Chapter 6

“Is it really that surprising? A man and woman being close and intimate is the most natural thing. Besides, your body is currently in the guise of a maid. If you want to go to restricted areas with me, you need to at least be seen as my lover.”

Ruslan was as composed as ever, as if there was nothing unusual about it. Juju was a little dumbfounded by his entirely rational attitude.

Suddenly, a question popped into her head, and she asked, “Count Kaitel, by the way, how old are you exactly?”

“Twenty-two.”

Ah, right, he was said to be a descendant of Iphigenia. The year that kingdom fell was exactly 22 years ago.

“You’re twenty-two, you’ve certainly had your share of time. Are you, by any chance, a virgin?”

Ruslan narrowed his handsome eyebrows slightly.

“Why is the conversation heading in that direction?”

“A veteran’s intuition is whispering to me. Your way of speaking sounds like someone who has never been intimately close with a woman. The way you’re dodging the question confirms it, doesn’t it?”

Ruslan didn’t bother to refute it, pressing his lips tightly together. Her suspicion only deepened.

Just as she thought. Even though he was a prince of a fallen kingdom, a rebel plotting revenge for his benefactor, as a man, he was still a novice.

Charlotte’s soul, who had lived for 27 years, made that judgment. Even though she was essentially stuck at twenty-two after being imprisoned, in terms of romance experience—though it had been a failure—she was still a senior.

“So, is that a problem? In my calculations, this is the best course of action.”

“No, you’re right. I’m not confident in pretending to be a maid either. Being the Count’s lover will make it much easier to approach my target.”

Juju got out of bed. Only now did she understand the purpose of the gown, the rough texture of the fabric against her skin, and the way her undergarments showed through slightly.

Clearly, the idea of dressing her in something like this was a sign of an inexperienced man’s imagination.

Juju looked up at the young man in front of her, sizing up their height difference.

“So, it’s a contract relationship? We pretend to be head over heels in love until we reach our goal.”

“It’s good that you understand the key point. The script is that we fell in love while I was healing you, after you stopped the Grand Duchess from being poisoned.”

There was no need for Ruslan to explain all the details of the script in length. Juju, through the memories of her body, already knew the context.

This maid had drunk the poisoned tea in front of the Grand Duchess. She pretended to have been poisoned instead of her mistress. Ruslan had brought her out under the pretense of finding a way to heal her.

And then, he met Charlotte.

“Alright. I’ll play along with that script.”

“Then the contract is in place.”

In the meantime, Ruslan had roughly tidied his appearance. As he left the bedroom, he said, “I’ll call a maid to help you with your appearance. From today on, we are lovers. I’ll do my best to play the part of a fiancé, so I ask you to do the same.”

“Count. Who are you telling this to?”

Juju abruptly stretched out her hand. She grabbed the man’s cravat and pulled him closer.

She felt that her body was free and mobile. Ruslan, his back suddenly arched, looked startled.

“You really lack imagination… men and women aren’t this fresh and pristine when they get out of bed. Who would believe that? I’m the one who’s going to have to teach this young Count.” The thought made Juju’s head ache slightly. She lifted her chin slightly, exposing her neck.

“Kiss me here. And do it with some force.”

“…Huh?”

“Leave a mark! A sign of our connection! Physical evidence!!”

Ruslan’s lips touched her, finally having completed his first lesson. Juju slightly contorted one eye at the unfamiliar sensation.

She suddenly recalled the person with whom she had shared the same act long ago.

‘Lotte, will you really do anything for me? Please, make me believe it. I won’t feel at ease unless you show me, in actions more reliable than words…’

‘Thank you, Lotte. You’re the only one for me.’

The voice she had once revered like a god echoed in her memory. The excitement of that time had long turned into cold ashes.

She cursed her illusionary partner under her breath.

‘You bastard.’

The physical touch of a man still wasn’t very pleasant. The bitterness of being betrayed by her first love resurfaced as a painful memory.

Still, for the sake of revenge, she could tolerate this feeling as much as necessary. The original owner of this body had also risked everything to avenge her enemy.

“Okay…”

However, she couldn’t help the strange physiological reaction from her body. It was odd to have her neck being kissed like that when it wasn’t even her own body.

“A little harder. Leave it prominent.”

“…Is this really going to help?”

“Naive, or just obtuse? You don’t know anything. This is actually the most wholesome way to go about it, you know?”

It was going to be useful immediately, after all.

Ruslan, after looking slightly embarrassed, sighed lightly and pressed his lips against her neck once more.

He didn’t know the tender technique of love; he simply sucked. Saliva coarsely matted against her skin, making a wet sound. The blunt tip of his tongue touched her with a shiver, and the delicate skin of her neck was scratched by his front teeth, making her tingle.

Then, he sucked hard. Juju unintentionally clenched her thighs at the unexpected and forceful suction.

“Ah, haah…!”

She was ashamed of the moan that escaped her lips in an unfamiliar voice. She swallowed her breath, barely managing to suppress it. From the corner of her eye, she glanced at Ruslan.

He seemed somewhat embarrassed by the act, too. The hands that might have caressed her waist and hips if they were truly lovers hung awkwardly and stiffly.

His passively lowered eyes were a pleasing almond shape. His nose, buried in her neck, was sculpted as if with great care. He had a face that, if he were drawn and decorated on a poster, everyone would want to take home.

‘…I’m just glad he’s good-looking, at least.’

She didn’t care about looks, but in this moment, it was the most important and relieving fact.

“Juju, congratulations on your recovery. Congratulations…but…”

The maid, who had been called, was staring at Juju, openly displeased.

Juju deliberately leaned back against the bed cushions, lazily looking up at her.

“What’s wrong? Linde-unni. You don’t seem to be in a good mood this morning.”

“Huh? Not in a good mood? Oh, no, dear! I was just a little surprised that you’re in the Count’s bedroom.”

The maid quickly changed her expression and put on a forced smile. Juju drew out her voice in a long “Heeuh,” at the obvious pretense.

“Oh, really? I’m very happy to see you again too. You must have heard it from the Count, but since my body is still unwell, he told me to ask you to help me with my appearance. Would you mind?”

“N-No! Should I start by brushing your hair?”

The maid led Juju to the vanity mirror. She clearly looked uncomfortable.

That was because, this maid was, to the original Juju, a direct superior. She was probably called to this place because of her position.

Normally, she seemed to have been upset that a junior from another mansion had been selected as the Grand Duchess’s personal maid before her.

It seemed that she was even more displeased that her rival, whom she was originally competitive with, was now receiving the Count’s care.

‘Even if all maids look the same, it’s still a hierarchical society. But still, it seems they’ve been isolating her quite a bit from the group?’

Thanks to the countless hints she’d picked up as a child, she could easily recognize these things.

The memories remaining in her body were also a series of childish workplace bullying. Such as being ignored during parties among the employees, taking out only Juju’s apron from the laundry room, or picking fights for no reason and spreading rumors.

‘This body’s owner was something else, too. I thought being beautiful would make life easy.’

Juju thought as she looked at herself in the mirror.

Straight, flowing blonde hair. A slender chin and delicate features. Among them, her standout feature, were the peacock-feather velvet eyes.

It was truly a face that demanded admiration.

She had sufficiently experienced the complete change of her familiar body when her knees were crushed. So, the confusion of changing to someone else’s body wasn’t too overwhelming, but seeing an unfamiliar face in the mirror was still new. It still didn’t feel like her own.

‘Born in a poor farming family in the South, lost her parents to an epidemic at ten, worked at the mansion of a wealthy family in that region until fifteen. After being threatened by her master, she was rescued by Duke Licht and for three years…’

She was a girl who lived a tough life without blaming anyone and persevered. Her heart was several times more beautiful than her face.

She wondered if it was okay for her, who had killed so many people and was planning to kill new ones, to use this body.

Charlotte, within Juju, became humble in front of the memories. In order not to betray her will, she would definitely get revenge on the Emperor.

She had a face that stood out wherever she went. Although she had disliked it as the cause of her misfortune, she could also use it effectively for revenge. Beauty was a very powerful weapon for approaching her target and easing their vigilance.

At that moment, her hair was suddenly yanked sharply, causing a sting.

“Ouch!”

“O-Oh my. Did the brush get too much oil on it?”

The maid pretended to fix the situation and reached for a towel.

Juju quickly raised her hand and touched her hair. Her hair was a mess, matted with rancid oil.

She had naturally straight hair, so there was no reason to apply oil like that. It was obviously an artificial accident. She had no idea what they did to the brush.

“Juju, I’m sorry? It’ll be fine if you wipe it quickly. Don’t resent me, okay?”

The maid roughly rubbed Juju’s head with the towel. Juju chuckled inwardly.

Her trick was obvious.

She always got away with it like this.

She had preyed on the girl’s honest nature and had only gone as far as she could, so she could get away with her lies. Just enough to be able to claim it was a slip-up or a coincidence.

It was truly cowardly. Someone had offered their body to the cause, and she was busy with useless tricks due to petty jealousy.

“Linde-unni. Of course, how could I possibly resent you?”

Juju quickly stood up. She took the towel away.

The maid flinched at the sudden movement. Juju snatched the brush out of her hand.

“It’s not like the brush didn’t do anything wrong, right? It’s a very badly behaved brush. It doesn’t listen to people and moves however it wants.”

“J-Juju…?”

Juju flipped the brush around. She showed the wide back side and swung.

Thwack!

“Agh!”

The maid, struck on the shoulder, reflexively raised her hand to cover it. Juju didn’t stop, and swung at her hand.

“Oh dear, it seems it’s moving on its own in my hand, too. There’s no way around it with a brush like this, is there, Linde-unni? I don’t resent you a bit.”

“Aya, agh, ah! It hurts, Juju! Juju, please!”

When Juju finally stopped after hitting her for a while, the maid shouted as if she were the one who had been wronged.

“Y-You’re crazy! Did you go mad after drinking the poison?! Where did you get the confidence…!”

“What are you talking about. I trust myself. The Count, who loves me so dearly, has also given me this kindness.”

She deliberately tilted her neck to show it off.

Wasn’t this the physical proof she had left for this very moment? The inexperienced Count Kaitel was so young that he probably didn’t even imagine these things.

As expected, the maid’s face turned pale when she saw the mark on Juju’s neck. She staggered back as if she couldn’t believe it.

“N-No way. The Count has no interest in women or anything…”

Ah, so he was famous for being that way.

That was even better. Juju raised the maid’s chin with the tip of the brush.

“Oh, unni…. There’s nothing impossible. The Count is a healthy man. And since he was so distressed about the Grand Duchess, I offered him a little comfort. Looking at it this way, being poisoned wasn’t so bad, was it?”

When she spoke subtly, the maid even began to tremble. Her tone of voice completely changed with her next words.

“Ah, milady, please forgive my impudence…”

In just a moment, she had been promoted to milady?

It was so easy that Juju felt a little drained.

She had seen countless poisonous royals and fox-like ministers before. She had spent her life breaking through the traps they made with their brains and tongues.

Compared to them, this maid was weak. She wasn’t even worth her life.

Juju threw the brush down and sat in front of the vanity mirror again.

“Now that you know, please do a good job of fixing me up. You understand why the Count called you, don’t you?”

“Y-Y-Yes, of course. I will do my best.”

The brushing started with a care that was incomparable to before. Instead of a rancid smell, the scent of jasmine was in the air.

‘Now I don’t have to waste any more time on useless power struggles.’

As long as she was in this maid’s body, she needed to show her power once to move freely.

It was fortunate that this maid was the type to strongly stick to hierarchy. Once a type like this was broken, they would try to drag everyone else down to their level. It was obvious that she would spread the rumors to the other employees as soon as she finished the job.

Then, this body would naturally solidify as Ruslan’s lover.