Chapter : 06
After dinner, Diana decided to take a bath to soothe her tired body from the long journey.
Daisy, the maid who had been assigned to take care of Diana in the mansion, guided her to the bathroom.
Daisy was a talkative girl, just as her cute appearance suggested.
Thanks to Daisy’s constant chatter, Diana never felt bored while walking down the hallway.
“We were so excited that the young lady would come!”
Her sweet, chattering voice reminded Diana of Liliane. She had never actually heard Liliane’s voice, but it probably wouldn’t sound like that.
“You have a beautiful voice.”
“Eh?”
“It’s pleasant to hear.”
It was a very simple compliment, but it came straight from the heart.
Soon, Daisy’s face turned a light pink. Covering her mouth with her hand, she stammered even more.
“Th-thank you. I’m so honored, I don’t know what to say…!”
“I once wished I had a voice like that too.”
Since Diana and Liliane were different people, their voices were different.
If Liliane’s voice was high and cute, like a lark in the novel, Diana’s was calm and refined.
When she was immature enough not to realize the effort was futile, Diana had once tried to mimic Liliane’s voice, hoping to be recognized.
‘Stop trying something that can’t work.’
“…Yes?”
“I told others it was just a fluke that your voice sounded odd.”
By the time she realized it was pointless, she had already been hurt a lot.
“But your voice is even more beautiful, young lady. The most beautiful I’ve ever heard!”
“Thank you. I didn’t expect you to think that.”
Even though Daisy was giving the compliment, she was deeply embarrassed. The trembling in her voice was so vivid that Diana herself felt shy.
It was the first time Diana had ever been praised for something truly hers—not shared with Liliane or accomplished before—but something she had inherited from the Creator herself.
“Ah, here we are. Shall we go in?”
Praise, after all, was the best way to build a bond. By the time they reached the bathroom, they had already become friendly.
Daisy sat in front of Diana, who had changed into a gown, holding a large basin.
They started with a light foot bath.
“Is the temperature just right?”
“Perfect.”
Warm water and Daisy’s delicate massage—everything made Diana feel relaxed and pampered.
Next was the bathtub.
Behind the violet-colored shower curtain, a bathtub appeared, big enough for an adult man and woman.
“Following His Highness’ orders, I prepared a floral bath. I added dried roses and lavender. Roses replenish moisture, and lavender relieves stress!”
“So it doesn’t contain lilies?”
“Oh, I suggested lilies too, but His Highness recommended roses more. Should I prepare lilies next time?”
“No, that’s fine. I’m not crazy about lilies’ scent enough to enjoy them in a bath. This is enough.”
Diana shook her hand, firmly refusing—not out of etiquette, but sincerely.
“I’ll be waiting outside, so call me anytime!”
Left alone, Diana removed her gown and slowly entered the bathtub.
The water, heavy with the scent of flowers, welcomed her. Picking up a petal, she noticed it soaked and limp.
‘He’s really hard to understand.’
The purple petals were clearly different in scent and shape from lilies.
She remembered how he had insisted on lilies before, and now recommended something else.
‘…He can be a difficult person.’
Thinking of Ersivan at dinner made her shiver.
It felt almost sinful to have these impure thoughts about the Duke of the Empire, but just looking at him drained her energy.
‘What would he think of me? Do I seem like one of them?’
She remembered how carefully he pronounced every word, softening his accent. He was skilled even at speaking gently, not just with strong emphasis.
‘I must repay the trust he places in me.’
What could he mean by that? Could someone really say that to someone they disliked—or even hated?
‘As if he has feelings…’
Trying to dismiss the thought, Diana suddenly recalled the novel’s content.
「“I will love her passionately. That will be my greatest trump card.”
Ersivan thought of Liliane. Her love for him would become the most precious card for his revenge.
Making Liliane love Ersivan was something he had planned early on, part of a grand strategy.”」
Ersivan Valencia, pretending to love Liliane to use her.
Could today’s events be part of his plan too?
Charming people indiscriminately, creating awkward tension, making someone focus on him. Even if intentional, could such things really be orchestrated?
Of course, Ersivan was a man capable of almost anything.
‘I must not be charmed.’
But Diana could not fall for his game. She was too different from Liliane to turn him back on himself.
‘I mustn’t become a fool.’
Their relationship was shallow, lasting only until each of their plans succeeded.
‘Think of nothing else. Only survival. Survival…’
It would be foolish to let her feelings be swayed by such a shallow bond.
About three months remained until the wedding.
And until Liliane returned to the mansion, about half a year to a month.
If Diana could endure until then, she would finally gain the freedom she longed for.
‘Second-floor hallway, left side.’
After her bath, Diana set off to the room Daisy had told her about.
‘This must be it.’
She hung the candlestick on the wall and pulled the doorknob with force.
Diana froze for exactly three seconds when she saw who was inside.
Why was a man who shouldn’t be there, half-naked, in her room?
“…I must have intruded. I think I got the wrong room.”
Blinking, Diana hurriedly closed the door.
She heard a voice from the other side, but her own heartbeat was too loud to make out the words.
‘I didn’t apologize.’
She realized she should have apologized for the mistake, but in her panic, she only said what she could and left.
She needed to apologize.
Thinking about Ersivan half-naked in there made her hands freeze.
Eventually, she grabbed the candlestick to leave and find Daisy for giving her the wrong directions.
At that moment, the firmly closed door opened.
Ersivan appeared, thankfully modestly dressed this time.
“Unfortunately, this is the right room.”
“…Excuse me?”
“This is the room Liliane will stay in today.”
Leaning on the doorframe, he tilted his head playfully, as if the situation were a game.
“That can’t be.”
“Yes, it is. Liliane.”
“….”
“I’m telling you, Liliane.”
The back-and-forth went on, but the essence didn’t change.
“Don’t try to deny it.”
Now smiling, he seemed determined to tease her.
Diana froze completely, unable to move or answer. Ersivan moved closer, revealing more details.
Wet, light brown hair softened his fierce look, and the partially exposed skin behind it followed.
The sudden allure was dangerous. Diana quickly closed her eyes and shouted:
“I am a guest, so let me say this…”
“It pains me to hear that. You, who will be the future lady of the house, call yourself a guest?”
“Th-That’s true, but! Since it’s the first day, I thought it might be better to stay in the guest room!”
“Regrettably, the guest room is not ready. I cannot host a noble in an unprepared, shabby place.”
All exits were blocked. Frustrated, she squinted in disbelief.
“Is that clear now, Liliane?”
His accent softened, just like at dinner—a special skill he used to persuade people.
Of course, Diana could do nothing but give in to it.
This completes the full translation of Chapter 6 in simple English, keeping the original structure and only block-quoting key lines.
I’ve also noted all character names—Diana, Daisy, Ersivan, Liliane—for continuity in the next chapters.
Do you want me to translate Chapter 7 next?
