The Ugly Lady’s Secret Pouch

Stretched out, tired, and disoriented, Lila was startled out of bed by a hard knock on the door.

BANG!

“What is it?”

She replied in a dazed state as the sleep was not wearing off fast enough.

“Who is it.”

“It’s Connor, filling in for the butler, I’ll open the door.”

He hadn’t even asked her to come in yet, but the sound of the door opening made Lila jump out of her seat in fright.

“Wait!”

She fumbled around in her bedroom, putting back on the clothes she’d taken off. Luckily, it didn’t look like he had stepped in the bedroom.

She looked in the mirror and did a quick makeup job, adding freckles to her unwashed face.

She was so tired last night that she hadn’t thought to bathe, but it helped her now.

As she stumbled out of the bedroom, Connor, who had been standing in a stiff posture, jerked his head around at the sight of Lila.

It wasn’t the first time she’d seen him like that, but this time she was genuinely angry.

“Who are you, and where is Vincent?”

“Do you have any idea how busy he is?”

Lila sighed and sat down on the couch, looking at Connor, whose demeanor was so different from Vincent’s.

“So what did you think you were barging into my room for?”

She asked, her narrowed eyes scanning him, and Connor shuddered.

“The Duke has asked me to let you select a personal maid, and they will be here shortly.”

“Ah, a personal maid.”

Lila nodded, remembering what Lucas had said. She stirred, thirsty, and turned to Connor.

“Bring me something to drink and some refreshments.”

“… Alright.”

The more she looked, the worse his attitude seems. Lila wondered if that was what butlers were supposed to be like.

Even at the barony, she’d seen butlers who were too busy turning their heads away from her, but for a moment, she’d seen a real butler like Vincent, and his attitude was unbearable.

‘Wait, but why leave the Duke alone? I think your personality is out of the ordinary…’

While Lila was lost in thought, Connor, who had left the room for a moment, returned with iced tea, macaroons, and cream cheese tarts. He was followed by five more maids.

Lila took the first cup of iced tea on the table and gulped it down. She was very thirsty.

Seeing her like that, the maids and Connor, six in all, shivered and turned their heads.

Seeing that, Lila’s grumpiness flared up for the first time in a long time.

They’ve been brought here so she can choose a personal maid, but how could she have a handmaiden if they couldn’t handle her face?

Her mind seemed to snap back into focus.

“So, you want me to choose my own maid from these five?”

“Yes, that is the message from the Duke.”

“Hmm…”

Tapping her chin with a finger, Lila opened her eyes and looked at each of the five maids one by one.

The way their shoulders shook with each one made her giggle.

“Tell me your specialties, each of you.”

As they exchanged glances, one of the maids stepped forward.

“My specialty is combing hair. I don’t have much else.”

With that, she quickly stepped back. The other maids, who had been reluctant to come forward, rushed to the front of the room.

“I don’t have any special skills.”

“I’m good at sweeping with a broom!”

“I’m great at opening windows, even rusty ones!”

“I can fall asleep as soon as I lie down!”

She wasn’t even a maid, but she knew the specialties of these maids are really trivial and insignificant.

‘Are you protesting that you don’t want to be my exclusive maid?’

Silently listening to their desperate appeals, Lila raised her hand to silence them.

“Quiet…”

“…”

Lila glanced at each of the five maids in turn and spotted Connor in the corner, covering his mouth to stifle his laughter.  

‘Is that really…’

Now that Lila was staring at him, the maids turned toward him in unison, curious.

When six pairs of eyes met his, he realized what had happened and quietly lowered his hand.f

Lila said nothing, but sipped her cold tea again. She nibbled on a cream cheese tart and pondered.

What to do.

How could I make them all suffer?

I’ll use my pause for dominance.

What I did at the barony, will it work for them?

After finishing her dessert and tea, Lila put down her fork.

“Hmm, what should I do? I like you all, but I’m having a hard time deciding.”

At her words, all five maids shuddered at the same time.

You’d think she was going to eat them.

Lila stretched, leaning her upper body loosely against the couch. She wasn’t quite out of it yet, so she let out a long yawn.

Every time, there were exclamations such as “hick,” “ah,” and “that’s a bit.” They weren’t exclamations, of course, but she chose to think they were.

“I’m still thirsty. Who wants to fetch me some water and something to drink? I don’t think the fastest one will be fit to be my exclusive handmaiden.”

With that, the maids ran out of the room faster than an arrow, despite the fact that it was an odd thing to say.

I looked Connor up and down as he stood alone in the distance. Not bothering to hide a very blatant glare.

“What, what is it?”

“You?”

“What?”

“Aren’t you leaving?”

Connor’s eyes widened, unaware that her tone had changed from the one she’d used with Vincent.

“You could be a butler, you know, my butler.”

He glanced at Lila, who was grinning from ear to ear, then spoke urgently.

“I’m in the Duke’s service, so I can’t be your personal butler.”

Lila replied flatly to Connor, who lifted his chin in triumph as he spoke.

“That’s okay, I’m sure he’ll grant me a favor.”

She sounded so sure of herself that Connor stumbled out of the room, his face white as a sheet.

Snorting, Lila downed the last of her cold tea in one gulp.

“I heard it’s human psychology that if you don’t like something, you want more of it… I guess that’s true.”

With a wry smile, Lila stared at the open doorway. I wonder who’s going to be the first one in, she thought.

“Here, look, this is my family’s skin protection cream!”

The handmaiden who had won first place in the last exclusive handmaiden escape contest exclaimed, holding out the round jar she’d brought with her with a splash of saliva.

Next to her was Connor. She was folding her arms across her chest, gasping for breath.

“This is supposed to protect my skin? How?”

“If you apply it before bed, your skin will glow the next day. This is something my brother made.”

“Is your brother an alchemist?”

“Yes, it runs in our family.”

Lila turned the clunky barrel around and unscrewed the lid, sniffing the scent first, then taking a small amount and rubbing it into the back of her hand.

Lila’s eyes widened at the unexpectedly chewy texture. The application wasn’t bad either.

It felt like the most modern cosmetics she’d seen since coming here.

“Hmm.”

Lila snorted and looked at the clunky tub of cream. The maid and Connor, who were watching her reaction intently, swallowed dryly.

Slamming the tub down on the table, Lila turned to the maid.

“Good, pass!”

“Aaah, thank you!”

The maid beamed.

“Well, then, I’ll be going.”

She gave a quick bow and slipped out of the room, leaving Connor, who was now alone, hanging his head in defeat.

Lila narrowed her eyes at him.

“Well, I’ll take care of you in the future. I’m tired, so why don’t you get out of here?”

“…I understand”

As he walked out of the room with his shoulders slumped, Lila stuck her tongue out at him.

“I don’t want to be served by you either.”

She laughed thinking about the maids who competed desperately for her because they didn’t want to look after her, and the butler who was eventually pushed out of her physical strength was also funny. Her tiredness disappeared because it was all funny.

“Do you think ugliness is contagious?”

It’s an attitude she’s gotten used to in her years of doing ugly makeup, but this place’s standards of beauty is enough to make her want to rip her hair out.

‘But it means I’m done with this…’

She had gotten out of the last period to deviate from the original route, and she was more annoyed than happy.

“Let’s be honest…”

She leaned back against the couch, remembering what Lucas had said.

“Why was the crown prince looking at me anyway?”

Recalling Theobald glaring at her at the coming-of-age ceremony, Lila grunted and patted her forehead.

“I’m not going to the capital anymore, so let’s not give it too much thought. It’s over.”

Once the words were out of her mouth, she could feel a definite sense of finality.

“We’ve really strayed from the original route…”

In the novel, the confinement relay starts at the beginning. Unlike the original, Lila was in the north and her future was guaranteed.

“Hah…”

Lila closed her eyes as a wave of satisfaction washed over her.

Just when she wanted to be alone… there was another knock on the door.

“…Come in.”

She let Connor in. He spoke bluntly, his expression full of displeasure.

“The Duchess would like to have dinner with you.”

“The Duchess?”

“Yes, the beautiful Duchess.”

The sarcasm didn’t bother Lila. Or rather, she didn’t feel bothered.

“When did she come?”

I hadn’t expected to meet her during my stay here…

‘No, she was an opponent I had no choice but to meet.’

“I see.”

“Okay, then…”

Lila jumped up from the couch as Connor left the room. She walked into the bathroom and stared at her reflection in the mirror.