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Chapter 4
After examining the documents for a long while, Lauren pressed a hand to her forehead. Taking a deep breath, she raised her eyes to look back and forth between Aster and Letti. A sharp glint shone in her tightly furrowed eyes. Startled, Letti accidentally dropped his binder.
“This one and this one—who reviewed these?” “Uh, well, I did…” “And did the Duke sign them himself?”
Letti’s blue eyes darted nervously toward Aster. Sitting with his legs stretched out on the long sofa while reviewing papers, Aster finally looked up.
“What’s the matter?” “Did you double-check these as well, Duke?”
Her form of address for him had reverted back to “Duke.” Tilting his head slightly, Aster got up with deliberate slowness and walked over to the desk. His unhurried movements resembled those of a full-bellied predator.
Lauren, however, was in no state to admire such grace. The moment he stood before her, she thrust the documents toward him. Furrowing his brow, he examined the papers thoroughly. His green eyes, following the script line by line, eventually rolled back up to meet hers.
“I am aware of the contents.” “Then between this one and that one—which do you think is more urgent?”
Lauren placed another document right in front of his face. His brow creased deeper upon checking the paper. Letting out a soft sigh, Aster motioned with his eyes toward Letti. Rattled by the cool gaze, Letti panicked and slammed his leg against the desk. Rubbing his leg with a grimace, he took the documents from Lauren.
“Ugh…”
His blue eyes flickered back and forth, treading carefully between Lauren and Aster. This was undeniably a blunder—one he couldn’t even make an excuse for. Biting his lip tightly, Letti hung his head low.
“I am truly sorry.” “How did this happen?” “Well, you see…”
The document Lauren held out was a petition from a merchant guild requesting tax reductions, claiming it was difficult to open a shop in the duchy. It was a famous establishment specializing almost entirely in luxury goods—so renowned that even Lauren, who had been cooped up in the Sears baronage, had heard of them. Nobles who loved flaunting their status frequented it often, so operating a couple more shops could hardly put them in dire straits.
Even among commoners, those with wealth wouldn’t care, but as far as she knew, the duchy was not affluent enough to sustain such high-end luxury trade. The situation was likely exacerbated by the fact that the lord was away residing in the capital, leaving him unable to properly tend to his people’s livelihoods. Of course, Lauren knew full well that this wasn’t Aster’s fault—the blame lay with the Emperor, who refused to let him return to his estate.
Yet knowing that did not mean she could forgive such sloppy administrative handling. Things that ought to go to the people of the duchy were handed off to absurd swindlers because of this paper. Lauren’s lavender eyes shifted toward Letti. She had thought him a decent person, but surely he hadn’t…
“Mr. Letti, do you happen to accept bribes?” “Don’t say such absurd things!”
Letti jumped in protest. If that wasn’t the case, there was no way such a document could have passed. Lauren tilted her head in confusion.
“No, well, the thing is…”
Hesitating, Letti babbled out an excuse. At his explanation that the official in charge had wept hysterically in front of him about how difficult everything was, causing him to stamp it in a rush, Lauren pressed her forehead once more.
“And I suppose that official was a young, attractive woman?” “Ugh…”
Letti hung his head completely. It was a classic trick. Taking advantage of the fact that the Duke’s adjutant, who had spent years in the military, had no immunity to women, they had pushed through a careless document. The shop in the duchy likely didn’t even exist, or was being used for a completely different purpose—knowing the lord never visited the region.
“Letti, six months’ salary cut by fifty percent.”
Letti clutched his hair and crouched down in despair. At his long groan, Aster brushed his hair back irritably. Seeing his deeply furrowed green eyes, he appeared thoroughly displeased. Still, what needed to be said had to be said. Contrary to the rumors, the fact that he didn’t casually sever people’s heads off had perhaps made Lauren a little bolder.
“This is your fault as well, Duke. You signed the documents Letti submitted without even reviewing them, didn’t you?” “That’s precisely what an adjutant is for…” “No, it isn’t!”
She could see just how overwhelmed Letti usually was with work. At Lauren’s chilly gaze and stern tone, Aster let out a startled gasp and took a step back. Casting a quick glance at Letti, he let out a quiet sigh.
“Three months, thirty percent salary cut. Since you aren’t entirely blameless, I won’t yield any further.” “Well, fair enough.”
That wasn’t a bad compromise. Letting out continuous heavy sighs, Letti staggered up and offered Lauren a bow. Though he voiced his thanks, tears welled in his eyes. Given that he was the Duke’s adjutant, his salary couldn’t possibly be small, making it hard to understand why he reacted so dramatically. Letti announced he would go wash his face and exited the study. Watching his tall figure recede, Lauren couldn’t hold back her curiosity and asked Aster:
“Is his pay low?” “Whose? Letti’s?”
Lauren nodded. Aster raised the corner of his lips and let out a dry chuckle. His fierce expression softened just a bit. To think he would make a face like that… Having rolled around the battlefield together, their bond seemed quite deep.
“I pay him plenty. Even Calvin mentioned it’s generous compared to other places.” “His eyes were full of tears, though.” “If you’re curious, ask him directly. It’s not as if there’s any secret reason.”
Aster murmured casually. She wondered if he engaged in gambling or something similar, but that didn’t seem to be the case. Lauren nodded. If it wasn’t that, it was a relief. A sigh escaped her lips unbidden; there was so much work to be done.
“It would be wise to dispatch someone to the estate. We need to verify whether the shop actually exists or if they’re up to something shady.” “Is that so?”
Leaning against the desk, Aster crossed his arms, lost in thought. He seemed to be weighing whether sending someone was right, or perhaps considering who to send. Lauren stole a quiet glance at him as she organized the spread-out documents. Just because an assistant submits a document doesn’t mean it should be stamped blindly; it ought to be cut off right there. This was basic common sense taught to anyone educated as an heir.
She had heard he was the beloved only son of the Liliwood ducal family, yet looking at him now, he appeared like someone who had received no heir training whatsoever. Going off to war shouldn’t cause someone to forget everything they had learned before, yet…
Still, he really does have a remarkably handsome face.
Swallowing a sigh that threatened to escape, Lauren forcibly diverted her gaze, which kept drifting back toward him. A man who looked like a picture even when furrowing his brow in thought or biting the corner of his lip—it almost made her feel guilty for using him as a means to escape the Sears family. Of course, he had been famous for his good looks since childhood. The kind, fair boy who returned from the battlefield was rumored to have become an untouchable bloodthirsty monster, but she wondered who on earth had started such a rumor.
Contrary to the gruesome rumor that he had slaughtered his parents and more than half the manor’s servants in a single night, he looked like an ordinary young man who joked and laughed. Even when she said things he wouldn’t like hearing, he simply quietly adjusted the level of punishment. Unless he went stark mad, he didn’t seem like someone who would commit such a horrific act. Could it be the aftermath of fighting in the war? Yet the rumors of him committing murder had spread before he left for the battlefield.
Just as Lauren was lost in her absent-minded thoughts, a knock echoed through the room. Startled out of her idle wandering, she snapped her head up. Aster cast a quick glance at the desk clock and straightened his posture.
“It’s already that time.” “Pardon?” “Let’s call it a day.” “Pardon?”
Looking down at Lauren, whose eyes were wide with surprise, Aster buried his face in his hands, pressing his lips together as his shoulders began to tremble. What? I don’t think I said anything funny enough to warrant such laughter.
“You looked so brilliant in front of those documents, yet you truly are an entertaining person, aren’t you?”
He raised a hand to wipe away a single tear caught at the corner of his eye. His green eyes sparkled for a moment. Illumined with light, those eyes were so dazzling that Lauren lost even the will to argue. Still, she had to clarify one thing.
“It’s not ‘aren’t you’.” “Ah, right. Lauren.”
Though she had spoken curtly on purpose, the trace of laughter laced in his reply didn’t fade. Lauren. It was her own name, one she had heard all her life, yet hearing it in his low voice felt slightly… different. Lauren turned her head away, biting her lip softly.
“Let’s go.”
He extended his hand across the desk. Looking down at his hand silently, Lauren eventually rested her hand over his. His hand was large and warm—just like that of the boy remaining in her memories from a very long time ago.
* * *
Waiting for the two was the butler, Calvin. Seeing Aster escorting Lauren, the butler’s grey eyes widened, then crinkled warmly. While Calvin always maintained a smiling face, it had usually carried a businesslike demeanor; at this moment, however, she could feel he was smiling from the bottom of his heart.
“Why are you smiling like that?” “It is nothing, Your Grace,” Calvin replied cheekily, wiping away his broad smile.
Aster still wore a dissatisfied expression, but refrained from pointing anything out further. Calvin put his businesslike smile back on his face.
“Our guest is waiting in the drawing room.”
A guest? Lauren tilted her head. Was there any reason for her to meet a guest visiting the ducal manor? Yet upon facing the scene beyond the drawing room door, she had no choice but to understand. The room, looking as if an entire boutique had been relocated, was bustling with people—far more than the servants she had encountered within the manor.
“Greetings, Your Grace. Thank you for inviting us.”
An elderly lady bowed politely to him. Wearing an expressionless face, Aster merely gave a short nod before sitting down on a long sofa placed in the center of the room. A servant in the room served a tea set on the table in front of him.
“It is a pleasure to meet you, Duchess. I am Jasmine Aloria from Aloria Boutique. You may call me Jasmine. It is an honor to be placed in charge of Your Ladyship’s wardrobe.”
The lady who identified herself as Jasmine bowed deeply to her. In charge of my wardrobe? Lauren instinctively turned around to look at Aster sitting beside her. He was leaning back against the sofa cushions with his legs crossed, casually sipping tea. For someone who claimed he rarely drank tea, the way he held the saucer in his left hand and the teacup in his right was excessively elegant and natural.
“Aster, what is the meaning of this?” “I told you, didn’t I? The Emperor might summon us before long.” “Ah.”
A quiet sound escaped Lauren’s lips. Indeed. The clothes she had brought to the ducal manor were all items too embarrassing to wear before the Emperor. Furthermore, having sold off all her jewelry, it was clear he intended to tailor new clothes, if only to uphold the dignity of the ducal house.
The garments prepared by the boutique ranged from everyday wear and outing attire to grand dresses. While dresses suitable for galas were a luxury, she couldn’t say she didn’t need them. She was no longer a young lady of a baronial house who had no need to attend banquets. Half voluntarily and half reluctantly, Lauren managed a smile toward Jasmine. That her cheeks felt stiff and twitched slightly was entirely unintentional.
