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Chapter 29
“We were the ones who served Young Master Caron as our lord until he became Duke. Even now, when we’re among ourselves, we still call the Duke our lord.”
Madam Melden spoke with a wistful expression, reminiscing.
For Caron, they might be dreadful memories, but to those who had supported him, it was remembered only as a sweet victory.
When the former duke, who had ruled with tyranny, finally died, and it wasn’t his brothers—who resembled him in cruelty—but Young Master Caron who seized the dukedom, everyone had cheered.
That the reign of oppression had ended.
As they had hoped, tyranny truly came to an end, and the House of Peyros was now enjoying unprecedented prosperity.
Caron himself had gone to war, achieving great merit and bringing back vast rewards from the imperial family—he was practically the pillar of the Peyros Duchy.
“We will, under any circumstance, give everything we have to protect our lord.”
“……”
“Please believe just this one thing, Baron Olfné. We know you keep your guard up against us, but none of us would ever be a danger to our lord.”
Everyone nodded in agreement with Madam Melden’s words, their eyes sparkling as they turned to El.
They were all Caron’s people.
And because Caron needed El, they treated her with boundless favor.
“Thank you. I know my presence might be uncomfortable, yet you’ve welcomed me so warmly.”
El hurriedly lifted her teacup to her lips. Only she knew it was to hide the smile tugging uncontrollably at her mouth.
“Young Lady, how was tea time?”
As soon as El stepped down from the carriage, Ena rushed to greet her, wrapping a shawl around her shoulders.
“It was nice. Pleasant, really.”
“That’s good to hear. Not all nobles are the same. It’s like that everywhere.”
“Yes. Truly.”
El recalled the afternoon’s tea party: warm gazes filled with goodwill, kind hospitality, sweet confections, fragrant tea, and conversations laced with mutual consideration.
For El, who had lived in the slums, all of it was a first—an entirely new kind of experience.
Her life had only been one of constant tension, always fearing something would be stolen away, always running, always beaten down.
But today, she had lived a day as beautiful as a dream. And it was all thanks to meeting Caron.
“Ena, where is the Duke?”
“He should be in his office.”
“Then I’ll see him before going up.”
“Yes, please do. I’ll go prepare a warm bath for you.”
After Ena left, El steadied her trembling heart and climbed the stairs. Fortunately, there was a light in the office.
She knocked, then spoke softly:
“Lord Caron, it’s El.”
“Come in.”
The voice was curt and indifferent. Yet even that made El happy—she pushed the door open eagerly and stepped inside.
Caron glanced at her briefly from his documents, then lowered his eyes again.
“Seems you had a rather enjoyable time.”
“Yes, it was wonderful! And it’s all thanks to you.”
El was visibly buoyant. Her cheeks glowed with a rare blush, her lips unable to stop twitching upwards.
The sight made Caron chuckle quietly.
She looked like a child who had just come in from a snowball fight.
“I can tell. But it’s not like I pressured them to send you an invitation.”
“I know. Still, if not for you, I’d have been long dead—mauled by some beast.”
El smiled brightly and bowed. Caron lifted his gaze again, his usual cold eyes fixed on her.
“No.”
“…?”
El tilted her head, puzzled.
“Before that, I would have found you. Saved you. And kept you by my side.”
“……”
“I would have. Without fail.”
His tone was flat, almost casual. But El quickly bowed her head, pressing a hand to her chest to hide the flush creeping across her face.
Yes, this was exactly the man she served.
She felt she would remember his words until the day she died.
“Um, Lord Caron.”
Barely regaining her composure, El called to him with a trembling voice.
“What.”
Though his reply was short and indifferent, he pulled a chair over and motioned for her to sit beside him.
El quickly sat down, then asked the question that had been weighing on her mind.
“You’re going on an inspection of the territory, aren’t you?”
“Yes.”
“Will you… be away long?”
“About ten days. Two weeks at most.”
At his answer, El bit her lip unconsciously.
She had never been apart from Caron for that long. The thought suddenly frightened her—could she manage in the mansion alone?
Her confidence faltered, her eyes drooping.
“I see… then please be careful—”
“What nonsense are you saying.”
“Huh?”
Caron pressed his thumb firmly against her lips, stopping her words. The pressure forced her to release her bitten lip.
His thumb brushed slowly across her soft lips. The spot she had bitten was pale and bloodless.
Caron frowned slightly.
“Of course you’re coming with me. You’re my adjutant, aren’t you?”
“Me?”
“Then what, were you planning to slack off?”
Caron withdrew his hand casually, as if nothing had happened.
“When do we leave?”
“Tomorrow at dawn.”
“…Tomorrow at dawn?”
El’s mouth fell open. Tomorrow? That was far too sudden.
Then, a thought occurred to her—had Caron always lived a life filled only with work?
Even to her eyes, he was always working. El herself would have grown weary of such a schedule, yet Caron handled everything without batting an eye.
“The luggage is already loaded. We only need to make ready for departure tomorrow. Is that a problem?”
At his question, El quickly shook her head.
“N-no, not at all. Then I should go rest now. Please don’t overwork yourself, Lord Caron.”
She rose to leave, but Caron caught her fingertips lightly.
“I’ve never overworked.”
“…Even so. If you keep working late every night, you’ll harm your health.”
El couldn’t quite meet his eyes, answering while staring at nothing in particular.
The touch of his fingers felt searingly hot.
“You really do worry a lot.”
His voice carried a quiet trace of laughter. El, worried her face was far too red, replied softly:
“You’re not just a superior to me.”
“Then what am I?”
“My…”
“If you’re about to say savior or god, just stop there.”
“……”
She froze. That was exactly what she’d meant to say.
Caron smirked knowingly and rubbed his cheek lightly against her hand.
“I’m weak to that sort of thing. Now, off you go.”
“Yes. Good night.”
When Caron let her hand go, El hurriedly gave her farewell and rushed out of the office.
Left alone, Caron gazed at the spot where she’d stood, then murmured to himself:
“…She worries about me.”
There had been others who looked at him with wary eyes, but it had been a very long time since anyone had looked at him with such pure concern.
“…El.”
His dark eyes deepened.
It seemed he would have to move up his plans a little.
After her bath, El sat wearily on the bed.
“Young Lady, please don’t push yourself too hard.”
Ena’s worried voice wrapped around her warmly.
El smiled faintly, clasping Ena’s hand for a moment before letting go.
“Don’t worry. This time, I’ll truly prove useful to the Duke.”
“That’s exactly what worries me. Without a doubt, you’ll push yourself too much.”
Ena had watched El closer than anyone.
Each day, El drove herself to the point of self-torment.
When the tutor left, she would painstakingly transcribe the lessons word for word until she memorized them.
Then she would head to the kitchen, learning under the pretext of cooking—chatting with the maids, learning how to brew tea and select fine leaves.
Once she had mastered enough tea etiquette to host guests, she would head straight to the hall, practicing dance until her feet blistered and rehearsing the art of social conversation.
At night, she studied ahead for the next day, unable to sleep as she fretted about being useless to the Duke.
That was the El Ena had seen.
“Still, it’s better than being useless. I lived uselessly for so long.”
“Young Lady!”
Ena’s voice trembled with hurt, but El remained firm.
“Ena, it’s the truth. The world is merciless. Unless you labor, own capital, or are born into nobility, you end up drifting through life without purpose.”
“……”
“Looking back, maybe I only ever wanted to live quietly in some corner of the world. But without ability, I had to beg or steal just to eat.”
“Young Lady…”
“In the slums, you steal and take from others. That’s the law of the streets. In the end, where you are decides what you become.”
“But—”
“Look at me now. Do I look like the same person who used to get beaten to death for stealing bread in the slums?”
“……”
Even El was amazed at her transformation.
She had once been the weakest, most useless wretch in the slums—who could have imagined she would be treated like this?
When hunger gnaws at you, you’ll do anything.
Her first crime, committed under the weight of starvation, was theft.
A tiny piece of bread, small as her palm.
She had crammed it into her mouth and run until she nearly vomited.
Without that, she could never have survived the slums.
(To be continued in the next chapter)
