Chapter 23.1

what mallorca introduced as the toilet room was more extravagant than most celebrity waiting rooms in television dramas. a mirror studded with crystal balls emitting soft lights occupied the whole side of the wall, and on the other side, jaw-dropping dresses were tightly packed.

“hello, young lady. my name is janine.”

a woman standing upright next to the sofa at the center bowed to me. she smiled gently as if she thought i was cute as i looked around the room with my mouth on the floor.

“you can choose the dress you want.”

following janine’s guidance, i stood in front of the dress selection and tilted my head. i wanted to change into something comfortable, but something pretty in ares’ eyes would be great too.

‘what did he prefer again?’

all i could remember was that he liked hips that defied gravity, which i didn’t have.

‘anyway, he likes glamor, i should wear clothes that reveal my cleavage as much as possible.’

with that in mind, i approached the selection of colorful clothes and picked up the dress that looked the sexiest.

“i’ll wear this.”

“…oh, do you like that dress?”

janine hesitated and tapped her lips as if wondering about my choice. i looked again at the dress in my hand and then on her troubled face.

‘is it too expensive?’ i wondered.

it looked quite expensive after observing it at a closer distance.

the light blue fabric was small, but it looked like expensive velvet, and the embroidery on the lace decorating the top of the off-shoulder had diamonds about half the size of a baby’s nail.

‘this must cost an outrageous amount. jewels hanging from one’s clothes…’

with that much money, i could buy a slave target character right away. i rolled my eyes, thinking if i could just crumple it well, the size of this dress might as well fit in my pocket.

“is it a dress that i shouldn’t wear?” i asked.

“no, nothing like that,” janine shook her head, “but it might be uncomfortable since it’s our house dive stage outfit.”

i nodded at janine’s explanation, the dress still in my arms.

“i’m fine with this.”

it was important to be expensive, so that

it was important that it was expensive. so that it can be worn and splashed in case of emergency.

“i’m glad you found a dress you like, my lady. then i will show you to the bathroom.”

janine smiled softly and took the dress in my hand, adding quickly that she’d prepare it right away.

oh, my diamond dress!

i bit my lips, feeling a bit disappointed that my emergency fund – that i just decided – was going away. the bathroom connected to the toilet was as large as the bathroom that the marquis used. they were quite similar in size, but the splendor here was more dazzling.

‘it would be a secret that valérez is ‘ares’ of the underworld, so everything here would probably be private property…’

the amount of money he earned as ares was considerable.

‘wouldn’t there be a quest to extort money with the trick girl route?’

i rubbed my hands like a villainess, thinking of valérez, the virgin and innocent man with a lot of money.

cuckoo cuckoo

“shall i call a maid to help the lady take a bath?” janine asked.

“oh, no! it’s alright.”

i was a maid, so why call another one? even when i played the role of a lady in the marquis’ residence, i was embarrassed to show my naked body, so i never asked for help from anyone.

at my firm refusal, janine turned to the bathtub, saying she’d only prepare the water, and after a while, i was able to soak myself in warm water. it felt like my whole body was melting in goodness for the first time in a long while.

“oh, that’s nice.”

the light purplish water, probably filled with expensive perfumes, was vibrant with the scent of citrus mixed with lavender and lemon.

“i’m sleepy now that i am relaxed…”

i reached the end of the huge bathtub that looked like four people could fit in with my soles, and then rolled up a soft towel like a pillow as i laid down my head on it.

it wasn’t after i fell asleep that janine noticed i took too long and rescued me from melting with finely chopped herb leaves.

* * *

the maids of valérez private mansion were sharper and faster than the maids of the marquis.

‘and i think they talk a little more.’

perhaps it was because they wanted to protect the dignity of the high-ranking aristocratic family, so the employees working in the marquis’ mansion tried to have a decent attitude.

“oh! oh!”

“oh my! oh my!”

after dressing up with the help of the maids, i reached out my hand hesitantly at them as they suddenly fell to the ground.