Chapter 4
The requirements were as follows.
First, priority goes to those who resemble Jessica.
Second, the closer the resemblance, the greater the reward.
Third, no limit on the number of applicants—the more, the merrier.
The day the notice was posted, a long line formed outside the Duke's Manor.
I sat by the gate, personally interviewing each candidate.
With a portrait of Jessica beside me, I checked each person against it, one by one.
I said, "Your eyes aren't close enough. Next."
"Your nose is pretty good, but your mouth doesn't quite match. Let's keep you as a backup."
"Wow, this one's perfect. She's practically identical. Someone, give her 30 dollars and let her into the manor right away."
In just three days, I managed to gather twenty lookalikes for Jessica.
Tall, short, fat, thin, round, flat, sharp, or square—if they even remotely resembled Jessica, I scooped them all up.
When I called Harvey out from the stables, he looked up to find the courtyard swarming with Jessica lookalikes.
His expression turned stormy, rage flashing across his face.
"Helena. What the hell do you think you're doing?" he asked.
I batted my eyes at him and asked, "Honey, don't you think I'm the most considerate wife ever?
"I'm the one who went out of my way to find you concubines, and they're all just your type. Is there any other Duchess out there who's as thoughtful as I am?"
Harvey was about to go off on me.
Right then, one of the Jessica lookalikes sidled up to him, her voice dripping with sweetness. "Your Grace."
Harvey visibly shuddered.
And before he could react, another Jessica lookalike leaned in close. "Your Grace, let me give you a shoulder massage."
Harvey shuddered again.
A third Jessica lookalike walked over with a cup of coffee. "Your Grace, have some coffee."
Harvey shot up from his seat. "Stay back. All of you, stay back."
I stood off to the side, watching the whole scene unfold with a satisfied grin.
In the days that followed, things got wild at the Duke's Manor.
The place was buzzing with energy.
All twenty Jessica lookalikes took turns crowding around Harvey, making sure he was always the center of attention.
When it was time to eat, the whole table turned into chaos.
One Jessica lookalike was piling food onto Harvey's plate from the left, another was feeding him soup from the right, someone across the table was wiping his mouth, and a fourth was massaging his back.
Harvey didn't even dare touch his utensils.
Whenever Harvey went anywhere, it looked like he was at the center of a wild parade.
Five Jessica lookalikes marched ahead to clear the way, eight followed close behind, and the rest flanked him on both sides, guarding him like a pack of bodyguards.
The whole thing was a total spectacle.
Harvey barely took two steps before he was already itching to make a break for it.
When it was time to sleep, Harvey found himself surrounded on all sides by Jessica lookalikes.
Whenever he closed his eyes, a whole bunch of "Jessicas" would crowd around his bed, quietly gazing at him.
"Your Grace, why won't you look at me?" one of them whispered.
"Your Grace, am I prettier than Helena?" another chimed in.
"Your Grace, touch my face. Doesn't it feel exactly like Helena's?" another Jessica lookalike cooed.
Harvey was so freaked out, he couldn't even sleep a wink.
In just a few days, Harvey was completely traumatized.
Now, whenever he heard the name "Jessica," he'd start shaking in anger.
It wasn't long before Harvey ended up stuck in bed, unable to move.
The next day, the real Jessica finally arrived.
She'd heard Harvey was sick, so she came to visit him.
When she got to the gate, Jessica turned to the maid and said, "Hey, could you let them know Jessica's here?"
The maid hurried inside to pass on the message.
"Your Grace, Jessica's here to see you," the maid called out.
Harvey was in the middle of his meal.
When he heard that, his fork slipped from his hand with a loud clatter.
He looked up, his eyes unfocused and dazed.
"Who?" he asked.
"Jessica," the maid said softly.
"No." Harvey jumped up, shaking his head frantically.
"I don't want to see her. I don't want to see her. Get her out of here."
The maid was stunned. "B-But..."
"But what?" Harvey cut her off.
He pointed shakily toward the door and said, "Tell her I never want to see her face ever again."
The maid walked out, still in shock and completely confused.
At the entrance, Jessica waited expectantly.
But instead of a warm welcome, she was flat-out turned away.
She couldn't believe her ears. "What? Harvey doesn't want to see me? He really said that?"
The maid nodded awkwardly.
Jessica's face drained of all color.
She cried her heart out, tears streaming down her cheeks.
"How could he... How could he not want to see me..." Jessica sobbed.
She wiped her tears away and stomped her foot in frustration.
Then she turned and ran straight back to the Davidson family.
Jessica left.
But it wasn't long before she showed up again.
This time, she wasn't alone. She brought two people along.
My parents came with her.
The three of them stormed into the Duke's Manor with fury in their eyes, making a beeline straight for my courtyard.
The door burst open with a single kick.
I was just sitting there, sipping my coffee.
My dad stormed in first, pointing right at my nose and yelling, "You rebellious girl. Bullying your own sister and beating up your husband—do you even care about the Duke's rules?"
My mom followed behind, wiping away her tears.
She said, "My poor Jessica, getting pushed around by Helena like this. Her eyes are so puffy from crying that it just breaks my heart..."
I set my coffee cup down and gave them both a look.
As I did, memories from the original me came flooding back.
Oh right, I almost forgot about these two stubborn old folks.
Their favoritism was honestly off the charts.