#9. Chloe, the Same Scent
But Chloe’s feet came to a stop after only a few steps.
Run away? That was absurd.
Of course, when he said, “Return to the duke’s estate first,” the unspoken command was, “And follow immediately.”
The duke had left ahead of her as if granting her the freedom to choose her next action, but there was no way Chloe—who was anything but a fool—could run away.
Not when he had even left a guarantor behind in plain sight.
This is why guarantees are terrifying.
If she snapped the leash around her own neck and fled, that leash would simply be placed on Calcus, who had acted as her guarantor and helped her countless times.
Trudge, trudge.
With the feeling of being dragged by an invisible but undeniably real leash, Chloe forced her heavy steps toward the duke’s estate.
“You certainly took your time.”
The sharp voice greeted Chloe the moment she entered the duke’s office.
It was an accusation—she had arrived far later than him, since he had ridden ahead on horseback while she had walked slowly without even catching a carriage.
Excuse me, my dear leash-holder.
Who in their right mind would cheerfully run toward an execution ground?
“I’m sorry.”
Despite her thoughts, Chloe lowered her head in apology.
Walking slowly had been her only form of resistance.
But now was the time to crawl low.
Because the duke was holding documents in his hand.
The documents that had dragged her back here.
It was that after all.
Wilson’s employment papers. So this is why written evidence is so dangerous.
To think it even listed family relations.
Her guess while walking had been correct. The duke had learned her lie through those documents.
In truth, she had not completely ruled out the possibility that family information might be included.
But even if it was, she had assumed the duke would never bother reading the employment papers of a mere servant.
At best, she was only a personal attendant. There was no reason for him to take interest in her.
So why? How had he ended up reading those documents? There must have been many servants he didn’t even know by name. Why hers—of all people, a short-lived attendant who had only worked three months before trying to leave?
Still, thinking back over the past few days, the duke had been showing unusually personal interest in her.
And then, just as quickly, he would treat her like something filthy and drive her away.
“Are you planning to stand there forever?”
At his words, Chloe set down her belongings and walked toward his desk.
But she stopped at a much greater distance than usual and clasped her hands neatly in front of her stomach. If she got too close, he might again say something about her scent being unbearable.
“Chloe Liden.”
“…!”
Something far more terrifying than “you smell” came out.
Chloe Liden.
She almost instinctively answered, “Yes!”
“That’s your younger sister’s name.”
“Ah… yes.”
He hadn’t been calling her. He was confirming the name of Clain Liden’s younger sister—her name, in truth.
So the document even contained family names.
Whether from shock or confusion, sweat had already gathered so much that her clasped hands were slipping.
The duke had already learned from Joyce that the woman he had slept with was named “Chloe.” And now he had seen “Chloe” in her employment documents too.
He must have thought: the attendant who slept with him might be the same “Chloe Liden,” the servant’s sister.
With the same name, it was a reasonable suspicion.
That also explained why he had personally gone as far as the Information Guild alley to chase down a servant who had already resigned. She needed to be careful—one wrong word here could expose everything.
“Chloe. The same scent.”
The duke murmured to himself.
And the expression on his face gave her a bad feeling.
He wasn’t asking whether the woman he slept with was the servant’s sister.
He already seemed certain of it.
Same name, same scent—there was no doubt in his mind that Chloe Liden, the younger sister of Clain Liden, was that woman.
What kind of murderous scent was that supposed to be? How could a human even have something that strong?
Was I the only one he spent the night with sniffing me like that?
I smelled you too, you know! But I don’t remember your scent at all!
Why is it only you being dramatic about it…!
“…Huh?”
Something strange happened.
For the first time ever, she could suddenly feel the duke’s scent.
Was it an illusion?
Or a symptom of extreme stress?
She had never once been able to smell someone’s scent from this distance. And she was standing even farther away than usual.
So why now, all of a sudden?
Scent, scent.
Because of the duke’s constant obsession with “scent,” even her own senses felt like they were going strange.
Unable to tell whether it was real or imagination, Chloe bit down on the inside of her lip.
“Why did you lie about not having a sister? You must have known the woman I was looking for was your sister.”
As expected… he was completely certain.
And absurdly, his certainty seemed based more on “scent” than even the name Chloe.
Even more absurdly, that baseless assumption was actually correct.
What should she do? Should she just confess everything—that she was the one who spent that night with him? That she had also disguised her gender for three months?
The thought crashed into her again like a storm.
“I hate lies.”
“……Yes.”
Who didn’t hate lies? But when he looked her in the eye like that, it felt as if he despised them more than anything in the world.
It felt like a warning: If you violated your employment terms, I will make you pay dearly.
Under that gaze, her courage to confess melted like snow under summer sun.
“Of course, one might make a mistake once in a while. For example, saying you don’t have a sister when you actually do—that kind of trivial lie. But if that sister is the woman I slept with, then it becomes a serious lie. One that could be life-threatening. So it’s better you tell the truth, Clain Liden.”
“….”
Life-threatening? Over one night?
That was going too far!
But at that moment, memories of the duke’s desperate resistance that night flashed vividly through her mind.
“Who is it! Stop this! Get away! Don’t—don’t come near me…!”
Haaah…
The man who had struggled so violently—she had been the one to force herself on him.
And then Joyce’s furious words followed.
“It’s unthinkable that His Grace would ever willingly offer himself to such a woman.”
“You know His Grace would never do something like that with a woman!”
He hated women, and she had stolen his first night.
“I would like to tear that woman apart…”
Tear apart. Dispose of.
Every word made it sound like she had committed some unforgivable sin.
Was this something where she had to risk her life over a single night?
Putting the duke’s words and Joyce’s together, the conclusion became disturbingly clear.
She couldn’t die over a mistake like that.
“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you earlier. My younger sister, Chloe Liden, actually passed away a few months ago.”
“…What?”
The duke frowned.
“To be exact, she died in an accident right before I moved into the ducal estate.”
“An accident… and died?”
“When I submitted the employment documents, my sister was still alive. That’s why her name appears there. But by the time I arrived, she had already passed away, so I said I didn’t have a sister.”
If she replaced the living Chloe with a dead one, everything aligned perfectly—and it wasn’t even a lie anymore.
“I was also surprised that the woman you slept with had the same name as my sister.”
Without realizing it, Chloe was speaking with complete calm.
It felt less like lying and more like recounting facts.
Of course, only the circumstances were true—the person who died had been swapped.
Well, if she’s already dead, what can be done?
If anything, this might even be convenient.
Even if the duke investigated, it would be difficult to discover that the deceased was actually the brother instead of the sister.
Only her mother, Calcus, and she knew of Clain’s death.
Their home was deep in the forest, far from the village, and they rarely went out.
So no one would remember their existence clearly.
Calcus was the only exception—but he was on her side.
He had opposed her disguise and infiltration into the ducal estate at first, but once she decided, he had become her strongest ally.
He had even provided everything she needed to maintain the disguise.
“Your sister passed away… I see. That must be unpleasant to remember. I’m sorry for doubting you.”
The duke finally spoke again, slightly dazed.
Sorry…
His apology made her feel a faint pang of guilt, but it still seemed like the right choice to keep lying.
Now she was out of suspicion.
Even if Joyce or the Information Guild searched for Chloe Liden, they would conclude she was dead and stop pursuing her.
Back home, she would have to continue living carefully in disguise for a while.
“It’s alright, Your Grace.”
Chloe accepted his apology as if she truly were a brother who had lost his sister.
She wasn’t a sister—but she did have to recall the memory of losing her brother.
“If there’s nothing else… may I return home now?”
The duke stared at her.
Silently. For several seconds.
“Your Grace?”
Feeling uneasy under that gaze, Chloe called out again.
“There’s one more thing I want to ask. Answer this, and you may leave.”
