Chapter 28
My chest felt so constricted that I couldn’t even taste the food but it seemed like it did not matter whether I was here or not. I felt offended that he looked relaxed and carefree. He did not even look like he was shocked by the events prior to this.
“You…”
As soon as I opened my mouth to speak, he turned to look at me with a gentle gaze while placing the knife and fork in his hands on the table.
“I think it’s better if we eat separately. The servants will find things strange.”
Duke Kyron had ordered me to sit down earlier so I just sat down in a daze but it was extremely ridiculous for a personal maid to sit face to face and eat with the duke that she was serving.
Then, he answered.
“Did you think that I will listen to you completely, stranger?”
“……”
I felt desperate. It seemed like he knew what was going on in my head. What should I do with this man who’s a hundred times more sly and clever than me…
In addition, I felt afraid that the plot would proceed in a direction that I did not know once Gaurin became the East’s administrator. By then, I would have no power to stop the misfortunes that would befall them. No. To be exact, I was already feeling hopeless about everything right now.
I desperately wanted to know what Duke Kyron thought of me. But if I did anything excessive then I would be thrown in prison. After all, he had lost all reason to protect me and take care of me the moment that I became Arielsa. And I wanted to avoid such a situation.
He smiled wickedly at me as I shied away from his piercing gaze.
“I’ll tell the others that I made you into my poison taster.”
If I became a poison taster then it would not be a strange sight to see the duke’s personal maid share a meal with her lord. After all, I would be tasting the poison in his food. His vassals might find it strange that he was suddenly worried about poison but no one would ask him something like that so openly. They’ll probably think that he was concerned about his health after the major illness that he had experienced in Moval. Or that he was just suspicious.
All I could do was sigh deeply as I watched him give off a beautiful glow. A glow that was much more stunning and brilliant than the glow from the lamp.
“Arielsa did not have that much expression.”
“Yes?”
“She could smile and frown as easily as you but she did not show her thoughts in her face.”
“I’m sorry.”
I answered with a pout but I immediately halted my actions. The duke had just pointed it out so I did not want to give him the satisfaction of proving himself right.
“What’s your name?”
“……”
He asked me nonchalantly as he sliced the meat on his plate. This was the first time that he was showing his interest in me. However, instead of feeling happiness, fear rushed in me.
Is it okay for him to remember a name that shouldn’t exist in this world? Perhaps I shouldn’t be here? Maybe I’m already polluting this world by existing here when I shouldn’t be here?
“…Arielsa. Please call me that.”
He looked at me with both anger and sadness when he heard my answer. He continued to stare at me for a moment before dropping his gaze and continuing to eat.
Duke Kyron chose to let Arielsa, even though she was already a stranger, stay by his side.
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I went back to my room late at night. I thought that I should go and search the room for Arielsa’s old things.
So far, my schedule included making tea for Duke Kyron in the morning, cleaning the office and preparing the meals for the guests. And if I get finished early then I could take care of the herbs in the greenhouse or spend my time leisurely.
However, Duke Kyron wouldn’t let me go now until the time that we’re supposed to go to bed. So I’ve become desperate for work that I could do during the day.
Fortunately, I also enjoyed doing cross-stitch so I was going to spend the day doing some embroidery. I should also go ahead and sleep in the office because Chaers would defintiely get livid if I made single squeak and stood out.
Speak of the devil and the devil will come.
“Sir Chaers.”
He stood in front of the door of my room. Then, he opened the door and went inside first. It looked like he was the one who owned the room and not me. I stiffly walked inside and spoke.
“Sir Chaers, it’s getting late…”
“Hmm…”
However, Chaers just continued to look down at me with his arms folded in front of his chest. IT was quite intimidating since a tall and sturdy man was looking at me with that kind of posture.
“You’ve got quite a lot of gall, Arielsa.”
“That…”
Arielsa would never be able to quibble and fight against him. So I just kept my mouth shut. And if I fought against him and George learned of it, he would definitely get angry. Then, things would get more complicated.
“I’ll be careful.”
When I stepped back meekly with my head down, Chaers expression eased a bit.
“When you were sick, the Duke gave you truffle mushrooms, right? Did you get a lot of energy from the mushroom and had such a bad temper?”
Are you jealous because of the mushrooms?
I felt shocked that Sir Chaers was such a cheap person. But I held back and answered him as timidly as I could.
“Ah… My dad told me about the mushrooms but…”
“……”
But it seemed like this was really not the reason why he came in front of my room at night. And I knew the reason not long after.
When he tried to get me out of the duke’s office earlier in the day, Duke Kyron stopped me from going out. Chaers was now making the expression that he had back then.
“Arielsa.”
“Yes, Sir Chaers.”
“I think you’re giving a negative influence on the duke.”
“……”
This jerk of a ghost.
Chaers must have noticed the duke’s agitation today and suspected that it had something to do with me. For a moment, I wondered if he had heard me talking about Gaurin from outside the door.
“It’s totally unacceptable for someone like you to have an influence in politics. You are a maid. And that fact doesn’t change just because you’re Sir George’s daughter. Arielsa.”
I looked straight at Chaers’ eyes. A maid influencing Duke Kyron’s decisions about the territory’s affairs was something that should not happen. That was true but…
“Are you being jealous right now?”
“Ha…”
Chaers spread his arms in disbelief as he took a step back from me.
My performance as Arielsa had always been in jeopardy in front of this man. I felt a bit hopeless but there was nothing that I could do.
“Will Duke Kyron even stop his decisions just because a mere maid said so? Do you see the duke as a man that’s just like that, Sir Chaers?”
“……”
Chaers looked at me dumbfounded. I clenched my fists behind my skirt. Strangely enough, I felt like I wanted to cry. This was a war. A war that I had started on my own.
“I care about the duke as much as Sir Chaers cares about him. I don’t know the reason why you can’t admit that.”
I looked at him with sweat and tears dripping down my face. However, it seemed like he was in too much shock since his eyes were shaking badly.
The duke was not someone who could easily be swayed by a woman’s words. But the problem was that woman was Arielsa.
I couldn’t bear any of this anymore so I spoke firmly at him.
“It’s gotten late now. I would appreciate it if you went back now.”
I could only relax and plop down on my bed after Chaers shut the door with a slam. I couldn’t help but kick my feet up.
“What to do! I’m dead…!”
I did not know if I was fortunate or not, but Chaers began to ignore me completely after that incident. At least, that was what he was trying to do. But in fact, it was much scarier than before.
4 You have not satisfied me yet
“Tell the kitchen to prepare this.”
Duke Kyron handed over a note to me that was filled with his neat strokes.
“When the administrators and the vassals come, we hold a banquet. Arielsa would ask me about the main ingredient every time before delivering it to the kitchen.”
“The duke is really capable!”
I was so excited that I unknowingly gave him a compliment. It seemed like he found it unacceptable especially with that frown grazing his face.
It was no wonder. After all, would the Lord of the North want to be praised by his maid just for choosing the menu for the banquet well? So when he spoke again, it was filled with sharpness.
“This will be the last time. You have to prepare for this from now on.”
“Yes. I understand.”
“Go and run. If there’s any delay then I will go and get you. If you run into me like that―”
“―Yes, yes, yes. You’re going to cut my leg.”
I quickly closed the door and ran down the kitchen. He was acting like an extremely terrifying man but it did not feel that bad. It was because I did not hate the fact that he was taking care of me like that even though he knew that I was me.
Because of the things that I have heard and seen in the castle, I also made sure to inspect the banquet halls as well as the dishware in addition to the food preparation. Since things had ended up like this, I wanted to at least be a competent Arielsa.
But the problem was the fact that I had to welcome the guests. This banquet was held to entertain the elders from the East that were visiting Harpel Castle. And Gaurin was also supposed to come.
The official purpose of this gathering was to confirm and check the sentiment of the public in the East after the embezzlement of Administrator Hallisa. The elders from the East would apologize since Hallisa, one of the elders and the previous administrator, had committed fraud. They were also here to ask for the prompt and fast designation of the new administrator as soon as possible. They would have no problem as long as Gaurin was mixed into their pack. But everyone actually knew that this was some sort of interview. After all, this was the first time that Duke Kyron would meet Gaurin. Everyone was hoping that a new administrator would be nominated quickly. If there were no administrator, then the flow of money from the castle would stop.
I was worried that Duke Kyron would be swept away by their pace and appoint him as the new administrator.
When I returned to the office, Duke Kyron turned and glared at me.
“If you had just been ten seconds later then I would have gotten out of this room. So…”
“I was checking the banquet hall while they were preparing the dishes!”
Duke Kyron murmured ‘I did not think of that’ when I interjected him. Then, he went back to his work with a slight frown on his face.
My goodness.
I have accepted the fact that I received the obsession of the Lord of the North but no soup would be cooked without the correct ingredients and I would not be able to enjoy this situation if he kept on misdirecting and throwing these confusing and scary words at me.
I admit that I liked romance fantasy novels with obsessive men as the main character but I really did not want to learn that someone could be so obsessed without any affection.
I sighed as I went back to my seat and picked up my embroidery. Not long after I started my embroidery, Duke Kyron sighed loudly. It seemed like he wanted me to hear it.
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