Chapter 23
“Elliot, what do you think of that?”
“Huh? You mean that diving suit?”
Elliot asked back in disbelief.
“Would it suit her? Or would she hate it?”
“Wh–who are you talking about?”
“Of course, my diver.”
“I object! A diving suit? She shudders even at the mention of divers!”
“Hmm, but it feels like a shame to just pass it by.”
Since they were near the seaside market, diving suits, clam rakes, oyster baskets, and the like were all neatly displayed on the stalls.
The Grand Duke lingered over the diving suits several times, then, as if making up his mind, picked one up and said:
“This will be a special gift.”
Ah, Your Grace. Please don’t cross that river.
Elliot bit his lip, unsure whether to laugh or cry.
“Do you have a complaint?”
“How could I complain! It’s not me who’ll have a problem, but Lady Gianna…”
“If she doesn’t like it, she can throw it away.”
The carefully wrapped diving suit was, of course, handed to Elliot.
“Listen carefully. Drop this on the ground and you’re dead.”
“So today my role is the porter, huh.”
“That’s what you get for tagging along when I told you not to.”
The Grand Duke’s expression looked more mischievous than Elliot had seen in years.
Actually, had he ever seen it in the past eight years?
Elliot had been the one closest to him, witnessing just how consumed by revenge the Grand Duke had been.
‘He always seemed to smile normally, but the moment the topic of revenge or dragons came up, his face turned icy cold.’
So cold that soldiers had fainted on the spot, or even wet themselves.
He spent every waking hour honing his swordsmanship and personally chasing down any lead connected to dragons.
“Revenge must be done with my own hands. If I leave it to someone else, it isn’t revenge anymore.”
That was what the Grand Duke always said.
“Um, Your Grace.”
Elliot hesitated before speaking. Somehow, it felt like now—while the Duke was smiling—was his only chance to ask.
“How do you intend to pursue your revenge from now on?”
He braced himself, screwing his eyes shut, ready for the Grand Duke’s wrath.
“Wouldn’t it be best to gather more information about the dragon first?”
Since it had turned out that the dragon slain by the hero Gianna wasn’t his true enemy, Duke Lufellen would surely want to form his next plan.
‘I hope I didn’t just ruin his good mood with this…’
The Duke suddenly stopped in his tracks and fixed Elliot with a long stare before finally replying slowly:
“You search for traces of the dragon’s past. If you find anything, report to me.”
“What?”
Elliot raised his head in shock.
“Me?”
“What, you don’t want to? Is that insubordination?”
“No, never! I’ll carry out your order!”
Even as he bowed deeply, Elliot couldn’t believe what had just happened.
‘He entrusted me with matters of revenge? He’s never done that before.’
The Grand Duke had never allowed anyone—Elliot or anyone else—to handle anything related to his vengeance.
“Do your research carefully. There’s no need to rush. For all we know, that dragon may already be gone from this world.”
The words “Do you trust me?” rose to Elliot’s throat but never left his mouth.
‘No, it’s not that he trusts me. He’s simply so captivated that he wants to spend less time on revenge.’
It was obvious where his master’s heart now lay.
“This is the main gift.”
The Duke stopped in front of a cobbler’s shop.
“Welcome, sir!”
“I’m here to place a custom order.”
“Oh, you’ve come to the right place! What kind of shoes would you like? Stylish dress shoes for your uniform? Or something more casual for everyday wear? Just say the word.”
“I’d like to order women’s sandals. And set these jewels into the center.”
The Duke carefully produced a pair of blue gemstones he had been keeping close to his chest.
“Blue topaz.”
The shopkeeper’s face stiffened the moment he recognized their value. He bent almost double as he exclaimed:
“Such priceless gems! I’ll put my utmost effort into crafting them.”
The Duke discussed sizes and designs with the shoemaker, then left the shop with a satisfied look.
Elliot, watching in disbelief, hurried to ask:
“Did I see correctly?”
“See what?”
“Weren’t those gems the keepsakes of the late Grand Duke?”
“So they weren’t just gathering dust in the ducal estate after all. You recognized them right away.”
“But to use such treasures… just to make a pair of sandals?”
“‘Just’ sandals? Watch your tongue, Elliot. They’re for Gianna.”
“But…”
Elliot stopped himself mid-sentence after seeing the Duke’s expression.
The reason Elliot had managed to remain by Duke Lufellen’s side all these years could be summed up in one word:
Sharp instincts.
‘Maybe instead of chasing dragon trails, I should start researching wedding venues…’
Watching the Duke’s buoyant steps, Elliot sighed inwardly.
I was holed up at the inn, fiddling with Arines’s so-called “fan.”
Hmm… Could you even call this thing a fan?
“She said this took her a whole month to make?”
Arines loved designing and inventing things, but she had zero skill with her hands.
Give her clay, and she’d produce a mud monster. Give her paper, and you’d get a paper beast.
Her creations were enough to make anyone sigh.
I briefly considered dismantling it, then shook my head.
“Better if I just make a new one from scratch.”
She barely knew how to press the buttons on a fan—yet wanted to build one?
Sure, she’d heard a thing or two here and there. Using magic as a power source instead of electricity, for example.
But to do that, you’d at least need a motor designed for channeling magic.
This was nothing more than a pinwheel.
“Ugh, it’s my fault for having her as a friend.”
I pulled out a sheet of paper and started sketching my own fan design.
Every season, I was the one stuck cleaning, storing, and reassembling the fan, so I knew its structure by heart.
“For now, this part can be paper. Later I’ll carve this section from wood and attach it…”
As I was engrossed in sketching, someone knocked on the door.
“Who is it?”
“It’s me.”
Duke Nox Lufellen strode right in.
Without looking up, I automatically asked:
“What dish do you want today?”
“Do I always need a craving before I can see my diver?”
“What nonsense is this? Wasn’t that the whole point of our contract?”
“Not today. I came to give you something.”
I looked up from my drawing.
He was holding two boxes.
“What’s that?”
“Open them. I realized I’ve been neglecting my diver lately, so I prepared these.”
“How have you neglected me? As long as you pay my salary on time, you’ve kept the contract perfectly.”
Tilting my head in puzzlement, I accepted the boxes.
The smaller one contained a sleek, high-quality black diving suit.
I snapped the lid shut at once.
“Return it. I’m not accepting that.”
“But I paid a lot for it.”
“Oh, come on!”
When I flared up, he just smiled that sly smile of his and took the box back.
“Relax, it’s a joke. I thought my diver would find it funny.”
“Wow. Honestly, Duke, what will you do for fun once our contract ends? You’ll be so bored.”
“Who knows? Maybe I should revise the contract to last a lifetime.”
Please don’t say creepy things like that.
I almost gave the second box back too, but since he had made the effort, I forced myself to open it.
Inside was a pair of finely crafted summer sandals made of quality leather, adorned with a sea-colored jewel at the center.
“Oh my, you even know my shoe size? I didn’t think you were this meticulous.”
I slipped them on, and to my surprise, they fit perfectly, as if they’d been measured on my feet.
“That’s nothing.”
“How did you even come up with such a thoughtful idea?”
“Your usual shoes looked too stifling.”
The Kingdom of Tian was sweltering in the peak of summer.
And yet I still wore the heavy shoes I’d brought from Jjokseom Island—partly out of habit, partly because I had no real sense of fashion.
“Seeing you in those suffocating shoes kept bothering me. So, what do you think? Do you like them?”
“If it weren’t for that diving suit, I’d give you 100 points! But because of it, minus 50.”
“Fifty points is still a success.”
“…Still, thank you. You really did think of me.”
The Duke’s smile was bright as he watched me admiring the sandals in delight.
