Chapter 1.24

The real reason Valentine couldn’t tell Finley Garrett the truth was precisely because of that.  

But he couldn’t admit it.  

He couldn’t accept that this entire situation was flawed from the beginning.  

Thus, Valentine deliberately erased Finley Garrett’s kind smile from his mind.  

At the same time, his avoidance naturally turned into displeasure.  

It was the most common defense mechanism humans unconsciously employed.  

“What good would it do for me to tell Mr. Garrett the truth? He’d likely come running, with his eyes ablaze, looking for scraps to pick up.”  

Valentine spoke coldly, his expression indifferent.  

Liz, rarely raising her voice, retorted sharply.  

“My father… Mr. Garrett isn’t like that!”  

But Valentine chuckled and replied.  

“Perhaps. It hasn’t happened yet, after all.”  

Valentine traced the pendant on Liz’s necklace with his index finger.  

“But wouldn’t someone wearing a necklace want to pair it with an appropriate ring? It’d be fortunate if it ended with just a ring.”  

Valentine glanced at the door separating his room from Liz’s and added.  

“He might even pressure you to open that door somehow.”  

“Your Grace!”  

Liz seemed genuinely angry.  

He calmly corrected her form of address.  

“Valentine.”  

“That’s… that’s not the point!”  

Liz’s cheeks trembled.  

Her ears were flushed red, but unusually, no tears fell.  

Intrigued by this, Valentine silently examined Liz from head to toe.  

“Apologize for insulting Mr. Finley Garrett. Formally.”  

Her audacity in shouting at him amused him.  

If she managed to make him laugh, it suited her role as well.  

So, once again, he wasn’t mistaken.  

“Yes, I admit it. I insulted Finley Garrett. But why should I apologize to you for that insult, Duchess of Winchester?”  

Liz clenched her teeth and glared at Valentine.  

After a long pause, Liz finally spoke.  

“…Insulting my maid’s father is no different from insulting me, her superior.”  

“Ah, excellent.”  

Valentine clapped a few times.  

It was clear she had put some thought into her answer.  

“Now you truly sound like the lady of Winchester. Do you understand what I mean?”  

Though he smiled, Valentine’s gaze toward Liz was icy.  

Understanding the implication to fulfill her role, Liz flinched.  

Taking a deep breath, Liz spoke clearly and steadily.  

“I apologize for raising my voice. But please, Your Grace, apologize to me as well.”  

Valentine crossed his arms and scrutinized Liz.  

This time, Liz didn’t shrink back.  

Valentine’s lips curled into a grin.  

The only reason someone as fragile as Liz could grow so strong was simple: she had a weakness behind her.  

Now, he was certain. He had figured out this woman’s weakness.  

“Very well, Duchess of Winchester.”  

Valentine placed a hand on his chest and bowed politely.  

“On behalf of your maid Liz Garrett’s father, Finley Garrett, I apologize for my insult.”  

Liz let out a sigh of relief.  

She was truly a woman whose emotions showed plainly on her face.  

Thus, apologizing was something he could do countless times.  

Valentine rose from his seat.  

“Well then, that will be all for today. Starting tomorrow, we’ll begin formal training, so be prepared.”  

Valentine turned toward the door leading to his bedroom.  

Liz naturally pushed in the chair he had vacated and responded.  

“Yes, I will.”  

Without answering, Valentine entered his room.  

The door connecting the two rooms closed once again.  

“Haa… Still, it’s a relief.”  

Staring blankly at the closed door, Liz muttered weakly.  

Valentine had allowed her not to call the name she didn’t want to say.  

And he had even apologized willingly.  

Perhaps the words “I am Winchester” had resonated with him.  

Liz stared at the table with a peculiar feeling.  

On the table lay the reply she intended to send to her father.  

Suddenly, the name “Liz Garrett” written on the envelope felt unfamiliar.  

Liz stared blankly at her own name for a moment before shaking her head and pulling the bell cord.  

She summoned Martha to send the letter.  

A short while later, the door opened.  

“Martha?”  

But the voice of the maid who entered was unfamiliar.  

“Hello, Duchess of Winchester.”  

Before her stood a maid around Liz’s age, her dark eyes sparkling.  

The maid walked into the room as if it were natural and began looking around.  

“So this is the Duchess of Winchester’s room? I thought all the precious things would’ve been cleared out, but it’s surprisingly fancy!”  

Liz, momentarily taken aback by the maid’s sudden appearance, regained her composure and asked.  

“Who are you? Where’s Martha?”  

“Oh, Martha… No, I mean, the Head Maid is out for a bit.”  

The maid answered casually and continued to inspect the room.  

She touched the decorations and even checked her reflection in the mirror.  

Momentarily flustered, Liz gathered herself and asked firmly again.  

“I asked who you are.”  

“Oh. Don’t you remember me?”  

The maid chuckled, revealing slightly crooked teeth.  

From her shortened speech, Liz felt an immediate sense of discomfort.  

But before Liz could say anything, the maid quickly patted her shoulder as if they were close.  

“It’s me, Jenny! How could you forget a fellow maid?”  

A fellow maid.  

Ordinarily, Liz would’ve nodded at such a statement, but for some reason, it rubbed her the wrong way.  

Unable to outright deny it, Liz tried to recall her memory.  

‘Jenny, Jenny…’  

There might have been a maid named Jenny at Winchester Estate, but she wasn’t someone Liz had remembered by name.  

“Surely you haven’t forgotten us fellow maids just because you’ve had a bit of luck, right?”  

The sharp sarcasm made Liz’s head spin.  

She had never experienced rivalry among maids before.  

As an apprentice designer, she had always bowed to customers.  

At Myra Estate, she had been Isabel’s exclusive maid, with no need to interact with other maids.  

And with Isabel, she had only ever obeyed.  

Thus, in situations like these, Liz couldn’t help but feel overwhelmed.  

“Wow, you were so angelic in front of Lady Isabel and His Grace…”  

Hearing Lady Isabel’s name from Jenny’s lips suddenly drained Liz’s energy.  

She knew Liz Garrett all too well.  

The noble etiquette she had just learned seemed utterly meaningless.  

To her, Liz was nothing more than Isabel’s maid.  

Liz muttered weakly in an attempt to excuse herself.  

“I… I’m sorry. I remember now.”  

As soon as Liz responded, Jenny smiled brightly as if she had been waiting for it.  

“Oh, it’s fine. You could’ve forgotten!”  

Jenny wrapped her arm around Liz’s.  

It felt as though a snake had coiled around her arm, sending shivers down her spine.  

“Anyway… You’ve really become a proper lady, haven’t you?”  

Jenny’s voice sounded friendly, but there was something unnervingly artificial about her tone.  

Liz tried to pull her arm away, but Jenny clung to her, locking arms as she moved toward the vanity.  

“You really do look good. Well, you were always pretty. There were even rumors among the maids about you.”

Jenny admired Liz’s reflection in the mirror as she chattered away.  

“Ru…mors?”  

“Yeah. That the maid serving Lady Isabel was extremely beautiful. Everyone said that’s why Lady Isabel treated you so harshly.”  

Jenny giggled as she studied Liz’s expression.  

“You must feel good, right?”  

Although Jenny seemed to mean it as a compliment, Liz found the remark uncomfortable.  

Isabel. Just hearing that name made Liz uneasy.  

Before all this happened, Liz had never dared to compare herself to Isabel.  

Now, however, she felt as though Isabel’s shadow was devouring her every moment.  

Wanting to change the subject, Liz answered vaguely.  

“…Uh, well.”  

“What’s this? You must’ve heard so many compliments like this that you’re tired of them.”  

Jenny’s tone suddenly turned sharp, almost as if she were scolding Liz.  

“No, no! Thank you.”  

Caught off guard, Liz nodded along with Jenny’s words.  

“That’s what I thought.”  

Jenny smiled brightly and tightened her grip on Liz’s arm. Liz broke out in a cold sweat.  

Jenny led Liz to the vanity and reached out her hand.  

“Wow, this color is so pretty.”  

Jenny picked up a lipstick.  

Her dark eyes sparkled as she asked Liz, 

“Hey, can I use this for a bit and then put it back?”  

“What? No, I don’t think that’s possible.”  

Liz immediately refused, but Jenny ignored her and opened the lipstick cap.  

Jenny stretched her neck toward the mirror and began applying the lipstick.  

“You’ve got plenty more anyway. Be generous for once. That way, we’ll treat you better.”  

Jenny puckered her bright red lips and spoke.  

Liz firmly extended her hand again.  

“This isn’t mine, so I can’t lend it to you. Please return it.”  

Jenny frowned and pushed Liz’s hand away.  

“Fine! It’s not yours anyway. You and I are both just maids, aren’t we?”  

The blunt attack left Liz speechless as she blinked in shock.  

Meanwhile, Jenny slipped the lipstick into her pocket.  

“Don’t worry, I’ll help you out a lot from now on. Thanks!”  

Jenny turned to leave the room but stopped to look back.  

“Oh, right. Why did you call me?”  

Liz glanced at the letter on the table.  

It seemed unwise to entrust it to Jenny.  

“Never mind… It was something I was going to tell Martha. When Martha returns, send her to my room.”  

“Alright, then. Call me if you need anything else!”  

Jenny disappeared like the wind.  

Liz stared at the empty room with a weary expression, pressing her forehead and sighing.  

“…I’ll ask Martha when she comes back.”  

***

Fortunately, Martha returned in the evening, and Liz handed the letter directly to her while broaching the topic.  

“By the way, about the maid…”  

“Oh, you mean Jenny?”  

Martha responded as though she had anticipated the question.  

“When I’m not around, I told Jenny to assist you, Miss. She’s quick-witted and should be useful.”  

Liz hesitated at the unexpected answer.  

“Re… Really?”  

“Yes. The other maids seem to feel a bit uneasy around you…”  

Liz felt her energy drain.  

If Jenny was considered one of the more agreeable maids, how badly must the others be criticizing her?  

If Liz, who wasn’t even a true noblewoman, were to ask for a change of maid, it would only invite more ridicule.  

Like jumping out of the frying pan into the fire.  

“Did something happen?”  

If a single cosmetic item could smooth things over, perhaps it wasn’t so bad.  

Liz quietly shook her head.  

“No… I was just surprised to see a new face.”  

***

However, Jenny didn’t return the cosmetic item even after several days.  

As Liz waited for Valentine and flipped through her notebook, she sighed inwardly.  

‘I knew this would happen.’  

As Jenny had said, the vanity was filled with various cosmetics.  

Even if one went missing, it wouldn’t be noticeable.  

Not even Martha had noticed.  

Liz had hoped Jenny might return it on her own, but that seemed unlikely.  

‘I’ll have to say something firmly soon.’  

Liz set down her busy pen and took a moment to breathe.  

The notebook contained Liz’s sketches of the banquet hall and notes on etiquette she needed to follow.  

It was almost time for Valentine to arrive.  

Recently, Valentine had visited Liz’s room daily at the same hour to teach her manners and etiquette.  

Surprisingly, Valentine Winchester turned out to be an excellent instructor.  

His teaching order was systematic, and his explanations were logical.  

If Liz pretended to understand something without actually grasping it, he would notice immediately.  

Each time, Valentine would silently stare at her before explaining the same point again.  

After several repetitions of this, Liz stopped pretending to understand and began asking questions instead.  

As a result, Liz’s refinement and knowledge grew quickly.  

‘He’s late today…’  

Valentine was overdue.  

The door connecting his room to hers remained silent.  

Liz stood up and looked out the window.  

The outside was bustling.  

Servants were moving about busily.  

Liz tilted her head as she watched them closely.  

‘Could it be a guest?’  

The commotion among the servants resembled the activity that occurred when unexpected guests arrived.  

Just then, the sound of a door opening echoed.  

It wasn’t the door connecting Valentine’s room to hers but rather her own door.  

“Valentine!”  

Liz called out the name she had grown accustomed to using.  

Valentine entered the room dressed in a neat suit.  

Though he was always tidy, today he wore both a vest and a jacket.  

His hair was elegantly styled, swept to one side, and Liz couldn’t help but gape slightly.  

“Today’s lesson will be difficult. Viscount Lucas and his wife have arrived.”  

Viscount Lucas and his wife—Valentine mentioned them while giving Liz a probing look.  

Liz promptly answered.  

“They’ve been long-time business partners of Winchester since the days of the lumber processing business. Recently, they’ve actively invested in mines and earned significant profits.”  

Valentine smiled faintly.  

“Well done, Duchess of Winchester.”  

His praise made Liz’s cheeks flush.  

She found herself increasingly enjoying his recognition.  

“They were unable to attend the wedding, so they decided to visit while passing through Winchester territory.”  

“Then I…”  

Would I finally step forward again as the “Duchess of Winchester” in front of others?  

Liz looked up at him with a nervous expression.  

The Husband’s Wife Has Returned, Volume 1 End