Chapter 22
While Selachia was folding her fingers one by one and selecting the necessary items, the bedroom door opened without a knock.
“…What brings you here?”
Selachia blinked at the sudden appearance of Tenus.
“Do I need a reason to come to my own room?”
Tenus sat down confidently in the chair opposite her. He even motioned for Roberta, who was standing to the side, to leave the room.
Narrowing her eyes, Selachia asked,
“What is it?”
“Aldrich suggested a dinner.”
“Dinner? Tonight?”
Tenus glanced at the table, where stationery and an inkwell lay, and nodded.
“He wants to have a family meal for the first time in a while.”
It was a flimsy excuse, practically reeking of scheming.
Though suspicious, there was nothing she could do. If Aldrich proposed a game, it was always better for Selachia to play along, like a card already dealt into his hand.
“A family meal. Sounds good. I’ll get ready.”
When Selachia responded without hesitation, Tenus’s expression turned odd.
“Are you brave, or just not thinking?”
“I can hear you, you know.”
“Don’t try anything strange again. Just sit quietly and eat. There won’t be anything wrong with the food.”
At his firm warning, Selachia simply nodded with an unreadable expression.
Nancy, having stopped by the servant in charge of the estate’s correspondence, walked briskly down the hall.
“Nancy, if you’re not busy, want to get a snack—”
“I’m super busy right now!”
One of her usual joking colleagues tried to stop her, but Nancy rushed past.
“I guess the Duchess really works her hard. Ever since she became the personal maid, she’s always running around like that.”
“Isn’t she scared of the Duchess? Ever since that lady came back, I can’t even approach her…”
“What? What’s wrong with our lady! And she doesn’t boss me around like that!”
Even while moving at full speed, Nancy didn’t forget to correct the nonsense she heard behind her.
“She treats me so well. You don’t even know.”
Sweat beaded on her brow as she climbed the stairs, a pleasant smile forming on her face.
Serving the Duchess was as easy and natural as breathing. Truly—it wasn’t just a figure of speech. Compared to the nights when she struggled to sleep after cleaning the annex alone, this was a paradise.
The Duchess even took her meals in her room, barely moved enough to worry Nancy, and didn’t care about her appearance, so there was little to do.
Nancy had even studied how to style hair and adjust her mistress’s attire from other maids at night, but she had never gotten to use those skills.
“…Still, she’s so beautiful.”
Her coral-colored hair and melancholy blue-gray eyes captivated Nancy every day. Sometimes, her lady’s gaze seemed as if she were lost in another world—so mysterious and distant.
But when she opened those pretty lips, softly called Nancy’s name, and gave her a gentle smile, Nancy couldn’t help but blush.
“Your sincerity has already proven itself.”
“The tea is lovely, Nancy.”
“Thank you, Nancy.”
And she was so kind it brought tears to your eyes!
Nancy had never heard such words from her parents or the noble family she previously worked for, no matter how hard she tried.
At first, the “thank you” felt so foreign it gave her chills. But the words were surprisingly addictive. Nancy found herself running around eagerly every day, just to hear that gentle “thank you” paired with a faint smile.
“If I hurry back fast enough, huff, she’ll say thank you again, right?”
She could see the bedroom door up ahead. Almost there. Gasping for breath, Nancy sped up—only to freeze when she saw Roberta.
“Why is the knight outside…?”
At that moment, the bedroom door opened, and a man stepped out, exchanging a few words with Roberta.
Nancy, wary of the unexpected visitor, squinted suspiciously—then quickly softened her expression when she recognized the tall, broad-shouldered figure even from a distance.
Roberta returned inside, and the Duke began walking toward her. Nancy hurriedly caught her breath and bowed deeply.
“H-Hello… Duke.”
She managed to speak without wheezing weirdly.
As Tenus passed her, Nancy spoke up with utmost caution.
“Um… Duke. Forgive my rudeness, but may I make a request?”
Tenus stopped walking and looked down at her. His impassive gaze intimidated her, but she pressed on firmly.
“It’s just… I think we’ll need more supplements. The shark liver oil you gave isn’t enough to restore the Duchess’s strength.”
Facing someone who looked like he wasn’t from this world and radiated overwhelming presence wasn’t easy—but for her lady, Nancy had to be brave.
“Well, actually, yesterday…”
“You mean when Selachia nearly collapsed in the garden?”
“Huh? Oh—yes! Exactly!”
Nancy’s tense lips bloomed into a smile.
Of course he knew without a word—he was her lady’s husband. Had they talked about it sweetly the night before?
Nancy imagined the two holding hands and whispering to each other. She hadn’t seen it, but it had to be picture-perfect.
“I’ll tell Rupert to select something suitable and bring it.”
“Thank you!”
Nancy bowed again. As Tenus began to walk away, he glanced back at her once more.
“Keep watching over the Duchess like you are now. Make sure her health doesn’t falter.”
“Yes, sir! Don’t worry!”
With a booming reply, Nancy watched the Duke walk off into the distance, beaming all the while.
At first, the noble, frighteningly handsome Duke had terrified her. But seeing how dearly he cherished her lady made him seem a little less scary.
“He’s just like any other man after all.”
Nancy giggled and recalled the first day she came to the mansion.
Back then, the estate had been in disarray, and the lady was nowhere to be seen.
The Duke had rushed back from the academy and left at dawn every day, returning late at night with an exhausted face. Even in the dead of night, his office lights never went out. Everything changed the day he came back holding the Duchess in his arms.
The higher-ups had hushed things tightly, so no rumors escaped, but some staff still gossiped that the two were in a fake marriage and that’s why the Duchess had left the ducal house.
“How could anyone say such nonsense when the Duke is that affectionate?”
Of course, Nancy only scoffed at such ridiculous talk.
“If no one else knows, I do—as her personal maid.”
Chortling proudly to herself, Nancy burst into her lady’s bedroom.
Shortly after Tenus left, Selachia was informing Roberta, who had returned, that there was no need for her to escort her to dinner tonight.
There was no need for a guard when she was with Tenus, so Selachia thought it best to give Roberta the evening off.
“I heard from the Duke already. I was actually thinking of using the training grounds during that time, would that be okay?”
“Hmm. Since Sir Belfona is part of the Seidon family… I suppose it should be fine?”
Selachia trailed off vaguely. She wasn’t certain she had the authority to approve it outright.
But Roberta looked pleased, as if she’d received personal permission from the head of the house. Her ponytail bounced cheerfully.
“Finally, I’ll get to see how those Seidon knights fight. I’ve been itching for action.”
When Roberta stretched her neck, a cracking sound echoed, like bones grinding. Selachia was reminded, once again, that unlike her own sedentary lifestyle, Roberta was a very physical knight.
“My escort duty must be awfully boring, huh?”
“Well… I can’t exactly say it’s not. But I actually like it this way. Where else can you earn this much money for such an easy job? Back in the mercenary days, I nearly died roughing it in the wild, and I barely even got to swing my sword.”
“Thank you for saying that, Sir Belfona. If anything ever bothers you, don’t hesitate to tell me.”
Roberta, who had been quietly observing Selachia, smiled lightly.
“You really are generous with your thanks, my lady. To Nancy too.”
“Am I?”
“It’s actually more surprising that you don’t even realize it. Most nobles wouldn’t say such things to their servants—it’s as natural to be served as it is to breathe. Even I was born a noble, so I know.”
Selachia’s smile faltered for a brief moment.
Though she hadn’t been treated well growing up, she was still a noble and had been raised with the help of many servants. But none of them had cared for her as attentively as Nancy did. Her gratitude to Nancy came out almost reflexively, from genuine feeling.
The fact that such sincerity could come across as naïveté in others’ eyes…
It left a bitter taste in her mouth. She never realized her less-than-typical upbringing as a noble lady would be exposed like this.
