Chapter 1.6

“They’re all clumsy, so I figured I’d do it myself.”  

Liz raised her chin as she spoke, mimicking Isabel’s mannerisms.  

Valentine chuckled softly at her awkward performance.  

“Ah. I see.”  

Only then did the maids sigh in relief.  

“For the finishing touches, it might be good to accept their help.”  

Valentine glanced at the maids, who were trembling slightly.  

“That should be fine.”  

“O-Of course.”  

The maids bowed politely to Valentine.  

“Not me.”  

Valentine gestured toward Liz.  

But the maids exchanged hesitant glances, clearly reluctant to bow to her.  

‘I knew it.’  

Liz sighed inwardly.  

Valentine’s actions only served to make her uncomfortable.  

After all, she was just a stand-in duchess.

After today, “maid Liz Garrett” will surely be disliked even more because of this incident. 

Valentine seemed to have noticed this too, as he furrowed his brows slightly.  

However, if Valentine were to scold the maids here, the relationship between Liz and the other maids would become irreparable.  

Having made her decision, Liz quickly forced an awkward smile and waved her hand dismissively.  

“I’m fine, Duke.”  

“Is that so?”  

Valentine tilted his head and raised the corners of his lips.  

The moment Liz saw that smile, she forgot what she was about to say and inhaled sharply.  

She could say without hesitation that it was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen in her life.  

That dazzling smile made even the shadows cast by his eyelashes appear to sparkle.  

The other maids seemed equally mesmerized, staring at him blankly.  

After a moment of silence, Valentine sent a peculiar glance to each of the maids and spoke.  

“Well, that’s a relief. It seems your friends are also quite remarkable ladies, Miss Isabel.”  

Valentine smiled warmly and placed a hand on Liz’s shoulder.  

“Just as much as yourself, Miss Isabel.”  

At his words, the maids straightened their backs, cleared their throats, or forced smiles, as if trying to embody the “remarkable ladies” Valentine had described.  

Valentine looked at them with satisfaction before bringing his lips close to Liz’s cheek.  

A soft smacking sound echoed in the air.  

“Oh, oh my goodness….”  

The maids shuffled their feet in embarrassment, their faces flushed red.  

But Liz secretly contorted her expression.  

What Valentine had shown them was an illusion.  

An illusion that, as long as they caught Valentine’s attention, they too could become “Miss Isabel’s friends.” 

“Well then, I leave Miss Isabel in your capable hands.”  

“Yes, understood!”  

At Valentine’s words, the maids obediently bowed their heads to Liz.  

However, Liz felt no joy.  

It only reinforced her realization that Liz Garrett was a replaceable existence.  

“Thank… you.”  

Liz’s trembling voice was met with Valentine’s graceful nod before he left the room.  

“Oh my goodness, Liz—no, Miss Isabel!”  

As soon as the door closed, the maids began chattering excitedly as if they were close friends with Liz.  

“Today, I’m going to be your personal maid,  Miss Isabel. That way I can see the Duke all day!”  

“How could someone be so handsome and kind….”  

Liz forced a bitter smile.  

Illusions were ultimately fairy tales, and fairy tale worlds were kind because they didn’t exist.  

‘How… hateful.’  

But contrary to her thoughts, Liz’s heart pounded wildly.  

The trembling was so unbearable that she bit her lip hard, wishing she could somehow lock away her wavering emotions.  

***

Valentine left Liz behind and exited the room.  

The silly noises behind him—thudding, squealing, and “Oh my goodness, Liz!”—made him chuckle softly.  

Valentine had lived his entire life in a position of dominance. Manipulating subordinates to his liking was second nature to him.  

So instead of scolding the maids, he had chosen to show them an illusion.  

This way, the maids would willingly cooperate with his play and treat Liz with respect.  

“She wasn’t as foolish as I thought.”  

Valentine smiled faintly, recalling Liz’s earlier behavior.  

Surely, she hadn’t actually done that ridiculous makeup herself. It must have been the maids playing a prank.  

Her ability to navigate the situation without incurring anyone’s ire was commendable.  

Liz Garrett seemed capable of making the most of her circumstances.  

She would likely wipe off the absurd makeup and approach him with the face he had first seen.  

Valentine thought of her delicate cheeks, tinged with a rosy hue, her trembling eyes like budding leaves, and the sound of her pounding heart.  

He reasoned most logically why her image lingered in his mind.  

“She might be more useful than the real Isabel Myra.”  

He murmured to himself.  

His judgment was undoubtedly correct.  

A maid with a clear hierarchical relationship would be far more useful than an equal counterpart.  

The satisfaction he felt now must stem from that fact.  

Valentine continued his thoughts as he walked toward the Grand Hall where the ceremony would take place.  

“Duke, everything is ready.”  

Inside the hall, the guests waiting for the ceremony were chatting noisily.  

Valentine strode confidently and stopped before the closed doors.  

His long-time aide, Viscount Gerald, cautiously asked,  

“…Are you really going through with this?”  

Valentine nodded indifferently.  

Gerald let out a deep sigh.  

Slowly, the entrance to the hall opened.  

“His Grace, Duke Valentine Winchester, has arrived!”  

He strode across the hall with confidence.  

Those unaware of the situation raised their glasses and applauded.  

“Congratulations, Duke!”  

“Wow, he looks like a sculpture….”  

“So now Myra is officially part of Holt’s nobility, huh?”  

“Well, wasn’t it always? Holt would be cut off financially without Myra now.”  

Valentine offered them an appropriate smile while continuing to think about Liz Garrett.  

The real Isabel was already absent from his thoughts.  

Once the ceremony ended, testing Liz Garrett wouldn’t be a bad idea.  

‘How far can I use her?’  

Her exterior was sufficient. The inner qualities didn’t seem bad either.  

With proper training, she could likely fulfill the role of Isabel Winchester.  

Even beyond this wedding ceremony.  

Valentine’s steps halted before the stage as his thoughts were interrupted by a voice echoing through the hall.  

“Today’s bride, Miss Isabel Myra, will now enter!”  

***

“You can do this. You’re Miss Isabel… No, you are Isabel….”  

Standing outside the door, Liz struggled to steady her trembling legs.  

The dress was beautiful, but upon closer inspection, the seams were misaligned from being hastily tailored to fit Liz’s body.  

“Li… Miss Isabel, please keep it down…!”  

One maid scolded Liz while shoving the bouquet into her trembling hands.  

Liz bit her lip hard and nodded.  

“Sorry, I’m just so nervous about being found out….”  

“No way! You can barely see anything right now, you know?”  

As the maid said, Liz was wearing a thick veil.  

Her face was almost invisible unless someone came close.  

Her lips, just visible beneath the veil, were still painted bright red like Isabel’s.  

Though her gait and silhouette were different, she could manage to pass from a distance.  

Moreover, this was the Winchester estate. No one would dare openly question the situation during the ceremony.  

“Don’t worry too much. The Duke wouldn’t proceed with this unless he had a plan.”  

Valentine’s aide, Viscount Gerald, consoled Liz with a sympathetic look.  

“Really… Really, you think so?”  

Viscount Gerald, whose hair was beginning to gray, had served the Winchester family since the previous generation.  

Though he appeared somewhat stern, to Liz, he felt like the most compassionate elder at that moment.  

“Of course. Valentine Winchester never fails.”  

Gerald spoke more reassuringly to ease Liz’s fear. The other maids chimed in agreement.  

“Just endure for a few hours. He’ll reward you generously!”  

“That’s right. The Duke may seem cold, but he’s incredibly generous!”  

“You’re known for being a diligent maid… Ahem, well, anyway, you’ll be fine!”  

The maids laughed softly, trying to calm Liz’s nerves.  

Their words helped Liz regain her composure.  

‘That’s right. I’m not a bad maid, am I?’  

Whether working as a seamstress or a maid, Liz had always been more diligent and meticulous than anyone else.  

‘So I can handle this job too.’  

As Liz made her resolution, the trumpets announcing the bride’s entrance finally sounded.  

“Today’s bride, Miss Isabel Myra, will now enter!”

Liz flinched and trembled.  

Viscount Gerald spoke.  

“Please proceed… Miss Isabel.”  

Nervously, Liz hesitated before stepping through the open door.  

Cheers and applause erupted alongside the music.  

“Bel, congratulations on your wedding!”  

“The dress is so beautiful!”  

The shouts calling out to her supposed identity made Liz’s ears ring.  

Although she had braced herself for this moment outside the door, her body couldn’t help but begin trembling uncontrollably.  

Liz’s steps gradually slowed, and the people who had been clapping enthusiastically began to murmur among themselves.  

“Something seems off.”  

“She’s limping… Am I imagining things?”  

“It must be because of the high heels, right?”  

“Is that it? She actually looks shorter than usual….”  

Her head buzzed, but their words pierced her ears like knives.  

‘There’s nothing Winchester can’t achieve. It’ll be fine.’  

Liz trembled as she forced herself to move forward.  

But her courage was in vain, as her lowered gaze landed on Count Myra standing ahead.  

Myra was glaring at Liz as if he wanted to kill her.  

At that moment, thud.  

The bouquet fell from Liz’s trembling hands.  

“Oh my goodness!”  

Gasps filled the room as people covered their mouths in shock.  

Someone ran over and placed the bouquet back into Liz’s hands.  

That person seemed to whisper something, but Liz couldn’t hear a word.  

“She must be nervous!”  

“Now that I think about it, Miss Isabel looks far too thin.”  

“Didn’t she collapse earlier and miss greeting the guests?”  

Doubt began to seep into the voices of the crowd.  

Liz gripped the bouquet tightly with her pale hands.  

‘No. I can do this. I have to do this….’  

The moment Liz took a determined step forward—  

“Is she really Miss Isabel?”  

A sharp, ringing sound echoed in Liz’s ears.