had there ever been such a leisurely time since she began working as a lady’s maid?

Unlike the maids who shared rooms, Marie had her own fairly spacious and comfortable room. She flopped down on a chair placed beneath the window.

“I wonder if it’s really that good,” she muttered to herself curiously.

When she was young, she too had believed in the stories of true love found in books. The kind of sincere, beautiful love that helps overcome all manner of adversities and ultimately conquers even terrible curses. She had firmly believed that someday she would experience such a love herself.

But since starting her work as a lady’s maid, that belief had been utterly shattered.

The couples she observed up close were far different from what she had imagined.

Most couples merely pretended to cherish each other in public while actually just feigning affection, and there were countless couples who didn’t even bother with that pretense, openly displaying their hostility toward each other.

Husbands who rolled around with their wives’ maids, wives who dragged their husbands’ valets into their beds, high nobles who, despite their dignified appearances, frequented brothels nightly engaging in all sorts of perversions, ladies known for their modesty who actually mated like dogs with just anyone in filthy back alleys.

Having experienced countless shocking and disgusting incidents while working for ladies of high society, words like sincere affection and eternal love had long been erased from her mind, along with the storybooks from so long ago that she couldn’t even remember where she had put them.

Those forgotten words had begun to resurface in Marie’s mind lately as she observed the Elmano ducal couple.

Two people completely enamored with each other, unable to contain their overflowing affection even when their gazes merely brushed, and desperate to show that their love was greater no matter when or where they were.

……Perhaps such a connection might exist for me too.

The small bell attached beside the door jingled just as such a thought fleetingly crossed Marie’s mind.

Seeing that the pull-string connected to the Duchess’s room had been pulled, it seemed that the Duke had finally released the Duchess from his embrace.

Marie rose briskly from the chair as if she had never been lost in idle thoughts. After neatly adjusting her attire that had become slightly disheveled from sitting, she hurriedly left the room.

⁕⁕⁕