MLFIOH | Chapter 10

Episode 10

At the mansion, the servants took turns patrolling with the guards every night. Naturally, Yeorae was no exception.

She walked through the eerie, blue-lit corridor holding a candlestick, the wax crusted thickly over it.

Levatein was a country with clearly defined four seasons. It was late March. Though summer was approaching, the nights were still cold enough that you could see your breath.

In the pitch-black window, the reflection of a brown-haired woman in a maid’s uniform holding a candlestick appeared.

Yeorae was startled when their eyes met but quickly realized it was her own reflection and let out a sigh of relief.

Even if she’d grown used to the size of her hands, her appearance still felt unfamiliar.

‘That’s…….’

Just then, one bright star sparkled beyond the window.

Yeorae blew out the candle and carefully unlatched the window.

‘He’s not sleeping.’

Light streamed from Leandros’s office.

Leandros had gone to war for the last time at the age of twenty-six. It had been to support an allied nation.

It hadn’t been a major battle, but the problem was that the enemy general was an extremely brutal and savage man.

Along with a congratulatory message for the victory, Leandros had been presented with the head of his superior, an arrow still lodged in it. Ever since, he had suffered from deep trauma and insomnia.

Inside the lit room, a shadow occasionally moved.

Fool. Ten years ago, you’d fall asleep the moment your head hit the pillow… Not just your appearance, but so many things about you have changed.

‘Come to think of it, didn’t Lilian also help with Leandros’s insomnia?’

In the novel, she would hide all his work precisely at ten every night. After that, she’d lay him in bed and stay by his side until he fell asleep.

Thinking about the two who were destined to become lovers, Yeorae wondered what she was doing here. A chilly sense of self-loathing and emptiness curved her lips into a thorny smile.

Just as she closed the window, relit the candle, and was about to continue walking—

Thud!

A loud crash came from somewhere, and she jumped in surprise.

Clack, clack—the sharp sound of heels echoed, followed by the murmuring voices of a man and a woman. The cold air carried with it the thick scent of perfume and alcohol.

Someone had entered the mansion.

Yeorae thought to call a guard but quickly dismissed the idea. If it had been an outsider, they would’ve been caught long before this.

She turned toward the direction of the sound. She didn’t have a clear plan, but if they broke even a single vase, it would fall under her responsibility.

However, the moment she turned the corner, she froze in shock again.

‘Le… Leandros?’

Leandros was passionately kissing a woman.

But before her heart could even begin to race, Yeorae quickly assessed the situation.

There was no mention in the novel of Leandros being involved with another woman. In fact, his complete disinterest in women was a known issue.

And more importantly, the silhouette in the office was still moving.

Gasp.

The man’s hand slid into the woman’s seductive red dress.

Yeorae, watching their tryst in a daze, didn’t even notice her candlestick tilting.

Hot wax dripped onto the back of her hand.

Ah! Hot!

“Who’s there?”

And then, she locked eyes—not with Leandros—but with a man who looked just like him.

There was no need for any explanation. The moment she saw his face, she knew exactly who he was.

Sylas Alfonso Terrion Etsina.

The libertine of high society—and Leandros’s twin brother.

“……”

As if possessed, Yeorae found herself unable to look away, her mind going hazy.

True to their bond as identical twins, he looked remarkably similar to Leandros.

Of course, there were differences.

Sylas had darker, curlier hair than Leandros, his eyes were softer, and his jawline was smoother—he could be mistaken for a woman from a distance. And most notably, his frame wasn’t as large as Leandros’s.

Surprisingly, Sylas was the sub-male lead in the novel.

A man once consumed by wine and women, he began a desperate, one-sided love for Lilian and turned his life around. He resumed painting diligently, with Lilian as his muse.

“What the…?”

The maid who had suddenly appeared stood frozen like a ghost, and Sylas furrowed his brows.

Oops. Yeorae snapped out of it and quickly bowed.

“My apologies.”

“So what if you saw? It’s not like this is the first time.”

The woman in Sylas’s arms whispered seductively as she cupped his chin and turned it.

As their ‘act’ resumed, Yeorae quietly and swiftly left the scene.

Though her mind understood, her heart could not accept the sight before her. Her chest shrank to the size of a bean, while her stomach churned violently.

From afar, it looked like you were kissing another woman.

‘Leandros…’

Your identical twin.

Why him, of all people.

There’s no real explanation. Why do unlucky things always happen in a row?

Already exhausted, Yeorae had to deal with an abrupt order from the head maid first thing in the morning.

“Miss Reeve. One of the girls who’s worked here for a long time suddenly had family trouble and had to return to her hometown. Until we find a suitable replacement, you’ll need to take over her duties.”

When she was called in, she’d been terrified Sylas had tattled about last night. But it turned out to be a simple work assignment. Having had her share of scoldings from part-time jobs, Yeorae discreetly let out a breath of relief.

But she would soon realize—it would’ve been better if she had been scolded.

She hadn’t imagined this would be the task she had to take over.

‘Why am I here…?’

Yeorae kept her eyes forward and held up a tailored vest.

Leandros slid his arm through the shoulder hole.

The refined scent of men’s cologne lingered at the tip of Yeorae’s nose before fading.

“……”

I’m seeing you again after a week. And like this, attending to you in the morning.

If she tilted her head slightly, she could see his pronounced Adam’s apple, proof of his grown-up body.

But that was as far as her gaze could go. To look any higher would be crossing a line as a maid.

She had only just realized—Leandros had grown taller. His shoulders were broader.

Her heart fluttered, but the unfamiliarity of it also frightened her. The more she got to know him, the more he differed from the 20-year-old in her memories.

Another maid beside her tied a cravat around his neck.

Leandros’s eyes lingered briefly on the maid’s forehead, then moved toward the door.

As expected, loud banging sounds soon echoed from outside. Then the door burst open, and Sylas appeared.

He looked a mess. Barefoot, and except for his pants, completely unclothed. His thick golden hair was wildly disheveled as if he had tumbled down a hill.

“Ugh, my head’s splitting…”

As soon as he opened the door, he clutched his forehead, groaning from a hangover-induced headache.

Ack. The moment Yeorae saw the red marks on his chest, she quickly turned her head. Her vision spun.

Seriously, why did they have to be identical twins?

“The painting I left two days ago, where is it? It’s not in my bedroom.”

“I told you—no women allowed.”

A cold warning dropped from above Yeorae’s head.

A tense silence quickly filled the room.

Snorting, Sylas suddenly locked eyes with Yeorae, who had been half-hidden behind Leandros’s back. He pointed straight at her and shouted.

“Oh? That’s the girl who was spying last night, isn’t it?”

“You think I’m joking?”

His rising tone was as sharp as a well-honed blade.

Yeorae’s skin prickled with tension.

But Sylas, the target of the rebuke, just shrugged casually.

“Inspiration is essential for painting.”

“I’ve told you repeatedly. Your paintings no longer hold any value.”

At that moment, Sylas’s usual smile completely vanished.

Leandros, adjusting his collar in front of the mirror, shot back coldly.

“Either find a profession that suits your pitiful reputation, or marry some woman and get out of this house.”

“The head of the family should set an example first. So tell me, what excuse are you going to use this time to avoid marriage? Don’t tell me it’s again—”

“There’s a limit to how much I can tolerate your foul mouth.”

Leandros’s gaze burned sharply, as if he weren’t looking at his brother, but a sworn enemy.

Sylas sneered at him, then spat toward the doorway.

“Fucking eunuch.”