It has been four months since Leonie Mellden became the fiancée of Charlie Claudia.
At that time, a certain man was writhing in frustration and impatience.
“I can’t keep going like this. I have to come up with a plan somehow…”
This man, Albert, had long yearned for someone whom his master, Charlie, could truly trust and rely on.
Charlie had lost his mother at birth and his father at age ten due to illness. Afterwards, his maternal grandfather became his guardian and was appointed Duke of Claudia, but this grandfather embodied true ruthlessness and strictness.
Since dealing with such a grandfather, Charlie had completely shut down his heart. Moreover, due to his beauty and youthful innocence at the time, many strange people approached him. To keep those harmful influences away, Charlie suppressed his feelings and became even colder, earning the nickname “Ice Duke.”
Albert, being the son of the former duke’s secretary, had watched Charlie since childhood at the Claudia estate. That’s why he was pained to see the once friendly and gentle Charlie now feared and called “Ice Duke” by the nobility.
Adding to this, his fiancée Prune, whom he was betrothed to through his maternal grandfather’s will, was a terrible match—a big mistake. Albert couldn’t help but feel sorry for Charlie.
Then, appeared Leonie Mellden. Albert had once researched her at Charlie’s behest. But in reality, the woman he saw was slightly different from the rumors. Beneath her sweet appearance, she was also remarkably intelligent.
Albert had high hopes for her. He instinctively felt that she could be the one person who would truly comfort Charlie.
That’s why, after learning that Charlie and Leonie had started calling each other by name following the day Charlie collapsed with a cold, Albert felt as if wings had grown on his heart with joy. Seeing their hearts draw closer was almost like a personal victory.
However, despite a month passing since they started calling each other by name, no further change had occurred. Their interactions remained strictly professional, businesslike.
Albert grew anxious. Although not romantic love, he was convinced that they liked each other. He was desperate to find a way to develop their relationship further and schemed to bring them closer.
One day, during his persistent thinking, he finally had an idea.
“This is it…! If I propose this, surely…”
He devised a clever plan, aiming to seize the moment when the two of them were together, and decided to quickly make his proposal.
~·~·*· . ·*· . ·*· . ·*·~·~
“Hunting?”
I repeated after Albert, who had asked me.
“Yes. I understand that your marriage to each other was based on mutual interest. However, I thought it might be good for you to deepen your relationship a little more.”
“I see…”
“So, the method I suggest is hunting?”
Charlie, looking utterly uninterested, glared at Albert with an expression of annoyance. But despite his reaction, Albert continued to speak without hesitation.
“Exactly! By the way, have you ever gone hunting, Your Highness?”
“No, I haven’t…”
“In that case, I highly recommend it! Experience is everything! If you succeed, you’ll get to enjoy delicious game dishes…”
“Game dishes?”
“Yes. And, by the way…”
Albert then bent down slightly, hiding his mouth behind a document, and whispered softly into my ear.
“The roast and stew prepared by the duke’s chef are absolutely exquisite—so good they’ll make your cheeks fall.”
This man truly knows how to get to my weak spots. The phrase “so good they’ll make your cheeks fall”—it’s so tempting. I can’t help but be curious.
Without thinking, I turned my face toward Albert. He gave me a wicked smile and grinned at me. But the moment I caught a quick glance at Charlie’s face, my excitement deflated immediately.
“Madam, what will you do?”
“Th—thank you very much for the suggestion, but this time—”
“Let’s go.”
“Huh?”
I thought I had misheard and turned my face sharply toward the direction of the voice. Then, as soon as my eyes met Charlie’s, he opened his mouth again and said clearly:
“Let’s go, Leonie.”
~·~·*· . ·*· . ·*· . ·*·~·~
For some reason, Charlie, who seemed to dislike the idea, was the one to say yes. Afterwards, I told them that this was my first time holding a bow. Then Charlie personally taught me how to use it and agreed to train me.
Since that day, I had been practicing with him during my free time every day. Today, I finally received instruction on practical use, and eager with anticipation, I arrived at the hunting ground I had been waiting for.
“Here.”
Charlie handed me a bow after I finished putting on the necessary gear.
“Thank you very much.”
I gripped the bow, feeling its texture. Charlie also took a bow and once again showed me how to hold it properly.
“Try this pose.”
His stance was so beautiful, it seemed like a work of art. I thought that even without shooting, just with his gaze, he could probably hit any prey he targeted.
“What’s wrong?”
“Sorry. I was so captivated by your elegant posture that I couldn’t help staring…”
There was no need to be so honest. Once the words left my mouth, it was too late. Flustered, I quickly smiled to cover my embarrassment, then switched to a serious mode and mimicked his pose as best as I could.
“How does it look, Charlie?”
I asked him, the instructor.
He responded in a calm but slightly brighter tone than usual.
“Even during practice, Leonie has good instinct. But there’s still room for improvement.”
“Ah… thank you very much. Could you tell me what I should improve?”
“Yes. I’ll just make a few adjustments.”
He said that as he placed his hand near my left elbow, holding my arm gently.
“Raise your arm a little more. Open your shoulder more.”
Then, he lightly poked my back with his fingertips.
“Pull your shoulder blade back as if to bring it closer, and keep your shoulders relaxed.”
At first, I wondered what he was talking about. But thanks to the training I’d been doing in recent days, I understood his instructions perfectly today.
“Like this?”
I adjusted my posture according to his advice.
Then, he circled around me and, in a teasing tone, said:
“Perfect. With this, your prey won’t be able to escape.”
I couldn’t help but laugh at Charlie, who looked as if he was imagining himself as the prey.
“If Lord Charlie can’t escape, maybe I’m invincible,” I muttered.
Hearing my words, he, facing me, gave a slight, almost unnoticeable smile that seemed a little wry, though his expression remained mostly unreadable.
“That’s quite a funny joke.”
He handed me something he had been holding behind his back.
“Well then, let’s move on to the real thing. Use this arrow and shoot at that tree.”
“Yes.”
Nodding at Charlie, who pointed to a nearby tree, I loaded an arrow and drew my bow. The fact that I was being watched from behind made me a little tense. But I reminded myself to stay calm and focused on what I had learned from him, then released the arrow.
“Got it! I hit, Lord Charlie!”
“Good, well done.”
Turning to look up at him, I saw him silently praising me with a somewhat proud smile. That expression made me feel as if he was truly happy about my success from the bottom of his heart.
―Lord Charlie, he even makes expressions like that…
Charlie, who seemed unusually cheerful, looked at me with a gentle, slightly shy smile. A warm, tickling joy spread gently through my chest, mixed with a bit of embarrassment, as I stared at him.
~·~·*· . ·**##^^##**· . ·*·~·~
Hey there, It’s Green Rose 😉
Since I human I might have make some mistakes while translating so please if you find them let me know here in the comments or in the Discord group so I can correct them and be careful in the future so they do not repeat.
Thank you so much for reading, I hope you enjoyed this chapter.
~~~Next Chapter~~~
Next chapter will be released on March, 7.
See you then!!
