Dare to Lie [Novel] Chapter 2 – The Price of a Maid's Life

But what could a mere maid say to her mistress, especially one as wicked as mine?

Rosaline approached right behind Heather, but the woman was so preoccupied with the young men that she didn't notice her.

Rosaline scanned her from head to toe, then gave a smirk and flicked a wine glass sitting nearby. It was a bold move that even I, standing right beside her, hadn't anticipated.

At Rosaline’s feigned cry of surprise, Heather finally realized her dress was ruined and shrieked in horror.

But Rosaline looked back and forth between her and me with wide, startled eyes before saying something utterly absurd.

I felt my mind go blank.

‘That crazy bitch finally did it!’

Still, I quickly prostrated myself, pressing my forehead to the floor. After all, Rosaline was the one I had to go home with.

Contrary to my expectations, Heather didn't scream in rage.

However.

I cautiously lifted my head.

Heather was speaking sweetly, the corners of her mouth curled up.

“…”

She smiled brightly and leaned down toward me, whispering something terrifying that the men wouldn't be able to hear.

What happened next was even more ridiculous. Rosaline denied everything right in front of me, despite me having witnessed it all.

So she framed me just because she felt slighted? What kind of absolute bullshit was this?

Just then, the police arrived.

At their question, Baroness Tesis shook her head.

I don't remember clearly how I packed my bags and was dragged to the police station.

When I finally looked up, dazed, I was in a cramped holding cell behind bars.

On the way there, the policeman had explained nonchalantly.

Even as he said that, he seemed certain I wouldn't be able to pay.

Where would I know anyone in Herona, a city I’d come to for the first time, and how was a country maid supposed to come up with fifty million Gilden in a week?

It was hopeless. He said that if I couldn't pay, I’d likely be sentenced to about five years of hard labor.

‘Five years for something I didn't even do…’

On top of that, my identification papers would be marked with a criminal record, meaning I’d have no way to find a decent job even after I was released.

I kept letting out hollow laughs. I couldn't believe the world worked this way. It felt like someone was playing a cruel joke on me, but I knew that wasn't the case.

‘Does this even make sense?’

The reward for all those years of bowing my head and working myself to the bone for that damn girl was a prison sentence? I was indignant, furious, and suffocated by the injustice. If I could, I wanted to grab Rosaline by the hair and shake her. No, I felt like I’d only be satisfied if I killed her.

But after three days, the venom drained out of me, and by the fifth day, I began to wonder what the point of blaming others was.

‘I struggled and scrambled so hard, only to end up in prison anyway. I don't know why I lived so diligently.’

After rotting in prison for five years, well, I wondered what kind of mire would be waiting for me then.

Was there any reason to keep living a life that just went from one worst-case scenario to the next?

In that cramped cell barely large enough for a person to lie down, I finally reached the conclusion that I should just die.

But I didn't want to end it in such a miserable state.

I took out half of the wad of cash I had hidden away in my bag and called for the officer in charge.

As I spoke, I quietly slid the bundle of money under his hand.

Sergeant Norman glanced down to gauge the thickness of the stack, then cleared his throat. Even excluding the bail amount, it was likely more than the man’s monthly salary.

When I entered Herona, there were no issues because the Baron and his wife had vouched for me, but for a lowly commoner to move elsewhere, they needed a certificate from the police or another government office confirming they weren't a wanted person.

In the end, I was nothing more than a rat in a trap.

Locking me up here while citing a flight risk was nothing more than discrimination against commoners.

I had spent more than half of my hard-earned life savings just to be free for a single day, but I didn't regret it. It was only eight million Gilden anyway—even twice that wouldn't have been enough to pay the compensation.

‘Let’s have the best day of my life.’

Leaving the police station with my bag, I took a room at a shabby inn.

That evening, I ordered the most expensive meal the inn had to offer and paid extra for a hot bath.

It felt like the first time I had ever lived for myself with such a peaceful mind.

I had intended to sleep in, but perhaps due to ingrained habit, my eyes snapped open at six in the morning.

Still, I lounged around for a long time before finally getting up late, eating breakfast, grooming myself, and leaving the inn.

Then, I took a walk around the streets of Herona, watching the shop curtains being drawn back and the boutique clerks cleaning with ostrich feather dusters. It was an area filled with boutiques catering to wealthy commoners and lower-ranking nobles.

After looking around, I cautiously entered the boutique that had the dress I liked most.

The clerk’s brow furrowed slightly when she saw my appearance.

Now she looked openly suspicious.

When I showed a bit of annoyance and acted irritated, she finally answered my question.

After thinking about the fifty-million-Gilden compensation for so long, five million Gilden felt like pocket change. Even though I only had seven million Gilden in my pocket.

At those words, the clerk’s expression brightened instantly.

She seemed disappointed, but she took the dress I pointed out and packaged it with great care.

Clothes packaged in a box—it was the first time in my life.

I paid the price and left the boutique.

Then, one by one, I bought shoes to match the dress, undergarments to wear beneath it, a bag, and even a hairpins.

Even so, I still had about seven hundred thousand Gilden left.

After lugging several boxes back to the inn, I put on the new undergarments and dress and carefully applied my makeup.

I found myself smiling as I did my face for the first time in a long while. This was the first time I was dressing up solely for myself.

I also took off the brown wig I always wore because it was the same color as Rosaline’s hair. I had worn it because Rosaline would never have tolerated a mere maid looking even slightly similar to her. My thick red hair, which had been trapped in a hairnet, tumbled down in waves.

‘My head used to itch so much every evening.’

Now, even that was over.

After brushing my hair several times until it was smooth, I pinned it up neatly, and I looked quite like a noble lady.

As I stared intently into the mirror, a strange feeling washed over me.

‘I certainly do look like Rosaline.’