Chapter 10
Every night, the guards and servants of the mansion took turns patrolling the grounds.
Of course, Lee Yeorae was no exception.
Holding a candleholder covered in dried wax, she walked through the gloomy hallway lit by a cold blue glow.
The Levatein Empire was a country with four distinct seasons.
It was the end of March.
Summer was approaching, but after sunset, it was still cold enough for her breath to become visible.
In the dark window, she saw the reflection of a brown-haired woman in a maid’s uniform holding a candle.
Yeorae startled when their eyes met.
Then she realized it was her own reflection and let out a sigh of relief.
She had gotten used to the size of Hazel’s hands, but her appearance still felt unfamiliar.
“Hm?”
Suddenly, she noticed a bright light shining through the window.
Yeorae blew out the candle and carefully unlocked the window latch.
He can’t sleep again.
Leandros Julian Therion Etsina’s office was brightly lit.
Leandros had gone to war for the last time when he was twenty-six.
He had gone to support an allied nation.
The battle itself had not been particularly large, but the enemy general had been a cruel and horrifying man.
After the victory, Leandros had been presented with a gift—a superior officer’s head with an arrow still stuck in it.
Since then, he had suffered from severe trauma and insomnia.
A dark silhouette occasionally moved behind the office window.
Idiot. Ten years ago, you could fall asleep the moment your head touched the pillow…
You’ve changed so much, not just your appearance.
Then she remembered something.
Come to think of it, Lillyanshus helped cure Leandros’s insomnia too.
In the novel, every night at exactly ten o’clock, Lillyanshus would hide all of the work in his office.
Then she would make him lie down and stay beside him until he fell asleep.
What was she doing here, thinking about two people who would soon become lovers?
A cold feeling of self-pity and emptiness formed a bitter smile on her lips.
Yeorae closed the window and relit her candle.
Just as she was about to continue her patrol—
Bang!
A loud noise echoed somewhere nearby.
She jumped in surprise.
Then came the sharp sound of footsteps and the whispers of a man and woman talking.
A strong smell of perfume and alcohol drifted through the cold air.
Someone had entered the mansion.
At first, Yeorae thought about calling a guard.
But she quickly changed her mind.
If they were intruders, they would have already been caught at the front entrance.
She headed toward the sound.
She did not intend to interfere, but if they broke even a single vase, it would become her responsibility.
But as soon as she turned the corner, she froze once again.
Le… Leandros?
Leandros was passionately kissing a woman.
However, before her heart could start racing, Yeorae quickly realized something.
The novel had never mentioned Leandros being involved with another woman.
If anything, he had shown too little interest in women.
And most importantly—
The shadow inside the office was still moving.
Gasp.
The man’s hand slipped inside the woman’s attractive red dress.
Yeorae stared blankly at them and failed to notice her candleholder tilting.
Hot wax dripped onto the back of her hand.
Ow! Hot!
“Who’s there?”
Then the man—who was not Leandros but looked exactly like him—met her eyes.
No explanation was needed.
The moment she saw his face, she immediately knew who he was.
Silas Alfonso Therion Etsina.
The scandalous playboy of high society.
And Leandros’s twin brother.
“…”
As if enchanted by a ghost, Yeorae could not look away.
As identical twins, Silas looked remarkably similar to Leandros.
Of course, there were differences.
Silas’s hair was darker and curlier.
His eyes looked softer.
His jawline was smoother.
From a distance, he almost looked like a beautiful woman.
Most importantly, his build was much slimmer than Leandros’s.
Surprisingly, Silas was the second male lead of the novel.
After spending years drinking and chasing women, he eventually fell deeply in love with Lillyanshus Eden.
Because of that one-sided love, he abandoned his reckless lifestyle.
He began painting seriously again.
Lillyanshus became the source of his inspiration.
“What is this…?”
The maid who had suddenly appeared simply stood there staring at him.
Silas frowned.
Ah.
Yeorae finally came back to her senses and quickly bowed.
“My apologies.”
“What? Why leave? It’s not like this is the first time.”
The woman in his arms whispered seductively and turned his face back toward her.
As the two resumed what they had been doing, Yeorae quietly and quickly left.
Her mind understood the situation.
Her heart did not.
Her chest tightened painfully.
Her stomach churned.
From a distance, it looked exactly like Leandros kissing another woman.
Leandros…
Your identical twin.
Why did it have to be him?
For some reason, bad luck always seemed to arrive in groups.
Already exhausted, Yeorae was called by the head maid first thing in the morning.
“Miss Reeve. One of the girls who has worked here for a long time suddenly had a family emergency and returned to her hometown. Until we find a replacement, you’ll be taking over her duties.”
When she was summoned, Yeorae had worried that Silas had reported what happened the previous night.
Fortunately, it was only a work assignment.
Having been scolded many times during part-time jobs back in Korea, she secretly felt relieved.
Unfortunately, she soon realized that being scolded would have been better.
She never imagined this would be the job she was replacing.
Why am I here…?
Yeorae fixed her gaze straight ahead and held up a formal vest.
Leandros slipped his arms into it.
The scent of expensive men’s cologne brushed past her nose.
“…”
I’m seeing you again after only a week.
And it’s like this—while helping you dress in the morning.
If she raised her head slightly, she could see the prominent Adam’s apple that proved he was now a fully grown man.
That was as far as she dared look.
Anything more would cross the line expected of a maid serving her master.
Only now did she realize it.
Leandros had grown even taller.
His shoulders had become broader.
Her heart beat faster.
At the same time, she felt nervous because he seemed so different.
The more she learned about him, the less he resembled the gentle twenty-year-old she remembered.
Another maid standing beside Yeorae tied his cravat.
Leandros’s gaze briefly rested on the maid’s forehead before moving toward the door.
Just as expected, loud footsteps soon echoed outside.
The door suddenly burst open.
Silas appeared.
He looked like a complete mess.
He was barefoot.
Except for his trousers, he was wearing nothing.
His golden hair looked as if he had rolled down a hill.
“My head is killing me…”
The moment he entered, he pressed a hand to his forehead and complained about his hangover.
Yeorae immediately turned her head away after noticing the red marks on his chest.
Her vision almost blurred.
Seriously.
Why did it have to be an identical twin?
“The painting I finished the other day. Where did you put it? It wasn’t in my bedroom.”
“I distinctly told you not to bring women into this house.”
A cold warning fell from above Yeorae’s head.
The atmosphere in the room instantly became tense.
Silas snorted.
Then he suddenly noticed Yeorae standing partly hidden behind Leandros.
He pointed directly at her.
“Huh? Isn’t that the girl who was spying on me at dawn?”
“Do you think my words are a joke?”
Leandros’s voice rose sharply.
It sounded like the edge of a freshly sharpened blade.
The tiny hairs on Yeorae’s body stood on end.
Yet Silas simply shrugged.
“Inspiration is necessary for painting.”
“I’ve told you countless times. Your paintings have no value anymore.”
At that moment, the smile disappeared from Silas’s face.
Standing before the mirror, Leandros adjusted his clothes and spoke coldly.
“Find another job that matches your pathetic reputation. Or marry some suitable woman and leave this house.”
“The head of the family should set an example first. Tell me, what excuse are you going to use this time to avoid marriage? Ah, don’t tell me it’s because—”
“My patience with that loose tongue of yours has limits.”
Leandros’s eyes flashed dangerously.
He looked less like a brother and more like a man staring at his greatest enemy.
Silas laughed mockingly.
Then he spat on the floor near the doorway.
“You impotent bastard.”
