The Tyrant’s Leash Is Held by a Maid

Blonde hair like bright morning sunlight and red-like rose hair stood in front of the carriage. Wearing the shining lights of the banquet hall like a halo, they were like the epitome of nobility in oil paintings.

Illyd, who wore a white suit that made him appear even more heavenly, put his crimson lips on Natasha’s hand in a teasing manner.

“Then I hope you’ll pay a visit to Baldwin’s residence soon.”

He merely lifted his head and stared at Natasha, his head still bowed.

“Please, as promised, clear your bedroom.”

“Oh my goodness.”

Natasha covered her mouth with a fan, appearing to be alarmed.

“Are you attempting to enter a lady’s bed recklessly? You’re mischievous as the rumors say.”

“Bed?”

Illyd, who lifted his head, bashfully tilted it. Natasha’s hand was still in his huge palm.

“I believe you said you’d show me the tapestry you wove for your bedroom. Do you have anything more you’d want to show me?”

Ha. Natasha’s scarlet lips let out a sigh as if she had been short of breath. Illyd grinned softly as he removed his hand and murmured in Natasha’s ear.

“I’m not going to say no if you want to show me something different.”

“That’s all right. Really.”

Natasha, who twisted and yanked her hand out from his grasp, turned her back coyly.

Three months if you’re lucky, two weeks if not.

Liana exchanged glances with Deborah as she opened the carriage’s door.

‘We’re in big trouble now.’

Tak. Illyd put his arm on the chin of the small window as the wagon’s door closed, the maids’ emotions hardly concealed. Liana admired his ability to be charming in even the smallest of gestures.

“Soon, a letter will be delivered to the mansion. I’m hoping you’ll accept my invitation.”

“How could I possibly turn down your invitation?”

“Natasha, you have the right to turn down even the Emperor’s request. So…”

Illyd lifted Natasha’s hand off the windowsill and kissed her again, this time a bit longer.

“I’m hoping your heart will make a choice not out of pressure but because of your true feelings.”

Illyd fixed his gaze on Natasha without moving his lips. Liana, who was seated directly across from Natasha, felt so hot that she wanted to fan her face.

‘Oh my goodness. Are playboys always that shameless?’

Liana, flustered, moved her head slightly and began to peer at the enchanting playboy’s face.

It was a dark night with low lighting. His golden curly hair glistened like cotton candy. Under the backlight, the face was cast in a deep shadow. A strong jawline and a masculine broad neck. Thick lips with an odd vibe and a tall nose bridge. If she followed the statue-like line, she would come upon the blue eyes she observed earlier…

Ah.

Liana dropped her peered eyes once again. Beautiful eyes like a bluebird caught in the midwinter snow were staring at her. Her face flushed at the notion of being seen peeking like a stray cat. Liana bit her lower lip and gently raised her head.

The man with jewel-like eyes was still gazing at her. She was captured in his stare without even attempting to escape it. As if she had been trapped by blue chains, she couldn’t move from his gaze.

“Then… I’ll be waiting for you.”

Illyd kept talking, his eyes locked on Liana. The blue eyes were full of mirth as if he had discovered something entertaining.

“I’ll be looking forward to your letter.”

Liana, who had been staring at him while holding her breath, barely came to her senses at Natasha’s words and quickly shifted her gaze to the front.

Deborah tapped on the carriage’s wall and the wheels began to roll slowly. Liana’s hand went up to her chest as they gradually moved away from the Imperial Palace. As if ignoring all reasoning, her heart pounded wildly.

‘I really… showed my face.”

A voice interrupted Liana’s thoughts as she reflected on what had occurred for the first time.

“He complimented the dress.”

Liana lifted her head in response to her Lady’s words. Lady Natasha, seated across from her, rested against the carriage wall, her eyes shut, as if tired.

“His Highness, Prince Illyd. He answered that I had a skilled maid when he asked whether I had chosen it myself.”

Ah. Liana blinked at the late compliment. That’s why he was staring at her.

‘That’s right. He couldn’t have glanced at me for any other purpose.’

Liana deduced why the two suddenly turned to her in the ballroom and opened her mouth.

“That compliment is excessive. The reason the outfit was so stunning was because of your beauty.”

“Right. That’s true.”

Natasha’s eyes remained closed. Natasha’s plump lips moved slowly as she leaned back sluggishly.

“Still, it’s true that you’re talented. It’s difficult to find someone who looks excellent in any outfit.”

“…I’ll be glad and delighted if you think so.”

Natasha, who boasted about her attractiveness, gently lifted her thick lashes and glanced at the maid sitting across from her. Her face was calm yet flushed.

Liana Siodo. Unexpectedly, the maid with a delicate demeanor, who seemed to need to be safeguarded as she was too frail, turned out to be rather capable. To put it plainly, she wasn’t good enough, yet she was nearly too good to keep.

Even if she couldn’t work properly with that slender body of hers, she would promptly agree to whatever kind word Natasha said to her. With that tiny frame that seemed like it may fly away at any moment, she knew her maid would try diligently to please her.

Natasha grinned inwardly as she remembered the ladies who looked down on her today with envy and jealousy in their eyes. Natasha, who was enthralled with pastel-colored gowns, wore a dark green dress on a whim advised by a new maid. She would have caused a fuss if it didn’t suit her, but…

‘I assumed the vivid colors would clash with the dazzling appearance.’

She questioned why she hadn’t considered wearing vividly colored clothing. Even though she had tried on many outfits.

Even by her own high standards, today’s look was satisfactory. Natasha redirected her gaze to the maid sitting across from her.

Fair white skin. Wheat-colored hair that feels as if will crumble when touched. Soft, bright purple eyes that resembled fully bloomed open violets, and a delicate neckline as fragile as a deer’s.

Although she lacked in her skincare, she was quite a beauty. If she dolled herself a bit, other people’s eyes wouldn’t fall from her.

‘Hmm. For the first time, an appearance worth carrying along.’

Natasha asked Liana, who sat nervously.

“Isn’t it unfair? You and I are both commoner daughters, yet our lives are so dissimilar because our fathers are different.”

How much did she understand her situation?

Liana and Deborah, who were sitting next to each other, both froze in response to Natasha’s incisive inquiry.

That was the question. The question would determine whether she would be thrown out of the mansion or become her personal maid.

Liana’s neck wobbled slightly when she swallowed dry at that crucial moment.

Lady Natasha, Count Baldwin’s second daughter, was the daughter of a commoner. Her mother, who took the place of the countess solely through her beauty, died after bestowing onto her daughter two conflicting gifts: a dazzling face as a weapon, yet a humble background as a weakness.

Before employing a personal maid, Natasha, who knew about rumors circulating better than anybody, always asked this question. And her reaction to the replies had always been extreme.

If Liana became her personal maid, she was guaranteed a lifetime of employment. However, if she was kicked out…

‘I’ll barely receive a recommendation letter.’

She clasped her hands as cordially as she could, mentally organizing the replies she was planning to give. Deborah had given her some sample responses, but none of them were likely to work for Lady Natasha. Instead of speaking others’ words, Liana decided to say what she thought was the correct answer.

“I don’t think so.”

“Why?”

“Because the Lady is the Lady, and I am me.”

Deborah bit her lower lip unconsciously in reaction to Liana’s statement. Sally’s answer, a prior colleague, was similar. She closed her eyes anxiously as she remembered her old friend leaving the mansion after answering incorrectly.

And as she worried about her new friend, Natasha changed her intrigued expression. She responded indifferently, returning to her dry demeanor.

“Is that so?”

‘I thought she was different from the other maids, but she must have been of the same level.’

While she was thinking that her skill to pick clothing would be wasted, a faint voice rang inside the narrow carriage.

“And… I’m satisfied with what I have. I don’t want to make a fool of myself by comparing myself to others and destroying my ordinary happiness.”

Natasha lifted her eyes again in response to Liana’s soft words. Her face was faintly reflected in the dim light bulb.

“My Lady may not understand, but I’m happy with the way I live. It’s what I’ve always wanted: to be able to fully feed my nephew and sleep with him in a warm bed.”

“…Did you say you had an eight-year-old nephew?”

“Yes. He turned eight last month.”

Natasha’s long fingers gently patted the carriage’s leather chair. Deborah’s face was tense. Liana, too, held her breath as she gazed at her Lady’s slender finger.

The tapping ceased a moment later.

“Starting tomorrow, come to my room.”

Lady Natasha’s newly chosen personal maid was announced in hushed tones inside the silent wagon.