Chapter 37

“You must be Thomson’s daughter. No wonder those muscles looked familiar. What’s your name?”

“B-Berry.”

I couldn’t believe this was real.

The Duchess herself helped me up with her own hand. A commoner like me. And she didn’t even mind my fingers rough and darkened from carpentry and hunting.

I jumped up and blurted out excuses in a panic.

“I-I’m sorry. I heard you came to the monastery without a maid, so I rushed here…”

“Thank you.”

“…What?”

“You worried I might be uncomfortable without help. That is something to be grateful for.”

The most noble woman in northern Lombard thanking me.

Honestly thanking me.

My voice vanished. I only stared and blinked like an idiot.

To reassure me, the Duchess smiled. Her eyes curved softly, bright and warm like sunlight. I stared again, breath caught.

How could a person look so delicate and small. Like a porcelain doll shaped with a master’s hands.

Then her expression turned serious.

“If you stay near me, you will face hardship. Will that truly be alright?”

“There is nothing to worry about.”

I had already accepted that.

The Duchess had many enemies.

In my village, plenty of people owed her their lives, so any misunderstandings cleared quickly. But in distant places she still suffered from ridiculous rumors.

“No matter how difficult it gets, I’m fine. If I can protect you, I will go anywhere with you.”

To repay the grace she gave my family. To bring honor to my parents.

Maybe I originally agreed for those reasons. But now that I had seen her up close, I knew the truth.

All my aimless wandering had led me here.

At the age of twenty-two, Berry finally found her path.

* * *

Breakfast was simple but full of sincerity. Oat porridge. Barley bread. Hard jerky. A little cheese and honey. They clearly put all they had into it.

Even so, I felt strangely conflicted.

“Madam, are you thirsty? Should I bring more wine?”

“Sit and rest, Berry. Standing for so long must be tiring.”

“Not at all. I once camped in the mountains for over two weeks. Standing for a few hours is nothing.”

And each time Berry moved, something behind her turned into dust.

Baron Conte entered the dining hall just in time to witness this. He had complained until sunrise, then fell asleep in the carriage.

The moment he spotted Berry he shrieked.

“Aaaah! A bear came into town?!”

“She’s not a… never mind.”

Berry had just gone into the kitchen. I didn’t even see her go in, but considering the kitchen was half destroyed, I could guess.

‘Thomson has several daughters and they are all talented with tools. Berry was especially quick with errands.’

Now I wondered what kind of “errands” Gilbert used to ask of her.

I would definitely ask him later.

The monks stared helplessly, unsure how to scold the Duchess’ personal maid. I slipped them money for repairs and promised myself something important.

‘Never allow Berry to clean my room. The furniture must survive.’

Right then, the Duke descended from the upper floor.

He looked refreshed. His eyes were relaxed. He definitely slept well.

“Good morning, Madam.”

“Is your insomnia cured already?”

“All thanks to you. A little embarrassing to admit.”

To my annoyance, he sat with a gentle expression that did not suit him one bit. People around us pretended not to listen, but everyone leaned closer. Even the chaos in the kitchen went silent.

“Being with you felt so pleasant that I didn’t want morning to come…”

I kicked him under the table before he could finish.

Even the strongest warrior in the Empire apparently had untrained shins. His strangled groan was satisfying.

“Don’t say things that will make people misunderstand.”

He chuckled, looking up with a familiar spark in his eyes.

His soft smile. The faint red warmth on his cheeks. For one second he looked exactly like the boy I once knew so well.

Sharing a room and a few honest conversations had narrowed a distance that once felt impossible.

Damn it.

I stiffened my face instantly.

“B-Berry. Come greet His Grace. You will see him often from now on.”

“Yes, Madam!”

I had already decided Berry’s role.

If I needed to contact the Duke, I would send Berry. That way it would be the Castle Office that crumbled, not my bedroom.

Berry hurried over to bow when—

“Your Grace. I have an urgent report. I know I should not enter without your command but… kyaaa!”

The door burst open. Knights rushed in and screamed at the sight of Berry.

I turned to look at the Duke.

The warm gaze he had worn a moment earlier vanished. His eyes became cold.

‘So he ordered them not to follow him?’

The more I thought about it, the stranger it was. A Duke traveling beyond the Outer Wall alone. I came here because I wanted to escape and because of personal ties. But him Why take such a risk

‘The Edwin I knew…I could read every thought on his face. Now I know nothing.’

While I hesitated, the knights whispered a rapid report to him. He dismissed everyone from the room except me.

Apparently, Duchess privilege still mattered.

“Judging from the mood, this is about me, isn’t it?”

“That is not it. However…”

Not it Yet the knights kept flicking their eyes toward me, full of restrained contempt and hostility. They tried to act polite, but their expressions gave them away.

What unsettled me most… was the Duke’s calm.

I pressed again.

“Explain.”

Only then did he speak.

“Do you remember Count Alnor?”

“…Yes.”

My expression froze.

Viscount Clayton’s cousin. The lord of a small territory bordering Lombard. And most importantly, the owner of the merchant guild whose contract I ended.

“He has filed a lawsuit against Lombard.”

“Against Lombard? You mean against me.”

A dry laugh slipped out.

When Berthold and Ramon warned me about a legal battle, my answer had been so confident.

‘If Count Alnor has a brain, he will not dare come after me. So let’s wrap this up and—’

Turns out he did not have one.