#16. The Only Friend

While the designs differed between men’s and women’s styles, fundamentally, nightwear in the Elion Empire was a one-piece dress regardless of gender.

So when the Duke unbuttoned his nightwear down to his waist and slipped out of it, nothing remained on his body except for the undergarment below. For Chloe, this meant dealing with an unadjustable state of 95 percent nudity.

Even though the Duke thought Chloe was a man, still. He apparently didn’t believe or care that this man of the same s*x had confessed to liking him. Judging by how carelessly he undressed every time.

Chloe hurriedly approached him, standing slightly sideways and trying her best not to look at the Duke as she handed him his shirt. At least once he had the shirt on, she wouldn’t have to see him in his embarrassing state of undress.

Though the Duke had started having her attend to his dressing unlike before, it was fortunate that he still dressed himself. She had heard that many masters wouldn’t even button or unbutton their clothes themselves.

“That’s enough. I’ll handle the rest myself, you go wait in the office.”

It seemed the Duke wouldn’t require her assistance with dressing today, following her attendance in the wash.

Right, it’s faster to do it alone. It must be awkward for him too, making a servant do tasks he never required before.

Chloe bowed gratefully and quickly moved to the office. The Duke entered not long after.

In his hand was the stack of papers he had been reading earlier.

“This is the Tigrium history book you translated yesterday.”

Ah, so that’s what it was.

“Yes.”

Chloe answered briefly.

“When and how did you learn the Tigrium language?”

So this is today’s topic.

For several days, the Duke had been firing all sorts of questions. Today, it seemed he wanted to find out how she knew the Tigrium language.

“I learned it from my mother.”

“Your mother? The one who’s ill?”

“Yes. From childhood until just before she was injured, we used both Tigrium and Elion languages at home.”

“Is that so?”

The Duke looked at Chloe with interest before suddenly moving quickly toward his desk.

“If there’s nothing else you need…”

She subtly looked at the Duke, leaving the “may I leave” unspoken.

“Continue with the translation.”

Sigh.

There he goes again.

“Yes, understood.”

It seemed she would be worked hard again today. But well, at least he was paying extra compensation for the work.

“Take the work materials and do it in your room.”

“Yes.”

Chloe picked up the book on the table and was about to leave.

“Ah! Clyne.”

But the Duke stopped her.

“Yes?”

“You said she was injured? Your mother’s condition isn’t an illness but an injury?”

“Ah, yes.”

“How did it happen?”

Here we go again.

Chloe unconsciously shrugged her shoulders and let out a heavy sigh.

“Don’t breathe so heavily. It’s suffocating.”

The Duke said with a frown.

Good heavens. Now he’s telling her not to breathe deeply. Who exactly was being suffocated here?

If anyone was being suffocated by not being able to breathe deeply, it would be her, not the Duke.

It seemed he was so irritated that even watching her breathe made him feel suffocated.

Day by day, that master was becoming increasingly prickly, specifically toward ‘Clyne Liden’.

“A few months ago, unknown assailants attacked my… Chloe, my younger sister. My mother was attacked then too. That’s when she was injured.”

Chloe was momentarily flustered at almost saying ‘older brother’ but quickly recovered and answered calmly.

Having learned over the past few days that he would persistently question anything when not properly answered, she made sure to answer his questions diligently.

In fact, there wasn’t particularly any reason to hide the accident.

Of course, she didn’t want to recall those horrific scenes from that day again.

But if she didn’t want to talk about it, she shouldn’t have mentioned her mother’s injury in the first place.

Having carelessly mentioned it, she had no choice. She had to answer his questions.

“Are you saying your younger sister died that day?”

“Yes.”

“……”

The Duke closed his mouth.

Is this finally the end of his questions?

“Then if you have no more questions…”

“An attack by unknown assailants. Did you have enemies?”

Why so many questions? He’s not from the information guild.

“My family lived without much contact with others. There was no reason to have enemies.”

“Well, don’t you think the reason you lived without contact might have been because you had enemies?”

Of course, Chloe had thought about that too.

But it was something she couldn’t know.

Her brother had died that day, and afterward, even having a conversation with her mother became difficult.

“I don’t know. Sometimes I thought they might have been just robbers, but then it seemed strange that robbers would appear in the forest where my family lived, and there were too many of them. They seemed too dangerous. They were cruel and brutal… I lost consciousness and mother also…”

“Stop, that’s enough.”

Chloe, who had become emotional recalling memories of that day, was finally able to escape from those terrible memories at the Duke’s command to stop.

It was fortunate. She had almost burst into tears, suddenly overwhelmed by memories of that day.

Though she tried hard not to remember, whenever the memories came flooding back, she would be overwhelmed by unbearable guilt and fear, bringing tears to her eyes.

“That must have been very difficult.”

“……?”

Chloe stared blankly at the Duke.

“Losing your sister and your mother being injured like that.”

“……”

It really was difficult. It felt like the world was crumbling.

If her mother hadn’t been in critical condition, she might have lost her mind completely.

But she couldn’t lose her mind or just keep crying. She had to find money immediately to save her mother.

During those three months of desperately trying not to be discovered as a woman in disguise, one could say that the harsh life actually helped her forget such pain and sorrow.

Focusing on safely getting through each day of living as a man, she hadn’t had the energy to grieve for her brother or worry about her mother’s health.

It had been fortunate that the Duke was such an easygoing master, at least.

But now he had become this kind of master. Desperately trying to work his personal attendant harder.

However, it seemed he hadn’t completely changed. Seeing how he could offer such human comfort.

Judging by the Duke’s current expression, he seemed to believe that Chloe Liden was truly dead.

“It must be painful memories, and I seem to have made you recall your sister unnecessarily.”

This was the most like his former self, showing the most moderate demeanor she had seen in recent days.

“No, it’s fine. You had reason to ask. I’m grateful for your comfort.”

“… You said you needed to take care of your mother. I regret keeping you here.”

“Yes, about that…”

Chloe hesitated at the Duke’s words.

It was a perfect opportunity to say she would leave as soon as information about the woman he had slept with arrived.

Should she say it now? Or should she let it pass and mention it just before leaving?

“I’ll compensate you with money. So you can hire a caregiver at least.”

The Duke’s subsequent words ended her deliberation. She decided to take the money while he was being generous and tell him just before leaving.

If she mentioned it too early and somehow upset the Duke, he might withdraw the offer of care expenses.

Translation fees plus care expenses. What an unexpectedly good fortune.

“Thank you!”

“Who’s taking care of her now?”

I was grateful, but why more questions! Her gratitude diminished slightly.

“A friend from my hometown is staying at my house in my place.”

“… A friend?”

Originally, Kalkus had been working as a live-in servant at Bergen Castle. But when she left for the Duke’s mansion, Kalkus had applied to change to a commuting servant and was living at her house.

Although there would be many inconveniences commuting given the considerable distance between Bergen Castle and her house, Kalkus had offered to do so first.

Even though her mother had always disapproved of Kalkus. She had only allowed Kalkus to come and go from the house about half a year ago.

Though Chloe felt shameless, she had no choice but to accept Kalkus’s offer as she had neither anyone else to help nor the money to hire a caregiver.

“Yes. I have a friend in my hometown.”

“Didn’t you say you lived without contact with people?”

“Even so, I still had at least one friend.”

“One friend…”

The Duke frowned. Chloe tried to think back on what she might have said wrong, but nothing particularly stood out.

“This friend back home — male or female?”

The Duke’s eyes seemed to flash momentarily. Why did that gaze suddenly look so sharp?

“Male.”

“Ah, male. Wait, male?”

“Yes. That’s right.”

Chloe thought the Duke’s reaction was a bit strange, but answered calmly.

Apart from switching information between Chloe and Clyne, Chloe had answered the Duke’s questions mostly truthfully, so his peculiar reaction couldn’t be due to her lies becoming tangled.

“Ah! So it must be him. Kalkus Tarkan.”

“Ah…! Yes.”

The Duke seemed to even remember the guarantor’s name from Clyne’s documents.

What other information was written in those documents?

While she didn’t know what information was written about her in those documents, the Duke knew everything. It felt like being thrown into the middle of a battlefield without knowing what weapons the enemy possessed.

“Are you very close?”

The Duke asked, crossing his arms.

“Well, he is my only friend. I’m indebted to him in many ways.”

“Your only friend.”

The Duke openly frowned before suddenly smirking.

Does he dislike the word ‘friend’?

“Does this only friend of yours know that you like me?”

“What? I…!”

She almost blurted out “What do you mean I like you, Your Grace?” After dealing with the prickly Duke for several days, she had momentarily forgotten she was supposed to be acting like she liked him.

But had the Duke really believed her when she said she liked him? Chloe blinked as she looked at the Duke.