Chapter 34

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Translator: Harry Potta

Chapter: 34

Chapter Title: An Invitation to Dinner

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“So, you’re saying you don’t know what passed between the princess and the head maid?”

“Yes. The head maid’s keeping her lips sealed.”

Liam’s reply made Kaian furrow one eyebrow ever so slightly.

“Did she seem like she was hiding something?”

“That’s how it felt to me.”

Something worth discussing with the head maid...

Just as his curiosity was about to peak over what it could be this time, someone knocked on the office door.

Knock knock.

“Master, it’s Milena.”

Speak of the devil—the key figure in their conversation had arrived.

Worried their talk might have leaked out, Kaian cleared his throat needlessly and rose to his feet.

“Ahem... Yes, what is it?”

“Dinner is ready, so I’ve come to inform you. Please have it in the dining room tonight.”

It had been quite some time since endless work had confined him to hasty meals in the office, so Kaian nodded without protest.

“All right, I’ll be down soon.”

“Um, perhaps you’d like to change first?”

At the head maid’s words, he belatedly checked his appearance.

Too buried in work, perhaps? Ink had smeared across his shirt cuffs, leaving them blotchy and stained.

Even for a simple meal in the mansion, dressing properly for dinner was a tradition of the duke’s household.

“I’ll change.”

Kaian headed for the bedroom placed nearby for convenience.

How long had it been since he’d even walked this short distance?

Swallowing a self-mocking laugh inwardly, his expression hardened as he opened the door.

“Hm?”

Something had changed.

The room, which should have been bathed in the red glow of early evening sunset, was instead wrapped in a cozy darkness.

It felt just like a foggy day or a rainy indoor scene, where light barely filtered in.

Not stepping inside right away, Kaian scanned the interior and soon realized the curtains draped over the window frame were different.

“What’s this? Did someone change the curtains?”

Kaian’s room was always kept in the exact same state.

Due to his obsessive neatness, nothing—from the furniture to the indoor slippers—could be replaced without his explicit permission.

Yet this had happened without a word.

Kaian’s brow furrowed deeply.

“Why would you touch my room without asking?”

“W-well, the truth is...”

Sensing his discomfort, the head maid bowed hastily.

“It was at Lady April’s request.”

“What?”

The unexpected answer filled Kaian’s mind with doubt.

Why the curtains, of all things?

The head maid quickly added an explanation to his puzzled look.

“Lady said it was a gift.”

“...A gift?”

“She said she’d meant to tell you in advance but couldn’t, and apologized... but to let you know she’d prepared this.”

Examining the curtains closely, the duke realized they were made from the processed Poretta leather April had requested.

But she wasn’t the type to go to such lengths for mere ordinary curtains.

Suddenly struck by a realization, Kaian issued an order to the head maid.

“Extinguish every light in the room right now.”

At his command, she put out all the candles and lamps illuminating the room.

When the final lamp near the door went dark, the space plunged into a thick blackness where one could scarcely see a hand in front of their face.

“It’s... just like the dead of night.”

“You could believe it was midnight.”

No trace of the faint twilight glow entered the room, making it look cozy enough to dive straight into deep slumber.

And only then did Kaian grasp April’s true intention.

What he himself had overlooked.

He suddenly recalled how the duke’s mansion lights stayed brightly lit even late into the night.

With the master unable to rest properly, the staff must have felt even more on edge.

April had surely noticed the fatigue shadowing the faces of those working here.

Learning of it through her—what he hadn’t even registered himself—left him feeling embarrassed, grateful, and ultimately...

“Embarrassing.”

At his murmur, the head maid ventured cautiously.

“She has a deep heart.”

“...Milena.”

“Yes, Master.”

“Invite a guest to tonight’s dinner.”

A rare guest at the Duke of Brail’s dinner table.

The head maid nodded, resolving to make this evening truly special.

“Understood, Master.”

The news that the duke had invited me to dinner arrived before night had fully fallen.

Encounters with him tended to bring me trouble, so needless anxiety swept over me.

But Bonita, oblivious or not to my feelings, declared that even a meal alone with the duke was still a banquet and began piling up dresses from who-knows-where.

“This is wonderful, Miss! His Grace must be pleased.”

“You think so...?”

Eyeing the colorful dresses with weary eyes, I slyly asked the visibly excited Bonita.

“But couldn’t I just wear something comfortable?”

“No, of course not.”

She replied as if it wasn’t even worth answering, then muttered under her breath.

“Other ladies get new dresses tailored every day... How is our miss so free of vanity?”

Heh heh heh.

Further resistance seemed pointless here.

Accepting that, I had no choice but to yield to her hands.

“Miss has such fine, pale skin—light colors will suit you perfectly. How about this one?”

“Sure, whatever works.”

I’d never been one to fuss over primping. That was for someone like Remeia, with time to spare.

But today’s pale green empire dress, with its soft lines flowing gently over my figure, truly complemented my hair.

Admiring myself in the mirror for a moment, I took a deep breath and steeled my resolve.

‘I haven’t done anything wrong, so no reason to feel guilty.’

Or had I?

Asking to change the duke’s bedroom curtains on my own... Was that overstepping?

Could my head roll for it...?

The duke’s mansion madman was taking it easy lately... right?

“You have to go, Miss!”

At Bonita’s spirited urging, I pushed my anxiety aside and nodded.

“Y-yeah, let’s go.”

What could possibly go wrong?

Just face it head-on.

...

But my resolve crumbled in less than ten minutes.

‘Ho, ho, hope he’s not displeased?’

Was the design not to his taste?

Or was he angry about the curtains being changed without a word?

...Or did he not even know what blackout curtains were?

The duke, already seated and waiting when I arrived, was radiating an intimidating aura.

And of course, as a timid soul, I couldn’t help but feel an oppressive tension until he finally spoke.

Tremble.

Steadying my shaking heart, I cautiously opened my mouth at last.

“Y-you... called for me...?”

“Sit.”

At his word, the lavish banquet began to be served, as if on cue.

From appetizers to a feast so abundant it could break a table leg, every dish looked utterly delectable.

“Princess, do you like seafood?”

As I eyed the glossy meat and licked my lips, I looked up at his question.

“Pardon? I don’t do raw well, but grilled is fine.”

In response, the duke gestured to a servant.

A nearby attendant promptly placed a perfectly grilled white fish fillet before me.

“Tha...nks?”

“Speak up if there’s anything you like.”

“...Yes.”

After that, recommendations continued for fresh, seasonal dishes.

For a fleeting moment, his subtle consideration made my cheeks warm.

But with the peach tart he’d suggested right in front of me, I cautiously broached the main point.

“It was delicious. I ate well. But...”

Gulp.

Glancing at him, I finally voiced the question I’d held back.

“Why are you being so nice to me...?”