Chapter 50

The morning at the Dragania estate began early.

At 5 a.m., before the sun had even risen, I changed my clothes while Tia was still sprawled asleep. I would have preferred to leave her in the care of Irina or Sasha, but since they lived their lives on a reversed schedule, it seemed too much to ask them to look after Tia all day. So, I brought her to the estate, but I was constantly on edge, worried that the Duke might notice her and do something strange.

From what I saw when he assaulted me, he didn’t seem to be a pedophile, but… you never know. It’s better to be cautious.

“Hey! Julia, was it? Come here!”

“Ah, yes…!”

A lively voice came from the kitchen, the only place with bright lights. It seemed the maids were preparing breakfast. I held onto the hem of my skirt and hurried toward the kitchen. The skirt was too long, and I wasn’t used to it. It was much easier to work in a short skirt at the tavern… Ah, what am I saying?

“Go get a mop and clean the kitchen.”

“Huh? But shouldn’t we finish cooking first…?”

“Ah, the floor’s sticky, and I hate it. Hurry up and clean it.”

From the very first day, they were speaking informally to me. These girls had no manners. Even now, while flour was flying everywhere and egg batter was being spilled, they were ordering me to clean just to assert their authority. But I couldn’t argue, so I sighed and picked up the mop.

“There’s no need to clean the kitchen, Julia.”

“Yes?”

“Come out of the kitchen. Your duty is to attend to the Duke. The only place you need to clean is the Duke’s study. Don’t even think about touching the other rooms.”

“Understood.”

At the butler’s quiet command, I quickly stepped out of the kitchen. The maids’ sharp gazes were piercing. They probably thought I was some kind of parachute hire. Well, they weren’t wrong…

“Follow me. The Duke wakes up on his own every day, so don’t even think about entering his bedroom until he comes out.”

“Then what should I do in the meantime?”

“Just keep the study tidy. Once the Duke wakes up, you’ll follow him closely and attend to his needs.”

“…”

It sounded simple, but it was a difficult task. What did “keep it tidy” mean? Should I just clean without a speck of dust, or should I also organize all these scattered books? I decided not to touch the books, in case he was in the middle of important research.

“These thick books are everywhere…”

I couldn’t tell if this was a study or a bookstore. I skimmed through some of the open books, but I couldn’t understand a word. It seemed to be about magic, but all the terms sounded like alien language to me.

“He won’t get mad if I read a little, right?”

I decided to skim just a little. In this world, there are only two ways for a commoner to rise in status: amassing great wealth or learning magic. Since I’m not running a business and amassing wealth is impossible, learning magic is my only option. So, if I could just read and understand these books…

“Ugh, my head hurts.”

It was a ridiculous thought. The Duke’s books were all advanced, with no consideration for beginners. I wished I had the internet; I was so frustrated I thought I’d go crazy. After over an hour, I still hadn’t properly understood a single page and had to return the book to its original place.

‘But when is he going to wake up? I heard he wakes up early.’

Come to think of it, it was time for the sun to rise, but there was no sign of the Duke. His bedroom was right next door, so I wondered if I had missed the sound of the door opening…

“Ah.”

I had indeed missed it. The bedroom door was wide open. I had forgotten that the doors in this house didn’t creak when opened or closed. I was so used to old, unoiled doors that I made a mistake. If the butler found out I had stayed in the study after the Duke woke up, I’d be scolded again. I quickly closed the study door and went to look for the Duke.

‘Is he in the bathroom?’

I went into the bedroom and pressed my ear against the bathroom door, but there was no sound inside. When I opened the door, no one was there. Maybe he was having breakfast, so I ran to the dining room. But the dining room was only bustling with maids preparing food; there was no sign of the Duke. I didn’t know where else to look, and as I was stomping my feet in frustration, a terrible thought crossed my mind.

“Ah.”

The Duke had shown an unusual interest in someone. As soon as that thought flashed through my mind, my heart sank. No, it couldn’t be Tia. I quickly started running toward the accommodation.

.

.

.

“Damn it.”

When the Duke of Dragania woke up in the morning, he closed his eyes again and let out a sigh. His lower body was damp and sticky, and it was extremely unpleasant. He had never experienced this even during puberty, so why was it happening now? Of course, the reason was clear.

“Julia…”

That woman was the problem. He had never felt sexual desire in his entire life, but whenever he saw her, he became restless like a dog needing to relieve itself. It wasn’t as if he had suddenly awakened to sexuality at some point. When Julia disappeared and another maid came into view, his excitement would vanish like a ghost. Only Julia could arouse him. Strictly speaking, there was one more person, but he had already forgotten her face.

“Sigh. What should I do today?”

He was the one who had insisted on making Julia a maid, but now he deeply regretted it. It would be troublesome if his body reacted every time he saw Julia following him around. He considered removing her from the maid position, but he quickly gave up. No maid would look kindly on Julia, who had taken a maid position immediately upon arrival. If Julia were demoted to their level even for a day, he couldn’t imagine the bullying she would face.

“Hmm…”

The Duke quietly opened the door and peeked out into the hallway to make sure Julia wasn’t there. Hearing the sound of pages being turned in the study, it seemed Julia was inside. Not wanting to run into her, the Duke took off his shoes and tiptoed down the stairs.

“Your Grace? Why are you sneaking around like a thief?”

“Be quiet…”

He hadn’t planned on being caught by the butler. The Duke’s face turned red with embarrassment as he quickly put his shoes back on.

“Where is the maid? Ah, this girl. I’ll call her right away.”

“No, leave her be.”

“Ah, I see. You’re waiting to see if she’ll notice and then punish her more severely. I’ll stay quiet then.”

“Ahem, ahem…”

He couldn’t admit that he had sneaked out because he was afraid he might do something indecent if he saw Julia’s face. The Duke awkwardly cleared his throat and stepped outside. The morning breeze felt refreshing. As the Duke took a deep breath with his hands in his pockets, he felt someone tugging at his sleeve.

“Hmm?”

“Uncle, who are you? Where is this?”

“Umm…”

Sparkling blue eyes. The Duke first noticed the beautiful pair of gems. They were eyes that seemed to declare, “I am Julia’s daughter.” Belatedly realizing that the owner of those eyes was a little girl, the Duke turned and scanned her for a moment.

‘She’s a dragon’s child.’

Although the girl had hidden her horns and tail with a hat and skirt, she couldn’t fool the Duke’s eyes. He could faintly smell the scent of his own kind on her. For a moment, he wondered if this child was his own, but he quickly shook his head.

That couldn’t be. The child he had abandoned out of fear was just a newborn. That was only three months ago. But the girl in front of him looked to be at least eight years old.

“So, there’s another one with a peculiar taste for humans.”

“Huh?”

“Never mind. I am Dragania. What’s your name?”

“Tia…”

“Did you ask where this is? Didn’t your mother explain it to you?”

“…”

Tia quietly nodded. She had actually heard the explanation. Last night, while being carried by Julia. She had been told where they were going and what her mother would be doing, but she had been half-asleep, so nothing remained in her memory.

“This is my villa.”

“What’s a villa?”

“It’s another house, separate from the main residence.”

“Wow. Uncle, are you rich?”

“I suppose you could say I’m quite wealthy?”

The Duke had more money than he knew what to do with. He had started releasing some of the wealth he had accumulated over the years, and it was causing quite a stir in the economy. If he released too much, the Emperor would beg him to stop, and if he released too little, the vaults in the snowy mountains would start filling up again. It was a constant headache.

“Then where’s my mom?”

“She’s probably working on the second floor. Your mother is working for me now.”

“Wow…!”

The Duke crouched down to face Tia and patiently explained. Of course, he couldn’t tell the child, “Your mother was raped by me and now hates me like an enemy.” Just thinking about it again made the Duke bow his head in guilt. Although nobles don’t apologize to commoners, this time he genuinely wanted to apologize. It felt like the right thing to do.

“I have something to discuss with your mother for a moment. I’ll be right back…”

“What did you do to my daughter?!”

“…”

At that moment, Tia disappeared from view. Julia had suddenly appeared and placed Tia behind her, glaring fiercely at the Duke. She still thought of me as a pedophile. The Duke’s anger flared, and his desire to apologize vanished.

“Ugh.”

Of course, that was separate from the fact that his lower body had honestly reacted, causing the Duke to lean back and assume an awkward posture.

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