* * *
“Um, Duke?”
“Yes.”
“May I ask what you’re doing right now…?”
I stared into the darkness in front of me, wearing the serene expression of an enlightened Buddha. A few days had passed since the incident with the divine power doll Hwairi, and the atmosphere at the Kalinos Mansion was gradually returning to normal. Since no one had any idea who was behind it, the case was concluded as Hwairi acting alone.
Now, all I had to do was get ready and plan how to go after Duke Reshaniel. If there was a problem…
“You need to stay in bed. Please don’t get up.”
“I mean, I am lying down. It’s just that I can’t see anything.”
“There’s no other way if you want to cure that chronic, troublesome disease called dry eye.”
Silently, I screamed under the hot steam towel covering my eyes. “But…”
Well, whatever.
Ever since I ended up bedridden, Duke Kalinos had been incredibly devoted, gentle, and attentive in taking care of me. Honestly, thanks to this steam towel, my eyes did feel a lot more hydrated. But seriously, who treats dry eyes with this much dedication? It’s not even that bad!
I quietly muttered, lamenting my now pitch-black world. “I’m completely healed, though. Even the doctor said I couldn’t be any healthier.”
“No, you’re not.”
Ugh, what do you mean, no! Frustrated by the duke’s constant refusals, I yanked the steam towel off my eyes in a fit of anger. And right in front of me…
“Gasp.”
I snapped my eyes wide open. Standing before me was the duke, staring at me intently, his pure white dress shirt wet with water. Between the buttons, which looked like they might burst at any moment, I could see his wet skin…
“You look very serious. I suspect you’re suffering from a severe health issue.”
…Get it together, get it together!
“No, I just felt like my eyes had been opened, that’s all.”
Only after realizing I was fine did the chest right in front of me slowly move away.
Ah, I kind of wish it hadn’t… No, no, what am I thinking? I must be out of my mind. I hurriedly chased away the indecent thoughts trying to take over and tried to make sense of the situation, asking him, “D-Did you break out in a sweat?”
“Oh. I spilled some water while experimenting to get the steam towel to exactly the optimal temperature of forty degrees.”
…Excuse me?
I know I shouldn’t say this to my precious employer, but I couldn’t help but ask, “Are you always this earnest about everything? Even heating up a towel yourself for your employee?”
“Of course not. Giselle, you’re special to me.” He said it as if it were nothing. It was like asking, ‘How much is this towel?’ and getting the answer ‘1,000 silver.’ But the message hidden in his words, that I was special to him, kept throwing me off. Maybe that’s why. I couldn’t bring myself to say anything, and as silence fell, a subtle, strange tension filled the air.
Only then did I snap back to reality. On the soft bed, I found myself alone with the man, who was watching me as if observing me. At that moment, something Ivanka had said back at Florette Mansion suddenly came to mind.
“He keeps looking off into space and calling for Madam Giselle, then suddenly stops. Do you know what Count Teren said when he saw that?”
“…”
“Wow, so that’s what my brother is like when he likes someone. I can’t believe someone as stiff as him could act like that. Isn’t it funny, Ivanka?”
My face turned bright red in an instant. I hurriedly mumbled something, anything, to cover my embarrassment. “So, I’m s-special. Right.”
“Yes. Of course you are. Where else could I possibly find someone like you? I’ve never met anyone like you before.”
Normally, I would have just thought, ‘Well, he really does have an eccentric way with words, doesn’t he?’ and brushed it off. But now, I was starting to seriously question his feelings. The more Duke Kalinos confused me like this, the more time I found myself thinking about him.
It’s ridiculous to start having feelings for my employer when there’s a smooth, amicable divorce with five billion at stake. I quickly reminded myself that office romances were a one-way ticket to hell. Besides, my coffeehouse was supposed to be returned to me as part of the divorce settlement. If I wanted to leave for training to become an archmage like my father, I couldn’t afford to become the duchess, tied down to this family forever.
I started listing all the reasons in my head why I absolutely couldn’t let myself fall for him, then suddenly stopped. It was because his cold hands touched my forehead so carelessly.
“It seems you have a fever.”
Right after I thought I was confused, a ticklish sensation touched my skin, and all sorts of worries swirled in my head. Before I knew it, his calloused hand passed over my bright red ears and cheeks and lingered on my lips.
“You’re at least 0.7 degrees hotter than usual.”
“Are you a thermometer or something?” Even as I said it, it was suddenly hard to meet his gaze. When I let out a shallow breath, his fingertips touched my lips as if rubbing them.
“They feel a bit rough, too.”
Then, when I met his serious gaze… A part of my heart felt as if someone were tickling it with a feather cloud.
A few seconds passed in silence, feeling like minutes, and then, at that moment—
“Are you checking her temperature?”
At the sound of that prickly voice, I jerked his hand away as if I’d been burned. The person coming in was Yuliana.
“You bled quite a bit. Don’t tell me you’re coughing up blood on a regular basis?” Yuliana clicked her tongue as she entered, her expression cold and indifferent. To be precise, she only looked indifferent. Her voice actually carried a hint of concern.
“N-No, absolutely not.”
No matter how I thought about it, if anyone found out I was coughing up blood regularly because I was sharing my mana with Coocoo and Keke, it would be a disaster. Once again, I swore to myself over and over that I would never let it slip.
As I was making that vow, Yuliana turned to me and spoke. “As the duchess, you can’t afford to show any weakness. I’ve prepared something to prove you’re in perfect health.”
“…?”
“Bring it in, Butler.”
I was left speechless as I watched the steward carry in what seemed like an endless procession of gift boxes. Big boxes, small boxes, boxes that glittered on the outside, boxes with a sleek and sophisticated vibe, even boxes decorated with a bizarre number of skulls in truly questionable taste… It felt like every box in the world was being brought in.
While I stood there, too shocked to even open my mouth, Yuliana shot me a sarcastic remark, as if scolding me. “It’s not like I brought these just for you.”
“Um, then why are you bringing them into my room? Are they for the duke?”
“As if!”
“Then you did bring them for me!”
“…Honestly, you never stop talking back, do you?”
As I listened to her sharp words, I found myself staring blankly at the never-ending parade of gifts, until I suddenly froze.
“But I do like that about you.”
…What the hell? That line sounded just like something a possessive male lead would say after falling for the female lead!
Seriously, what on earth is going to happen to me from now on? They always managed to show me things far beyond my wildest imagination.
At this point, even my motivation to throw a tantrum or make a scene was starting to fade away. But then I thought of my precious five billion, and with great effort, I steeled myself and nodded. “Yes, Giselle is always su~per sassy! I-I, um, I’ve always really liked tal~king back!” But even I could tell. That the bite had gone out of my voice.
Even if their attempts were clumsy, I was grateful that they worried about me and tried to comfort me with material things. Maybe my heart had gotten a little softer, too.
* * *
“—el, —el!”
A man in a white cloak, gazing off into the distance, turned his head at the sound of someone calling him. A young boy, looking awkward and uncertain, was watching him, along with the rest of the group waiting behind. They needed to hurry through the forest path, but it seemed they’d been delayed because of him.
“Oh. I’m sorry. I was thinking about the family waiting for me, and I got a little lost in thought.” The man offered an apologetic smile as he pulled back the hood of his cloak.
A cascade of golden hair shimmered in the sunlight, and his blue eyes shone clear and bright. The boy watching him blushed and shook his head.
“No, Duke Reshaniel! You must be tired. Should we rest for a bit?”
“No, it’s fine. I just want to hurry and see those dear faces I’ve missed.” For a brief moment, a flicker of desire, something at odds with those saintly blue eyes, crossed his face, only to vanish as quickly as it appeared.
Finally, he was returning home.
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