Chapter 08
“I’m done!”
Ruelia stretched as she placed the neatly organized stack of documents on her desk.
There had been a lot to do today as well, but she finished everything quickly with her practiced efficiency.
“Well then, I should head home now.”
She planned to return right away and take care of her sister.
Melissa had shown signs of a cold and had a slight fever. After being out in the cold wind yesterday, Ruelia had expected this.
Unlike her messy appearance that morning, Ruelia was now neat and tidy again. She even hummed to herself as she stood up.
“Ruelia.”
At that moment, Kylas entered the office.
“Yes, Your Grace.”
“Where are you going?”
“I’m going home to prepare for the banquet in fifteen days.”
She planned to take care of Melissa while seriously working on her plan at home. The first step in helping the duke’s unrequited love succeed.
“Right, you do need to prepare. Then shall we go now?”
“Pardon? Go where?”
“To the tailor. We need to have your dress made first.”
Kylas looked at her as if she were unbelievable. Had she already forgotten what they talked about that morning?
Ruelia blinked in confusion, then her eyes suddenly sparkled.
She had just thought of something she could do immediately for the duke.
“There’s a tailor I’ve always wanted to visit!”
Her cheeks flushed with excitement.
Kylas stared briefly at her reddened cheeks. His first thought was that he needed to fire his doctor.
Utterly incompetent.
Something was clearly wrong with his heart.
But today, the doctor had only praised him.
Upper body, lower body, heart. He said he had never seen anyone in the Empire in better condition. If anything, he was too healthy.
“Which tailor is it?”
“Rutilus, the largest tailor shop in the shopping district.”
At Kylas’s blunt tone, Ruelia’s voice shrank without her noticing.
When someone has a secret plan, they tend to feel guilty for no reason.
Even if the intention is good.
“Sounds like you already saw something you liked.”
“I passed by once, and their clothes looked the most stylish.”
She was sure even the duke would be satisfied.
“Fine. Let’s go there.”
“But before that, may I stop by home for a moment?”
“Why?”
“When I left this morning, my sister had a slight fever. I think she might be coming down with a cold.”
“Is your sister still often sick?”
Kylas, who had lived his entire life in perfect health, had never really understood Melissa’s illness. At least until yesterday.
After seeing how doctors behaved, he understood a little better.
There were many illnesses doctors didn’t understand. Or perhaps they cared more about money than skill.
“She’s better than before. Thanks to how well you treat me, I’ve been able to buy her much better medicine.”
“That’s good to hear.”
“Thank you, always, Your Grace.”
At her words of gratitude, Kylas finally relaxed.
What his subordinates had told him earlier didn’t seem to be a complete lie.
The resignation letter was probably just a misunderstanding.
He decided not to question it. There was no need to stir trouble unnecessarily.
“I’ll have the carriage prepared. Get ready.”
As she listened to his indifferent words, Ruelia had many thoughts.
She knew well what lay beneath that calm tone.
A good person. Someone who would never suit the role of a villain.
If possible, she wanted to stay with the ducal house for a long time, serving someone she respected. Not for a lifetime like the knights said, but at least until she could return to her hometown with Melissa someday.
“Yes, Your Grace.”
So far, her judgments had always been correct.
Ruelia decided not to lose that confidence.
***
As soon as Ruelia stepped down from the carriage, she headed straight to Melissa’s room on the second floor.
“Melissa! I knew this would happen.”
Melissa lay weakly on the bed, cold sweat on her forehead.
“I’m not sick.”
“You absolutely are!”
“I’m really not. I’m just… tired. Like body aches…”
There was a faint redness on Melissa’s cheeks. Maybe she had a fever again.
With Ruelia’s help, Melissa slowly sat up and leaned against the headboard.
Ruelia immediately took out the warm soup the ducal chef had prepared and placed it on a tray.
Kylas had kindly given the order to the chef while preparing the carriage.
“This is from the duke.”
Ruelia said proudly, puffing out her chest.
“I’m fine. I already ate something.”
“You’re sick, so why would you cook? I told you I’d come back early. You should’ve waited.”
Ruelia scolded her stubborn sister.
Melissa smiled weakly.
“Eat this. It’ll be much more filling and good for you. After the soup, take your medicine and sleep well.”
“Are you going out again?”
“Yes. I think I need to go to the tailor with the duke.”
She told Melissa about the banquet.
She bragged about her achievements at her previous job and praised her wonderful employer.
“And starting next week, he’s increasing my weekly pay.”
Melissa’s eyes sparkled at first, then slowly turned lonely.
“What’s wrong?”
“It’s nothing. I just think it’s strange that someone so high up treats you so well.”
That wasn’t the look of simple curiosity.
When Ruelia stared at her in confusion, Melissa smiled again.
“No, I just mean… if someone like the duke treats you that kindly, it’d be dangerous if you fell for him. Commoners like us can only ever be mistresses to people like that, so don’t give your heart away.”
For some reason, Melissa’s warning felt unusually heavy.
But it was ridiculous.
“Don’t worry. That’ll never happen.”
Ruelia said playfully, breaking the serious mood.
“But still—”
“The duke already has someone he loves. He’s absolutely not the kind of man who would take me as a mistress while loving another woman.”
That much was certain.
A man who would abandon even his closest friend for the woman he loved wouldn’t keep another woman by his side.
That would be shameless.
Ruelia could personally testify that the duke was devoted to one love.
“Then what about you?”
“He’s my benefactor and a respected superior. Nothing more. I know my place. If I ever look for a partner, it’ll be someone of similar status.”
“Good. That’s a relief.”
Melissa sounded weak.
She seemed sad, or maybe just empty. Perhaps her fever was affecting her mood.
When Ruelia looked at her worriedly, Melissa wiped her expression away and spoke firmly.
“Isn’t the duke waiting for you?”
“Oh, right.”
“Then hurry and go.”
“Ah… also, from now on, the duke’s knights will be escorting you and me regularly.”
Melissa’s eyes widened, and she looked troubled.
“Isn’t that… too much? Is it really okay for us to receive that kind of protection?”
“I know too many of the ducal house’s secrets. And you’re someone I’d trade my life for.”
“Ah… okay. I understand.”
Melissa nodded at last.
Being protected brought peace of mind, but it was also uncomfortable. It could feel like being watched.
“I’m sorry. If I hadn’t gone to the ducal house—”
“If you’d stayed with the Bellona Trading Company, the danger would’ve been the same, and you wouldn’t have had any protection. But… they’re not reporting my private life to the duke or anything, right? That would be… awkward.”
“They won’t. I promise.”
This was Ruelia’s personal request, not the duke’s order. So it shouldn’t be reported up the chain.
Probably…
Honestly, what would the duke do with information about Melissa’s private life anyway? She had no connection to the enemies of House Aber.
“Alright. I trust you. Now hurry up and go. What if the duke gets angry if you’re late? Even the imperial family worries he’s too sharp.”
“He’s not that bad. He’s more like a hedgehog than a blade.”
Prickly and harsh on the outside, but someone who knew how to hide his thorns for his own people.
