Chapter 5

The Male Lover of the Duke of Hermont

Perhaps this was why people said that if you lived a lie, you could never sleep soundly with your legs stretched out.

Roy was experiencing that proverb firsthand.

Putting aside the guilt of deceiving everyone, pretending to be a man itself had never been particularly difficult for her.

She had always been quick to react to unexpected situations, and her ability to improvise had gotten her out of more than a few crises.

No, to be honest, there had even been times when she enjoyed situations like this.

There were simply too many things a woman couldn’t do in this world, and just by being a man, her options had suddenly broadened.

On a trivial level, she could walk alone at night or confidently haggle with merchants trying to rip her off.

Even when it came to something as simple as saying a few words, women were often ignored or taken lightly, whereas as a man, her words carried weight.

She could even have a job as a gamekeeper.

In fact, that was the best thing about disguising herself as a man.

Roy genuinely cherished and loved this job.

“Ah, martial arts. Well, something like that.”

So that had been about a naval officer?

No matter how much of a physically demanding profession being a soldier was, how could that possibly be similar?

She should have realized it when the other young noblemen were going on and on about him being a hero of the Empire and whatnot.

She had thought he just looked rich and tried to take advantage of him, and now look where that had gotten her.

All she could do was sigh.

“Grandmother must dislike me. Every time she sees me, she nags me about when I’m going to get married. She clearly thinks the fact that you haven’t gotten married is our fault.”

Alan grumbled as he slung his firearm over his shoulder.

“By the way, why did Raul even come if he isn’t going hunting?”

“Because the whole family came?”

“What a close-knit family.”

Vitor shrugged and lightly spun his gun, as though testing its weight with his fingertips.

That characteristic air of composure made it unmistakably clear, even at a second glance, that he was the same man.

“Ah. And about Natalie.”

Suddenly, Alan brought her up.

W-What?

Roy pricked up her ears nervously.

“I tried looking into her, but there wasn’t any information. Nobody in the village knows where she lives, how old she is, or whether she has any family. Apparently, she just suddenly appeared about two years ago, worked part-time only at night, and disappeared without a trace during the day.”

Roy had expected them to simply ask the tavern owner and leave it at that, but it seemed they had actually gone to considerable lengths to search for her.

Why on earth is he looking for me?

I thought the Duke would just consider it a fortunate thing that I disappeared and move on after his mistake.

Roy swallowed nervously for no reason.

“Really? How strange.”

“What should I do?”

“Stop.”

“Huh?”

Vitor spoke in a detached tone.

“Stop looking for her. It seems she’s deliberately hiding. There’s no reason to track her down.”

“Then what’s your plan?”

“It isn’t as if Natalie is the only woman in the world. I can just find someone else.”

“Didn’t you seem to like her quite a lot, though? Ah, no. Right? There are plenty of decent women in Claireville besides Natalie. I’ll introduce you to them slowly.”

Alan hurriedly changed the subject.

Roy tilted her head.

Plan? What does he mean?

It sounded as though he had been looking for her because of some sort of plan.

For a moment, Roy became curious about what that plan was, but soon shook her head.

Forget it. What do I care about the plans of some noble lords? What if I get involved for no reason and my disguise gets exposed?

Just thinking about it was horrifying.

“Hey, gamekeeper.”

Alan called out to Roy.

Roy hurriedly approached them.

“Ahem, ahem. Yes. Is there something you need?”

She pulled her hunting cap as far down over her face as possible and deepened her voice.

The moment she stood in front of them, her heart began pounding like a freshly caught fish flopping around on a deck.

“How much farther do we have to go? I haven’t seen a single animal.”

“The hunting grounds at Elysia Estate are rather large compared to ordinary hunting grounds. The entire area is close to five hundred hectares. I believe it’s because we haven’t gotten very far from the entrance yet…”

“Why the hell is it so ridiculously huge? If I’d known this, I would’ve brought a horse.”

Alan made no effort to hide his boredom.

We’ve barely walked at all.

Apparently, since he didn’t exercise normally, even a little walking had exhausted him.

Remembering Alan’s delicate wrist, which had flopped over like a paper doll when they had arm-wrestled, Roy suppressed a laugh and continued.

“If we go a little farther, you’ll find plenty of birds such as pheasants and quail inhabiting the grasslands and wetlands. There should also be larger game, such as deer and wild boars, in the oak groves. Or, if you’d like, I could have the other servants prepare horses even now?”

“No. We’d have to wait again.”

Then what did he expect her to do…

Carry him on her back and run?

“You can wait here and ride over once they arrive.”

At that moment, Vitor, who had been silently watching, spoke up.

Roy glanced up at him.

“Judging by how you’re already complaining, it seems you won’t even be able to walk up to the middle of the mountain. Isn’t that right, Mr. Roy?”

“Ahem, I can…”

At the distinctly gentle way he called her name, Roy hurriedly adjusted her hunting cap.

Cold sweat trickled down her back.

“I’m not that weak, you know?”

“Anyway, hunting is boring. How about making a bet?”

“Are you seriously addicted to gambling? Are you drowning in dopamine or something? There are only two of us. What kind of hunting bet can we make?”

“Three.”

Vitor gestured toward Roy with his chin.

“Mr. Roy should participate too. His Majesty was boasting that the gamekeeper at Elysia Estate is an excellent marksman. Let’s see what you’re made of.”

Caught completely off guard, Roy was extremely flustered.

“I beg your pardon, but the gamekeeper His Majesty was referring to probably wasn’t me. Until recently, I was only an assistant. I’m merely filling in as a guide for the time being because of some circumstances…”

“If you’re the assistant to that gamekeeper, I’m sure you can shoot well enough. What, are you not confident?”

For a moment, the words Roy had spoken on the day she first met Vitor flashed through her mind.

So this is what it feels like…

Even so, she couldn’t afford to take the bait here.

Looking troubled, Roy silently scratched the back of her head.

“Seriously, why would we go hunting with a servant? It’s beneath us.”

Fortunately, Alan, who had been listening to their conversation, interrupted.

“And you’re a naval officer while he’s a gamekeeper. How am I supposed to beat you two?!”

“I’ll give you a handicap. You start with three deer.”

“Wow. No way! Aren’t you looking down on me way too much?”

“The person who brings back the largest game wins. If they’re about the same size, then we’ll count the number.”

“Then I’ll lose even if you two only catch wild boars!”

“How about the loser becomes the winner’s slave for a week?”

“That’s childish. Not fun!”

“You wouldn’t find it boring if you actually became the gamekeeper’s slave, would you?”

“That’s why I’m asking why you keep dragging him into this!”

“Let’s split up and meet again in three hours.”

“Hey! I said I don’t want to do it!”

Ignoring Alan’s incessant complaints, Vitor walked away in long strides.

“Argh! That bastard never listens!”

Alan threw punches wildly into the air.

The flailing movements were thoroughly unimpressive.

Roy had wondered how two people who seemed to have nothing in common could possibly be friends.

Now, she thought she understood.

Wow. He really does whatever the hell he wants…

Vitor was every bit as reckless as Alan.

Once he set his mind on something, he charged straight ahead without caring about the people around him.

His stubbornness was truly something else.

“Hey. You’d better know your place.”

Alan glared at Roy and warned her.

“Understood.”

Roy obediently lowered her head.

Alan took a few servants with him and headed in the opposite direction from Vitor.

I wasn’t planning on taking this seriously from the beginning anyway.

This wasn’t some tavern where people would laugh off someone crossing the line a little.

Roy wasn’t foolish enough to offend her employer by thoughtlessly bruising his pride and making him dislike her.

But how much should she catch in order to lose by just the right margin?

She couldn’t let it look like she had deliberately lost.

Honestly, nobles had all sorts of ways to torment people.

“I’m tired…”

But they hadn’t noticed anything, right…?