#16. The Only Friend
The Elion Empire’s pajamas differed slightly in design depending on whether they were for men or women, but fundamentally they were all one-piece garments regardless of gender.
So when the duke unbuttoned the fastenings that ran down to his waist and slipped out of his nightclothes, there was nothing left on his body except a single layer of undergarments beneath—meaning, to Chloe, he was effectively 95% undressed, a sight she could never get used to.
Even if the duke believed Chloe was a man, it didn’t seem like he truly believed—or cared—that this “man” liked him. At least, that was how it seemed from how carelessly he always undressed like this.
Chloe quickly stepped closer and positioned herself slightly to the side, deliberately avoiding looking at him as she handed over a shirt. If he at least wore that, she wouldn’t have to see him in just his embarrassing undergarments.
Even though the duke had recently started making her assist him with dressing, it was still a relief that he at least changed clothes himself. Some masters didn’t even bother fastening or unfastening buttons on their own.
“Enough. From now on, I’ll handle it myself. Go to the office.”
It seemed he had no intention of making her assist him with washing or dressing any further today.
Well, doing it alone is faster. And if he was going to start ordering servants around for things he never used to, it probably felt awkward even for him.
Chloe bowed with a relieved expression and quickly headed to the office. The duke followed not long after.
In his hand was the bundle of papers he had been reading earlier.
“This is the Tigrium history book you translated yesterday.”
Ah, so that’s what it was.
“Yes,” Chloe replied shortly.
“When did you learn Tigrium?”
So that’s what it is today.
For several days now, the duke had been firing all kinds of questions at her. Today, it seemed he intended to dig into how she knew Tigrium.
“I learned it from my mother.”
“Your mother? The one who’s ill?”
“Yes. From childhood until shortly before she was injured, we used both Tigrium and Elion languages at home.”
“I see?”
The duke looked at her with interest, then suddenly moved quickly toward the desk.
“If you don’t have any more tasks for me…”
She trailed off, subtly looking at him as if asking whether she could leave.
“Continue the translation.”
Haah.
There he goes again.
“Yes. Understood.”
It looked like he intended to make her work hard again today. Still, at least she got extra pay for her labor.
“Take the work with you and do it in your room.”
“Yes.”
Chloe reached for the book on the table to leave.
“Ah! Klein.”
The duke stopped her.
“Yes?”
“You said she was injured? Your mother wasn’t sick, but injured?”
“Ah, yes.”
“How?”
Here he goes again.
Chloe couldn’t help but let out a long sigh, her shoulders rising slightly.
“Don’t sigh so heavily. It’s suffocating.”
The duke frowned.
Good heavens. Now I’m not even allowed to breathe too loudly?
As if it’s her who’s suffocating, not him.
Just watching her breathe seemed to irritate him.
Day by day, her master was becoming more and more short-tempered—specifically toward “Klein Riden.”
“Several months ago, unidentified assailants a-attacked… Chloe, my younger sibling. My mother was also attacked at that time. That’s how she was injured.”
Chloe almost said “older brother” by mistake, but quickly corrected herself and answered calmly.
Over the past few days, she had learned that if she didn’t answer properly, the duke would immediately detect it and press harder with questions.
Besides, there was no particular reason to hide the incident.
Of course, she didn’t want to recall those horrific memories.
But if she didn’t want to talk about it, she shouldn’t have mentioned her mother being injured in the first place.
Since she had let it slip, there was no helping it. She had to answer.
“Are you saying your younger sister died that day?”
“Yes.”
“……”
The duke fell silent.
Finally done asking?
“Then if you have no more questions…”
“An attack by unidentified assailants. Did you have enemies?”
What is he, an intelligence guild? Why so many questions?
“My family had no contact with others. There’s no reason for anyone to have been an enemy.”
“Really? Or could the reason you had no contact be precisely because you did have enemies?”
Chloe had considered that possibility herself before.
But it was not something she could know.
That day, her brother died, and afterward, even speaking with her mother had become difficult.
“I don’t know. At first I thought they might have been bandits, but it was strange for bandits to appear all the way in the forest where my family lived. And there were too many of them. They seemed dangerous, cruel, merciless… I lost consciousness, and my mother al—”
“Stop. That’s enough.”
Chloe, her emotions rising as she relived the memory, was pulled back by his words.
Thankfully so—she had almost been overwhelmed by it all and burst into tears.
She had tried not to think about it, but whenever the memories resurfaced, she was overwhelmed with unbearable guilt and fear.
“You must have had a hard time.”
“…?”
Chloe looked at him silently.
“Losing your sister and having your mother injured like that.”
“……”
It had been hard. It felt like the world had collapsed.
If her mother had not been in critical condition, she might have completely broken down.
But she couldn’t afford to lose herself or cry. She needed money immediately to save her mother.
For three months of living disguised as a man, the exhausting daily routine had ironically helped her forget that grief.
She had been so focused on surviving each day without being exposed that she had no time to grieve her brother or worry about her mother.
At least her master at the time had been tolerable.
But now he had changed.
Now he was someone who seemed obsessed with squeezing every bit of labor out of his servant.
And yet… he wasn’t completely different. The fact that he could say something like this meant he still had some humanity.
Looking at his expression alone, one would even believe Chloe Riden had truly died.
“It must be painful memories. I may have made you recall your sister unnecessarily.”
It was the most gentle version of him she had seen in days.
“No, it’s fine. Thank you for your concern.”
“…You said you had to take care of your mother. I apologize for keeping you.”
“Yes, that is…”
Chloe hesitated at his words.
This was the perfect opportunity to say she would leave once he received information about the woman he had slept with.
Should she say it now? Or wait until just before leaving?
“I’ll compensate you with money. You can hire a caregiver.”
His next words ended her hesitation. She decided she would take the money while he was being generous, and only mention leaving later.
If she provoked his mood now, he might even revoke the caregiving funds.
Translation pay plus caregiving money. What a windfall.
“Thank you very much!”
“Who is taking care of her right now?”
Her gratitude had just settled when he asked another question.
Seriously—why another question?!
“My friend from my hometown is staying at home in my place.”
“…Friend?”
Karkus had originally been a live-in servant at the Bürgen estate. But when she moved to the duke’s residence, he had switched to a commuting position and was now staying at her home.
Even though the distance between Bürgen Castle and her home made commuting inconvenient, he had insisted on it himself.
Her mother had also been displeased with Karkus the entire time, and it had only been about six months since she had finally allowed him to visit the house.
Chloe felt guilty, but she had neither anyone else to rely on nor the money for a caregiver, so she had no choice but to accept his help.
“Yes. I have a friend back home.”
“Didn’t you say you had no contact with others?”
“Even so… I do have at least one friend.”
“One friend…”
The duke frowned. Chloe reviewed her words, wondering if she had said something wrong, but nothing seemed off.
“Your friend back home—is he male or female?”
His eyes suddenly gleamed. Why did that look feel so sharp?
“Male.”
“Ah, male. No—male?”
“Yes. That’s correct.”
Chloe found his reaction strange, but answered calmly.
She had been telling the truth for nearly everything except the swapped identities of Chloe and Klein, so this reaction couldn’t be because of any inconsistency.
“Oh! So it’s that man. Karkus Tarkan.”
“Ah… yes.”
The duke even remembered the guarantor’s name from the documents.
Just how much information was in those files?
She didn’t even know what was written about her, yet he seemed to know everything. It felt like being thrown into the middle of a battlefield without even knowing the enemy’s weapons.
“Are you two close?”
He crossed his arms and asked.
“He’s my only friend. I owe him a great deal in many ways.”
“Your only friend.”
The duke frowned openly, then suddenly let out a short laugh.
Did he dislike the word “friend”?
“Does that only friend know you like me?”
“Huh? I—!”
She almost blurted out, “Like the duke?”
She had momentarily forgotten she was acting as someone who liked him, thrown off by his increasingly sharp attitude.
But… did he actually believe she liked him? Chloe blinked and looked at him in confusion.
