Chapter 65

Dominic opened the windows of his office wide on both sides.

“Phew. Now it feels like I can breathe.”

After taking in a deep breath of the fresh air, Dominic looked around both inside and out. He glanced at the royal guards in blue cross-patterned cloaks patrolling the front courtyard outside the window, and then at the desk inside where the sound of flipping through papers had not stopped since the sun came up. He alternated his gaze, then leaned against the window frame with his arms crossed and in a slanted posture. The scenery in the office, where Duke Richard spent most of his days over the past few days, was always the same. Flipping through dozens of documents quickly, scribbling on the paper with a scratchy pen, the smell of melting wax and ink filled the room every day. I felt like I needed to ventilate to survive, but the other two men were completely absorbed in their work without a single sign of disturbance in this extreme situation.

‘Tough guys. Still, they strangely fit together well.’

At that moment, after carefully scanning the last paragraph of the thick document, Daniel signed it with his characteristic neat handwriting and said,

“Next.”

As he pushed the document he had just reviewed to the left, a blank space appeared on the desk. Then, Stefan placed a thick stack of papers, at least twenty pages, on the desk at lightning speed.

“This is the list of items traded with Weimar. I have differentiated the prices between unusable defective items, items with minor and major defects, and items in good condition. If you approve, I will proceed with the payment immediately.”

Dominic clicked his tongue, saying he had inherited the meticulous trait of scrutinizing even the tiniest details. Daniel picked up the document and began reading it carefully from the first page. Meanwhile, Stefan lit the wick and melted brown wax, then poured it next to Daniel's signature. The crest of the Richard family, a shield and spear, was imprinted on the wax as it hardened. It had been four days since the Emperor arrived at the duchy, and the same scene was repeated in this office every day. Baron Stefan would stand in front of Daniel's door at dawn, making obvious fake coughs to let him know it was time to get up and start work. When Daniel got up and headed to the office, Stefan would follow with a stack of documents, reporting and getting approval. The number of tasks the butler had to manage due to the Emperor's visit had increased several times, yet it was a mystery when he managed to prepare all those documents. Amidst this, Stefan, who had become a model of diligence, and Daniel, who had become equally hardworking, were equally amusing. As Dominic watched the familiar scene, Daniel, who was flipping through the documents, asked Stefan a question.

“Have all the ordered items arrived?”

“Most have arrived, but it would be wise to place additional orders for a few items as a precaution. I will prepare the relevant documents by tomorrow.”

Daniel nodded silently, then asked again while keeping his eyes on the document.

“Why is there no cost for food supplies in this document? There must be limits to self-provisioning.”

“The cost for food supplies will be paid after the Emperor leaves and all transactions are completed. If we pay in advance, they might bring lower quality goods. I have instructed them to be more careful as the weather is getting warmer to prevent the goods from spoiling.”

Due to the number of people staying in the castle doubling, securing food supplies was the biggest issue. It wasn't just any guest; the Emperor had come, so it wasn't possible to catch deer or wild boars from the fields and offer them. As a result, they had no choice but to keep relying on Weimar, and Stefan seemed to be managing the situation by controlling the flow of money. The new butler was subtly cunning.

“Have the supply routes been secured?”

This time, it was Dominic's turn to answer a question Stefan couldn't. Dominic straightened his posture.

“There are mercenaries guarding every route from Weimar, so there's no need to worry about bandits. We've also stationed sturdy horses at the relay stations.”

“Who is in Weimar?”

“I sent Theo. He's quick-witted and has a nasty temper, so Duke Andrea will be breaking a sweat.”

In the middle of speaking, Dominic suddenly burst into laughter, perhaps at a funny thought.

“By the way, it looks like the Chamberlain is about to explode.”

Then, his expression turned serious.

“That old man is really plotting something. Just a while ago, he was holding onto our butler and sarcastically saying that the Duke and Duchess are both ill and planning to make easy money.”

Daniel's gaze, which had been fixed on the documents, turned to Stefan for the first time. With an expression that seemed to ask if Dominic's words were true, Stefan nodded slightly.

“Yes, it's true. To be honest, I am also concerned. This is clearly...”

“An insult.”

Stefan's words were cut off by Dominic, who leaned forward with both hands on the desk.

“What are you planning, my lord? You didn't used to be so obvious about it.”

Since the Emperor's arrival, they had only had one dinner together. Daniel was treating the Emperor as if he didn't exist. The official excuse was a worsening health condition. The Duke and Duchess were both said to be unwell and confined to the castle. The Duke, who had been in a coma for three years, and the Duchess, whose frail health was known throughout the empire. The excuse was so plausible that there was no room for argument. Otherwise, the Chamberlain might have already accused them of insulting the royal family.

“It might work for a few days, but who would believe that a perfectly healthy lord is ill?”

Stefan, who shared Dominic's thoughts today, let out a long, deep sigh. How much longer did they plan to mock the Emperor? The Chamberlain, who was looking for any flaw in Daniel, was a concern. What if he tried to sow discord in the middle of it all...

‘I'm tired, so tired.’

Teaching young, immature noblemen who only cared about gambling and women was easier in comparison. As soon as Dominic finished speaking, the document Daniel had just reviewed flew from his hand to Stefan's chest.

“So, are you just going to sit here and look at these pieces of paper?"

Unlike his perfect etiquette, which inspired admiration, Duke Richard's speech was very rough. Fortunately, he spoke in a calm and cold tone, so it didn't sound vulgar. Usually, he was quiet, so this wasn't a noticeable flaw, except when Dominic provoked him.

“The Duchess would have finished this in half a day, no, in a few hours. Why are you looking at it, my lord? It's inefficient.”

“You. I told you not to think about using Frieda again. If I catch you, I'll crush your fingers.”

As Daniel glared at him with red eyes, Dominic shrugged and pretended not to care. Stefan realized that the Duke was really warning him, but he didn't understand what the warning meant. The new bedroom the Duchess had moved to had only one entrance, the central staircase of the Marian Hall. There was no other way in except by climbing the outer wall. The Duke himself had placed guards there and strictly controlled access. If he could see the Duchess, these documents would have been approved and out of his hands by yesterday.

“Is there anything else?”

“Yes. The market development project within the territory that the Duchess was handling...”

“Let's do it in the afternoon. Baron, you can go. Dominic, stay.”

Despite having at least five more documents to review, Daniel stood up, turned his back, and walked to the window. The Duke had an excellent memory, but compared to the Duchess, who knew everything about the castle's management, he was much slower. However, his stamina allowed him to work long hours, even late into the night, so it wasn't as inefficient as Dominic claimed. Stefan, thinking he should go save Matilda while he had some free time, gathered the documents. The Emperor had gone hunting with the Updyke family, so Matilda was probably being harassed by the Baroness of Butein.

“I'll come back when lunch is over.”

Stefan left the room, subtly warning him to be on time. Daniel, who had hung his jacket on the window frame, pressed his temples with his thumb and index finger and asked.

“What about the maid?”

“I took her to her family's house. I told them she broke her leg while rolling down a hill.”

“Is she staying here?”

“Yes. She promised to keep her mouth shut and asked to stay in the duchy. Her second brother is quite smart, and she wants to study. He's as clever as the second son of the black-striped birch house.”

“Who?”

Turning his neck with a frown, Daniel saw Dominic shrug.

“The Duchess said she would send the second son of that house to Chellino University next summer to study medicine. Right now, Doctor Anton is teaching him. Matilda's brother also wants to study medicine like the second son of that house.”

How far does my wife reach? When reviewing documents on her behalf, he was amazed all day, thinking there was nothing left to be surprised about. But the next day, he was always surprised again. Thinking of Frieda, a thirst that couldn't be quenched by just fresh air came over him. Daniel picked up his jacket and walked past Dominic quickly.

“Make sure the maid doesn't cause any trouble.”

His steps quickened as he moved to find a place to breathe. *** As Daniel passed, the guards standing at the stairs bowed in sequence. He climbed the stairs in one stride, took a deep breath before opening the door, and grabbed the doorknob. Knock, knock. He knocked on the door slowly twice, and the sound of someone running towards it was heard. As the sound reached the door, Daniel grabbed both doorknobs and pulled them towards him forcefully.

“Oh!”

The sudden opening of the door let in a dazzling sunlight. Daniel embraced Frieda, who ran towards him, tightly.

As he buried his lips in her neck, a familiar scent mixed with a faint floral fragrance filled his nose. The soft skin and warm touch made him feel like his body was melting like candle wax.

“Daniel. You scared me by suddenly opening the door.”

As she pouted and squirmed, his heart, which had been beating steadily, quickened. Daniel put his hand into her hair, which was tickling his cheek, and wrapped it around her neck. The soft touch at his fingertips made his chest tingle. Daniel mumbled without lifting his lips from her neck.

“I'm sorry for scaring you. It was hard to wait.”

Feeling his breath on her neck, Frieda shivered and pulled back her shoulders. Although he wanted to hold her close, he decided to endure it, knowing it would only be for a moment. Lifting his head while still holding her neck, Daniel looked into her clear eyes and smiled.

“I missed you.”

Frieda smiled with the shy smile Daniel loved.

“I saw you this morning.”

I did. I saw you last night and in the early morning. In Frieda's room, where the light never went out, he could see her whenever he opened his eyes. Frieda, who was happy about the terrace. Frieda, who sat on the terrace, resting her chin, and looked outside curiously. Frieda, who grumbled that she wanted to go outside now that she was fully recovered. She probably prepared several reasonable reasons to argue for her recovery today. She might show her cute sense of responsibility as the Duchess, saying she couldn't neglect her duties as a hostess anymore. Or she might make a cute threat to climb down the wall if he didn't let her out. He would bet all the gold mines he owned that she would growl like an angry cat if he firmly shook his head. Frieda, who didn't know what to do under his persistent gaze, narrowed her eyes and asked.

“Why do you keep... looking at me like that?”

“I want to kiss you.”

Holding her blushing cheeks, Daniel kissed Frieda's lips.