Chapter 2.5

“A studio….”

Valentine murmured upon returning to his room.  

Liz’s skills were genuinely not bad.  

There was no extraordinary technique, but it was honest and neat.  

She didn’t smudge difficult parts or pretend to be skillful by overlapping lines.  

Especially, the expressions seemed truly vivid and alive.  

What if Liz were to paint Valentine Winchester?  

He glanced at the mirror hanging on the wall right next to the door.  

A man, indifferent and restrained in everything, was reflected in the mirror.  

Since the death of Valentine’s father, the previous Duke.  

The Dowager Duchess, former Duchess, had lost her mind, and the Winchester dukedom was naturally expected to pass to his uncle Archibald.  

However, it was belatedly revealed that the Dowager Duchess was with child.  

Archibald, who had lost the title right before his eyes, had been wary of Valentine since his birth.  

There were many things he didn’t want to recall, but the most difficult was his military life.  

The Florang rebels hated the Holt Kingdom, symbolizing the continent’s conservatism and stability.  

They caused various disturbances to shake Holt’s regime.  

Thus, the heirs of Holt’s nobility had to serve in the military before inheriting their families, and Valentine was no exception.  

Of course, high-ranking nobles were usually placed in units that maintained their dignity.  

However, Archibald, through lobbying, sent Valentine to the most impoverished and dangerous border area.  

It was a last-ditch effort to prevent Valentine from becoming the Duke of Winchester.  

Valentine crawled over frozen trenches with his gear and rolled in the mud.  

He erased the habit of raising his chin when looking at distant things and occasionally taking long sighs.  

Only after erasing all of Valentine could Valentine Winchester survive.  

The perfect appearance reflected in the mirror now was created that way.  

If Liz Garrett were to paint him, would she depict such an image?  

Somehow, he felt she wouldn’t.  

Valentine slowly pushed the mirror aside.  

As the mirror slid away, an empty space appeared.  

In its place was a long spiral staircase.  

He bent slightly and entered it with familiarity.  

Valentine quietly climbed the dark stairs. Occasionally, the old stairs creaked.  

At the end of the stairs, he pushed a small door above his head, revealing the maid’s attic where he first met Liz.  

Valentine lightly pulled himself up into the room, his expression naturally relaxing.  

This room was the only place where Valentine could spend time comfortably.  

His father was no longer of this world, and the Dowager Duchess was not in her right mind.  

In such circumstances, the young Duke could not exist as a child.  

The long-standing retainers of Winchester, led by Gerald, barely defended against Archibald ascending to the dukedom.  

But naturally, the situation was not good.  

From the moment he could walk and talk, he had to constantly prove his exceptional qualities as the Duke of Winchester.  

Thus, he couldn’t show signs of resting, let alone act spoiled.  

The place young Valentine discovered by chance while learning duties in the office all day was the passage to this maid’s room.

“Ha….”

Valentine let out a low sigh and looked at the small window.  

The Winchester Estate he cultivated was visible at a glance.  

This room, connected to the office, was the only place where he could rest without watching others.  

That tiny glass window seemed so wide and refreshing back then.  

Even now, when he no longer needed to watch others, he always sought this room when he wanted to rest.  

The room was warmed with a gentle warmth.  

He reached out and opened the window, letting in a golden breeze.  

Feeling the cool temperature, Valentine gazed at the horizon.  

He had stopped the Florang rebels causing disturbances at the distant border and stained the scope with blood several times.  

Fortunately, his military life was shorter than others.  

It was thanks to his merit in shooting a Florang spy who attempted to assassinate the King of Holt.  

He immediately succeeded to the Winchester dukedom upon discharge and established himself as the king’s right hand.  

Thus, it wasn’t Winchester that made him a Duke.  

It was he who made Winchester.

***

The next morning.  

Gerald and Martha were surprised by an unexpected order.

“You’re creating an art studio?”  

“In that room….”

However, Valentine nodded with a calm expression.

“I finished organizing it yesterday.”  

“Indeed, the Lucas couple found it odd that there’s still no portrait….”

Martha, who had greeted the Lucas couple at the entrance, agreed with Valentine’s opinion.  

But Gerald frowned.

“That may be so, but… even providing art education to that young lady.”  

“The Duchess of Winchester.”

At Valentine’s brief correction, Gerald bowed his head.

“I misspoke.”

Martha quickly intervened to cover Gerald’s mistake.

“It’s even better that she can paint it herself, isn’t it?”

Valentine seemed pleased with her words and nodded with a smile.

“Then, Head Maid, please furnish the studio with the finest items. Also, Viscount Gerald, find a teacher to instruct her in art through written correspondence.”

“…Understood.”

Gerald replied shortly without further words.

“Yes, then I’ll be going.”

Martha quickly led Gerald out of the office.  

Once outside, Gerald sighed deeply and muttered.

“Head Maid, I don’t understand.”

“Shh, come over here to talk.”

Martha led Gerald to a quiet corner. Gerald spoke with a worried expression.

“To be honest, isn’t she a hostage rather than a stand-in? No matter how much he places her in the wife’s position, isn’t he putting in too much effort….”

Martha sighed.

“Don’t say that. She’s a truly pitiful young lady. Have you thought about what her life will be like in the future?”

“Still, won’t the Duke generously compensate her?”

Martha thought for a moment before speaking.

“Ten thousand gold for meals, five thousand for tea food. Thirty thousand gold for beauty care and cosmetics. Plus, the beautifully decorated room and dresses are separate.”

“What do you mean?”

“That’s the daily cost for Miss Liz. And that’s a conservative estimate.”

Martha sighed deeply and continued.

“You know the saying, you can move to a bigger house, but not to a smaller one.”

Martha looked at Liz’s closed door with a sympathetic expression.

“Right now, that young lady is living one of the wealthiest lives in the kingdom. Can she go back to being a maid? It’ll be hard for her to be satisfied with an ordinary life, let alone maid work.”

“That may be so, but… she didn’t seem like a young lady who would indulge in luxury.”

“That’s not for her to decide.”

Martha shook her head.

“Have you heard Miss Liz’s way of speaking? Have you seen her gestures? She is now no different from a full-fledged noble. Anyone would think so. Can she become a shop clerk with a demeanor that looks like she would take a carriage even for a three-step walk? How will people perceive that young lady haggling over meat prices with elegant and pretty speech?”

At those words, Gerald fell silent.  

Martha was right.  

Even if Liz wanted to return to a commoner’s life, it was uncertain whether that life would accept her back.

“So before Miss Isabel returns, we must teach her something more. That way, she could live as a tutor somewhere, couldn’t she?”

Currently, Liz was receiving more noble treatment than any young lady in Holt.  

But the moment Isabel returned, she would lose it all.  

Gerald responded cautiously.

“I understand what you mean now. But what concerns me is….”

Gerald had watched Valentine from a very young age.  

He had protected Valentine from Archibald’s schemes multiple times and raised him to be a perfect Winchester.  

In that process, he had to be inevitably harsh on Valentine personally.  

He selected academic achievements, social etiquette, and even minor preferences to avoid any criticism.

“The Duke of Winchester enjoying sweets is not dignified. Choose tea and fruit instead.”  

“Popular novels are not allowed. It’s better to read classics during your leisure time.”  

“For physical training, prefer horseback riding and shooting over ball games….”  

“The music you should appreciate, and the art….”

Valentine was the perfect Winchester, crafted by Gerald and the retainers.  

Valentine also performed his role excellently.  

Thus, he had led Winchester’s second renaissance with such dignity.

“…I have nothing against Miss Liz.”

Gerald’s words were sincere.  

He was the only one who worried about Liz’s family, which was proof enough.

“I just wish for this Winchester ducal house to be maintained perfectly. So….”

Gerald trailed off.  

Every time he saw Liz, a sense of unease would suddenly rise.  

It was a feeling he had never experienced while serving Valentine.  

Martha, who had been watching Gerald, quietly spoke.

“I saw a play for the first time a few days ago. It was so interesting that I’ve already gone to see it three times.”

“Why are you suddenly talking about plays….”

“During the three performances, the lead actors changed several times.”

Martha continued, looking at Liz’s closed door.

“At first, I worried it might be awkward. But wearing the same wig, the same clothes, and reciting the same lines, they eventually looked like the same person.”

Gerald sighed softly at Martha’s calm voice.  

Martha was speaking not about the content of the play but its essence.

“Actors can change according to the schedule. They don’t stop the performance just because the co-actor has changed.”

The curtain on the stage of the Duke of Winchester had risen long ago.  

So far, Valentine had perfectly played his role.  

Even after Isabel disappeared, it was the same.

“Come to think of it, no matter how great an actor is, they can’t perform without a co-star. So, His Grace is just being faithful to his role.”

As Martha said, there was nothing about Valentine’s behavior so far that was unbefitting of the Duke of Winchester.  

It was just that the process of casting a suitable actor for the missing role and preparing them for the stage had newly arisen.  

This too was a duty as the Duke of Winchester.  

Gerald nodded, murmuring.

“…Indeed. His Grace hasn’t changed.”

Thus, Gerald’s unease was probably just unnecessary worry caused by the change of co-star.  

Gerald looked at the firmly closed door of Valentine’s office.  

He hoped that Valentine would continue to be the perfect Duke of Winchester.  

That was all Gerald wished for.