Chapter 75

“Who dares to open the door without my permission?!”

The furious voice of the Marchioness flew towards me instantly. She was glaring at me with a dignified gaze, holding a fan. Before her, Lilian was giving the Marchioness an irritated look.

“Catherine. You…”

“I present my greetings to the Marchioness.”

“To knock and then barge into your superior’s room without permission? I seriously question your mental state.”

“I only judged it was an emergency because there was a loud noise coming from inside.”

“…Hmph. Very well.”

I heard the sound of high heels clicking on the floor, and along with it, a gust of wind seemed to blow in from above.

“That’s enough, Catherine. Look up.”

“L-Lilian, what do you think you’re doing?”

When I looked up, I saw Lilian gripping the Marchioness’s wrist. Ah, that expression. The one she shows to those she regards with hostility. No one could stop Lilian in that moment—not even me. Taken aback by Lilian’s demeanor, the Marchioness stumbled back, swinging her other hand instead of the one caught.

Smack!

Lilian’s head snapped to the side in response. The Marchioness had slapped her, even dropping her fan in the process. However, Lilian seemed unfazed by the strike as she lifted her head once more. Then she raised her arm.

Smack!

Lilian’s palm struck the Marchioness’s cheek in retaliation.

The surrounding maids gaped in shock at the sight of this outrageous spectacle happening in real-time. Yet, Lilian paid them no mind as she squatted down in front of the fallen Marchioness. The Marchioness, who had probably never been hit in her life, seemed shaken and stared vacantly at the ground. Lilian then grabbed her chin and lifted her face up. With trembling eyes, the Marchioness looked at Lilian.

“Mother.”

“W-What… is going on…?”

“Mother.”

Lilian’s voice was as cold as ice. The surrounding maids trembled and turned their heads away from the brutal scene unfolding before them. Still, Lilian called the Marchioness in a monotonous tone.

“Y-Yes. I am your mother! How dare you raise a hand against me…!”

“Just giving birth doesn’t make one a mother, you know.”

“W-What…?!”

“Whether you’re fooling around outside or acting up inside, I won’t concern myself. But if you touch my people, I’ll return the favor. I have the ability and the will to do so.”

…

The Marchioness fell silent. While she usually acted as though possessed by evil spirits, in reality, she was a fragile woman, breakable like glass. She could lash out at her own daughter for the wounds inflicted by the Marquis. After a moment of silence, the Marchioness quietly rose and shuffled towards the exit without looking at Lilian even once.

“Young Lady, are you alright?”

“What do you mean?”

“Even if she’s a flawed woman, she is still a mother.”

“I don’t care. But, um, yeah. I can’t keep playing around like this.”

With a soft sigh, Lilian smiled at me. I couldn’t help but feel a sense of alienation as I looked at her. The original ‘Young Lady’ would have never stood up to the Marchioness, regardless of whether I got hit or she did. She was so starved for parental affection that she would have even sold off my maid for it.

Of course… it’s not like I know everything about the Young Lady, so I can’t make absolute conclusions. It merely meant this was what I had observed.

I let out another small sigh and stared at Lilian silently. Then Lilian quietly spoke up.

“Could you give a message to my father?”

“What’s the message?”

“Just tell him I want to meet. I have something to discuss.”

“Understood.”

As I slowly closed the door that the Marchioness’s maids had opened, I headed quietly towards the Marquis’s office. I never dreamed Lilian would act like this. I had never once thought she would stand up for me.

After all, she came from a world where the class system is an artifact of the past, one from South Korea. Even if she understood in her head that our statuses were worlds apart, her heart might still feel otherwise.

“Catherine?”

“Ah, Calia. Sorry, could you tell His Excellency that the Young Lady has something to say?”

“Huh? Sure.”

Lost in thought, I found myself at the entrance to the Marquis’s office. I conveyed the message the Young Lady asked me to deliver to Calia, who nodded in response. She then lightly knocked on the office door.

“Your Excellency, may I come in?”

“Come in. The maid with you can enter as well.”

“Yes.”

As I gently opened the door, the Marquis was still expressionlessly sorting through documents. That man looked like he’d keep that expression all day. It’s not like he was a machine; who could work nonstop without eating? He certainly ate, but not much. Yet he remained in good health. He was a complete enigma.

“So, what’s the matter?”

“The Young Lady indicated she has something to discuss.”

“What about?”

“She didn’t share the details with me.”

“Even the gist will do.”

Under the Marquis’s pressure, I found myself forced to speak up. To call it a conversation was a bit of a stretch; there wasn’t much to share about what the two had discussed, so I quickly summarized. The Marquis quietly opened his eyes.

“Something about not touching her people, I see.”

…

“I understand. I can somewhat guess what Lilian’s intent is. You’re free to leave now.”

“Yes.”

Just as I was about to leave, having inadvertently taken on the role of a messenger, the Marquis quietly called out to me.

“Catherine.”

“Yes.”

Turning back to face the Marquis, he put his documents down and gazed at me.

“I heard my wife spoke with our daughter.”

“…About that. Yes, they did.”

If that could even be called a conversation… Keeping that thought to myself, I nodded slightly, and the Marquis leaned back in his chair, rubbing his eyelids.

“What was discussed?”

“I only caught the tail end of their conversation, so I didn’t hear the specifics.”

“Just share what you heard.”

As the Marquis pressed, I felt compelled to speak again. The discussion was nothing significant, so I quickly wrapped it up, and the Marquis quietly opened his eyes again.

“Something about not touching her people, right?”

…

“I see. I have a general idea of what Lilian wants to convey. You may go.”

“Yes.”

In that moment, I almost wanted to ask what Lilian wanted to communicate, but the falling curtain of authority made me nod obediently. I couldn’t ask the Marquis directly unless he permitted me. I’d have to wait until Lilian came back from seeing him to ask. Letting out a small sigh, I returned to Lilian’s room.

#

“Ah, ah.”

“Who told you to take the hits on my behalf?”

Lilian stared at Catherine as she applied ointment to her cheek. Though her expression was still emotionless, it was filled with worry. Honestly, seeing that made me a little happy, and I couldn’t help but smile. Catherine sighed in exasperation.

“Are you finding this amusing?”

“It feels nice to see you worried about me.”

“You’re easily pleased. Yet I always worry about you.”

“Oh really?”

After all, it was only natural for her to care for her Young Lady, wasn’t it? Honestly speaking, Lilian wasn’t too fond of this dynamic—this strict master-servant relationship. But she wanted to step beyond that boundary. Glancing gently at Catherine’s face, with long eyelashes and striking crimson irises. The acutely shaped nose and lips that made her want to kiss.

Before this, she didn’t think she liked women. She’d never even considered herself a lesbian. Sure, she was a bit of a fanatic, so she enjoyed yuri, but never once did she think she’d become the object of her own interest. Could it be that this body—Lilian—actually liked women? But until now, she didn’t remember liking anyone at all.

After all, if she liked women, could she really resist the urge with such a beautiful maid right in front of her? She often felt her self-control slipping.

Or maybe it was only natural, having grown up together since childhood. The relationship between Catherine and Lilian felt closer to that of sisters than friends.

“I’ll have to cover the rest with makeup. I can’t go meeting the Marquis looking like this.”

“I don’t think he’ll care to notice.”

“…He’ll notice more than you think.”

“No way!”

In Lilian’s memory, the Marquis of Portus was always a cold and unyielding figure. There’s no way he’d care about a little scratch now. But Catherine was adamant. After ensuring the scratches were as concealed as possible, she checked the time discreetly.

“It’s the time Your Excellency mentioned.”

“Hmm. Right. Let’s go.”

Catherine nodded and stepped slightly behind Lilian. With that, Lilian confidently strode towards the garden to meet the Marquis.