Chapter 4.6

For the next few days, the mansion was quiet.  

Valentine occasionally visited Liz’s attic, but Liz refused to speak with him.  

After being turned away a couple of times, he stopped coming.  

Liz’s once-romantic atelier had turned into a vague bedroom.  

The room itself wasn’t particularly uncomfortable.  

There was a large sofa in the room, bigger than the bed Liz had used before her family’s bankruptcy.  

She could have all her meals in the room.  

Anything else she needed was brought by Kate.  

So, her discomfort wasn’t physical—it was emotional.  

“…Should I go out today?”  

Liz murmured as she gazed out the window.

After staying in her room for a while, Liz began to feel the need for some fresh air.  

She was worried about running into Isabel.  

However, according to Kate, Isabel rarely left the guest room either.  

‘A short walk should be fine.’  

With that thought, Liz left her room.  

The sound of the door unlocking was immediately followed by the sound of people scattering.  

It must have been Valentine’s order to monitor Liz’s every move.  

In some ways, it felt suffocating, but in other ways, it was reassuring.  

It meant he was still keeping an eye on her.  

Liz let out a small sigh and stepped out into the rear garden.  

The once-beautiful Winchester garden was now empty.  

Even though it was early winter, they could have decorated it with evergreens and such.  

Perhaps due to everything that had happened recently at the Winchester Estate, the garden was poorly maintained and desolate.  

The bleak atmosphere made Liz rub her arms with both hands.  

‘It’s colder than I thought….’  

Since Liz didn’t yet have winter clothes, she had layered several autumn outfits before stepping out.  

She sighed and looked up at the Duchess’s room, which she used to occupy.  

“Oh, the Duchess’s room is still empty.”  

As Kate had mentioned, the room appeared quiet even from a distance.  

Liz’s eyesight wasn’t particularly sharp, but it was clear that there was no sign of life.  

Realizing this, she felt her heart ease a little.  

‘Maybe I’ll talk to Valentine after this walk.’  

As she was thinking that, a long shadow fell in front of her.  

A lazy voice spoke above her head.  

“Oh, it’s you?”  

Liz looked up.  

In front of her stood a man with loosely tied, curly black hair.  

“Who… oh.”  

Liz recognized the face.  

She frowned and took a step back.  

“…Sir Kay.”  

His longer hair had made it hard to recognize him at first. He was Isabel’s escort knight, Kay.  

The same lazy, playboy-like gaze and his towering height were unchanged.  

“Well, well, Miss Liz. I didn’t recognize you. You’ve really polished up nicely!”  

Kay clapped his hands exaggeratedly. Liz took another step back, wary of him.  

“Isabel ran away after having an affair with her escort knight.”  

Liz remembered Valentine’s words as she observed Kay.  

Until now, she hadn’t known much about him, as they had been distant despite both being employees.  

‘Miss Isabel didn’t like Kay associating with the other employees.’  

At the time, Liz had thought Isabel simply didn’t want her escort knight to mingle too freely. But it turned out there had been another reason.  

“Why are you so startled? Honestly, I’ve been wanting to have a chat with you.”  

His eyes were blue, like Valentine’s.  

But on closer inspection, they were different from Valentine’s clear, bright blue.  

Around his pupils, there was a hazel tint. Because of that, his eyes looked like muddy pools with moss growing in them.  

“Val isn’t here right now, is he? How about it? Let’s have a little talk.”  

Kay grinned as he spoke.  

He seemed like someone who could charm anyone with his friendly demeanor.  

But Liz remained defensive. She had no choice.  

“Are you here as a guest of Winchester?”  

Kay shrugged.  

“Why don’t you speak more casually? We’re colleagues, after all. Colleagues.”  

Liz frowned at his words.  

“I’m sorry, but I can’t be rude to a guest. After all…I’m still the Duchess of Winchester.”  

For a moment, Kay tilted his head slowly.  

“Miss.”  

His tone turned cold. Liz flinched instinctively.  

His eyes narrowed. The blue in his irises disappeared beneath his eyelids, leaving only the earthy pupil visible.  

It was the kind of gaze only someone who had spilled blood could have.  

It was different from Valentine’s coldness.  

Valentine was someone who bore arms under the banner of the military, wielding them under orders.  

Rules and logic—Valentine always had such justifications.  

But this man was different. This man was someone who killed in the shadows.  

“I want my Belle to have everything she desires. Even if it means becoming someone else’s wife.”  

Kay’s voice was chillingly cold.  

It was hard to believe this was the same person who had been grinning and chatting with Liz just moments ago.  

“So, before you say something like that again, you’d better think twice. It’s like boasting about jewels in front of a thief.”  

Liz swallowed hard.  

The tension in the air was so thick that it wouldn’t have been surprising if he had stabbed her right then and there.  

Kay, who had been staring at Liz’s face, suddenly let out a laugh.  

“Oh, come on. Don’t be so tense!”  

Kay returned to his lazy demeanor. He patted Liz’s shoulder lightly as he spoke.  

“Anyway, we could make great allies, don’t you think?”  

“Allies?”  

Liz frowned and avoided his touch.  

What kind of relationship could they possibly have, aside from both being former employees of Myra?  

But Kay continued to grin as he spoke.  

“Of course. That’s how it’ll end up, won’t it? When my Belle becomes Isabel Winchester, you’ll be Valentine’s Liz, and I’ll be Belle’s Kay. We’ll be in similar positions, more or less.”  

Liz’s expression twisted.  

He clearly believed he would become Isabel’s lover.  

“Aren’t you angry or ashamed? How can you think that way?”  

Even at Liz’s reproach, Kay lazily spread his arms.  

“Look at me. No obligations. I’m free. I love Belle, and I can give her everything I have. But I don’t need to give her anything that isn’t me.”  

“Anything that isn’t you…? What does that mean?”  

“Like having to change who I am to take responsibility for Belle’s life? Stuff like that—boring stuff.”  

Kay yawned widely.  

“I like being myself. Partnering, taking responsibility—that doesn’t suit me. I’ll love Belle as I please, and, well, maybe I’ll fall in love with someone else too.”  

He smirked like an actor and wrapped an arm around Liz’s waist.  

Flustered, Liz pushed him away.  

“Don’t do that!”  

Liz roughly shook off his hand.  

Kay chuckled and raised both hands.  

“Relax, it’s a joke. A joke.”  

Liz glared at him, but Kay spoke nonchalantly.  

“Still, you might want to change how you think. If you keep being so rigid, you’ll only make things harder for yourself. Got it?”  

Liz bit her lip at his words. He wasn’t wrong.  

Only someone with his mindset could endure the role of a mistress with a straight face.  

“Anyway, we’re in the same boat. Let’s get along.”  

Kay extended his hand as if to shake hers.  

Liz stared at his hand for a moment before turning away completely.  

She heard the sound of him clicking his tongue.  

But Liz ignored him and walked back into the mansion.  

The cold winter air brushed against Liz’s cheeks.  

Back inside, Liz paused on the floor where Valentine’s room was located.  

Originally, she had planned to talk to him after her walk.  

But after pacing back and forth a few times, Liz shook her head.  

“…I can’t live like this.”  

Liz turned and quietly climbed back up to the attic.  

“Haa….”  

Liz pressed a handkerchief firmly against her forehead.

Liz’s forehead was dotted with beads of sweat, and the room was almost empty.  

After returning from her encounter with Kay, Liz had made up her mind.  

She could no longer live in this mansion. She could no longer stay at Winchester.  

Of course, she loved him, but she didn’t want to live the way Kay had described.  

“This should be enough.”  

When she finished packing, Liz realized she didn’t have much to take with her.  

It made sense, considering she had come to Winchester with almost nothing.  

Even the clothes she wore now belonged to Winchester.  

‘A few dresses… he’ll understand that much.’  

Surely, he would show her that level of mercy. Liz smiled bitterly as she closed her bag.  

A small travel trunk sat in the corner of the room.  

‘I’ll tell Valentine tomorrow and leave the mansion as soon as I can.’  

Liz let out a deep sigh as she gazed outside.  

The thought that today might be her last day in this house left her feeling strange.  

First, she would find her father and apologize for everything. Then, she would move her mother to a more affordable hospital.  

The most urgent task would be to find a job outside the capital.  

It felt daunting but not terrifying.  

For a brief moment, Liz had managed to become a Winchester.  

That gave her the confidence that she could adapt anywhere.  

Liz consoled herself with that thought.  

***

That dawn, Valentine stood staring at the mirror that connected to Liz’s room.  

The news that Liz had gone for a walk and lingered outside his room had, of course, reached his ears.  

He had waited for her, but in the end, Liz hadn’t entered his room.  

Had she not been able to muster the courage?  

Valentine smirked slightly.  

She was gentle on the outside and strong on the inside, but in some ways, she was shy.  

It seemed he would have to initiate the conversation first.  

‘Now should be fine.’  

After some deliberation, Valentine pushed the mirror aside.  

As he climbed the long staircase, he saw the familiar door.  

He reached for the handle and pulled.  

“…Hmm?”  

Where there should have been nothing but a rug, a heavy piece of furniture had been placed.  

Valentine frowned.  

So this was what Liz had meant by tidying up—she had placed furniture right in front of the entrance.  

‘…But it’s an odd spot to leave furniture.’  

With a puzzled expression, Valentine carefully pushed the furniture aside.  

At that moment, a heavy envelope fell to the floor with a thud.  

“What’s this?”  

Valentine picked up the envelope from the stairs.  

Inside were several letters.  

As he frowned and pulled one out, the name of the sender caught his sharp eyes even in the dim light.  

Valentine’s face turned ice-cold.