Most of the tribute items are not sent to the Duke personally, but to the Duke’s Mansion, and the useful ones among them are intercepted by the council of elders.
The rich get richer.
‘So you’re embezzling the tribute items that came to the Duke’s Mansion because there’s nothing to take?’
It was annoying that a part that was dismissed lightly became reality.
“Do you like tribute items, Teacher?”
“I’ve never received one, but wouldn’t it be fun to look at valuable and precious things?”
The Duke gently smiled, recalling the errand they did on the first day they met.
Then he soon suggested to her, saying that a good idea came to mind.
“Then, shall we unpack the tribute items together instead of having a lesson that day?”
In fact, the Duke was thinking of giving Carol a gift other than a flower that wilts quickly.
But it was clear that if he gave it straight to her, who feels burdened even by expensive flowers, he would be rejected.
So the Duke was thinking of using the task of unpacking the tribute items as an excuse to give a gift.
“With me?”
Unpacking tribute items?
Even if it wasn’t visible, it was easy to read that Carol would be surprised and jump up.
The Duke added a plausible reason.
“I thought it could be considered as part of tactile education.”
“…If you say so…”
“Then let’s do that.”
“But if we touch expensive items incorrectly, it could be a big problem.”
“We’ll exclude very expensive items.”
Although she felt swayed by his words, it didn’t seem like a bad idea.
He said he wouldn’t bring expensive items, but just the Duke paying attention to the tribute items would make the council of elders a little wary.
And it was the first time the Duke suggested something first.
She felt something fluffy and soft spreading in her heart.
“Shall we do that then?”
“No dilly-dallying.”
At Carol’s affirmative words, the Duke’s stiff shoulders finally relaxed.
The Duke smiled. His beastly teeth were exposed, but it wasn’t scary at all.
Is it because he’s a beast?
‘It’s more cute than scary…’
Carol shivered at her own thoughts and shook her head.
Slap!
Carol slapped her own cheeks and cleared her throat.
“Well, shall we proceed with the lesson for now?”
The Duke learned everything faster than Carol had thought.
Now the lessons were stable, they read a paragraph from the book each, and whenever an unknown word came up, they explained it.
The lesson time went smoothly.
It was nearing the end of the lesson. Carol pressed her forehead.
“I’m thirsty, can I make another cup of tea?”
“Let’s do that. I’ll also ask for one.”
Carol scurried towards the fireplace.
After baking potatoes in the fireplace before, Carol thought it would be good to utilize the fireplace.
The Duke didn’t seem to have much discomfort, but if there was a kettle and she could use it skillfully in the future, she thought the quality of life would change.
‘She strongly opposed it.’
She remembered Mrs. Wells, who was disgusted when she first suggested putting a kettle.
[A kettle on the fireplace?]
[Yes.]
[I think that’s…]
[Is it not possible, ma’am?]
[A kettle in the Duke’s room. It diminishes the dignity.]
[What’s the use if it’s not even visible? If it’s convenient for the teacher, let’s do it.]
Mrs. Wells showed displeasure, but thanks to the permission of the room owner, Carol gained the right to place a kettle on the fireplace.
“It’s good to be able to drink hot tea anytime, right?”
“Yes, thanks to you.”
The Duke acted as if he could see inside the room. She hadn’t taught the Duke to use a hot kettle yet, so he didn’t use the kettle when he was alone, but the Duke was quite satisfied just knowing that Carol was comfortable.
“It would be better if you could use it alone later.”
Carol yawned at the end of the guarantee.
She was tired as if she had put a lump on her shoulder because she couldn’t sleep because of what Louis said.
‘It was good to ask Norman to bring it when I came earlier.’
Carol poured tea into the Duke’s empty cup, waited for the tea to brew well, and then mixed in the milk and sugar she had asked Norman to bring.
Every time she stirred, a sweet smell spread.
The Duke asked when he heard the sound of a teaspoon hitting the cup.
“What are you doing now?”
“I was tired today, so I put some milk and sugar in the tea.”
At home, she drank it mixed with jam instead of luxuriously adding milk or sugar. As soon as she took a sip, her body warmed up.
“I remember eating it often when I was young.”
“When you were young?”
She always drank clean tea, so she didn’t recommend it on purpose, but when he showed interest, she felt awkward as if she had only drunk it in front of the landlord.
“It’s hearty when you’re tired. Would you like to take a sip?”
It was a joke. After this, she should have said, “It’s a joke.” and said she would pour it into a new cup.
Carol’s wrist was caught at once. Carol had been in front of the fireplace just now, but where his hand touched was hot.
He naturally led her hand to his front.
The distance closed in an instant.
“Then I won’t refuse.”
And the Duke’s lips touched the opposite side where Carol’s lips had been.
At a distance where his breath could be felt, Carol’s body stiffened. After taking a sip, the Duke let go of Carol’s hand.
“…It’s good to have it after a long time.”
“…Uh, uh…”
Carol looked at the teacup and the Duke alternately with a flustered face.
The Duke sipped his own teacup with a natural face.
Looking back, they couldn’t even sit together at the bedside table at first, but before they knew it, the two were sitting side by side here, even drinking tea.
“I’m looking forward to the founding day for the first time in a long time.”
“Huh?”
Like a child, she took a sip of tea avoiding the part where the Duke’s lips had been.
Why does it taste sweeter than before?
Carol, who couldn’t figure out the reason, gulped down the tea.
The curse that had been a headache all along, and Louis’s suggestion to go to the capital together, couldn’t stay in Carol’s mind at this moment.
****
In the novel, the way to break the curse was typical.
What seems easy to solve becomes extremely difficult with a few additional conditions.
The basic premise is that a person who loves the Duke kisses the Duke.
If that was all, Margaret Chesworth would have broken the curse.
But conditions are attached to the person who loves the Duke.
First, have divine power.
The size of the divine power is not important. It was not a problem even if the divine power was less than Elisha Chesworth. The curse was the kind that responded to even a very small divine power.
The problem was the second condition. Never seen the Duke’s original form.
This condition is the biggest stumbling block to breaking the Duke’s curse.
There are only very few people who have met the Duke who has become a monster, and the probability of finding a person who loves the Duke who is trapped and ferocious among those few people is no different from finding a needle in a desert.
The reason Margaret Chesworth couldn’t break the Duke’s curse was also because of this condition.
Because Margaret restrained Elisha from meeting the Duke, Elisha was able to meet all the conditions to break the curse.
And there seemed to be another condition… I couldn’t remember the last condition at all.
Neigh-!
At the sound of the horse neighing, Carol suddenly came to her senses. Before she knew it, the carriage had stopped.
Carol washed up as usual, changed into her pajamas, and went straight to bed.
Normally, she should have fallen asleep in no time.
But she couldn’t sleep until she transformed from a human to a sparrow.
‘Surely I was tired on the way home from the carriage…’
When she lay down on the bed, her mind was drowsy as if she could doze off at any moment.
‘Did I drink too much tea earlier?’
In the end, Carol straightened up while sitting down. Then, while sitting down, she tidied up her ruffled feathers with her beak and pondered what to do.
If she had a human body, she would have cooked or knitted, but there was nothing she could do at home as a bird.
The narrow house felt huge. Carol sat by the window, flapping her wings.
‘Should I go outside after a long time?’
The weather was perfect for flying.
Her siblings hated Carol going out as a bird because it was too dangerous.
Since she had not returned for a long time after going out before, the two overprotected Carol as a bird.
But the siblings went to the academy, and there would be no problem as long as she returned before the two came home.
She opened the window locked with her beak, squeaking.
Flap.
She spread her wings wide and flew up. Her body floated lightly, and the cold wind brushed her cheeks.
It was quite a distance to walk to the downtown area, but it was quick to fly.
She couldn’t go as far as the Duke’s Castle, but it was quick to the other end of downtown.
She sat outside the window to see a newly opened knitting shop.
‘That knitting pattern is nice.’
Now she could make a scarf decently, but the person she wanted to give a gift to was none other than the Duke.
It seemed stupid to give a handmade scarf to a person who only wore luxury goods, but she still wanted to give it.
‘Buying something is more burdensome.’
She didn’t have the money to buy something that would satisfy him.
It was the Duke who had said that the tribute items were nothing special.
She should give it as a gift saying that it has no great meaning because it’s the founding day.
Clatter.
It was when Carol flew and sat on a nearby tree as the owner of the knitting shop opened the window wide.
A person who stands out among people passed through Carol’s field of vision.
