Elrose’s heart sank.
The excitement that had just flared up at the prospect of going out was instantly frozen by the sight of Ileana’s smile—a smile that appeared submissive but sent a bone-chilling shiver through her entire body.
Going out? Alone with Ileana? This was no reward; it was clearly another form of trial, one far more dangerous than the last.
‘Who would put a predator and its prey in the same cage!’
“No… there’s no need to trouble Ileana,” Elrose said with a forced smile, waving her hand in an attempt to avoid this terrifying situation. “Mrs. Margaret, I can just have another maid—”
“Young Lady,” Mrs. Margaret interrupted sternly, adjusting the glasses on the bridge of her nose. “Ileana is your personal maid; she understands your measurements and preferences better than anyone. Furthermore, having her accompany you is the most appropriate and proper arrangement. Surely you wouldn’t want people outside to claim that the Duke’s Daughter disregards basic etiquette?”
She turned toward Ileana, her tone softening slightly. “Ileana, make sure to take good care of the Young Lady this afternoon.”
“Yes, ma’am. Please, rest assured.”
Ileana respectfully lowered her eyes, her long eyelashes veiling the expression within her gaze.
‘You fool, you don’t know a thing!’ Elrose desperately wanted to give the middle finger to the middle-aged woman standing before her. This woman was practically trying to get her killed!
Knowing that arguing was useless, the girl sighed in resignation.
In this world of rigid hierarchies, a noble’s reputation often carried more weight than anything else. There was no way out. Under Mrs. Margaret’s unquestionable gaze, she could only nod stiffly.
***
The afternoon sun was pleasant, spilling warmly through the carriage windows.
The buildings on both sides of the street receded, passing by shop signs, the hats of pedestrians, and the occasional ornate carriage. These were sights that should have been interesting, yet they couldn’t capture a shred of Elrose’s attention right now.
She sat upright with her back perfectly straight, pressing herself as close to the interior wall of the carriage as possible in an attempt to distance herself from Ileana, who sat opposite her.
However, the space inside the carriage was limited. That faint, lingering scent belonging to Ileana, mingled with the fresh fragrance of her maid uniform, stubbornly found its way into Elrose’s nose.
In contrast to Elrose, Ileana seemed to be in a good mood. She sat quietly, her gaze shifting between the window and Elrose. Her eyes weren’t sharp; they even held their usual softness, but Elrose felt as if she were sitting on a bed of needles, as though every inch of her skin were being scanned by some precision instrument.
“The Young Lady seems a bit nervous?” Ileana spoke suddenly, her voice soft. “Are you worried about the tailor’s craftsmanship?”
Elrose’s fingertips trembled, and she forced herself to look at her. “It’s nothing. I’m just a little tired.”
‘No, I’m actually terrified of you…’ Elrose thought, inwardly coughing up blood.
“Is that so?” Ileana smiled slightly and leaned forward. The movement caused Elrose’s muscles to tense instantly. ‘Surely she won’t do anything reckless in a carriage?’
“Then, after the measurements are taken, perhaps the Young Lady would like to visit the new Dessert Shop that just opened on the corner? I heard their cakes are delicious.”
Ileana’s tone was full of consideration, making her sound exactly like a loyal, devoted maid.
“…No need.” Elrose rejected the offer almost immediately, her voice sounding a bit dry. “We’ll return as soon as the clothes are done.”
“How disappointing.” Ileana leaned back into her seat. Her tone sounded let down, but the curve of her lips remained. “However, the Young Lady seems to have grown thinner lately. Is the dance class too demanding, or… do you have a poor appetite? Perhaps I can help ease your worries —”
Cocking her head to the side, Ileana rested her chin on her hand and watched Elrose with a smile.
“It’s just that the weather is getting hot, so I haven’t had much of an appetite.” Elrose struggled to maintain a flat tone, though her palms were already slick with cold sweat.
‘Please, stop talking to me…’
“Then the Young Lady must be even more diligent about her nutrition,” Ileana’s voice grew even more tender, carrying a hint of coaxing. “Your body… is very precious, after all.”
Just as Elrose’s skin began to crawl, the carriage came to a halt.
“Young Lady, we have arrived,” the coachman’s voice called out.
The girl practically fled, being the first to push the door open. She took a deep breath of the noisy outside air, barely managing to suppress the palpitations in her heart.
The Tailor Shop was the most prestigious in the city, catering exclusively to the nobility.
The shopkeeper, an elegant middle-aged lady, greeted Elrose warmly the moment she saw her. The measurement process was tedious and quiet, with the soft measuring tape wrapping around various parts of her body. Ileana stood quietly to the side, occasionally whispering a few of Elrose’s habitual preferences. She was acting impeccably.
If one ignored her identity as a demon, she was indeed a skilled and capable maid.
However, when the shopkeeper was measuring Elrose’s waist and needed her to lift her arms slightly, Ileana naturally stepped forward and gently lifted the loose, long hair from the back of Elrose’s neck.
Her cool fingertips brushed against the skin of Elrose’s nape, seemingly by accident.
In that instant, every hair on Elrose’s body stood on end!
She jolted violently, nearly crying out in alarm, and only managed to stop herself by biting her lower lip hard.
That inexplicable sense of crisis was back!
The place where Ileana’s hand rested was one of her most vulnerable, most lethal spots! Her fingers hovered there weightlessly with a cold touch, like the flickering tongue of a venomous snake or a suspended carving knife that could drop at any moment!
“Young Lady?” Ileana seemed puzzled by her reaction, her voice remaining soft. “Your hair needs to be gathered, otherwise it will interfere with the measurements.”
“…Thank you.”
Elrose squeezed the words through her teeth. Her body was as rigid as a stone. She could feel that Ileana’s fingertips didn’t pull away immediately; instead, as if unintentionally, they slid down a short distance along the line of her spine.
The sensation made her stomach churn, a mixture of extreme terror and a dizzying sense of violation. She could even imagine Ileana’s gaze at that moment—it had to be filled with a calm, focused light, like someone evaluating the quality of meat.
“All done, Lady Elrose,” the shopkeeper finally finished the measurements and recorded the data. “For the style and fabric, shall we use the designs previously ordered by Mrs. Vanessa, or do you have new ideas?”
Elrose was desperate to leave this suffocating place. “Just follow my mother’s instructions.”
“Very well. Please come to collect them in two weeks. Ileana, escort the Young Lady back.”
“Please wait a moment.”
Ileana spoke up suddenly. Her words immediately caught Elrose’s attention. ‘What is she doing?’
Ileana pulled a pair of Black Lace Gloves from a small bag she carried and handed them to the shopkeeper. “I would like to trouble you to repair these as well.”
“Oh, more business! No problem at all!” the shopkeeper said happily.
The shopkeeper was happy, and Ileana was smiling, but Elrose’s body was trembling with fear.
For she could see that Ileana’s gloves were teeming with a thick, heavy aura of malice…