He’s My Real Brother, Duke Chapter 6

❅

 

“Do not open the window.”

 

“Oh, but it’s a little stuffy.” 

 

“In every window of the castle, a dangerous ancient magic circle is cast.” 

 

“…Yes ?”

 

Suddenly adversity and hardship arise! It was a notorious Duke Castle, so I expected that there would be magic circles everywhere, but that ancient magic would be hanging on every window.

 

I hurried and retreated, ancient magic circles should never be touched carelessly. If something goes wrong I may lose my life.

 

 “If someone who is not a shapeshifter opens a window, he is enchanted with terrifying magic.” 

 

The Duke whispered sweetly and drowsily as if reading a fairy tale,  “So don’t open the window whenever possible.”

 

He skipped further explanations and maintained a serious iron-walled attitude and added, “Because I can’t go down whenever you’re in danger.”

 

Along with the ancient magic circles, the Castle surely has a tremendous defense. Indeed there is a close link between my life and the life of the Duke. 

 

‘Of course, it is worth worrying about my life first.’

 

I bit on my lips, rolling my head as to what excuse I could use to keep the window open. 

 

“Of course. I will never do anything dangerous.” Astel retorted.

 

…I said that I would not do anything dangerous, but the Duke firmly instructed me that he couldn’t let the window open. 

 

I stepped into the luggage room inside the Delphinium room, devising a way to keep the windows open without facing any danger.

 

“Well, then I’ll check the office as well!” 

 

“Yeah. Then take a look around and take a break.”

 

I bowed toward the Duke once again, until the Duke’s shocking remarks.

 

 “Think of this like your home and stay comfortably.” 

 

It was an incredibly friendly consideration. With that greeting, he left and the door was closed with a clicking noise.

 

 After a little bit of tension, I took a quick step and headed to the office first. The morning newspaper was on the table in the office.

 

《Commoner Knight Cassian, Received the Last Name “Gray”! 

Cassian, a commoner knight, was given the surname of “Gray” by His Majesty the Emperor in exchange for the supply and demand of the head of the rebels on the island of Asahand.

 

Although there is no beast, it is certain that it has earned the most honorable award among the commoners of the day. 

Many nobles are keenly interested in the prominence of Lord Cassian Gray.》 

 

Seeing the portrait of my brother appear all over the newspaper, I was so proud that one side of my heart tickled.

 

Everyone! This Cassian Gray is my brother, yet I can’t tell anyone, but… Someday, by all means!

 

With a happy heart, I swiped my finger over the rough surface of the newspaper.  I was so impressed. After a few moments I came to my senses and checked the shower room, and bedroom other than the office, a dozen minutes passed. I was tired and sat on the bed and fell into thought.

 

Entering Duke Castle was successful!

 

By the way… An important problem still remained. It’s that I can’t get proper information right away, I have to make friends or wander around freely. 

 

Because I’m a human, I will be criticized, of course, beasts wouldn’t back me up. This is so sad I couldn’t even open a single window with my hand.

 

If I can’t open the window, I will not be able to see Cello, and so I will not be able to contact my brother… I sighed as I went off the ground.

 

‘As long as this is the case, I need a brilliant and powerful shapeshifter who will be my hands and feet.’ 

 

Not the Duke, of course. Please somebody, anyone just open the window, if someone could just open it!

 

❅

 

The next morning.

 

Rudel, who is widely known as the most strict and indifferent person in Duke Castle, was on her way to the Delphinium Room at the order of the Duke. 

 

It was shortly after hearing that the Duke of Anais brought his benefactor. Duke Castle Fortress was closed due to the many years of war and the cold nature of the Duke.

 

Those who can enter the castle are pure-blooded maids’ who have been recommended by some of the vassals,‘ shapeshifters benefactor servants’ who were born and raised in the north after being selected through verification,  ‘knights’ who are loyal and brave, and ‘fourth-generation guards’ relatives.  

 

It was all about the ‘direct blood relatives’, and ‘some human beings‘ who received permission for special purposes.

 

But suddenly bringing a human under his guardianship, Rudel was puzzled as she headed to the Delphinium room.

 

 “Hey, Rudel!”

 

 “What is it?” said Rudel with a frown.

 

The man who appeared in front of her was the Duke’s dedicated Doctor. 

 

“No, no !”

 

The doctor who faced Rudel couldn’t control his beating heart. He spent a long time watching the Duke of Anais.

 

From the first time, the current Duke entered the Duke Castle Fortress with a blood-stained cuff that Rudel never knew the origin of. It means that he survived the previous Weak-minded Duke family, rather than a blood-related hereditary, and eventually achieved the title of Duke.

 

The doctor also participated in the battle and was active throughout the entire period as a doctor in charge of the Duke. 

 

But this was the first time, that Duke Anais brought a woman, while enchanted by the ancient magic of the companion’s imprint.

 

Besides, that subtly finite feeling.

—’ Get lost..!’

 

—’I don’t think it’s worth exchanging words with you.’

 

It was a Duke who always seemed arrogant and cold-blooded in this way. I thought that even the green pine trees in all seasons would not be as consistently cynical as him, but something changed in front of me. (Doctor)

 

Unlike other Shapeshifters, I was a unique doctor with less aversion to humans. 

 

There was no prejudice against Astel from the beginning, but it was definitely the first time I saw a human with such a clever mind.

 

 ‘It’s a woman, who is mysterious in many ways.’

 

A couple of times he coughed, and the doctor spoke in a serious tone, “Hmm, hmm. No, I have something to say, Rudel.”

 

The maid-in-chief was pure-blooded, and she was the one overseeing the interior of Duke Castle, which has no hostess yet. 

 

When the Duke left the castle for war problems, her authority became even more powerful. Meanwhile, her eyes narrowed to the appearance of the doctor who seemed to distract her.

 

“What is it?”

 

“You must have heard the story of the guardianship brought by His Excellency?” 

 

“Ah yes.”

 

The attending physician muttered, wiping the sweat from his forehead,  “It’s a  ‘human‘  who is gracious to His Excellency the Duke”

 

“Human”. 

 

Interest passed by the maid’s eyes. She, too, knew very well about the Duke. Rudel didn’t think he was going to bring an ordinary person to guardianship. 

 

“If you have seen it in person, I will ask you. What kind of human is it?” Rudel asked,

 

“That…” 

 

The doctor bit his lips. She’s like a squirrel on the surface. She’s too gentle! There must have been something special. Smart still is smart, but anyway, the Duke’s attitude wasn’t surprising.

 

So he had to say something and he couldn’t be responsible for in this duke castle, which rejects humans, “I think she’s pretty cool.”

 

Of course, information about the imprint could not be leaked. The maid’s eyebrows were twitching. The attending doctor was rubbing his hand several times regretful.

 

‘Looking at the attending doctor, he seems to like the human quite a bit. It didn’t seem like he really liked humans.’  Rudel’s eyes grew even thinner.

 

Seeing that the human was sponsored by the Duke and was favored by the doctor, it was clear that the person was an unusual human.

 

I have to figure this out. But I didn’t like humans very much.

 

In addition to herself, the Duke of Anais was the front and Conservative leader of the imperial war zone. As the Castle is closed, it is sensitive to external, and other species hate it even more. 

 

Can humans survive alone in this cold fortress of ice filled with Shapeshifters? No, it won’t be possible.

 

“After staying on the battlefield for a long time, the evaluation seems to be quite harmful even to poor humans?”

 

“No, as long as you’re a really amazing human being…”

 

“Ah, yes.”

 

After showing a cynical confrontation, Rudel lightly passed by the stupid doctor and headed to the Delphinium room where the “human” was.

 

❅

 

It was only yesterday’s day that I saved the Duke of Anais and got imprinted with the Duke.

 

After that, I tried to write a letter to my brother, but I felt frustrated because of the window on the wall a problem that I could not overcome. 

 

Laying on my fluffy bed, I thought about how I could meet cello overnight. And my conclusion is…

 

“Miss Astel.” 

 

At that moment, I heard a knock on the door. 

 

“Yes? Come in!”

 

“Nice to meet you. This is the maid, Rudel.” 

 

My eyes brightened, ‘Finally, I’m going to meet the maid, Rudel.’ 

 

In  Rudel’s terms, she could be said to be the Duke’s first real castle agent.  Last time, I worked for 3 years in a private treatment center in Duchy. Rumors about the closed operation of the Duchy, including our treatment center, were spreading like the wind. 

 

According to the words of a few patients I met at that time, the actual power under the Duke was divided into total excise categories. 

 

The knight commander says that there is no one to follow in terms of force, the maid who oversees the resistance, and the 4th generation of Duke family members.

 

‘Especially the maid knows the information of everyone who enters the castle.’ 

 

Last night, after long thoughts, the first goal I set was to get acquainted with the real agent of Duke Castle, and the first target to attack was Rudel, the maid of honor. 

 

I, who am still under the duke’s guardianship, will not be able to meet the commander of the Knights or the forces of the vassal family right now.

 

Therefore, my priority of the target opponent was the maidservant. 

 

‘More than anything else, the maid chief you’re gonna be quick with the magic circle on the window!’ 

 

I expected that I would be able to get to know the maid relatively easily.  And then… from the start, I hit the button. I bit my lips as I watched the maid’s appearance. 

 

‘No one said that the maid looked so scary!’

 

A height that is 180cm tall and has long, straight hair that has no hair sticking out. She looks like a stubborn supervisor. Even wearing sharp-looking glasses, she looked quite professional, and to say badly, she gave off a force that is hard to approach.

 

‘Are all the people from Duke Castle huge… ?’ 

 

All officials from the Duke’s Castle External Healing Center, I, Astel versus all scary opponents to deal with. I’m in the middle of being cheated, but I have to be brave. If I don’t want to die!

 

So I opened my mouth carefully, dropping my gaze to the floor, “Well…”

 

 The maid stopped and said, “Yes, if you need anything, please tell me right away.”

 

The maid was also cold, her hardened brick-like attitude made me scared again. But if I can’t push through this first wall, nothing can be solved.

 

 “Okay!” I answered energetically.

 

The maid, who glanced at me, put a magic tool on the back of my hand.

 

“It is a magic tool that assesses the identity of all outsiders and checks whether they are caught in dangerous magic.”

 

At her careless guidance, I sighed and inhaled. I was stuck in a suspicious and dangerous ancient stealth magic, so I was stabbed.

 

‘This is exactly what I expected. I have to spend a long time at Duke Castle, but of course, I’ll have an identity check.’

 

I put the back of my hand closer to the magic tool and said, “Yes, please check.”

 

The maid said coldly, “If you’re not sure, your wrist will break.”

 

This was also a northern method.  Since it’s a world still learning, the verification method was also cruel… I swallowed and looked down at my wrist.