Chapter 41

‘Were there ever any guests here worth calling guests? Except maybe that pig who doesn’t even know his place.’

‘Y-Your Grace!’

‘If you dare speak of my wife carelessly again, I can’t guarantee what happens next.’

A suffocating pressure filled the air.

Just one indifferent glance from the Duke made the Count choke up, unable to move even a finger.

He had poked a hornet’s nest. One wrong word and he was done for.

Right then…

‘Did I make you wait too long?’

‘Impossible. Even a moment waiting for you is pure joy.’

As soon as the Duchess returned, the Duke instantly switched to a polite, friendly smile as if nothing had happened.

That sudden shift made the Count’s breath catch all over again.

‘He surpassed human physical limits and was said to be detached from worldly concerns? Emotionless and unfeeling?’

Bullsh*t.

He wasn’t unfeeling. He just saw everything beyond what he cared about as worthless trash.

His advisors seemed to reach similar conclusions as they scrambled to analyze the situation.

“When we think about it, the Duchess was always polite to us.”

“She never acted arrogant. She showed proper respect the entire time. Have the rumors been wrong?”

“That might be possible, I’m afraid.”

“What on earth is going on!”

Even the rumors became impossible to trust.

To make matters worse, it looked like the Duke was fond of his wife. Whether it was normal affection or something deeper.

“In this situation, I don’t even know if the Duchess really broke the contract.”

Everyone sighed miserably.

A heavy silence settled over the sitting room.

* * *

“Your Grace, may I have a moment? I have something to discuss.”

The banquet ended without further incident.

The Count and his entourage left to rest, and I called out to the Duke just as he was about to leave his seat.

“It won’t take long.”

“…?”

The Duke glanced down at the arm I had lightly touched, looking startled.

It was only a tiny graze of contact, yet his reaction was unusually big so I quickly let go and stepped back.

Ever since returning from the monastery he’d seemed a little more comfortable with me, but lately he reacted like this again.

Even the slightest touch made him flinch and withdraw.

What was going on in his head?

Without saying a word, he dismissed the servants and took a seat.

“You may speak freely.”

“I need a small portion of the mountain guard.”

“You want soldiers? It’s not difficult, but may I ask why?”

“Brother Vincent went missing in the mountains. It’s already been several days. I’m afraid he might have been harmed by beasts.”

“…Who?”

The Duke froze at the name.

Then his brows furrowed, like he had just heard the worst thing imaginable.

The reaction was so extreme, I scrambled through my words wondering if I had said something forbidden.

‘I didn’t say anything wrong.’

Brother Vincent was a priest dispatched from the Holy City Argenbach.

Even if he was low ranked, if he were harmed by beasts it could spark friction between Lombard and the Holy City.

That would be bad politically and religiously.

The Duke definitely knew that.

So why the hell was he looking like a psychopath?

‘Does he think I’m interfering with his authority?’

Because Lombard bordered the Northern Wall, military power was exclusively the Duke’s.

Maybe my request looked like I was stepping over that line.

Ambition. Power struggle. Who knows.

‘That’s why I’m asking politely. What more does he want?’

Either way, this was about Vincent’s safety.

I pushed through the Duke’s suspicion with all sincerity I had.

“Brother Vincent is just a timid, powerless priest. He must be lost in the mountains, shaking with fear. Please show him mercy.”

“…?”

Even with my heartfelt plea, he still looked like he couldn’t comprehend why this mattered.

“Is searching really necessary? If we wait, he might come back on his own.”

“You may climb mountains alone without issue, Your Grace. But Brother Vincent is different. The only things he ever held are scripture and a pen.”

I was getting extremely frustrated.

Before he could argue again, I cut in firmly.

“You must send soldiers. If you refuse, I will stop receiving guests and withdraw from internal affairs entirely.”

“This is awkward…”

Was I hallucinating?

The Duke almost looked… sulky.

I assumed I must have been mistaken and kept pushing.

“Your Grace.”

“Yes.”

“If you were the one missing, would I not react the same? Would I not beg others to find you, send soldiers for you?”

“No?”

Why would I worry about the most overpowered man in the Empire? Someone capable of ripping giant monsters apart with bare hands.

Especially when that man was my executioner in the past.

“Your Grace, don’t be upset.”

“In that case, shouldn’t we worry for the beast instead of you?”

“…What?”

“You are the Duke. I don’t believe you’d ever break under any circumstance. That’s what I think.”

“You believe I would never break…”

Why…

He gave a strangely bitter smile before masking it again.

“No matter how strong I am, that’s a very difficult thing. But it feels good that you believe in me.”

“Oh. Right.”

There’s a saying that interpretation matters more than the dream itself.

I didn’t say anything aloud though. He looked genuinely pleased.

As expected, it didn’t take long before he nodded.

“It’s your first request to me. I can’t refuse. For the timid, powerless priest who has only ever held scripture and a pen, I shall dispatch soldiers.”

“Thank you, Your Grace.”

“Though in my opinion, it’s completely unnecessary.”

I pretended not to hear that last line and thanked him again.

We called Ramon to confirm the Duke’s approval and ordered the mountain search party to move.

Once that was settled, the Count’s group returned right on time.

* * *

At the head of the massive negotiation table sat the Duke.

To his right were me and Ramon. To his left, the Count and his retainers.

Facing the Count, the Duke calmly and gently explained Lombard’s position.

“Why are they acting like that?”

“Everyone reacts like that in front of the Duke. You’re the only exception, Madam.”

Ramon cut into my mutter.

The Count and his advisors were drenched in cold sweat, glancing toward me from time to time like they wanted me to rescue them.

But the Duke wasn’t threatening them.

He simply and quietly repeated the facts. Lombard could not pay compensation for the contract breach, and they also could not release the guilty Viscount Clayton.

It was logical. It was principled.

If compensation were paid, that would mean Lombard admitted fault regardless of the trial outcome.

But they also couldn’t release someone who almost caused a disaster with shoddy construction.

“That’s all it takes to terrify them?”

“The Duke terrifies all northern nobles. The Lombard forces are overwhelming, but above all, his martial prowess is beyond imagination.”

“He’s still human though.”

“Human? You’re the only one in the world who could think of him that way. In Lombard, he is like a god.”

I tilted my head.

I knew the Duke was powerful.

I had never watched him fight monsters myself, but knights often praised him with heated passion.

Still, he was Edwin. Physically strong, sure, but fundamentally a normal person.

Someone who likes sweet tea and desserts. Someone who gets sentimental when the year changes. Someone who sulks easily, yet forgives quickly. Someone who complains when he doesn’t want to work.

Just a person like anyone else.

Without meaning to, I murmured.

“He must have been lonely.”

“No way. That man doesn’t feel human emotions like―”

Ramon suddenly jumped away from me.

Because at some point, the Duke’s gaze had shifted this way.