#17. The Fluttering of Wings
Even though she had pretended to like men, hearing him say it so directly still left Chloe completely dazed.
He… hadn’t he been the one who didn’t believe it in the first place?
“I don’t really know. Even close friends don’t necessarily talk about everything like that.”
As always, Chloe tried to tell the truth as much as possible except for the essential lie. That way, there were fewer inconsistencies in her deception.
“Someone close enough to even take care of your mother in your place must be very close to you. You should’ve just told him.”
The duke’s words didn’t make much sense to her.
Tell him she was into men? That she liked the duke? Even if that were true, why would she ever say something like that to a friend?
“I’ll have breakfast on the balcony. Tell them to prepare it there. Lunch will be in the outdoor garden gazebo, so arrange it accordingly.”
The duke suddenly issued instructions for meal locations, leaving Chloe confused.
“Yes, understood.”
Normally, breakfast was served in his room, and lunch and dinner in the dining room. But ever since he started making Chloe attend to his meals, he had been eating outside more often. Judging by today’s orders, it seemed he intended for her to continue serving him.
In the end, by the time Chloe left the duke’s room, the faint gratitude she had felt toward him had completely vanished.
Hugh Grey had been forcing unnecessary, bothersome tasks on the boy in an attempt to torment him—just to dig out all his secrets.
But the more he assigned work, the more the boy’s presence, moving constantly at close range, began to pressure him instead.
Especially the bathing service—he couldn’t even imagine making him do that again. In a bath filled with hot water and steam, it had been almost impossible to stay rational.
Even dressing him had been dangerous—when the boy leaned in so close while helping him put on clothes that his crown almost brushed under Hugh’s nose, he had nearly reached out and touched that head.
When he had placed him in his office to translate, he had nearly suffocated.
If he tried to stop and send him away, telling himself not to call him anymore, not to give him work—he would somehow end up getting curious again.
It was absurd to be curious about a servant in the first place.
No. “Curiosity” was nonsense. He was only trying to uncover the boy’s identity. There was definitely something suspicious about him.
In the end, if he kept him close, he would find out.
What the boy was truly hiding.
That was all he wanted to know.
Not anything about the boy himself.
Chloe was attending to the duke’s meal in the garden. Ever since he had thrown her a book to translate that morning, he had barely spoken to her.
It felt like he had returned to how he used to be.
She should’ve felt relieved by that, but strangely, she didn’t feel entirely at ease.
The sound of cutlery clinking, the duke swallowing his drink—it all mixed with the wind around them.
It was cold.
The weather was still chilly, yet they were eating outdoors for no reason.
Maybe the duke, wrapped in armor-like strength, didn’t feel the cold. But Chloe, standing beside him and serving him, was trembling so much her teeth almost chattered.
No matter how spring it was, winter still lingered in the air. Only the duke would choose to eat outside in this weather.
“Are you cold?”
The duke suddenly looked up at her.
“No, I’m not.”
Chloe quickly answered, startled that she might have shown it.
“You’re clearly lying.”
His gaze was fixed on her clasped hands.
Following his eyes, Chloe looked down—and her face flushed in embarrassment.
Her hands, tightly pressed together from the cold, had turned pale, veins visible beneath the skin. She must have been gripping them far too hard.
Ah… I guess I might’ve been shaking a little.
Now that she thought about it, she might have even been stomping her feet slightly.
She slowly loosened her hands.
And at that exact moment—
Gasp!
Her eyes widened as she looked down.
The duke had taken her released hand.
“It’s like ice.”
“…!”
Chloe’s mind went completely blank.
Why… why is he holding my hand?
Why…?
Confused, she raised her gaze—and met his.
“….”
“….”
In the silent exchange, there was a strange heat in the air that should have been cold.
Suddenly—fluttering wings of a bird were heard.
“Ah!”
As if startled, the duke quickly let go of her hand.
He looked genuinely surprised at his own action.
Chloe also snapped back to her senses and turned away quickly, her face burning.
The hand he had held still felt hot, as if branded by his warmth.
Flap, flap, flap.
Why is my heart doing this?
It felt like a bird had flown into her chest and was flapping its wings inside her heart.
“Hm! It’s cold. Let’s go inside.”
The duke stood up abruptly.
“Oh—yes!”
Chloe looked at the table. Most of the food was still untouched.
“I’ll be eating in the dining room for the time being.”
He added, glancing at the untouched meal.
“Yes! Of course…”
But he was already walking away quickly without waiting for her response.
“I’ll prepare it, Your Grace…” Chloe murmured to his disappearing back.
Even from a distance, his ears looked red.
Was he actually cold too? His hand had been warm, though.
Wait—why was his hand so warm?! And why was her heart pounding like this?!
Chloe pressed a hand to her chest, as if trying to calm the fluttering bird inside.
That bastard.
That damn wolf bastard.
Back in his room, Hugh Grey cursed himself repeatedly under his breath.
Why had he grabbed Klein Liden’s hand?
Even if the boy’s stamping feet looked cute, even if those pale, vein-marked hands looked pitiful from being clenched so tightly—still, why? Had he gone insane?
Why did he even think it was “cute”? Pitiful? A man feeling pity for another man? Why?!
Damn it. Am I some kind of mutant?
Same-sex attraction? Ridiculous.
If he were truly a wolf, he should have focused only on marking his mate—yet now he, Hugh Grey, was the only one in wolf history with rumors of preferring men.
He knew the rumors about him—being impotent, being into men.
He didn’t care about the rumors since they weren’t true.
In fact, it had been convenient. Women hadn’t clung to him while he waited to find the woman he could imprint on as a wolf.
But if he never found his destined mate, then he really would be no different from an impotent man.
And now—on top of that, rumors of same-sex desire.
If that bird hadn’t appeared at that exact moment, he might have even intertwined fingers with Klein Liden.
That boy was dangerous. Harmful.
Too dangerous to keep as a servant. He should be fired immediately. In fact, finding his mate might be less urgent than getting rid of that boy.
Yes. He must be dismissed at once.
“Ah!”
He reached for the servant bell to call the butler—but stopped himself.
If he rang it, Klein would come running again in those absurd layers of clothing, smelling faintly sweet and floral.
Instead, he went personally to the butler’s office.
“Are you saying you want Klein Liden fired?”
The butler’s eyes widened.
“Not fired. A recommendation to resign.”
“B-but why? He only just came back after being rehired recently…”
“Do I really need to explain?”
At Hugh’s cold tone, the butler waved his hands in alarm.
Of course there had to be a proper reason to dismiss a working servant so suddenly.
But there was no reason he could possibly say.
He couldn’t say it was because he felt like he might fall in love with him.
Because he wanted to touch him.
Because he wanted to have him—
What the hell am I thinking?!
“Nothing. If there were any mistakes, we’ll address them.”
Just then, Wilson entered the office.
“Oh! I didn’t know the Duke was here.”
He bowed and tried to leave.
“Wait, Wilson. You should hear this too.”
The butler stopped him.
“You were just about to be told to dismiss Klein Liden. I heard he already took an advance on his salary—you should be aware.”
“Oh! Again? But he already left once before…”
Wilson hesitated.
“I am the one ordering the dismissal. Tell him he does not need to repay the advance salary.”
“What? That’s a full year’s salary…”
“…”
Hugh said nothing, only stared at him coldly.
Wilson immediately understood and stopped questioning.
“Yes, Your Grace.”
“Then inform Klein Liden and make sure he leaves as quickly as possible.”
“Yes, understood.”
Hearing their replies, Hugh left the office.
But as soon as the door closed, Wilson’s dissatisfied voice followed him.
“He even has a guarantor and a co-guarantor. I don’t understand why His Grace is acting like this.”
Hugh stopped walking.
He hadn’t spoken loudly, but as a wolf, he could hear it clearly.
Especially the word that stood out.
“Guarantor.”
He had forgotten.
That boy—Klein Liden—had a guarantor.
