It’s Time to Stop Clinging to the Fake Guide - Chapter 75

As if yesterday’s commotion had been a lie, the atmosphere in the palace was exactly the same as usual. It was as though no one even knew Euphen had been attacked. Or perhaps they were all desperately pretending not to know.

‘Pretending not to know would be the right thing.’

If everyone were to make a fuss over that single incident, it would only end up giving others more to gossip about.

When she woke up a little late and was having a simple meal in her room, Mari came in.

“Mari!”

Lynette greeted her warmly.

Since she was the lowest-ranked maid, she should be doing the dirtiest chores at this hour. Why was she here?

Perhaps noticing Lynette’s doubt, Mari gave a slightly sardonic smile.

“From now on, I’ll be the maid attending to Miss Lynette.”

“What?”

“That’s what I’d like to ask. What on earth is going on?”

Casting aside her polite greeting from a moment ago, Mari flipped her hair back over her shoulder.

“I’m also confused. They said since the head maid saw me talking with you a few times, we must be close. So from today, I’m your exclusive maid.”

Lynette’s eyes widened. She had many questions.

Was this Euphen’s doing? She was a maid herself, and yet she was assigned a personal maid? Wasn’t that ridiculous?

On top of that, for someone to be assigned to her like this… Didn’t that mean she really was expected to continue living here?

A flood of thoughts crossed her mind, but for now, she decided to simply be glad that it was Mari that had become her ‘exclusive’ maid.

“That’s wonderful, Mari.”

“I’m glad, but…”

Mari fiddled with her maid uniform, softer and prettier than the one she had worn for dirty work. The lower the maid’s rank, the filthier and rougher the tasks they were given, so their uniforms were usually made of thick, stiff fabric. The designs focused purely on practicality, rarely flattering in appearance.

“I’m not sure how I should treat you from now on.”

“Just treat me the way you always have.”

“But they did warn me to address you as ‘Miss Lynette.’”

Lynette gave an awkward smile. She knew well that she couldn’t simply insist Mari ignore that and carry on as before. After all, treatment differed according to assigned status, and displaying behavior that went against it would only make it easy to be punished.

‘If you think about it, I’m still a maid too…’

If the head maid had given such a warning, it was surely because Euphen had said Lynette was not to be treated as a maid here.

“At least when it’s just the two of us, call me comfortably. You’re the only one I can really call a friend here, and I’d be sad to lose that.”

“Yes, as you command.”

At Mari’s teasing tone, Lynette laughed lightly.

‘Wouldn’t it be nice to bring Lara here too?’

She was probably still working at the laundry yard. They didn’t share a particularly deep bond, but since they had exchanged a few words, she would sometimes come to mind.

And hadn’t Lara even thanked her politely for something Lynette could easily have let pass? Even if making her a personal maid was too much, just bringing her into the Detached Palace would surely improve her situation. Since Mari’s absence would leave one more worker needed anyway, perhaps she could ask Euphen.

‘I’ll mention it to Euphen when I see him.’

Having seen Lara struggling with laundry work, she wanted to move her to a better place as soon as possible. With everything that had happened, she had neglected it, and felt a twinge of guilt.

“Mari, have you eaten?”

“Just a little.”

“Want some of this? It’s delicious.”

When Lynette offered her still-warm bread, Mari hesitated briefly before stepping closer to accept it. Chewing the soft bread, she began to tidy the bed.

“This afternoon, you have an appointment with His Highness the Imperial Prince.”

“An appointment?”

“Yes. I don’t know what it’s about, but I was told to have you ready.”

Wondering what it could be, Lynette tilted her head slightly.

When the meal was finished, Mari neatly cleared away the dishes. While she was gone with a tray full of tableware, Lynette was roughly cleaning the room, and when Mari returned, she frowned.

“Why on earth are you cleaning?”

“Well…”

Because I’m a maid.

She was about to say it, then closed her mouth. Anywhere else it might have been fine, but in the Detached Palace, Lynette wasn’t treated as a maid.

Mari snatched the duster from her hand. Telling her to leave the cleaning and take a bath instead, she shoved Lynette toward the washroom and slammed the door shut.

Lynette sank into the hot water.

“Phew…”

Bathing luxuriously like this, she once again felt keenly that she was truly living in the Detached Palace.

She had always loved bathing like this before too.

She held her breath and tightly closed her eyes, slowly sinking deeper beneath the water.

It felt as though so much had changed, and yet nothing at all had. Many things had gone differently than she expected, but the “important things” were the same as before she returned. That she still loved Euphen, and that he once again harbored feelings for her… No matter how she struggled, she couldn’t change that.

‘This was the one thing I most wanted to avoid.’

Even if she couldn’t change her own heart, she had at least hoped that the Imperial Prince wouldn’t fall in love again. That was why she had gone so far as to do something outrageous, and yet things had ended up like this anyway.

What should she have done? If she hadn’t faced him directly, if she had only held his hand through the smallest of gaps, could she have prevented this? Or should she have told him from the very beginning, ‘I already have someone I love’?

‘It wouldn’t have even been a lie.’

In her previous life, she had loved Euphen, so perhaps he might have believed it as the truth.

It was getting harder and harder to hold her breath. Her head began to throb. Lynette burst to the surface, gasping harshly for air.