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Chapter: 06
. The Fragrant Insolent Fellow
Before the duke discovered her disguise and even before he realized that she was the one who had spent the night—Clio—the first step was to leave the house while he still thought of her as a man.
Of course, having only worked for three months, she now faced a situation where she would have to pay back nine months’ worth of salary from the year’s pay she had already received. But that was still far better than paying a penalty or facing punishment.
Finding the money now seemed like a distant concern, something to deal with later.
She immediately headed back to the duke’s room she had just fled from.
Once a decision was made, there was neither time nor reason to dawdle.
Knock. Knock.
“Duke, it’s Klein.”
“Come in.”
At the duke’s reply, Clio entered his room.
“What is it?”
The duke, writing something, asked without looking at her.
“I—I must apologize, Duke, for what I have to say.”
“Speak.”
He still didn’t look at her.
“Before I inform the butler, I thought it would be proper, as a serving attendant, to tell you first.”
The duke, who had been moving his quill, finally stopped and lifted his head to look at her.
“Why waste time circling around? If you have something to say, just say it and leave.”
There was a chill in his tone, like a cold wind blowing.
Why did the duke seem to treat her differently each time she entered the room, as if his mood swung from winter to summer?
Yesterday, he had almost driven her away as if she carried a contagious disease, yet a moment ago, hadn’t he asked her trivial questions in a manner so unexpectedly gentle it almost felt affectionate?
And now, he was like a bath of ice water.
Ever since the night of the incident, the duke’s mood tended to shift so drastically that it was hard to keep up.
Still, it was easier to deal with coldness than sudden familiarity.
“Duke, I’m very sorry to say this after only three months of employment, but I think I must resign.”
“……What?”
“My mother has been ill, and I must take care of her. I will discuss repayment for the salary I took in advance for her treatment with Mr. Wilson.”
“……I see?”
“Yes!”
“…….”
She had expected the duke to simply acknowledge it, yet he said nothing more.
Well, it had only been three months.
Although it was an unavoidable choice, she still felt a pang of shame.
“If there are many other servants who can take over my role, I will continue to work until a replacement is found, even if it’s just a few days.”
As long as she could leave the duke’s residence before Sir Joyce returned with information from the Information Guild.
“You took your salary in advance for treatment?”
Only then did the duke speak. Surprisingly, the topic was her salary.
Apparently, he didn’t know she had received her pay early.
“Yes, I’ll repay it gradually, even if not immediately.”
“……Very well. It seems you’ll be worried while your mother is unwell.”
“Oh, yes.”
Finally, with the duke’s approval, Clio felt her stiff neck and shoulders loosen slightly.
“Thank you. And I’m truly sorry for leaving so suddenly.”
She even had a moment to add a proper farewell.
“Then leave. Um… coordinate with the butler about when exactly.”
“Yes. Understood.”
Clio bowed and exited.
She did not notice that the duke’s gaze stubbornly followed the back of her head.
Thud.
With the door closing completely, Hughrey snapped back to reality, frowning at the ink smudges left on the stationery.
Unconsciously, he had pressed the quill against the paper too hard.
“I’ll have to rewrite this.”
Muttering with a slight frown, he was in the middle of writing a letter canceling the marriage negotiations with the Tilbott family, who held territory in the Kingdom of Tigrium.
The Tilbott family…
Long ago, upper predator beastmen fought intense territorial wars. As a result, the top predator species—the lion and tiger beastmen—divided the continent between them, establishing separate nations.
They ruled not only humans but also lower predator and prey beastmen.
However, other top predators, such as wolves, hawks, and snakes, refused to submit to their rule.
They simply remained in their own territories within the divided nations, coexisting independently.
It was an old agreement: acknowledge the supremacy of lions and tigers but allow no interference.
For the Ulpaz dukes, who had fought lions to maintain their independence in Elrion, the Tilbott counts had played a similar role in Tigrium.
In other words, Ulpaz and Tilbott were the backbone of the wolf beastmen. This was also why they had been the families most frequently paired to produce Alphas.
So it was expected, not just by him but by all wolf beastmen, that an Alpha like him would be marked with a wolf beastwoman from the Tilbott family.
Yet, he had unexpectedly imprinted a human woman.
Since an imprint cannot be undone, any marriage negotiations with Reyna Tilbott, who carried wolf beast blood, were automatically void.
He set the quill in the stand and crumpled the ink-stained letter.
But when he pulled out a new sheet of paper, he abruptly crumpled it again without writing a single word.
Quit? Just like that? On a whim?
After months of work, to be told without warning?
The irritation he had barely suppressed exploded.
And it wasn’t because of the broken imprint, but because of a single serving attendant.
Normally, he would not be angered by a servant resigning to care for an ailing mother.
Yet, he forced himself to restrain the surge of frustration and behaved rationally, as a sensible, logical being should.
Even so… why did it make him so angry?
Because of Tigrium language abilities, her salary had been set high.
And she had taken it in advance!
She had been appointed as a personal attendant specifically for her language skills, yet was clumsy and hesitant at her duties.
Moreover, she was leaving without using those skills even once! With the marriage to Reyna Tilbott now impossible, there was no need for an interpreter. Logically, any other servant could have taken her place.
Still…
Insolent, and… fragrant, too!
She had the audacity to leave in the midst of this chaotic situation? Without any thought to her master’s discomfort?
Even knowing Clio Liden was unaware of the imprint, he was flustered.
Yes. He had even considered her unusual vacation circumstances.
And now, she was quitting, abandoning him entirely.
That insolent, fragrant fellow.
“…!”
His eyes widened.
Abandoned? A mere servant abandoning their master? Ridiculous.
“Insane. Truly not in her right mind.”
Feeling abandoned over a servant’s resignation, his mind had been spinning since the imprint.
He closed his eyes and took a deep breath.
He was not normal right now. He needed to calm down.
The inexplicable anxiety, unease, and irritation—surely it was all because of the imprint.
He just needed to find the imprint target.
Clio.
If he could only find her.
“You had a guarantor when taking the salary in advance, so it shouldn’t be a major problem.”
Wilson said while looking at the documents.
When Clio had moved into the duke’s residence, she had listed Calkus as her guarantor.
The butler had been displeased at her sudden resignation but, since the duke had permitted it, said she could leave even tomorrow without objection. Now, only the advance salary needed to be handled.
“Yes. Calkus Takan, a friend of mine.”
“Hm… Calkus Takan. Lord Borgen vouched for him, I see.”
“Yes.”
Not just anyone could receive an advance.
Clio had used Calkus as her guarantor, and since Calkus worked for Lord Borgen, Borgen had provided the verification.
A commoner with nothing to their name wouldn’t count, but a lord like Borgen was reliable.
She had been curious how Calkus managed to get the lord’s verification, as few servants would do such a favor.
Regardless, with Calkus’s verification, Clio was able to take her salary in advance.
Though she hated putting Calkus in such a position after all he had done for her, there was no other option.
“The address is still Borgen, right? Same region as the guarantor.”
Wilson, having resolved the salary issue, now confirmed basic personal information.
These were the employment documents sent by Clio’s twin brother, Klein, when applying to the duke’s household.
Since Klein wrote them, Clio had never actually seen the documents herself.
“Yes. He’s a childhood friend. I’ll send the money as soon as I find work back home.”
Thinking of Calkus, her heart felt heavy.
What should she say if asked why she had to quit after only three months?
“I see. But keep in mind that the later the date, the more interest accumulates. I don’t want to be harsh, but rules are rules.”
“Yes! Of course!”
Confirming the afternoon tea schedule, Clio bowed to Wilson and hurried to the duke’s office.
In the duke’s office, only the clinking of the teacup she held filled the quiet.
The duke, sitting at his desk with arms crossed, simply watched her, appearing displeased.
The room was usually quiet, but today, the silence felt especially oppressive, making the teacup noise annoyingly loud.
“So, have you finished your business? When are you leaving?”
Just as the silence was becoming unbearable, the duke finally spoke.
Clio gripped the teacup tightly, afraid she might drop it in her nervousness.
“I’ll finish work today and leave tomorrow.”
“Tomorrow…”
“Yes.”
“…….”
The duke fell silent again, yet his intense gaze remained fixed on her.
It was a silence that made swallowing and even breathing uncomfortable.
“Shall I bring the tea to your desk? Or leave it on this table?”
Just put it on the table and tell me to leave quickly. Don’t come near! Just like last time!
“Leave it there.”
Phew…
Relief.
At least until the duke suddenly stood up from his chair, muttering as if to himself, “I’ll come over then.”
