Chapter 2.2

“What should I do, will he be angry….”

At that time, Liz was anxiously pacing.  

She hadn’t expected her appearance to be visible from such a distance.  

The moment their eyes met, she clearly felt Valentine flinch.  

Surprised, Liz quickly hid behind the curtain, but as expected.  

Valentine soon ended the teatime and sent the Lucas couple away much earlier than expected.  

It must have been to prevent her presence from being discovered.

‘I should have stayed still, instead of watching….’

Just as Liz was biting her lip, Valentine came in.  

Liz quickly apologized to him.

“I, um… I’m sorry.”  

“What do you mean?”

Valentine unexpectedly asked calmly.

“Huh? I meant about looking just now.”

Liz pointed to the window with an awkward face.

“Did you send the guests off early because of me? In case they might notice….”  

“I have no idea.”

At that answer, Liz tilted her head. Their eyes had definitely met.  

But Valentine firmly shook his head.

“Think about it. It’s impossible to see you from that distance.”  

“Oh… well, that’s true….”

Liz nodded awkwardly.  

Maybe it was a misunderstanding. If so, it was a relief.  

Then Valentine casually asked.

“Did you see me?”  

“Yes, I think I did….”

A very brief smile appeared at the corner of Valentine’s mouth.  

Before Liz could notice it, Valentine placed the box he was holding on the table.  

Naturally, Liz’s attention shifted there.

“What is that?”  

“A gift from the Lucas couple. Open it.”

Liz carefully opened the gift box.  

Inside was a black wooden box and several flat paper envelopes.

“It’s a device called a turntable. A tool for listening to music.”

Liz curiously opened the lid of the box. Inside was a long, thin rod.  

She cautiously touched the rod with her fingertips.

“They say it’s better than a phonograph… but it’s also my first time using it.”

Valentine opened the paper envelope next to it and took out a black, round disc.  

He then lifted the long, thin rod Liz was fiddling with and placed the disc underneath it.

“Perhaps if you do this.”

As he lowered the rod, their hands lightly brushed.  

But before Liz could pay attention to it, something even more surprising happened.  

The thin disc began to spin slowly, and amazingly, music flowed from it.

“Wow….”

Liz marveled as she watched the spinning disc.  

The orchestral melodies she had only heard at banquets filled the room.  

Liz murmured as if entranced.

“Is it really okay to keep such a precious thing in my room?”  

“Of course. It’s a gift for the Duchess of Winchester from the Lucas couple.”  

“Please tell them I really like it. Promise.”  

“Yes, I will.”

Liz joked with a slight smile.

“Being able to listen to music while lying in bed, it’s truly wonderful, isn’t it?”  

Valentine responded with a matching smile.

“Yes. Then I hope you recover soon.”

From that day on, Liz woke up every morning to the sound of the turntable.  

Thanks to this, Valentine could also hear the music from beyond the room.  

It was earlier than his usual wake-up time, but it wasn’t bad.  

Listening to the faint music with hot tea had become part of his morning routine.

“You’re up early again today, Your Grace.”

Viscount Gerald, who entered the office, lightly bowed his head.  

When Valentine returned the greeting, Gerald neatly placed a box of letters on the desk.

“There are no urgent matters today. All party invitations will be declined as you instructed.”

Every morning, Gerald organized the letters that arrived at Winchester by type and delivered them to Valentine.  

Valentine briefly scanned the box and picked out a few work-related letters.

“I will review these and give instructions.”

“Yes. And….”

Gerald held a letter in his hand.  

At Valentine’s signal, Gerald hesitated and placed the envelope down.  

The recipient was Liz Garrett.  

The envelope was sealed with the Russell family crest.  

Valentine stared intently at the letter envelope.  

Liz Garrett, written in plain, neat handwriting, bothered him.  

The Liz Garrett across the room was already smoothly becoming the Duchess of Winchester.  

Once that happened, a lowly and impoverished maid would soon be forgotten by people.  

But this letter seemed to completely deny his thoughts.  

It was as if it shouted that Liz Garrett would not disappear.  

It was truly amusing.

“Was there someone with such a name in this estate?”

At Valentine’s cold question, Gerald quietly answered.

“No, Your Grace.”

Valentine turned his gaze to the Duchess of Winchester’s room.  

Amidst the faint music, the humming of Liz, no, the Duchess of Winchester, could be heard.  

A faint smile appeared on his lips.  

If it weren’t for him, could that poor maid have such a pleasant time?  

So Liz Garrett would also wish to be a Winchester.  

Thinking so, Valentine could speak firmly.

“Then it must be a misdelivered letter. I assume you know how to handle it.”

Gerald nodded but hesitated to leave immediately.

“Your Grace, perhaps….”

Gerald quietly looked at the Duchess of Winchester’s room and asked.

“Is the music too loud, causing you to lose sleep?”  

“Not at all.”

Valentine answered immediately.

“You know, don’t you, Viscount Gerald? I’m not very interested in music.”

Yes. For Valentine, this situation was just a brief rest, a kind of leisure.  

A fleeting pleasure, like music that flows indifferently.

“Now, shouldn’t I be able to enjoy at least this much?”

At Valentine’s question, Gerald gave a wry smile.

“…I apologize. You’re right, Your Grace.”

Gerald’s tone carried regret and apology for the past.  

Valentine added with a gentle smile.

“No need. So, make sure to purchase more good records and deliver them. Ones that can provide musical knowledge.”

“Understood.”

Gerald bowed and withdrew.  

The office soon became quiet again. He listened once more to the music.  

The principle of the turntable was simpler than expected.  

When the needle is placed on the grooves of the LP disc, it moves along the grooves and produces the predetermined sound of music.  

He liked the principle.  

Valentine was also carefully engraving the Winchester name onto Liz Garrett.  

Once all the work was done and the needle was lifted, Liz too would move, singing a beautiful song.  

He leaned back in his chair leisurely.  

Of course, Valentine Winchester was confident that the song would also be nothing more than a fleeting amusement.

***

A few days later.  

The letter was returned to Theodore’s office.

“That can’t be….”

Unknown recipient.  

Theodore murmured as he stared at the stamp on the letter.  

In Myra, they said Liz had stolen and run away, but there was no news of a maid resembling Liz anywhere.

‘Liz would never commit such an act and flee.’

If so, the likelihood was highest that Liz was at Winchester.  

Yet he hadn’t expected the letter to be returned like this.

‘What should I do?’

Theodore sighed with a worried expression.  

It wasn’t possible for Theodore to visit Winchester personally.  

Theodore and Liz were just friends, and he had no plausible reason to connect with the Duchess of Winchester.

“Theo, have you finished organizing the ledger?”

His father’s voice was heard.  

Theodore let out a light exclamation.

“Ah!”

Perhaps Liz’s family might know her whereabouts.  

Theodore gathered the ledger and the letter and came downstairs from the office.  

The first-floor lobby was filled with paintings and sculptures by foreign artists who had arrived recently.  

Theodore casually glanced around the artworks.  

He hoped to find any trace of Liam, Liz’s brother and his friend.

“There doesn’t seem to be any work that looks like Liam’s.”

Theodore’s father added with a regretful voice.

“If he left home like that, he should at least join an atelier and send some news….”  

“Indeed.”

Theodore replied as he handed over the neatly organized ledger.

“Father, now that the ship has arrived, is it alright if I leave home for a few days?”  

“Oh, are you planning to visit the border area?”  

“Yes. It seems I should go.”

Theodore answered without hesitation, and his father nodded as if it were natural.

“Right. You should take care of Mr. Garrett. Since Liz ended up like that….”  

“What do you mean by ‘ended up like that’?”

At Theodore’s question, his father let out a bitter laugh.

“There was that incident with the maid at the wedding, and there’s been no news since. So….”

His father continued, stroking his long beard.

“It seems that either Myra or Winchester has taken some action, doesn’t it?”  

“No way!”

Surprised by the reaction, his father coughed awkwardly.

“Yes, I spoke too harshly. Anyway, make sure to prepare whatever you need and go.”