#17. The Flutter of Wings

Though she had acted like she liked men, being told so directly left her dumbfounded.

Had he not believed it all along?

“Well, I wouldn’t know about that. Even close friends don’t necessarily talk about such things.”

The fewer lies told beyond the essential ones, the fewer errors there will be in those lies. Chloe tried to stick to the truth as much as possible, except for one crucial lie.

“If you’re close enough that he would nurse your mother, you must be very close. You could have told me.”

The Duke’s words didn’t make much sense.

Tell him that she was into men, that she liked the Duke? Even if it were true, why would anyone tell such things to a friend?

“I’ll have breakfast on the balcony. Tell them to prepare it there. And lunch will be in the garden gazebo, have them prepare for that.”

The Duke, who had left Chloe puzzled, suddenly gave instructions about the locations of his meal.

“Yes, understood.”

He usually had breakfast in his room and lunch and dinner in the dining room, but since he started having Chloe attend to his meals, he kept eating in places other than indoors. Today too, saying he’d eat on the balcony and in the garden probably meant he wanted her to attend to his meals.

By the time she left the Duke’s room, any grateful feelings she had felt toward the Duke had completely vanished.

* * *

Hughgray was making him do unnecessary and cumbersome serving tasks, driven by his desire to torment the person who made it difficult to breathe, to uncover all his secrets.

But the more tasks he assigned, the more the presence of that person moving close by pressured him.

Especially when attending to his bath — he couldn’t even think of asking for it again. In the bathtub full of hot water and steam, he had barely maintained his sanity.

Even during dressing, when that person brought the crown of their close to his nose to help dress him, he almost ended up stroking that head.

When he had him do translations in the office, he nearly suffocated.

Just when he thought he should stop calling for him, stop giving him tasks, why did more curiosities keep arising?

It was strange in itself to be curious about a servant.

Right. This curiosity nonsense — it was just about uncovering that person’s identity. Surely there was something suspicious about him.

Eventually, keeping him close would reveal whatever he was truly hiding.

That’s all he wanted to know.

Not about that person himself.

* * *

Chloe was attending to the Duke’s meal that was prepared in the garden. Since giving her the book to translate in the morning, the Duke had barely spoken to her.

As if he had returned to his former self.

This should have made her feel at ease, but strangely, it didn’t feel entirely comfortable. Only the clinking of dishes and the sound of the Duke swallowing his drink mixed with the sound of the wind.

It’s so cold. Why is he dining outside when it’s still chilly?

The Duke might not feel the cold, being strong as if clad in armor, but Chloe, standing beside him serving, was shivering so much her teeth were chattering.

Despite it being spring, only the Duke would dine outdoors in this season where winter’s chill still lingered.

“Are you cold?”

The Duke suddenly looked up at Chloe and asked.

“No, I’m not.”

Chloe quickly answered, startled at whether she had shown any signs.

“Nonsense.”

The Duke’s eyes went to Chloe’s clasped hands. Following his gaze to her own hands, Chloe’s face flushed with embarrassment.

Her hands, clasped tightly from the cold, had turned so pale that blue veins were visible through the skin.

Ah, come to think of it, I might have been shivering a bit. Thinking back, she probably had been shifting her feet slightly too.

Chloe slowly loosened her tightly clasped hands.

And at that very moment,

Gasp!

Her eyes widened in shock as she looked down at her hands. The Duke was holding one of her now-loosened hands.

“It’s like ice.”

“……!”

Chloe couldn’t think of how to respond.

Why, why did he take my hand?

Why…

As Chloe’s gaze wandered in confusion, it met the Duke’s eyes.

“……”

“……”

The silent exchange of gazes generated heat that seemed capable of warming even the cold air.

Whoosh. Suddenly, the sound of bird wings fluttering could be heard.

“Ah!”

With that single exclamation, the Duke abruptly released her hand.

His expression and gesture suggested he was surprised by his own action.

Chloe too snapped back to her senses and quickly turned her head away. Somehow, she felt her face must be red.

The hand that the Duke had held also felt hot, as if his hand’s warmth had branded it.

Flutter flutter flutter.

And why was her heart acting like this?

It felt as if a bird had flown into her heart and was fluttering its wings.

“Hmm! Let’s go inside, it’s too cold.”

The Duke stood up abruptly.

“Ah, yes!”

Chloe’s gaze went to the table. The food was almost untouched.

“For now, meals will be in the dining room.”

The Duke added as Chloe looked at the remaining food.

“Yes! I’ll…”

The Duke walked away quickly toward the building without waiting for Chloe’s response.

Prepare it that way, Your Grace. Chloe muttered to herself, watching his retreating figure.

The Duke’s ears were red enough to be visible even from a distance.

Was the Duke actually cold too? But his hand was warm.

Ugh, why was his hand so warm! And why is my heart fluttering so much!

Chloe pressed her hand firmly against her chest, as if trying to calm the fluttering of the bird that had flown into her heart.

* * *

Crazy bastard.

Crazy wolf beast bastard.

Back in his room, Hughgray continuously cursed himself.

Why on earth did he grab Clyne Liden’s hand?

Even if those shuffling feet looked cute, and those small hands turned white from being tightly clenched until veins showed looked pitiful — still. How insane!

Why did that even look cute in the first place? Feeling pity for a man? Why? What for!

Hah! Am I some kind of mutant?

Male love, of all things, male love!

As a wolf, he should just stick to imprinting, but here he was, Hughgray, doing something unprecedented in wolf history – being attracted to men.

He was aware of the rumors about him being impotent or interested in men.

Of course, since they weren’t true, he didn’t care how such rumors spread.

No, it was actually convenient. It kept women away until he could safely imprint on a woman with wolf blood.

But if he couldn’t find the woman he had imprinted on, he would truly be no different from an ‘impotent’ man.

And now, not just impotent, but interested in men too.

At that moment, if the bird hadn’t flown by, he might have even interlaced fingers with that Clyne bastard.

That’s how dangerous and harmful that Clyne was.

Too dangerous to keep as a personal attendant. Urgent enough to dismiss immediately. Perhaps even more urgent than finding his imprint partner.

So he should fire him right now.

“Ah!”

Hughgray barely stopped his hand as he was about to pull the bell rope to call the butler.

If he pulled the rope, that Clyne would come running in those ill-fitting, layered loose clothes, emanating that sweet and fragrant scent like flowers or honey.

Instead of pulling the rope, he decided to visit the butler’s office directly.

“You want to dismiss Clyne Liden again?”

The butler’s eyes widened.

“More like a recommended resignation.”

“That’s, well… but why? He’s a servant who just recently left and came back…”

“Do I need to explain my reasons?”

At Hughgray’s cold words, the butler waved his hands frantically.

Of course, as the butler suggested, there needed to be a reason. A valid reason to suddenly dismiss a servant who was working properly.

However, there was no reason he could possibly state. He couldn’t say it was because he might develop romantic feelings for that servant.

That he wanted to touch that servant, wanted to be intoxicated by that servant, wanted to take that servant…

What are you saying, you crazy bastard!

“No! I was just thinking of taking measures if there had been any mistakes.”

Click.

As the butler responded, Wilson, who managed the mansion, entered the butler’s office.

“Ah! I didn’t know Your Grace was here.”

Wilson bowed his head and was about to leave again.

“No, Wilson. Wait a moment. You should know about this too.”

The butler stopped Wilson who was about to leave.

“His Grace was just saying to dismiss Clyne Liden. I believe he received his salary in advance, you should know about this.”

“Ah! He’s leaving again? Even though recently…”

Wilson started to say something more but closed his mouth.

“Since I’m forcing him out, tell him he doesn’t need to repay the advanced salary.”

“What? But he received a whole year’s worth, not just a few months…”

“……”

Hughgray just stared at Wilson without saying anything. His gaze saying not to argue and just follow instructions.

“Yes, Your Grace.”

Fortunately, Wilson wasn’t completely lacking in perception.

“Then, inform Clyne Liden of this and have him leave as soon as possible.”

“Yes, understood.”

As he heard the butler and Wilson answer in unison, Hughgray left the butler’s office. However, as soon as he closed the door, Wilson’s dissatisfied voice could be heard.

“I don’t understand why he’s doing this when the guy has both a guarantor and a joint guarantor.”

Hughgray, who was about to walk away at Wilson’s complaints, suddenly stopped.

The voice wasn’t particularly loud. He seemed to be somewhat careful even while criticizing his master’s decision.

However, unfortunately for the servants, this level of sound was bound to be clearly audible to their wolf therianthrope master’s ears.

Especially since some certain troublesome words stood out even more.

‘Guarantor’

He had forgotten.

That Clyne had a guarantor.