Chapter 1.23

Valentine tapped the table lightly, seemingly in thought.  

“Watch my mouth closely.”  

Valentine leaned forward slightly. Their faces were now close.  

Valentine’s lips moved slowly.  

“Win-chest-er.”  

His rounded lips opened horizontally with ease.  

Then, the tip of his tongue tapped the roof of his mouth, producing a light sound as if it would vanish like the wind.  

Finally, the closing sound resonated firmly.  

“Ah….”  

Liz stared blankly at the movement of his lips.  

It was just a name, yet—  

Strangely, the sound seemed as elegant and beautiful as music played on a pipe organ.  

“Speak clearly and confidently. Don’t mumble—pronounce each sound fully.”  

Liz nodded as if entranced.  

Valentine tilted his chin, signaling her to try.  

Liz closed her eyes and recalled the movements of Valentine’s lips.  

Then, she slowly pronounced,  

“Win…chest-er.”  

“That’s better than before. Just don’t curl your lips inward on the final sound.”  

“‘Er’… like this?”  

Valentine shook his head.  

“No. Like this: Winchester.”  

He pronounced it slowly again for Liz to understand.  

But no matter how many times she repeated it, her pronunciation didn’t improve.  

Liz lowered her head, looking troubled.  

“I’m sorry. This is my first time trying….”  

“…Excuse me.”  

Valentine’s long finger lightly touched Liz’s slightly parted lips.  

“Again.”  

Startled, Liz blinked.  

“Your… Grace?”  

Her lips moved awkwardly.  

A faint warmth lingered on her lower lip.  

His gloved finger gently pressed against her lips.  

“This is….”  

Realizing the situation, Liz’s face flushed red.  

“Don’t move. Try pronouncing it correctly again.”  

Valentine’s expression, however, remained calm.  

“Win-chest-er.”  

Valentine pronounced it again for Liz.  

Liz’s lips trembled slightly as she tensed.  

Every time she tried to move her lips, she could feel his finger on the soft flesh.  

“Win-chess-der.”  

Perhaps because she was conscious of him, Liz’s pronunciation became even more awkward.  

Valentine’s brow furrowed.  

“Relax.”  

His fingertips lightly shook Liz’s tense lips.  

The sensation spread from her lips to the rest of her body.  

Liz took a deep breath.  

Her warm breath pooled around his finger.  

“Hoo….”  

Liz raised her gaze. Valentine’s blue eyes were fixed on her.  

His eyes reminded her of the sea she had seen as a child.  

From afar, it seemed calm and beautiful.  

But up close, it stirred with waves that swept everything around it.  

Valentine was the same.  

From a distance, he seemed like a lofty nobleman.  

But up close, he was a storm that stirred her so intensely.  

‘Don’t curl your lips inward, and pronounce it firmly.’  

Liz recalled his instructions.  

Her lips moved carefully.  

“Winchest-er.”  

When she pronounced the final sound clearly and firmly, even Liz noticed the difference.  

The stately first syllable contrasted with the decisive final syllable, making it feel like a declaration.  

‘I can speak like this….’  

Her heart raced.  

It was a moment more dazzling than any jewel.  

She wanted to experience this moment again.  

It was different from when she had been forced into a silk dress.  

Back then, she had no desire to wear it again.  

Instead, she felt overwhelmed and undeserving.  

But this transformation was entirely her own achievement.

Liz could not allow herself to shrink back.  

She looked into his eyes and spoke again.  

It was Liz’s determination.  

“Winchester.”  

Her clear voice resonated through the room.  

Valentine neither praised nor criticized her, simply gazing at Liz.  

The quiet room filled with the sound of soft breaths.  

The sunlight that had been cast over the table shifted slightly.  

Valentine broke the long silence and spoke.  

“Valentine.”  

What he uttered was his own name.  

Then, he slowly closed his eyes and reopened them, meeting Liz’s gaze.  

“Say it.”  

Liz cautiously moved her lips.  

“Valen…tine.”  

She placed Valentine’s name on her tongue.  

At that moment, it felt as though her tongue and heart were connected by a single path, trembling together.  

It was different from calling Winchester.  

A sweet sensation wrapped around the tip of Liz’s tongue.  

But at the end, it felt shattered.  

Valentine—his name sounded alluring for some reason.  

Why did it evoke a bittersweet feeling when she drew closer to him?  

Liz finally understood.  

It was as if the fog had lifted, and the world became clearer.  

Suddenly, Liz thought of the bright blue shoes she had tucked away in a drawer.  

If I was to live as the Duchess of Winchester, even temporarily,  

Would I be able to feel more? See more?  

Would I be able to change?  

“You did well.”  

Valentine’s finger moved away.  

Liz stared at his finger with dazed eyes.  

She felt captivated, the lingering sensation refusing to fade easily.  

“Thank… you.”  

It was different from how she usually spoke without much thought.  

She could feel the movement of strokes with each pass of her tongue, and the resonance clung to her lips.  

“From now on, when addressing me in front of others, you may call me that way, Duchess of Winchester.”  

Liz’s eyes widened as she snapped back to reality.  

“But wouldn’t it be sufficient to call you ‘Your Grace’? Everyone would understand, wouldn’t they?”  

Valentine shook his head firmly.  

“There is a difference between being understood and speaking correctly according to proper etiquette. Besides, the more polite you are to me, the more people will gossip behind your back.”  

“But…”  

Tap, tap.  

The finger that had pressed against Liz’s lips moments ago now tapped the cold marble table.  

It felt as though its bitter chill reached her lips.  

“…Understood. Valentine.”  

Valentine nodded in satisfaction.  

“Now, let’s try your name.”  

“My name?”  

Feeling more confident now, Liz nodded briskly and opened her mouth.  

“Li…”  

“Isabel.”  

Valentine interrupted her with the name “Isabel.”  

Liz’s heart sank coldly.  

That’s right. The name “Liz” had no reason to escape his lips.  

No matter what kind of relationship the two of them built, Liz Garrett would not exist within it.  

Liz turned her gaze to the dusty feather duster sitting on the cabinet.  

She was no different from that feather duster, whose name Valentine didn’t even want to utter.  

Valentine casually called his wife’s name again.  

“Isabel Winchester.” 

Liz simply watched his lips move.  

He opened his mouth without exaggeration, ensuring no breath escaped from the tip of his tongue.  

Finally, when he pronounced “Bel,” his lips parted and closed precisely.  

The name Isabel, spoken from his lips, was perfect.  

Just like the “Winchester” Liz had pronounced moments ago.  

However, Liz—Liz Garrett—would never dare to rest upon his lips.  

“Now. Repeat after me. Isabel.”  

Valentine smiled faintly.  

It felt as though her very existence was being denied.  

Liz bit her lips tightly.  

What he desired was Isabel Winchester.  

Everything was merely a stepping stone for Liz Garrett to become Isabel.  

Liz had agreed to this, which was why she existed here.  

To become a Winchester, Liz Garrett had to be discarded.  

Liz opened her trembling lips with difficulty.  

“Isa… no, Isa…”  

But Liz couldn’t bring herself to complete the final sound.  

Her throat felt choked.  

Liz lowered her head.  

“My name…”  

“Hmm?”  

Valentine tilted his head as if urging her to speak again.  

Liz steadied her breath and met his gaze.  

Then, she asked clearly,  

“Will I ever have the chance to say my name in front of others?”  

Valentine didn’t answer.  

His silence made her uneasy.  

Liz racked her brain to add an explanation.  

“When introducing myself to others, wouldn’t it be enough to say Winchester? After all, I am Winchester…”  

Even Liz found her excuse pathetic.  

What nonsense was I saying?  

She shouldn’t let her guard down, not even for a moment.  

Valentine would surely press her again and overwhelm her.  

But instead of reprimanding her, Valentine simply stared at Liz before speaking.  

“Alright.”  

“…!”  

His unexpected response surprised Liz.  

“For now, we’ll stop here. It seems there’s another matter to discuss today.”  

Liz internally sighed in relief.  

She couldn’t guess his intentions, but for now, she had to follow his lead and finish the conversation about her parents.  

Liz quickly changed the subject.  

“So, did you meet my father… I mean, the Garretts, in person?”  

“Yes.”  

“Thank you for your generous assistance… to my maid.”  

At Valentine’s nod, Liz spoke with a bitter smile.  

Valentine shrugged his shoulders.  

“I met Mr. Finley and explained the situation. As for Mrs. Greta, I sent an attendant.”  

“Excuse me, but what exactly did you say to them?”  

Valentine’s expression shifted slightly at her question.  

“…I handled it well.”  

After a brief silence, he gave an awkward reply.  

He was clearly avoiding the topic.  

But this time, Liz couldn’t back down.  

This was something she had to ask him.  

“How did you handle it? You didn’t mention our marriage… or the contract, did you?”  

There wasn’t anything unusual in the letter, so it seemed fine, but one could never be sure.  

Not only had she entered a false marriage with a noble, but she was also living as Isabel Myra’s stand-in.  

Her mother might accept it, but her father was a deeply worried man.  

If he found out what had happened to his daughter, Liz couldn’t imagine how he would react.  

“Finley Garrett…”  

Valentine paused with a peculiar expression.  

“The rumor that your daughter ran away is nonsense spread by the Myra family. At Winchester, your daughter has been employed, and due to certain circumstances…”  

“Oh, so that’s how it was! That’s a relief.”  

There was justification.  

In Valentine’s world, the truth was akin to a weakness.  

Thus, the fewer people who knew it, the better.  

That was the only reason.  

It was certainly not because of those green eyes that resembled Liz’s.  

“You’re truly a generous man, Your Grace.”  

Finley Garrett beamed brightly.  

That innocent smile brought Valentine not relief, but unease.  

His fascinating plan seemed fundamentally flawed somehow.  

“…I briefly explained to Mr. Finley Garrett that Liz Garrett’s employer had changed to Winchester, and that she had fallen out of favor with the Myra family.”  

“So, you didn’t mention the marriage, right?”  

“Of course.”  

“That’s a relief….”  

Liz’s expression brightened as she sighed in relief.  

For a moment, something like a blunt needle pricked Valentine’s heart.  

‘What is this?’  

Valentine stared at Liz’s face, trying to discern the feeling.  

Liz was genuinely relieved, smiling brightly.  

‘She wants to hide this contract so much?’ 

Valentine furrowed his brows.  

Every woman in Holt Kingdom wanted to become a Winchester.  

Even princesses from foreign royal families had brought him marriage proposals.

Even those who had given up on becoming his legitimate wife sometimes begged to be his lover or mistress.  

In such circumstances, Liz’s bright smile.  

Was that smile presumptuous? No, it wasn’t.  

Valentine couldn’t possibly not know.