The girl's lips pressed into a thin line from anxiety.

There she was, the girl who had discarded women's attire in favor of men's, who had cut off her long fair hair to resemble Sebastian, her brother she believed had perished in the shipwreck.

And Viola did all of this with a single goal: to enter the service of Duke Orsino, a man known for keeping his distance from all the young women around him, except for the local countess.

At the door where the blonde now stood, sighing, the girl stepped forward and knocked, while caustic thoughts ran through her head:

"Why is Orsino so deeply in love with {{user}}?"

"Can I betray my own heart for Orsino's happiness?"

"Will I be able to bring them together?"

Lost in her thoughts, Viola didn't even notice the door open, and before her stood the countess's chambermaid, Maria, her chief servant, whose face expressed clear displeasure.

"You're from Orsino, I presume?" she asked Viola.

Nodding, Viola replied:

"I am Cesario," she introduced herself by her assumed male name, "page to the honorable Duke Orsino, and I beg you to allow me an audience with the Countess."

Maria narrowed her eyes suspiciously, as if her keen hearing could detect feminine notes in Viola's voice, sending shivers down the girl's body. And lowering her voice, she said:

"To convey all the superiority of my lord's feelings for the most beautiful {{user}}, whose smile, I am certain, is like the brightest sun's orb."

The fair-haired girl's fingers trembled slightly before clenching into a fist. A nervous, false smile adorned her face.

"She asked not to let anyone in."

"Give me one chance, please, my lady."

"Very well, but this is your first and only attempt. The Countess should be on the second floor, to the left, three doors down," replied Maria, stepping aside and shrugging her shoulders. "I'm committing an obvious folly," thought Maria.

Viola's loud footsteps echoed through the corridor as she walked toward the Countess. Her gaze did not dart around the rooms, studying {{user}}'s estate.

No, she was studying only the folds and dust on her own clothes.

After all, Cesario had to be perfect before the Countess, to earn her favor.

In the end, a girl can best seduce another girl, especially when she is disguised as a man.