Chapter 1.5

The fleeting warmth in his expression had been a mere illusion. He truly regarded Liz as nothing more than furniture.  

“Did I ever look at you? No, I’ve never seen you. Who remembers the moments they glance at furniture?”  

The sparkling moments Liz had felt when their eyes met were nothing more than her own delusions.  

Valentine’s words were cold and absolute.  

‘But… why?’  

Liz looked up at him with puzzled eyes. Somehow, his words seemed less directed at her and more like a rebuke to himself.  

“Stopping Count Myra was the same. I was merely protecting the furniture I intended to use from damage.”  

But any attempt to understand him felt pointless. His sharp words pierced Liz’s heart like needles.  

“Furniture doesn’t have a mouth. What meaning is there in a table declaring itself to be diligent furniture?”  

This was what it meant to not even be regarded as human.  

Liz bit her lip hard. But Valentine’s expression remained unchanged.  

“A piece of furniture has only one thing to say. If you understand, then answer.”  

Being treated as less than human was as unbearable as being insulted as one.  

“…I’m sorry, Your Grace.”  

It was a phrase Liz had repeated countless times since becoming a maid.  

Valentine nodded briefly, as if that were the correct answer.  

“One minute left.”  

Valentine checked his watch and spoke.  

“You spent your nine minutes worrying about your family and denying the Count’s words.”  

There was a faint mockery in Valentine’s voice.  

“So, what do you truly want, Liz Garrett?”  

What Liz Garrett truly wanted.  

Since becoming a maid for Myra, no one had ever asked her that question.  

Instead of charcoal, she held rouge; instead of paint, she wrapped herself in dresses to adorn Isabel.  

Liz had painstakingly cut away her own desires.  

But what Liz truly wanted…  

“Liz, I’m going to Florang Kingdom. There, I’ll paint to my heart’s content.”  

“Won’t it be dangerous?”  

“But they say it’s free there. Even commoners like us aren’t discriminated against.”  

“But revolutions are dangerous. You might die…”  

“Then I’ll leave again. To somewhere else.”  

When Liz snapped out of her thoughts, Valentine’s deep blue eyes were fixed on her.  

Up close, those eyes were the most beautiful she had ever seen.  

They were as deep as the ocean, unshaken yet sparkling as if holding all the light in the world.  

They were worthy of being called the kingdom’s jewels.  

“To… paint…”  

Liz murmured absentmindedly, as if in a trance.  

“Hmm?”  

Valentine raised an eyebrow.  

Realizing what she had said, Liz quickly shook her head and replied,  

“Not yet. Could you give me some time to think?”  

She couldn’t let him discover her true feelings.  

If he disliked furniture having a mouth, how much more would he ridicule one with a brush?  

Valentine stared at Liz for a moment before speaking.  

“You don’t have much time.”  

“Ah…”  

His words jolted Liz back to reality.  

Indeed, Liz Garrett could only remain as Isabel for today.  

Once the ceremony was over, she would return to being a maid of Myra.  

Of course, the chances of Myra accepting her back were slim.  

In that case, perhaps her last wish should be to ask for a suitable job placement.  

She could request an introduction to a decent estate.

Thinking about it gave her courage instead.

Liz nodded firmly.  

“Yes, thank you very much.”  

Tick.  

The unusually loud ticking of the clock echoed in the room.  

“Time is up.”  

His elegant tone of formality made Liz inhale sharply.  

Suddenly, the atmosphere in the room seemed to shift.  

Valentine bent down and extended his hand.  

Liz, caught off guard, reached out hers.  

“I shall see you shortly, Miss Isabel.”  

Valentine lightly kissed the back of her hand.  

His lips were softer than anything that had ever touched Liz’s hand before—so much so that she momentarily forgot the humiliation she had endured earlier.  

“Well then.”  

Valentine turned and left the room. His manners were impeccable.  

Liz stared blankly at the door he had exited through.  

The back of her hand burned.  

This must be why maids hopelessly fall for nobles.  

If only I was truly Isabel Myra.  

If I was the golden-haired, golden-eyed young lady of Myra, with a bank full of gold coins.  

Could I have been seen as a human being rather than mere furniture?  

‘How foolish. Liz Garrett!’  

Something welled up in Liz’s throat.  

After being treated like that, she was swayed by his mere demeanor.  

Liz lightly slapped her cheeks with both hands.  

‘Pull yourself together.’  

She couldn’t let herself be swept away by this brief commotion.  

She was, after all, only Isabel’s substitute.  

“I am… definitely not Isabel Myra. I am Liz Garrett.”  

So I must never dare to think of myself as human before him.  

As Liz finished solidifying her resolve—  

“Liz, are you alright?”  

Other maids entered the room.  

One maid smacked the shoulder of another who had spoken.  

“Hey! Liz?”  

“Oh! Right, not anymore.”  

The maids exchanged glances and giggled.  

“Miss Isabel. Are you alright… pfft, are you alright?”  

The maid who had been smacked tried to suppress her laughter as she asked Liz.  

Liz awkwardly nodded in response.  

“Y-Yeah… I’m fine. Nothing happened.”  

“Alright, alright. Then let’s get ready quickly.”  

The maids half-heartedly dressed Liz in her gown.  

Their attitude was noticeably different from how they treated Isabel.  

“You can do your makeup yourself, right?”  

“Of course.”  

Liz began applying makeup herself without any particular displeasure.  

After all, she was only Isabel’s stand-in.  

“Take your time. You don’t need to greet the guests, they said.”  

The maids lounged comfortably in chairs, swinging their legs as they spoke.  

“Really? Is that okay?”  

“Of course! Why bother wasting time embarrassing yourself… Oh. My mistake.”  

One maid giggled and waved her hand dismissively.  

“Anyway, you just need to be in the hall right before the bride’s entrance.”  

“Alright. Thanks for letting me know.”  

Liz replied as she applied expensive rouge to her cheeks.  

A maid nearby clapped her hands exaggeratedly.  

“Wow. Miss Isabel, you’re quite beautiful today!”  

“Indeed. You look a bit like Liz Garrett today!”  

The maids laughed mockingly.  

Liz bit her lip.  

As they said, the reflection in the mirror bore no resemblance to Isabel.  

‘I’ll have to make it resemble her as much as possible.’  

Liz raised her eyebrows as much as she could while drawing them.  

She dusted off the rouge, leaving her cheeks pale.  

Finally, she applied Isabel’s expensive lipstick, her hands trembling slightly.  

That tiny tube of lipstick was worth as much as Liz’s weekly wages.  

“Now you’re about seventy percent Isabel!”  

The makeup didn’t suit Liz’s face at all.  

The maids laughed so hard they were clutching their sides at Liz’s awkward appearance.  

Despite their jealous ridicule, Liz steadfastly finished her makeup.  

She didn’t hate them.  

After all, they worked tirelessly alongside her, and now it seemed like she was the only one scheming.  

They couldn’t criticize their master, so they mocked their colleague instead.  

“…You can go rest now; I’m finished.”  

Liz’s cautious words were met with eager approval from the maids.  

“Oh, really?”  

“Great, I’m exhausted from working all day.”  

“Someone’s lucky enough to just wear dresses and do makeup.”  

“Let’s go nap before the ceremony starts?”  

“Isn’t this room better? I could sleep here.”  

As the maids chatted noisily—  

Knock, knock. A polite knock sounded at the door.  

“Miss Isabel. Are you ready?”  

It was Valentine’s voice.  

“Ah!”  

The maids, who had been half-reclined, jumped to their feet.  

“I’ll come in briefly.”  

At his words, the maids quickly clustered around Liz, pretending to fix her stray hairs and re-tie her ribbons.  

“Miss Isabel, you look absolutely stunning!”  

“You’re even more beautiful today!”  

Valentine looked at the scene with a disapproving gaze.  

Liz shrank back slightly.  

‘How ridiculous it must look.’  

No matter how much she dressed up and applied makeup, she would obviously never match Isabel.  

Isabel was a noble lady as high as the heavens, while she was merely a maid.  

It wouldn’t be surprising if he called off this farce immediately.  

That was why—  

Liz boldly raised her head instead.  

“Is there a problem?”  

Liz asked confidently.  

She wanted him to end this absurd charade.  

To see it for himself and abandon the ridiculous plan of turning a maid into a noble lady.  

“Miss Isabel.”  

But Valentine still addressed her with the same courtesy reserved for noble ladies.  

At that moment, an unfamiliar emotion rose within Liz.  

Disappointment, relief, and then disappointment again.  

The first disappointment was obvious—it was because the play hadn’t ended.  

But the relief and subsequent disappointment were feelings Liz herself couldn’t understand.  

‘What’s wrong with me?’  

Confused, Liz hesitated as Valentine’s lips curled into a faint smile.  

“Who did your makeup?”  

At his question, Liz and the maids exchanged uneasy glances.  

“T-That’s…”  

Anyone could see the makeup didn’t suit Liz at all.  

It was bad enough that the maid responsible might face a pay cut.  

But Liz couldn’t admit she’d done it herself either.  

If she did, the maids who had failed to properly assist “Miss Isabel” might face harsher punishment.  

After a brief moment of contemplation, Liz spoke up.  

“I did it myself.”  

The maids flinched.  

‘Liz!’  

Some of the maids mouthed her name silently.  

Others glared at her with hostility.  

‘That’s not true.’  

Liz exhaled softly.  

She had no intention of tattling on them to Valentine.  

It might feel satisfying for a moment, but ultimately, these maids were her coworkers.  

It was far wiser to look after them.