EPISODE 26

Ever since Carla said she would attend the party, Belle had been very busy. But honestly, it was half her own fault.

She insisted on brushing her hair 100 times every morning and even said she had to drink tea with melted cheese to make her skin better. That gave me a headache.

“Belle, just make normal tea.”

“Yes, my lady.”

Belle always did her best—as long as I didn’t stop her. She had relaxed a bit ever since she realized I wouldn’t punish Liza too harshly. She didn’t seem scared anymore when I sighed, but now she was often overly excited.

‘She’s cute, so I can’t say anything… but cheese? Really?’

Other than being a little too excited, Belle was perfect. She picked hats and gloves to match the clothes I chose, and tested many necklaces and hair accessories to find the perfect ones.

She did such a good job, she turned me into a lady who “wasn’t exactly pretty, but had a good aura.” Amazing work.

“Belle, be honest. You must have had a magician in your family, right?”

I joked while sipping goat milk tea (instead of cheese), and Belle proudly stood up straight. She looked so confident. I would’ve been proud too.

Carla’s face was very plain. Her slanted eyes and tight lips made her look a bit stubborn, but not in a way that stood out. If she wore flashy clothes, it just looked off.

‘Only Belle could pull this off. No one else.’

Belle used a wide white straw hat to hide Carla’s sharp eyes, and a white shawl over a red dress to draw attention away from her face. It was genius.

“I wish I had time to decorate the hat more… but there’s not enough time now, right?”

Belle sadly touched the hat. She was good at embroidery but said her hands were too slow.

“This is good enough.”

I complimented her quickly so she wouldn’t try anything extra. I didn’t want her to collapse from overworking. If she fainted, I’d have to take Liza to the party—and I really didn’t want that.

“You did a perfect job. It’s just right. You’re amazing, Belle.”

I even told her to bring all the snacks, and Liza looked at her with jealousy. And that was the problem.

Liza made a mess.

The straw hat was torn and ruined. And Liza’s hands were not so pretty—covered in scabs and scratches. She couldn’t even speak right away.

“Care to explain?”

I looked up at her from the bed. Belle had dragged her in. What a mess, and it was still morning.

“Sob sob…”

Tears fell from Liza’s chin. Her eyes were swollen from crying, and her hair was a mess, likely from Belle shaking her.

“I didn’t mean to do it…”

Belle’s hand shook as she let go of Liza’s hair.

“My lady, what do I do…?”

Belle looked pale—but more than that, she looked furious. Her face was red with anger.

“First, can you return what’s mine?”

Liza, shaking, held out the hat. The once-elegant straw hat now had big holes in it—like bugs had chewed through it.

‘Wow. This is completely ruined.’

It was honestly impressive how destroyed it looked. I wanted to say, “It’s just a hat, calm down,” but when I saw Belle’s face, I couldn’t.

In noble society, everything had to match: hat, jewelry, dress, shoes—even fans and parasols. If not, people would gossip behind your back.

“I-I didn’t mean to do it! I just thought embroidery would make it prettier… Really! I swear, I didn’t mean to ruin it, my lady!”

Apparently, Liza tried to do embroidery on the hat. She’d done it before on kids’ socks and clothes, so she thought this would be easy too.

‘What an idiot…’

But straw hats are not like cloth. Liza used a big needle and poked holes in it. Before she could fix it, Belle caught her.

Liza cried, saying she just wanted to help and get praised. I knew I should scold her, but I just didn’t feel like it today.

“My lady, should I add some jewels to the hat?”

Jewels on a straw hat? That would be a joke. My head was already spinning from this drama.

‘I take back calling her a smart woman. Real smart women don’t do this…’

Then I had an idea.

“Belle, go to the garden and pick some flowers. The ones we planted recently.”

“Flowers?”

“You wanted to decorate the hat, right? Let’s use real ones instead. Just for today.”

Belle’s face lit up at the idea. I said it casually, but I wasn’t sure if it would really work. Still, she hurried off to the garden.

I looked at Liza and sighed.

“My lady, I’m sorry. Please don’t kick me out…”

It was strange. The Count’s mistress once mocked me, saying “That’s why the Count ignores you.” She was bold and confident. But this poor maid, with her sweet and scared face, was trembling in fear over a broken hat.

Of course, it wasn’t a small mistake. But firing someone over it…

‘…would be normal in this world.’

I laughed bitterly. In this strange world, it was okay for a married man to have a mistress, but it was a big sin for a maid to touch her lady’s things.

“You can whip me if you want. I’ll take the punishment. Just please don’t throw me out…”

What a messed-up sense of morals. But here, Liza was probably acting exactly how people expected her to.

“Liza.”

I wondered what Carla would have done. But no good idea came to mind. I didn’t want to actually whip her, and I was too tired to keep scolding her. So I gave a punishment I knew.

“This month, your salary will be cut in half.”

“Huh?”

Liza’s eyes went wide. Her face showed complete shock. Maybe she didn’t get it, so I added:

“One-month pay cut.”

“Really? Just that?”

She asked again and again, shocked.

“Don’t question me. Go bring some water.”

“Thank you, thank you, my lady!”

Her face lit up like sunshine. She ran out happily with quick steps.

‘Maybe I was too soft…’

But I didn’t regret it. She had no idea how hard it would be with half her pay gone. Even if she complained to the Count, he couldn’t say anything—there was a clear reason this time. He’d just suffer in silence.

Later, Belle came back with pretty poppies. She used them to cover the holes in the hat. It wasn’t perfect, but not weird either.

‘It’s just flowers on a straw hat. Nothing bad will happen…’

I thought it would be fine. So we decorated the hat with flowers. But because of that, I was tested at the Marquis’ party.

I’d made a mess, then tried to fix it with a trick. Even if I pretended to have a plan, it was obvious I didn’t.

More than my fancy shawl or expensive necklace, the wildflower hat stood out. I couldn’t understand why.

“I heard it’s been a while since you visited the temple.”

The nobles had clearly decided to treat me like one of their own. They spoke kindly.

“I wasn’t feeling well. I know it’s embarrassing… but I still pray every night.”

“Oh no, don’t be embarrassed! What matters is your heart.”

“Thank you for saying that.”

People of faith always talked the same, no matter the world. It was easy to copy them—just mention “the great one” often and say everything is thanks to God.

They lived simply—going to the temple, helping others, and donating. Just like Carla had done.

Their clothes weren’t flashy, and their jewelry was minimal. Of course, it was all expensive stuff, but clearly worn with care—not made just for a party.

‘Ah… that’s why they focused on the hat.’

Now I understood. Without the hat, everything else I wore looked rich. They must have thought I was a show-off. No wonder they tested me.

If it weren’t for the flower hat, they might’ve rejected me right away. That thought made me relax a bit and smile.

“I’d be so happy if you called me next time you go to the temple.”

“Of course.”

As I promised to join them, I thought of Carla. Maybe she could’ve made good friends here.

‘I’m actually a little excited to visit the temple.’

I reached for a snack on the table to take a break when—

Theodore whispered something very quietly behind me.