Chapter 5
“Good day, Miss.”
After the Duke of Werner was no longer in sight, a maid greeted Silvia.
“My name is Melody Gwen. I will be serving you from now on. It is an honor to meet you.”
“Nice to meet you. Um… can I call you Gwen?”
“You may call me Melody. And please speak comfortably.”
“I’m not used to speaking casually, so… this way is more comfortable for me…”
“Then when you feel comfortable later, you may speak more freely.”
“Yes, I’ll do that.”
“It would be good to wash before you rest. Shall I prepare your bath?”
“A bath? Then… may I ask you to?”
“Yes. Please rest. I will prepare it quickly and return. If you need help or if anything happens, pull this cord by the bed to ring the bell.”
“Okay. Thank you, Melody.”
Melody politely bowed and left the room.
Only then did Silvia feel relaxed enough to properly look around the bedroom.
As she had thought before, everything in the room looked incredibly beautiful and expensive.
And strangely, everything matched perfectly.
It seemed like a lot of care had gone into the interior.
The only thing that doesn’t belong here… is me.
With a small, bitter smile, Silvia lay down on the bed.
“Wow… even the bed is amazing.”
It looked expensive and large, and it truly felt worth it.
The mattress supported her body perfectly.
The only beds Silvia had used before were rough ones stuffed with straw.
So when she woke up, her body would ache and she would feel even more tired.
But on this bed, it felt like she could sleep deeply and wake up refreshed.
Silvia took off her shoes and rolled around on the bed for a while.
Even to herself, it didn’t feel real that she was in such a place.
At first, she said she would stay here for only three months.
But if she got used to this comfort and luxury, she felt like she wouldn’t want to return to the slums.
Just thinking about leaving already made her feel regretful.
At the same time, she felt sorry for Vivian.
Because the one who should have been enjoying all of this—
Was her.
Silvia took a deep breath and slowly let it out.
Just three months.
She decided that within that time, once it was confirmed that she was not Vivian, she would leave immediately.
At least… while I’m here, I’ll rest comfortably.
She spoke quietly in her heart to Vivian, wherever she might be, and closed her eyes.
The soft bed wrapped around her, and her fatigue quickly came rushing in.
“…Miss, Miss!”
At the voice waking her from her hazy state, Silvia slowly opened her heavy eyes.
Then she looked at the person who woke her.
“Melody?”
“Yes, Miss. You’re awake? You must be tired, but how about getting up, washing, and eating before sleeping again?”
Even though she had just woken up, Melody’s bright and pleasant voice made Silvia smile.
“Is the bath already ready?”
“Yes. You can go anytime.”
“I only meant to lie down for a moment, but I fell asleep.”
“You must have been very tired.”
“That too, but the bed was amazing. If I fall asleep there, I feel like I wouldn’t even regret never waking up.”
“If the Duke hears that, he would be very sad.”
“Oh… really?”
While chatting as she followed Melody, Silvia realized she had made a mistake and laughed awkwardly.
She only meant to praise the bed, but it wasn’t something appropriate to say in the Werner household.
Especially since they believed she was Vivian Werner.
They didn’t have to walk far before reaching the bath.
Before entering, Silvia went to the dressing room to change.
“I will assist you, Miss.”
“No, it’s okay! It’s just clothes—I can manage by myself.”
Startled, Silvia quickly refused Melody’s help.
It felt too awkward to let someone else do that for her.
“You don’t need to feel burdened. You will need to get used to it.”
Melody spoke with a gentle smile.
Silvia hesitated.
Maybe it was right to follow the customs here.
But still, it felt too embarrassing.
“Th-then… just this once, I’ll do it myself.”
“Yes, understood.”
Melody stepped back without insisting.
Relieved, Silvia slowly changed and walked into the bath.
It reminded her of the orphanage.
Back then, washing alone was impossible.
Water was scarce, and there weren’t enough resources for everyone to wash separately.
But here, the bath water was warm.
Her body relaxed, and the fatigue slowly melted away.
Then, the maids approached her and reached out.
“W-what are you doing?”
Startled, Silvia stepped back.
The maids looked at her in confusion.
One of them spoke,
“We are here to assist you with washing… Is something uncomfortable?”
They seemed more surprised than her.
“I-I can wash myself.”
“Miss.”
Melody called her softly.
She smiled gently, trying to reassure her.
“Just this once, could you let us help you? If you feel uncomfortable, we will stop immediately.”
“J-just once?”
“Yes!”
Silvia looked around, hesitating.
It felt uncomfortable, but maybe she could endure it just once.
And they said they would stop if she didn’t like it.
After a brief struggle, she relaxed her body.
“Then…”
“Thank you for trusting us, Miss.”
With her permission, the maids carefully began to assist her.
It was her first time letting others take care of her like this, but they were skilled.
It didn’t feel uncomfortable at all.
“How is it? It’s not too bad, right?”
“…Yes.”
Silvia nodded shyly.
They washed her with warm water and used oil with a sweet lily scent on her hair.
When she came out of the bath, she felt even more relaxed than before.
In the dressing room, new clothes had already been prepared for her.
They were not the clothes she had come in.
They must have been prepared in advance.
But they were simpler than she expected.
Her question was answered when she arrived at the next room.
“Where is this?”
“This is the massage room.”
“The massage room?”
“Yes. Please lie down here.”
“O-okay…”
Do nobles always go through all this after bathing…?
Feeling awkward, Silvia lay down where Melody guided her.
Then another maid came in and began gently massaging her body.
She thought it wouldn’t be much—
But she was wrong.
The gentle hands loosened her stiff muscles, and all her fatigue melted away.
“Wow… this feels amazing. This must be heaven.”
She couldn’t help but admire it.
“We are honored by your praise.”
The maids replied softly.
“I’m not just saying it. It’s really true.”
More than when she lay on the bed—
Right now, Silvia felt the happiest she had ever been.
