Chapter 8

The Male Lover of the Duke of Hermont

“Thank you for the meal!”

A rare feast had been spread across the table.

Apple pie left behind by the master’s family, stew made from freshly picked tomatoes, and even the pheasant Roy had caught herself that day.

For the first time in a while, the warm aroma of food filled the cabin.

“I thought they were going to take all of this away. But the Duke said we could keep whatever he had caught.”

Roy scratched her cheek as she spoke.

“Honestly, I thought we might get kicked out because of all the trouble today. But he cleared up the misunderstanding too… I think he’s a good person.”

“Is that so?”

Harper, sitting across from her, poured her some orange juice with a smile.

“Yes. But the ladies of the household don’t seem very pleased with us. What if they tell us to leave later?”

“If they tell us to leave, then we’ll have to leave. But it won’t be because of what happened today. From the perspective of a new master, there simply wouldn’t be much reason to continue accommodating an aging and sick gamekeeper. So even if that happens, don’t blame yourself.”

His words were calm, but Roy couldn’t help feeling troubled.

She knew better than anyone that Harper’s health was no longer what it used to be.

That was why hearing him speak like this felt unfamiliar.

When Harper had been healthy, he had been exceptionally attached to Elysia Estate. He often said that he wanted to work here for the rest of his life and die here.

If the estate had remained His Majesty’s property, Uncle Harper wouldn’t have to worry about being thrown out…

Roy sighed inwardly.

“Don’t worry, Uncle. The Duke is the one who has the final say, right? If they tell us to leave, I’ll go complain to him.”

“Yeah. It’s reassuring to have you around.”

Harper gave a bitter smile.

“Come to think of it, it’s rare for you to speak so favorably about someone. Do you like the Duke that much?”

“He’s just our new master…”

Roy stopped picking at the meat and gave a vague answer.

Even so, a complicated expression crossed her face.

After a moment, Roy cautiously asked,

“Uncle, do you know much about the Duke?”

“Of course I do. His grandmother—the current Grand Duchess Leonora—was originally an Imperial Princess. That’s why he was brought here when he was young.”

“Really? Did I see him too?”

“You probably didn’t. It was only a brief visit.”

“I see…”

Roy was a little disappointed.

“Besides, the Duke is a hero of the Empire. He was originally only supposed to graduate from the military academy, following his family’s tradition, but he enlisted in the military immediately afterward and eventually rose to the rank of captain.”

“But don’t most noble families avoid actually enlisting?”

“Normally, yes. And the Hermont family has considerable influence in politics, so there was apparently quite a lot of opposition when the Duke decided to enlist. He’s still too young to officially receive the rank of admiral, but his military achievements are so impressive that he effectively commanded an entire fleet during the Battle of Fularen. That’s why people have taken to calling him the ‘Young Admiral.’”

Harper seemed to know quite a lot about the family’s private circumstances.

“Grand Duchess Leonora still doesn’t seem particularly pleased about it, but once he gets married this time, don’t you think she’ll calm down somewhat?”

“The Duke is getting married soon?”

Roy, who had been listening quietly, suddenly looked surprised.

“There have been rumors that he pretended to be a playboy a few years ago to postpone his marriage, but I doubt he’ll be able to avoid it this time. The ladies followed him all the way to Elysia Estate, after all. It seems they’re determined to arrange a marriage for him. I heard they’re inviting young noblewomen to the estate starting next week. I imagine they’re planning to subtly introduce them to the Duke.”

Roy didn’t answer.

She lowered her head for a moment.

A strange emotion surfaced somewhere in her heart.

“What? Are you interested in the Duke romantically too?”

“What? No! Not at all!”

Roy frantically shook her head.

“The other maids kept talking about him, so I was just a little curious.”

“Fair enough. Among the maids around your age, I doubt there’s a single one who hasn’t fantasized about the Duke of Hermont at least once. So it wouldn’t be strange for you to be interested.”

“I told you, I’m really not! I like you best, Uncle. I’m going to live with you for the rest of my life.”

“Hahahaha. It’s nice to hear you say that, at least.”

Harper burst out laughing as though he’d just heard an amusing joke.

“I mean it…”

Roy lowered her head and muttered quietly.

After finishing her meal, Roy lay down on the bed and stared at the ceiling.

The night sky visible through the window was filled with stars.

Beyond the forest, the silhouette of Elysia Estate could faintly be seen.

A dim light shone from the room at the far end of the fourth floor.

Is that the Duke’s room…?

Roy unconsciously stared at the light.

Suddenly, the conversation they had shared earlier that day came back to her.

“Yes. She did. She abandoned me and ran away.”

“Huh…?”

“She got up and left the moment she woke up, before we’d even had the chance to do anything. As though the very thought of being involved with me was horrifying.”

What would he have done if she hadn’t run away?

When he’d been talking with Young Count Alan, he had spoken as though he had some sort of plan.

What could someone who was already about to get married possibly want to do with a woman he’d spent a single night with…?

The thoughts kept circling through Roy’s mind, making her head ache.

She shook her head and forcibly closed her eyes.

“It’s nothing. It probably wasn’t anything important.”

As though making a promise to herself, she pulled the blanket over herself.

For the time being, she would be busy maintaining the hunting grounds, so she wouldn’t have many opportunities to encounter him.

There would be even fewer reasons for them to talk.

Someday, this incident would simply become a distant memory—just another strange little episode from the past.

Come to think of it, I think I’ve lost my pendant necklace.

She couldn’t remember when it had disappeared from around her neck.

She needed to find the necklace, repair the fence, and, now that everything had settled down, find another part-time job.

Roy had plenty to do.

But the Duke seemed to have some idea who was behind what happened today.

Who did he suspect?

He looked angry when he was searching for Natalie too.

Could he have misunderstood something?

In the end, Roy got out of bed.

She walked over to the desk and dipped her pen into the ink.

Just in case.

I’ll leave this behind, that’s all.

The quiet night settled over the forest and the estate.

“Good morning.”

The moment she opened the door, a low voice greeted her.

“Ah!”

Roy jumped back in surprise.

The Duke of Hermont was standing right outside the cabin.

“D-Duke! What brings you here?”

For a moment, she thought she was seeing things.

The sun hadn’t risen yet, and the forest was still shrouded in pale darkness.

“Because I lost the bet?”

“What?”

Vitor smiled leisurely.

“Have you forgotten? The loser agreed to be the winner’s slave for a week.”

“Ah…”

Roy’s mouth fell open.

So he really came here at this hour of the morning to serve as her slave?

Seriously?

“I’m fine, really. The Duke becoming a gamekeeper’s slave? If the ladies of the household find out, they’ll have my head. And technically, I didn’t take down the bear by myself either.”

“Regardless, you’re the one who brought it down in the end, aren’t you? That’s all that matters.”

“And what’s so wrong with being a gamekeeper’s slave? It has to be better than cleaning up after new recruits who throw up.”

Roy was momentarily speechless at his shameless attitude.

“The ladies won’t find out unless you tell them yourself. Anyway, let’s go. What should I do first?”

“Ah, no. Duke! Wait a moment…!”

Before Roy could stop him, Vitor took her bag and headed toward the forest trail.

Roy had no choice but to follow after him, completely bewildered.

At first, she thought he was simply playing around because he was bored.

She assumed he’d do it for a day or two and then give up.

But her expectations were completely shattered.

“Mr. Roy, could you teach me how to split this again?”

For several days, Vitor stubbornly followed Roy around, willingly performing whatever chores she gave him.

It was obvious that he had never done most of these things before, but whether it was because he was naturally good at picking things up or simply because he was talented, he managed to do almost anything reasonably well after being shown just once.

Roy had wanted to find some excuse to send him away, even if it meant claiming that he was no help at all.

But this situation was proving to be surprisingly difficult.