“…I see Her Highness the Princess Anastasia. Please forgive me for the disrespect.”
Constantin quickly bowed and greeted her. The other person seemed a little surprised by the quick action.
“How did you know? Ivan, is my name written on my face?”
“That’s a bit…”
Constantin almost coughed when the young man who appeared to be the escort next to her agreed. But when he craned his head to look up, he saw the girl in front of him, her eyes wide, and he coughed very quietly.
“Oh! I see. You’re the one who wrote the report to the capital, aren’t you?”
“How could you know…”
The little, chick-like yellow bird on the girl’s shoulder chirped cheerfully. It wasn’t tethered to anything, but it flapped its wings around her and wouldn’t leave. She looked up at him and asked.
“What’s your name?”
“Constan… tin, my name is Constantin LeShavin, and I work with the duke as his personal assistant.”
“Are you on your way in from outside? Karno… to report something to the duke?”
“Yes.”
“Are you in a hurry?”
“Yes?”
“Is it urgent? Do you have to go right away?”
“Oh, no. Nothing like that… No. Is there something you want me to do?”
“Then come with me. I’m just on my way to the kitchen for a quick snack.”
“If you need a snack, you can send for a servant, or just let me know and I’ll…”
“Oh, not that. Karnov said he was still working, so I thought I’d make him something.”
The princess smiled innocently. Constantin, being the competent aide he was, realized that he’d said enough to question the princess today, so he followed her silently.
“So, what does Constantin have for dinner?”
“Uh… I have some nuts.”
The first reason for Constantin’s answer was because he saw a bundle of pecans lying on one side of the kitchen, which the princess had naturally visited.
If the girl was serious about making her own snacks, and if she was going to take him for his word and make something, he chose to make it as simple as possible.
“No, I meant what Constantin likes for a snack, I must have worded it wrong.”
The girl’s words were hard to understand. It was as if she knew he had talked about nuts that he didn’t even like.
“I…”
Really nuts… Constantin was going to say that, but his mouth went dry as he looked at the girl’s face.
“Actually, I like to put fruit jam on biscuits… I like it but…”
“Okay! Then I’ll make it for you tomorrow. It’s already been decided to make sandwiches today.”
Constantin nodded at the girl’s words. He was going to get through the day by simply agreeing to whatever the girl said.
What Constantin didn’t realize was that earlier in the day, the chef had thought exactly the same thing as him, and that thought had been shattered within seconds.
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In fact, Constantin had never been in the kitchen properly before. The best he could do was assemble ham and cheese between bread and buns for a quick drink with the butler.
If it wasn’t for his natural wit and dexterity, he would have had a hard time figuring out if the princess was being sincere or not.
The princess, who arrived today, already knew the kitchen inside out, and she sliced the bread baked by the chef and heated it up and boiled the eggs herself.
Even her knight joined in peeling the hard-boiled eggs. The young knight skillfully peeled off all of it, as if he was used to it.
‘The rumors…’
In fact, far from the capital, there were all kinds of stories about the imperial family. Of course, he heard that the princess had a natural talent for making snacks.
Constantin, however, was a rational person, so he naturally interpreted it as ‘the princess must have a hobby of playing in the kitchen’. However, the hand of the princess who peeled the egg seemed as skillful as the hand of the chef who made him a late-night snack.
While she was making a salad with the eggs, the princess asked him about his time in the duchy and about the duke. Her tone was friendly.
“I heard you all had a lot of trouble with that beast and that the post office building was destroyed.”
“It was probably targeting snacks or other food in the packages. His Grace the Duke has been through a lot.”
Constantin’s mouth responded to each of Asha’s words, his mind racing as his hands peeled eggs.
The young duke had no known partner, let alone a fiancée. Constantin was not very concerned about it until now. It was well known that people feared Karnov because of the Death Spirit he had contracted with.
Some marriages, on the other hand, are made not by love but by necessity, and there were families everywhere who want to have a relationship with the Duke of Sedvoyer. So Karnov could have whoever he wanted. He thought the duke wasn’t engaged to anyone because he didn’t feel the need right now.
‘It can’t be…’
Even though Karnov couldn’t reply, the person who asked how he was doing came all the way here. It wasn’t that Karnov hadn’t been engaged to anyone until now because he didn’t feel the need…
“Yes, I heard that Karnov was really trying but it sounds like he’s been pushing himself too hard.”
As the princess skillfully peeled the eggshell, she let out a low sigh. It was a mournful sigh that anyone who had a heart for her would feel sorry for.
“You must really care about the people of the duchy, to push yourself to the point of exhaustion. Constantin must have been worried.”
Constantin shook his head involuntarily.
“I’m sure I’m not the only one who’s been surprised and anxious; everyone in the castle was.”
Normally, Constantin didn’t talk about his master to others, but he was a little more open with the princess.
“…Was it bad?”
“There were times when it was hard to move for a while because the bleeding in his back didn’t stop…”
As he was saying this, Constantin realized something was wrong. The princess’s hand, which had been opening the shell, had stopped. As if she was hearing this story for the first time…
‘Which part… You’re hearing this for the first time, aren’t you?’
But she didn’t have time to think about it. She took a short breath and soon finished cooking. She placed the tray and sandwiches on the table in his hands, eggs beaten and mixed with various sauces and stuffed between slices of bread.
“Since you said you have something to report, will Constantin take this with you? Don’t tell him I made it.”
The princess smiled, saying so. Constantin thought the princess’ face looked a little pale, but he couldn’t resist her insistence.
As he entered the study, Karnov was busy handling work in a comfortable shirt. Constantin carefully placed the tray he had brought and quickly reported the events of the day.
The post office building was undergoing rapid repairs, no more signs of other beasts could be found, and the Noctis Elves at the north end seemed to be aware of the incident, but they did not make any noticeable moves. And for the final agenda, Constantin bit his lips into small pieces.
“And…”
“Well, tell me.”
Constantin spoke quickly, a little nervous, at the words of Karnov, who was rubbing his shoulders.
“Baron and Baroness Yasnaya, who have been resting in the south, are on their way up, and they’ve heard from somewhere that something has happened to the estate, and they’re worried…”
Karnov’s hand stopped and then moved again. Baron and Baroness Yasnaya were the only titles left for them after Karnov’s parents forced him to take the duke’s role.
“When are they arriving?”
“They’ll arrive in two days.”
“…All right, I see.”
Constantin, who had finished reporting the biggest thing, sighed heavily and reached for the cloche on the tray that was still unattended.
“Your Grace, please eat something.”
Under the silver cloche, a neat-looking sandwich emerged. Karnov, who was reaching for the sandwich with a slightly tired face, paused. Then he stared at him.
“Who did you get this from?”
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Asha smiled wryly and poked her head out through the door of the office. Just in time, Karnov, who was about to go outside to find Asha, opened the door with an expression of helplessness.
“Karnov, are you done with your work?”
Asha asked, recalling Constantin, who had just said hello to her as they frolicked at the end of the hallway. Constantin apologized to her, saying that he had really not said anything, and that the duke seemed to notice.
“You can come in at any time.”
“Still. Did you finish your sandwich?”
Asha asked, rolling her eyes and taking in her surroundings as she stepped into the room. She hadn’t even seen the duke’s room at the capital, much less one at his estate.
It was a room finished with dark bronze wood and a cold blue-toned wallpaper. There was a desk, chair, and console table, but there were no decorations at all, and only writing instruments and a few papers were on top.
He’d been at the capital since he was ten, so this room was probably used by him when he was a child, but what a sight to see.
“I’m going to eat now. You must be tired today, get some rest…”
Asha looked back at him and tried to smile as Karnov spoke. Ever since she’d arrived in Sedvoyer and come face to face with Karnov, she’d thought something was wrong.
While considering that he had become somewhat gaunt due to the arduous task of capturing the beast, she couldn’t help but think, ‘But to this extent…’
He brought a carriage, not a horse, to meet her, Kairos, who keeps saying that Karnov had a hard time, and the fact that even the words in the report asking for her well-being were written in someone else’s hand.
Was he badly hurt?
She wanted to ask, but for some reason, her mouth didn’t fall open. Asha realized it was fear, the moment she heard Constantin’s elicited answer.
“Karnov, eat quickly. Eat… Be strong.”
<Yes, yes, yes. Karnov, eat.>
Kairos poked his head out of Karnov’s shirt pocket and urged him. Phoebe, who was perched on her shoulder, flew to the plate. But Karnov leaned toward Asha, not the plate with the sandwich.
“Asha?”
“Ahem. Eat your sandwich first.”
“What’s wrong? Did something happen to you? Why… Asha!”
Asha hastily covered her eyes, but she couldn’t hide the tears that were rolling down her cheeks. Two birds flew to Asha at Karnov’s cry.
<Peach, why are you crying? Huh?>
<Why, why are you doing this? Karnov! Why are you making my kid cry!>
<When did my kid make yours kid cry!>
But it soon became a quarrel between two birds, and Asha shook her head quickly. Her attempt to show that she wasn’t crying backfired. Because the tears that had once formed welled up and began to trickle down her cheeks.
“A… Asha!”
“N, no. This isn’t it. Oh, why do you keep…”
She wiped the tears away with her palm, but they wouldn’t stop. Asha tried everything, even stomping her feet, but she couldn’t stop the tears.
Thank you again for all your hard work.