Chapter 4.7

The next morning.  

Liz asked Kate to arrange a meeting with Valentine, and he immediately agreed.  

“He said he’ll wait in the drawing room, so you can come anytime.”  

Kate’s words left Liz with a strange feeling.  

She hadn’t expected today to be the day she would step into his room for the first time.  

“Then tell him I’ll be there around eleven. Help me get ready?”  

After setting a time to meet him, Liz began her final preparations with Kate’s help.  

Since this might be the last time, she didn’t want to appear shabby.  

As Kate styled Liz’s hair, she asked with a sorrowful look.  

“Miss… are you really leaving?”  

“Miss? Just call me Liz.”  

“But….”  

Kate trailed off, looking dejected.  

Liz smiled as she stood up.  

“Thank you for helping me until the very end.”  

Liz checked her reflection in the mirror.  

Her dress was old, and there wasn’t even a ribbon in her hair, but her appearance was neat.  

She didn’t look much different from when she first came to the mansion.  

The only difference was her dress instead of a maid’s uniform.  

‘This will do.’  

Liz picked up the travel trunk that had been sitting next to the mirror.  

Kate quickly reached out and grabbed it from her.  

“Let me carry the bag.”  

“It’s fine. I’m nothing now.”  

“That’s not true. As long as you’re here, you’re still the Madam.”  

“Really, it’s okay….”  

Kate gave Liz a playful glare and said,  

“Please don’t take away my last chance to serve the Duchess.”  

Liz chuckled and let go of the bag. 

“Alright. Let’s do it your way.”  

The two chatted quietly as they left the attic together.  

When they finally arrived at Valentine’s room, Liz extended her hand.  

“Now, give me the bag, Kate. For real this time.”  

Kate let out a deep sigh and handed over the bag.  

“…Here you go.”  

“And stop being so formal. Alright?”  

Kate looked at Liz with worried eyes.  

Liz smiled lightly, her expression carefree.  

Seeing that smile, Kate nodded.  

“…Keep in touch, Liz. If you leave anything behind, I’ll send it by post.”  

At those words, Liz suddenly remembered the letters she had hidden under the floor.  

‘Those… I can’t ask Kate to handle those. I’ll have to go back and get them myself.’  

Liz nodded as she thought to herself.  

“Alright, I’ll definitely keep in touch.”  

Liz smiled and took the bag.  

Then, after taking a deep breath, she knocked on his door.  

“Valentine, it’s me.”  

“Come in.”  

Valentine responded immediately.  

It had been a while since she’d heard his voice.  

Just hearing it made her heart race again.  

But this would be the last time.  

Swallowing a bitter smile, Liz pushed open the door to the drawing room.  

Valentine was seated at the table.  

His face looked slightly thinner than the last time she saw him, but his elegant posture remained unchanged.  

Their eyes met.  

In that moment, Valentine’s face softened.  

“You’ve come. It’s been… a long time.”  

Though his expression didn’t change much, Liz could tell.  

He was genuinely glad to see her.  

Realizing this brought tears to her eyes. Liz struggled to suppress her emotions as she approached the table.  

“This is the first time I’ve seen you here. Will you sit?”  

But Liz shook her head quietly.  

“No, it’s fine. I’ll keep this brief.”  

Valentine’s gentle expression hardened in an instant. His eyes moved to the bag in her hand.  

“You….”  

Valentine’s face grew pale.  

Liz spoke softly.  

“Thank you for everything. I’ve thought about it for a long time… and I’ve come to the conclusion that leaving this mansion is the wisest choice for me.”  

Valentine’s lips twitched as if in protest.  

“A conclusion… a conclusion, you say….”  

His left hand trembled slightly. His fingers tapped the table irregularly.  

Valentine looked up at Liz.  

“Is that a conclusion you reached on your own?”  

Liz smiled bitterly.  

Their relationship involved so many people’s interests.  

Myra, Isabel, Winchester, Gerald….  

How could she call it a decision made entirely on her own?  

So Liz shook her head.  

“…No. I can’t say that.”  

At that moment, his tapping hand stopped abruptly.  

The air froze, as if a thin layer of ice had formed.  

Valentine looked at Liz and spoke in a low voice.  

“…Isabel Winchester.”  

Surely, he was addressing her.  

The sharpness in his tone almost made her respond instinctively, but Liz forced herself to remain silent.  

Valentine let out a long sigh and corrected himself.  

“Liz.”  

Only then did Liz meet his gaze.  

The moment their eyes met, a chill ran down her spine.  

Strangely, his eyes had grown darker, more clouded.  

“Are you really… planning to leave?”  

Liz’s instincts screamed at her not to answer.  

She swallowed hard and kept her mouth shut.  

Noticing this, Valentine’s brows furrowed slightly.  

He closed his eyes briefly, then opened them again.  

His gaze had returned to its usual calmness.  

“I understand that your mother’s treatment is not yet complete.”  

His voice carried respect and consideration. This reassured Liz.  

‘It must have been my imagination. I must be too nervous.’  

Letting her guard down, Liz opened her mouth to respond.

“I plan to move her to a more affordable hospital.”  

“I can help you with that.”  

“No. I think that’s something more suitable for my situation. Above all… now that Miss Isabel, your true wife, has returned.”  

“It seems you’ve never thought of me as your husband.”  

Liz’s heart ached at those words.  

Of course, she had wished for it—so much that it was obvious.  

What if Liz had truly been Isabel?  

She could have stood proudly by his side without any shame. Liz had imagined it over and over again.  

But it was Valentine who had been the first to suggest giving up on being a family.  

“That’s ridiculous. How could a mere maid dare to think of the Duke as her husband?”  

With every word she spoke, tears threatened to rise.  

But Liz forced herself to smile brightly.  

At least in this final moment, she didn’t want to appear pitiful.  

“I… am a fake in the end.”  

Liz spoke clearly. Valentine slowly leaned back and let out a long sigh.  

“…I’ll ask you one last time.”  

He looked at Liz.  

“Do you truly not wish to be Valentine Winchester’s wife, Liz Garrett?”  

Valentine Winchester’s wife.  

Hearing those words, Liz felt a lump in her throat.  

How could she not wish for it?  

Living as Valentine’s wife had been a happiness so great, it made her forget that she was Liz Garrett, the maid.  

But it was Valentine himself who had made her realize that it was impossible.  

Liz forced herself to nod firmly.  

“Yes. Thank you for everything, Duke Valentine.”  

“…Ha.”  

A twisted smirk appeared on Valentine’s lips.  

Before Liz could sense that something was wrong, Valentine stood and strode toward her.  

“H-Honey?”  

Unconsciously, Liz used the familiar term of endearment.  

“Honey?”  

Valentine repeated the word with a distorted expression.  

He grabbed Liz’s chin roughly.  

“Ah… Ugh…!”  

Liz’s eyes turned red.  

“W-Why are you doing this…?”  

Liz pleaded as she looked at him.  

But Valentine mocked her with his response.  

“Honey, you say. Didn’t you just claim you’re not my wife?”  

His polite tone had turned into informal speech.  

Of course, if they were no longer connected, he had no reason to address her formally.  

Liz hurriedly corrected herself.  

“I’m sorry, Duke—”  

“Master.”  

Valentine cut her off.  

There was no trace of gentleness in his cold words.  

“Call me that from now on. It’s a title more fitting for the lips of a lowly maid.”  

“From now on…? What do you mean? I’m leaving soon, so….”  

Liz looked up at him in confusion.  

But Valentine’s voice grew even colder.  

“Don’t make me repeat myself. What did I tell you to call me?”  

The kind Valentine was no longer there.  

His icy blue eyes bore down on Liz, sending chills through her.  

“M-Master.”  

The moment Liz uttered the word, her heart shattered.  

It was a title she had often used as a maid, yet now, calling him “Master” filled her with unbearable shame.  

“Good. Liz Garrett.”  

He smiled softly as he said her name.  

This wasn’t how she wanted to hear him say her name. Not like this.  

Liz shook her head, but Valentine pressed his thumb firmly against her cheek.  

“I am now your master. That’s what you wanted, isn’t it?”  

Valentine released her face as if discarding her.  

Liz collapsed helplessly to the floor.  

“Therefore, I, Duke Winchester, will not permit you to leave this mansion.”  

Valentine pulled a bell cord.  

Servants, including Kate, entered the drawing room, covering their mouths in shock.  

“L-Liz!”  

“Master? What is…?”  

Valentine spoke calmly.  

“Lock Liz Garrett in the third-floor maid’s quarters.”  

The servants gasped audibly.  

They still had to treat Liz as the Duchess of Winchester.  

“But how could we possibly treat Madam like—”  

“Madam?”  

Valentine smirked as he declared,  

“This woman is now my maid.”