Chapter 03

After that, Adrian began to look at Nina directly.

Every time she met his gaze, Nina would grin at him.

Somewhere along the way, Adrian began to smile as well.

It was a refined, aristocratic smile.

The shadow in his eyes had not completely disappeared—but that was fine.

What did the original say again?

Nina sat on a low chair she had long since grown used to, legs spread apart, peeling potatoes.

According to the heroine Fiona’s description in the original story, Adrian was like this:

“The Duke of Ruboaine was a flawless gentleman whose infamous reputation did him no justice. An elegant smile, a gentle tone, and impeccable noble etiquette. A voice that carried ease and composure.
However, Fiona sensed cold rage behind that perfect smile and delicate courtesy. She felt hatred.
That was why Fiona could never come to like the Duke of Ruboaine.”

But our young master is nowhere near that stage yet!

Nina dropped the last peeled potato into the water with a plop, then stood up with the basket.

When she returned to the kitchen and set it down, the older maids were already gossiping.

“So I heard the jeweler was summoned again?”

“Yeah, apparently she bought a moonlight pearl necklace from the northern Badun Island.”

“My goodness, moonlight pearls? Just hearing it sounds extravagant.”

“One of those pearls could feed us for a lifetime.”

“She also hired a new swordsmanship instructor for Young Master Gerald.”

The two women noticed Nina.

“All done? Good job. There should still be bread in the cupboard.”

“Thank you.”

After greeting them, Nina quickly took out a loaf of bread.

One advantage of being a kitchen maid was that you rarely went hungry. Leftovers from the master family naturally became the servants’ share.

Other servants were also fairly kind to kitchen maids because they relied on them for food.

Nina tucked the bread into her arms and headed toward Adrian.

Over the past year, his treatment had become even worse. The Duke no longer even invited him to family meals.

Or rather, it wasn’t that the Duke refused—it was that the Duchess prevented him from attending.

When Adrian wasn’t present at the table, the Duke would casually ask, “Where is Adrian?”

And the Duchess would reply smoothly, “He seems uncomfortable dining with us.”

That was the end of it.

Nina didn’t know what to even say.

It was strange. Acknowledging an illegitimate child was not something done lightly—yet having done so, they simply abandoned him.

And after remarrying, the Duke had produced another heir, yet still refused to properly organize the succession.

From what Nina had heard from other maids, the Duke was equally indifferent to all his children.

Perhaps that was exactly what made the Duchess even more furious.

Of course, the Duke was equally indifferent to her, leaving her to run the estate entirely on her own without interference in finances or staffing.

According to Adrian, the Duke had called him to a private room once.

Just once.

“Your mother is dead.”

That was all he said.

Nina was just glad Adrian had someone with him at the time…

Before the Duchess arrived, Adrian had apparently been the only precious young master in the household.

At least, that was what she had heard.

In any case, because of the Duke’s attitude, Adrian’s situation only worsened.

Being excluded from the dining table wasn’t enough—the Duchess even interfered with the food prepared for him.

After she told the cooks, “Since Adrian does not dine with us, there is no need to prepare meals for him,” he was reduced to receiving servant rations.

And because no one dared bring him food in fear of the Duchess, Nina was the only one secretly delivering meals to him.

Even basic supplies were no longer allocated to him.

Without Nina crawling around like a mouse and bringing things to him, his life would have been far worse.

“Young Master.”

Adrian, who had been reading an old book in his room, lifted his head.

Nina took bread from her arms and split it cleanly in half.

“This one is yours, Young Master.”

Adrian reached out and swapped her rough, crust-heavy piece with his softer one.

“I’m fine with this.”

“But it’s hard.”

“I’m older, so I’m tougher.”

He smiled faintly and closed his book.

Since he was effectively ignored as if he didn’t exist in the household, Adrian was actually free to move anywhere he wanted—so long as he avoided the Duchess, Gerald, and Jayden.

The library was one of the few places those three never entered.

So Adrian made full use of it.

He read obsessively and trained his swordsmanship relentlessly.

What pained Nina most was how poorly he ate during such an important growth period.

Nibbling at hard bread crusts, she said,

“It seems the Duchess has summoned a jeweler again. She bought a moonlight pearl necklace. Do you know what that is?”

“A pearl that glows faintly silver. It apparently shines at night.”

“I see.”

Nina’s eyes widened.

There really were amazing things in the world.

She hesitated before continuing.

“And she’s also assigned a new swordsmanship instructor to the eldest young master.”

“Is that so?”

Adrian smiled faintly in response.

Nina puffed out her cheeks.

“I wish we could change our swordsmanship instructor too. Every single day…”

She bit her lip.

That instructor was the reason Adrian was covered in bruises.

He regularly beat Adrian under the guise of training—sometimes until bones broke.

“Still, it’s better than having none.”

Adrian swallowed another piece of hard bread.

Bread and water. No butter, no jam. Just that.

Someday, I’ll eat soft bread all I want.

Nina often dreamed of that future.

Even if the present was harsh, she had hope.

Adrian quietly opened his book again.

“Nina, you should leave. It’s not good to stay too long.”

“Alright. I’ll come again next time.”

Nina smiled and left the room.

Adrian stared at the door long after she had gone, then exhaled.

He worried what would happen if the Duchess found out about Nina.

And yet, he couldn’t bring himself to tell her not to come.

Eventually, he forced his attention back to the book.

* * *

It was a rare day off.

Nina had nowhere to go, but the kitchen maids were busy dressing up.

“Nina, don’t you have anything you want me to bring you?”

“No.”

Now twelve years old, Nina still wore her hair in twin braids.

“How about me?”

One maid proudly showed off the lace on her dress hem—a masterpiece she had spent a year on.

“It’s beautiful, sister. What if a noble proposes to you?”

“Oh my.”

She laughed, pleased.

Another maid said,

“Strangely, everything Nina says sounds like it comes true.”

“That’s because she means it sincerely.”

Nina blinked her eyes wide, and they all laughed.

One maid in lace turned to another.

“Maybe if you go out dressed like that, some noble might notice you.”

“What good would that do? Look at that boy.”

“That boy” referred to Young Master Adrian.

“His mother was an opera singer, right? A stunning beauty, they say—her dressing room overflowing with gifts and flowers.”

She clicked her tongue.

“So what? Look how the child turned out. The Duchess is too harsh. It’s not like she didn’t know he existed. She must’ve married with full intent from the start.”

“Shh, be careful.”

“Oh, whatever.”

They turned to Nina.

“You understand what we’re saying?”

“Huh?”

“Listen. Keep your behavior in check. People like us are done for if we fall out of favor.”

“Yeah. You should stop playing with that boy.”

“But I like Young Master.”

At Nina’s carefree answer, they gave up nagging.

“Oh dear.”

“I give up.”

They left after promising to bring her candy.