CH 7.7

Jessie cautiously followed behind Lila, her mouth twitching at the sight she had just seen in the greenhouse.

She’d seen Emma, Eri, Sophia, and Liesel shrink back in horror when Lila had asked for their names.

She couldn’t help but think of pressing charges against the girls who had always picked on her.

Jessie thought as she watched Lila’s backside walk in front of her.

She’d lost weight since the first time she’d seen her.

‘I don’t think she was that skinny to begin with…’

Shaking her head, Jessie followed behind her and was stunned to see where Lila had landed.

“My lady!”

“Yes, why?”

Lila glanced back as she opened her door.

“I can’t go up to the third floor.”

Kicking herself for not checking the location in her momentary excitement, Jessie quickly dropped to her knees.

“It was my fault for being stupid!”

Lila was puzzled by Jessie’s attitude. Vincent was the only other servant in the manor who treated her like a duchess.

“Can’t you do it even though I brought you here?”

“Well, that’s…”

“Well… you mind following me to my room first?”

Jessie blushed and narrowed her eyes. But he couldn’t refuse the Duchess’s command, so she stumbled to her feet and got up on wobbly legs.

Lila shook her head at the sight. It wasn’t the same as the way she’d handled herself among the maids earlier.

“You seemed so unperturbed earlier, and now you’re making such a fuss about being treated in a room?”

“Treated?”

Lila let out a small laugh as Jessie looked at her in surprise.

“What were you thinking, didn’t you hear what I said?”

With that, she disappeared into the back of the room, and Jessie followed, panting.

Her heart skipped a beat at the opulence of the room, which she had never seen before. In fact, as a lover of pretty things, Jessie admired the room. It looks like it had been painted in a dream.

Meanwhile, Lila pulled a cotton ball, alcohol swab, and ointment from her pouch.

These were items she always kept in her makeup box.

“Do you want to come over here?”

Lila called out to Jessie, who was standing in the middle of the room with a dazed and disheveled look on her face.

“Yes, yes!”

Jessie hurried over and stood in front of her.

“Just look down for a second.”

Part of her wanted to go over and do it herself, but she knew that would freak her out even more.

When Jessie lowered her face, Lila said.

“Close your eyes for a second, too.”

Jessie blushed as she saw Lila’s face up close. It was like being mesmerized by a beautiful face that wasn’t at all what she expected.

Jessie closed her eyes, fluttering her eyelashes, and Lila took a cotton ball and dabbed at the pimple.

“This might sting a little.”

She warned, then dabbed at the wound with an alcohol swab.

“Ouch.”

Jessie was surprised, but he didn’t open her eyes. Lila finished applying the ointment.

“You can open your eyes now.”

“Okay.”

“Can you tell me your name?”

Lila had heard her name was Jessie, but she wanted to hear her full name.

“It’s Jessie Lou Collins, my lady.”

As Jessie bowed deeply as she spoke, Lila studied her face once more.

She had jet-black hair and eyes the color of a clear sky. Lila saw the pimples that marred Jessie’s pure white skin.

“Lila El Este. I’m sure you know that.”

“Yes, I know.”

Jessie blushed shyly, then asked.

“Why did you cover for them? They were going to give you a hard time.”

Jessie could tell the Duchess had heard the whole story in the greenhouse.

“I covered them up because I was fine. Please punish me for telling a lie.”

Turning to Jessie, who was suddenly on her knees, Lila hurriedly replied.

“Yes, lying is bad, but I’ll let it slide given the circumstances. Now get up.”

She felt very uncomfortable with Jessie’s behavior. She’d never heard that from an employee before.

At the barony, the servants never apologized to her for her outbursts.

They looked at her like she was a madwoman and never bowed to her, like people who share power based on appearance.

That’s why Lila liked Jessie. She liked her inflexibility and her stuborness.

“So, about your acne, when did it start?”

“I think it was when I was…13, but I don’t remember exactly, so I apologize.”

“How old are you now?”

“I’m 18 now.”

“Hmm…”

Lila felt sorry for Jessie, who, if it weren’t for her acne, would be even more beautiful than the maids she’d seen in the greenhouse earlier.

“You know, I wonder if the Duke has any empty glass bottles or something? I mean, not the big ones, but the small ones that hold creams for your face.”

“Probably in the alchemist’s room. It’s where they make ointments and medicines.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, I’ve never been there, but I’ve heard of them.”

“Okay. Well, can you get me a vial?”

“Sure, sure.”

Jessie bowed and left the room. Lila decided to do what she’d been meaning to do all along.

“Well, I guess I’ll need a lot of glass jars…”

The makeup box in her purse was still in the same condition it had been when she died. Not the exterior, but the contents.

She could use the cosmetics inside to her heart’s content, and when she put them back in the pouch, they returned to the same state as when she took them out.

At that time, used cosmetics kept their shape as they were used, and new products always stayed new.

‘So why don’t I just scoop out the contents and transfer them to another container and make a business out of it?’

So when the time comes when she had to leave, she wouldn’t be too worried about money.

She could sell the cosmetics, or she could make a living as a makeup artist.

The contract said she wouldn’t have to worry about money, but she wanted to help people like Jessie, who had skin problems or body image issues.

She figured it wouldn’t be a bad idea to do what she’d originally intended to do as Cho Yoon Seol.

Lila brought a jar and handed it to Jessie, filled with creams, ointments, and facial foams that were excellent for acne.

“Now, here’s what you need to do. Put this in water and it’ll lather up. And then you’re going to cleanse your face with it, then pat your face dry, not blot it with a towel. You don’t want to irritate your skin at all.”

“…”

“And then put this cream on. It’s an ointment, and if you have a pimple, don’t apply it with your hands, but put a little on a clean handkerchief and dab it on.”

“…My lady, what’s this…”

Jessie couldn’t understand why the Duchess was giving her such a precious thing. From the sounds of it, it was a beauty cream that even high ranking nobles would have trouble using.

“You must apply this every night before bed. Understood? And lukewarm water is better than warm.”

“That’s… Thank you so much… my lady.”

Jessie took the package and leaned in deeply.

“And, you know, I was thinking it would be nice if you could be my personal maid… Would you like to?”

“What? No. I’m the lowest of the maids, so I’m not qualified to work for you, my lady.”

“Well, the butler you’re working for now doesn’t seem very good either.”

Lila asked in a timid tone as Jessie flinched and objected.

“Do you not like…?”

“Of course not, it’s an honor to my family to be able to serve someone as beautiful as you are, and even more beautiful at heart!”

Looking at Jessie’s enthusiastic reply, Lila’s stony expression softened.

There had been very few people she had liked since she had arrived in this world, and she didn’t want to let Jessie go.