Chapter 23

Chapter 23

“I’m not sure exactly what that maid wants. But I think we need to meet someone who was with her during her lifetime.”

I said, facing the Duke.

“Is that so?”

“Yes. But it seems we’ll have to go to the Krentis Imperial Castle.”

“The Krentis Emperor’s birthday banquet is not far off. I’ll request the Emperor to let us go as a congratulatory envoy.”

After that, the Duke became incredibly busy. It was to finish as much work as possible before departing for Krentis. Thanks to that, he was stuck at his desk all day, with dark circles deepening beneath his eyes once more.

At this rate, it seemed pointless for me to take time to play with Shion. I’d been deliberately making time so that child wouldn’t disturb the Duke’s sleep…

“Your Grace, please rest a little.”

Unable to bear it, the butler tried to stop him.

“I’m busy.”

The Duke answered curtly. Having not slept properly, he was turning back into an irritable person.

People really do need to sleep well…

I shook my head and turned the page of the novel I was reading. But I couldn’t concentrate on the book at all. The butler was sending me an intense look. His eyes were practically saying, ‘Do something about our Duke.’

No, what am I supposed to do… He’ll manage on his own…

I rolled my eyes to convey my thoughts to him. But he was rolling his eyes right back, as if to say, please, anything.

“Alright. Your Grace. I think you should rest a bit.”

Having no choice, I agreed with the butler and spoke.

“A trip to Krentis will take at least a month. So I need to tie up everything I can beforehand.”

He said it flatly, like it was nothing. Right. I understood what he meant, but you’re overdoing it, Your Grace. You workaholic…

Words clawed up my throat, but I didn’t dare say a thing to the Duke. Instead, I shot the butler a look that screamed, ‘See? I told you he wouldn’t budge!’

The butler rolled his eyes once more, then jerked his chin toward the Duke. A clear signal to try persuading him again.

For some reason I couldn’t fathom, he actually believed I could talk that stubborn Duke around. Why? When even the butler himself—who’d spent years with him—couldn’t manage it!

‘No way. It’s hopeless.’

I shook my head at the butler.

‘No. You can do it.’

He nodded back at me.

“By the way. You’ll be attending the Krentis emperor’s birthday banquet.”

Just then, the silent Duke suddenly spoke. The butler and I, locked in our telepathic standoff, both flinched at the unexpected voice cutting through.

“Laura. Nothing wrong right now, is there? Go buy yourself a dress worthy of an imperial banquet—under my name.”

He kept his eyes fixed on the documents as he continued.

“A dress, you say?”

“Yes. To enter the Imperial Castle, you’ll come as my partner, which naturally means attending the emperor’s birthday reception.”

I hadn’t even thought of that!

Panic surged in. I’d never been to the kind of gathering those high nobles attend—and it wasn’t my scene anyway. I might be so nervous I’d throw up.

“Your Grace, instead of that, why not help the young lady choose her dress yourself?”

What’s this old man up to now?

I wheeled around to stare at the butler. For some reason, he was giving me a meaningful look, all composed and knowing.

“Since you’re going together as partners, it would be best to coordinate the attire. Besides, when picking clothes, another person’s opinion is invaluable. Your Grace should take on that role.”

“No, that’s fine—”

I tried to answer quickly, but caught the butler’s glare and shut my mouth. It seemed he wanted to divert the Duke’s attention to something outside work.

Well, if that was the plan—even if it meant the awkwardness of choosing clothes with my boss—I could suck it up, I guess…

Crushed under the butler’s stare, I added nothing more. The Duke seemed to mull over his suggestion for a moment.

“What do you think?”

“…If you’d come with me, I’d be happy with that.”

I answered, stealing a sidelong glance at the butler.

Happy now? Satisfied?

“Then I’ll have the carriage prepared. It’s getting late, so why not have dinner together while you’re out? Stop by a tea house too.”

The butler replied with a smile.

* * *

In the end, we went to the boutique together. I picked out a suitable dress for the banquet, and afterward, he stopped by the restaurant with me as well.

Sitting across from my employer at the table, I couldn’t hide how awkward it felt. Come to think of it, besides ghosts, the Duke and I had nothing much to talk about. So I focused all my attention on the meat dish the chef had served. A nagging suspicion grew in me that I’d been played by the butler’s scheming.

“……So you already knew that maid was from Krentis, didn’t you, Duke?”

I asked him that question to break the heavy silence settling over us.

“I didn’t catch on right away. But the uniform she wore—it’s the kind only the Krentis Imperial Palace uses.”

Hmm…… so that’s how it was…….

“Well, I hope she gets to meet the person she’s looking for at the banquet.”

I said it while chewing a piece of meat.

“You said he seemed like someone from the imperial family, right? Then there’s a good chance he’ll attend the Emperor’s birthday banquet. I just pray he hasn’t already died and returned to the sky.”

“Ah…… that’s another issue that could come up.”

I nodded, feeling the juices of the meat roll off my tongue. Then the Duke hesitated for a moment before speaking again.

“……But there’s another problem too.”

“Huh?”

“The truth is, imperial palaces—no matter the country—are places swarming with the dead. Normally, they just wander around, so it’s not too dangerous…….”

I swallowed the meat with a gulp and paid close attention to his words.

“Krentis is a country that’s seen many large and small civil wars over its long history. So in the Krentis Imperial Palace, there are many souls who died violently.”

Nie?

I figured I’d better wrap up the job and get back as quickly as possible. And if I had to guess, that coward of a Duke was probably thinking the same sort of thing.

After all, staying at the Cuvershaiden Ducal Manor was better than lingering in a palace teeming with violently killed ghosts.

I went back to focusing on my meal. Once the talk about ghosts ended, no more conversation passed between us. Silence once again settled quietly over the table.

In the Duke’s office, we always had our own work to do, so it wasn’t that awkward. But sitting face-to-face at the dinner table like this? It couldn’t have been more uncomfortable. It felt like being stuck having an after-work dinner alone with a boss I barely knew.

I lifted my eyes just slightly to glance at the Duke. He was eating slowly with a calm expression, nothing more. Thinking that maybe this awkward air was something only I felt, I picked up my fork and poked at the salad. A petty way to vent my petty dissatisfaction.

But then I noticed it—the Duke kept lifting and setting down an empty water glass. Yes. Definitely. Clearly, it was a transparent empty glass. But he brought it to his lips, took a gulp of nothing (???), and set it back down on the table.

“Why are you pretending there’s water in that glass?”

The duke looked as impassive as ever. Even now, when he was behaving oddly, he managed to seem normal. If I’d been paying even a fraction less attention, I would’ve missed him swallowing dry air.

‘Is he anxious?’

I stared blankly, thinking. He still appeared unbothered—but if he truly were, he wouldn’t have mimed drinking from an empty cup.

In that moment, I recalled the stack of documents he’d left on his desk. That had to be the only thing making him uneasy right now.

“Your Grace, if you’re busy, should I leave?”

“What?”

“Well… you came out mid-work because of me. I thought you might be pressed for time.”

“……No. No.”

He answered slowly, a flicker of fluster crossing his face.

“……Eat at ease.”

Then, after a silence as brief as a sigh, he added, “I mean it.”

‘At ease?! How am I supposed to be at ease?! If you were in my shoes, would you feel comfortable? Let’s just go back already—!’

I couldn’t answer. I just bit my lip.

“While I’m in Krentis, the imperial family’s sending people to assist with my work. So I’m not all that busy.”

Wait—what? *Excuse me?*

“Even you accept help, Your Grace?”

The words slipped out, and I immediately clamped my mouth shut, realizing I’d made a mistake.

“That’s right.”

Luckily, the duke just let out a short laugh as he answered. Then he continued in a slow, measured tone.

“The people the imperial family sends are proven talents. His Majesty is notoriously particular about hiring. So I know they’ll do their part supporting me.”

Come to think of it, hadn’t they sent people once before? Back then, the duke said he was fine on his own and sent them back, didn’t he…?

I nodded, listening.

“The fact that I’ve worked alone all this time is because of *my* stubborn personality—I can’t even stand myself for it. It’s not their fault.”

‘Finally! He admits it!’

I nodded vigorously again, then froze mid-motion. I glanced down at the plate in front of me and pretended I was nodding because the food was delicious.

“…….”

“…….”

But I think he caught me.

“……Overworking yourself isn’t good. That’s why the butler’s always worried about you.”

I quickly feigned ignorance and rushed to change the subject.

“That’s true. Handel has watched me since I was very young, so he’s always fretting over my health.”

The duke let my rude slip slide and answered me.

“By the way, have you ever visited Krentis?”

He asked.

“No. This will be my first time.”

“The Emperor’s birthday banquet always ends with fireworks on the final night. They launch enormous ones so as many citizens as possible can see them. So… if nothing goes wrong, we should be able to watch them too.”

“That sounds spectacular.”

After that, we kept the conversation going on topics that weren’t ghosts. From then on, the atmosphere at the table no longer felt awkward.