Chapter 51
“Can you really catch anything I ask for?”
“Uh, f-for the most part, yes!”
It wasn’t meant as boasting—Jayna only answered honestly, thinking perhaps Ruihardt might have some animal he especially wanted to eat.
“You must have hunted quite a lot, then?”
“…W-well, that just kind of happened…”
It was a secret she had never been caught at except by Helene. But now Ruihardt had discovered that she was a hunter.
Seeing Jayna fluster and stammer was so endearing that Ruihardt burst out laughing.
“Hmm… but, squirrels or rabbits are fine…”
Normally Ruihardt preferred meat, and he had eaten both rabbit and squirrel before, but for some reason, the thought of eating them freshly caught felt unpleasant.
And he didn’t want Jayna doing something like that.
Jayna felt the same.
She had mostly only hunted beasts to sell, and had never actually eaten something she had caught herself.
“…Then, do you perhaps like mushrooms?”
Jayna clapped her hands as if remembering something.
She recalled the matsutake mushrooms Helene had once grilled together with pork belly.
Those mushrooms, infused with the pork’s fat, had been absolutely delicious.
It might not taste quite that good, but roasting mushrooms over a fire should at least make a decent meal.
Jayna and Ruihardt began searching the mountain for matsutake mushrooms.
Since they were deep in the forest, it wasn’t hard to find them.
Pushing aside thick undergrowth, Ruihardt’s eyes widened at something glinting. Excited, he waved vigorously and called Jayna over.
Above the campfire were matsutake mushrooms and freshly caught fish.
Ruihardt had discovered a stream, and together they succeeded in catching fish.
Jayna’s hunter instincts shone even while catching trout—she managed to spear six hand-sized ones using only her sword, not even a harpoon.
Ruihardt, on the other hand, finally succeeded in catching one with his bare hands—after what he exaggerated to be hundreds of failed attempts.
They skewered the trout and mushrooms on sticks and roasted them over the fire.
Why was it that eating a freshly caught rabbit or squirrel felt wrong, but roasting fish over the fire seemed perfectly fine? Ruihardt couldn’t explain it.
The smell of grilled fish soon became irresistible, and Ruihardt took a bite.
Just as Jayna had suggested, when they sprinkled fruit juice over the fish, there was no fishy odor, and it tasted wonderful.
Jayna began eating as well.
Ruihardt looked at her.
Though she was a knight, she was still a noble lady, and she ate with such neatness and appetite without spilling a thing.
Just watching her eat oddly lifted his spirits.
But around Jayna’s lips, charcoal soot had smudged black.
“J-Jayna, your mouth…”
“Yes?”
Her lips looked as if someone had painted them black.
Seeing Jayna completely unaware of the mess, Ruihardt couldn’t hold back his laughter.
Could a woman who claimed she could catch wild beasts really be this cute?
He pointed at her lips.
“You’re not a child—how could you eat with soot all over your mouth like that?”
“…Your Highness, do you think it’s only my lips, when we’re eating the same thing?”
Jayna pouted and wiped her lips with the back of her hand.
And sure enough, Ruihardt’s mouth was just as blackened.
Her words sent him into fits of laughter, clutching his stomach.
Of course, since they ate the same grilled fish, the state of his own face wasn’t much better.
When Jayna saw Ruihardt laughing like a carefree child, she couldn’t help but smile too.
The firelight glowed warmly, and above them, the night sky glittered with countless stars, making Jayna’s fair face stand out even more.
“…Jay…na?”
Ruihardt’s voice grew quieter.
Jayna’s eyelids had closed at some point.
At last, she had succumbed to exhaustion and fallen asleep.
After a full day of horseback riding, hiking, hunting mushrooms, and catching fish, it was no wonder she was tired.
But the moment she fell asleep, Ruihardt felt his heart sink.
No, wait—if you fall asleep, then how am I supposed to sleep?!
Her peacefully sleeping face was as innocent as a baby’s… as radiant as an angel’s.
He imagined even her breath must smell sweet.
…What kind of garbage of a man am I, thinking like this?
To avoid looking at Jayna, Ruihardt fixed his gaze on the sky.
He began to count the stars.
One, two, three… seventeen, eighteen…
The night sky deep within the forest was overflowing with stars.
But Ruihardt had the uneasy feeling that no matter how many of them he counted, he would never fall asleep.
Meeting Blaine had marked the start of a second life for butler-in-chief Pael.
Once the steward of a fallen kingdom, he had sought asylum in the Herssen Empire and, upon meeting Blaine, had returned to the butler’s role he thought he had retired from.
To him, Blaine was the last master he would ever serve, and the only family he had left—if his grandson had still been alive, he would be about the same age as Blaine.
Pael had a small wish.
That eccentric Blaine—who only knew work—might one day fall in love, marry, and perhaps have a child resembling him…
It was the kind of impossible, last wish an old man might cling to.
…Looks like I need to try my hand at matchmaking after all.
But could it really be coming true?
For the first time, Pael doubted his own ears.
Even though he was old, his hearing was still sharp enough to catch the faintest sigh from Blaine and respond immediately.
And Blaine was not someone who made frivolous commands, even as a joke.
This wasn’t a dream or prank—Blaine had actually asked him to arrange a match.
Of all the duties he had ever carried out, Pael could say with certainty that he had never worked harder than on this one.
He scoured not only the empire but foreign lands as well, searching for a suitable partner for his master—whose wealth and looks were second to none in the world.
Within the empire, every unmarried noble daughter was eager for the chance. Some foreign kings even went so far as to say they would give their kingdoms if Blaine married their daughters.
But Blaine no longer needed wealth or power.
The only thing that mattered was whether a woman could capture his heart.
She would need to be gentle enough to soothe Blaine’s scars from the past, wise enough to understand his awkwardness with emotions, and have the humor and charm to make a man who scarcely knew joy laugh.
These were qualities no piece of paper could reveal, making it almost impossible for Pael to know which of the countless candidates Blaine should even meet first.
In the office, filled only with the sound of rustling papers, came a knock.
Knock, knock.
A servant entered.
“Countess Emeldia is here to see you.”
Pael had already heard about Helene through Blaine.
Blaine had declared that from now on, he would help the three sisters of House Emeldia.
So… you’ve finally found yourself a family!
Pael had teased him with those words, and, unusually, Blaine’s face had reddened.
This time, Pael genuinely welcomed Helene.
At the sound of her name—Helene—Blaine stopped working instantly.
It was rare indeed for anything to make him stop.
No matter how noisy his surroundings, he worked on, and only after Pael nagged repeatedly would he pause even to eat.
“…M-master?”
Blaine grew so flustered he even checked his appearance in the decorative desk mirror.
And then, Helene entered.
“Hello, godfather.”
“…Wh-what brings you here?”
His voice cracked with nervousness.
Helene’s sudden, unplanned visit left Blaine completely unsure of how to react.
He had convinced himself that the strange feelings he had for her were simply due to his long lack of interaction with women. Yet, seeing her again, his composure was undone.
He had wanted to avoid her until he had met other women… but now she had come to him.
It threw him completely off balance.
But Helene, unaware of any of this, was simply happy to have the chance to talk with him.
“The reason I’ve come is…”
She pulled an envelope from her bag.
Breaking the seal stamped with the Herssen imperial crest, she revealed a golden-embossed invitation.
It was for this year’s Débutante Ball.
Blaine had already received one himself.
As the world’s wealthiest man and one of its most eligible bachelors, his attendance was eagerly hoped for by every noble young lady.
Though he didn’t want to go, his ties with imperial and noble shareholders forced him to attend.
Helene recalled the story from The Completed Draft.
In it, Blaine, desperate to avoid being swarmed by noble ladies at social events, would always scramble to ask one of his female research employees to act as his partner.
They always refused—except for one, who accepted only after being promised her salary would be doubled.
Thanks to her, Blaine had barely managed to find a partner.
But this time, things would be different.
Because I’ll be attending as Blaine’s partner.
As Helene handed over the invitation, their fingertips brushed.
Blaine jerked back as though burned, leaving Helene hurt—but she masked it with a calm expression.
Blaine absentmindedly touched the fingers that had felt her warmth.
It had lasted less than a second, but every sensation seemed concentrated there, and he felt as if he would remember it for the rest of his life.
Struggling to compose himself, he raised the invitation to cover his face.
Helene, wounded again by his exaggerated reaction, kept her composure and continued speaking.
“Godfather, would you accept me as your partner for the Débutante Ball?”
