Living as a Butler to the Northern Duke chapter 110

* * *

Watching Ronen’s hair shimmer in the sunlight, Ed felt a renewed realization.

‘In the beginning, I thought I’d escape as soon as Ronen safely reunited with his older brother…’

“Ah?”

Just then, Ronen, who had been looking around, froze and slightly shook his head.

It was obvious he was hiding something, but his flustered expression was so adorable that Ed decided to feign ignorance and continued walking, lost in his thoughts.

‘I need to work even harder if I’m going to stay until Ronen grows up.’

Despite Ed’s best efforts to act unaware, Ronen hesitated and eventually stopped in his tracks.

‘What’s he up to now?’

When Ed turned to follow Ronen’s gaze, he noticed a pair of pointed brown ears sticking out from the bushes.

Fixated on the sight, Ed forgot to blink as he observed the ears twitching slightly.

It looked unmistakably like fox ears.

‘Could it be the fox we encountered in the woods?’

Ed tilted his head slightly and began to step toward the bushes, but Ronen tugged at his hand and spoke eagerly.

“Ed.”

“Yes, young master?”

“I know we’re not supposed to get attached to wild animals, but… could we play with it just for a little while?”

At that moment, Ed realized.

‘So it is the fox we helped yesterday.’

He glanced at Ronen’s crestfallen expression, then stole a quick glance toward the infirmary.

“Well, how about just saying hello for a moment?”

“Really?”

“Yes, if it came to thank us for helping yesterday, then a brief visit should be fine. If it keeps coming back, I’ll speak to the Grand Duke about it.”

Ronen nodded excitedly, pulling Ed along.

Under the oak tree, the small fox that had been crouching with its ears twitching perked up at Ronen’s approach.

Ronen crouched down and carefully stroked the fox’s back while it stared quietly at him.

Ed, watching silently, sat down beside Ronen.

The fox wagged its tail happily and stood up.

“Does it still hurt?”

Ronen tilted his head to inspect the fox’s leg and asked.

The fox, as if understanding, pawed lightly at the ground.

Ronen chuckled softly at its antics, and the fox responded with a peculiar, amused sound.

‘That cry must mean it’s happy.’

Ed watched in silence as Ronen and the fox bonded.

When the fox approached Ed and nuzzled against his legs, he couldn’t help but smile.

The soft fur brushed against his trousers as the fox nudged its head toward him, clearly asking to be petted.

Ed gently stroked its head, and the fox’s ears drooped back as it purred softly.

As it pressed its head insistently into his hand, a pleasant ticklish sensation ran through Ed’s palm.

‘It feels just as nice as petting Aran’s fur.’

As Ed continued to stroke the fluffy fox, Ronen alternated between watching him and the fox before breaking into laughter.

“The fox seems happy to be with us too.”

“Judging by how it doesn’t fear people, it must’ve been separated from its pack a long time ago.”

“Earlier, my brother was wary of the fox because he thought it might bite you, but it seems that was unnecessary.”

“The Grand Duke said that?”

“Yes, but it was kind of funny to see him holding the fox and explaining why it shouldn’t enter your tent.”

“The Grand Duke held the fox to explain?”

“Yeah, he said that even though it’s small and young, it could still hurt you with a light bite.”

Ed couldn’t help but imagine the Grand Duke earnestly lecturing the fox while holding it, and he found himself pausing in amusement.

The fox, noticing the lapse, let out its peculiar laugh again and bounced around.

At its pleading gestures, Ronen quickly reached out to pet it again.

“Oh, wait! Do you think it’s eaten? Maybe it went hungry after leaving a gift at your tent this morning…”

Ronen pulled the handkerchief-wrapped fruit from his pocket and placed it on the ground.

The fox nudged the fruit with its nose but then brought it back to Ronen and Ed.

Ronen pushed it gently toward the fox again and said softly, “It’s okay, fox. We’re already full. You should eat it. You must be tired after catching fish too.”

“How do you think it caught fish? It’s still young and probably not skilled at hunting.”

“Exactly, which makes it even more amazing. How did it manage it with such a small body?”

Ronen patted the fox’s paw affectionately, and the fox responded by licking the back of his hand lightly.

“Haha, that tickles.”

At that moment, the Grand Duke, who was leaving the infirmary with the High Priest, noticed Ed and Ronen sitting in the bushes.

They were chatting quietly with their heads close together, the fox perched in front of them.

‘What are they doing?’

As the Grand Duke approached silently, he saw that it was the same fox he had noticed outside Ed’s tent that morning.

The High Priest, smiling warmly, remarked, “It seems the fox came back to visit after receiving help yesterday.”

At those words, Ronen stood up quickly with a start.

The fox glanced up at the Grand Duke, then hid behind Ed’s shadow as he rose.

“We treated its injured leg last night, and it even brought us a gift in gratitude,” Ed explained.

The Grand Duke folded his arms and nodded. He had already heard the story from Ronen.

‘It’s just a little fox, and it’s clear from its behavior that it likes Ed and Ronen. It’s not dangerous, but…’

The Grand Duke’s mood darkened unexpectedly.

Why?

He narrowed his eyes, his thoughts swirling with unease.

Then it struck him.

There were simply too many people—and now even animals—drawn to Ed.

At first, his subordinates had begrudged the special treatment Ed received for caring for Ronen, but Ed’s kind nature and efficiency had won them over.

Even Aran, who was wary of strangers, had taken a liking to Ed, as had this young fox.

The Grand Duke’s fingers, which had been tapping lightly against his arm, stilled.

His expression remained unreadable, but his gaze lingered on Ed.

‘Is that why it bothers me?’

The Grand Duke tilted his head slightly.

No, that wasn’t it.

If he ever witnessed someone acting spitefully toward Ed, he would undoubtedly get angry.

And if he sensed any malice directed at him, he’d be the first to step in.

If Ed ever found himself in trouble, they would step forward to help.

After all, it wasn’t a bad thing that so many people liked Ed…

Even that morning, he’d driven away the fox, worried it might bite Ed or disturb him while he slept late.

But the emotions he was feeling now were of a different kind.

‘These feelings… they’re not the same as what I feel when I look at Ronen.’

It wasn’t about the environment around Ed—it was the desire for Ed’s clear, steadfast gaze to focus solely on him…

The Grand Duke straightened his slightly disheveled posture.

His unwavering gaze remained fixed on Ed, and the unclear thoughts troubling him caused him to furrow his brow before shaking his head lightly.

“…”

A gentle breeze brushed through his hair.

Shifting his gaze away from the fox, the Grand Duke looked at Ed.

Since Ed mentioned waking up in the middle of the night, he had ensured the tent remained quiet.

Perhaps because of that, Ed looked refreshed, his complexion clear after a good night’s sleep.

As the fox poked its head out from behind Ed and met the Grand Duke’s eyes, it rubbed against Ed’s leg.

‘Is that its way of pleading not to be chased away?’

When he had earlier reprimanded it, the fox had been too busy whining, yet now it was acting endearingly toward Ed.

The stark difference in behavior was striking.

Even though it was young, it seemed to understand exactly where to attach itself.

Watching this, Ronen chuckled quietly with amusement, and the Grand Duke let out a small sigh.

“Well, since it’s so fond of him, I suppose there’s no helping it.”

Beside him, the High Priest smiled faintly.

“From what I observed yesterday, it’s still just a fox cub that hasn’t developed its wild instincts. It shouldn’t pose any danger. Besides, with both Your Grace and Ed so fond of it, I don’t see an issue.”

The High Priest looked warmly at Ronen and Ed.

The Grand Duke nodded slightly.

“If you say so, then I suppose it’s fine. Still, I apologize for not properly hosting you with a meal despite all the work you’ve been doing treating people since arriving in the north.”

“There’s no need for apologies, Your Grace. This old body prefers being close to the lives of the people rather than indulging in grand events.”

As the Grand Duke’s attention shifted, Ed, who had been observing the fox leaping energetically around Ronen, turned his head toward the conversation.

‘Come to think of it, they’ve been helping people tirelessly since arriving in the north.’

Originally, the priests were supposed to be welcomed at the northern fortress rather than immediately aiding in the affected areas.

Despite knowing the schedule, the High Priest and the other clergy readily endured hardships to fulfill Ronen’s request.

Looking up at the sky to estimate the time, Ed waited for the conversation between the Grand Duke and the High Priest to end before speaking.

“Um, Your Grace. If it’s alright with you, could we delay the meal just a little longer?”

The Grand Duke turned his gaze to Ed, a hint of curiosity in his eyes, and nodded lightly.

“Is there a particular reason to delay the meal?”

The High Priest also nodded with a gentle smile.

“That’s fine. In fact, I haven’t quite digested the early morning meal yet, so it works out well.”

“Well, I’d like to step out for a bit to prepare something for lunch if that’s alright.”

“You?” The Grand Duke raised a brow in mild surprise.

Ed, weary from the journey, had been moved by the High Priest’s willingness to help at Ronen’s request. He wanted to personally show a token of gratitude.

“Yes. I want to prepare a dish that I often had where I used to live.”

‘I may not know much about the local cuisine, but I still remember the cooking skills of a Korean bachelor. Fortunately, the ingredients here are quite similar.’

He planned to make something simple, like potato pancakes or potato stew, considering the available ingredients and the time constraints.

‘And really, nothing beats hot soup on a cold day!’

As Ed smiled softly while thinking about the dishes, the Grand Duke reluctantly nodded.

After receiving permission from the Grand Duke and the High Priest, Ed hurried toward the cooking tent, pulling out a notebook as he walked.

‘For the potato pancakes, I can use the grater they have here. As for the potato stew… the stew we had last time seemed slightly spicy, like it had chili powder. I’ll ask about that seasoning and use something similar.’

* * *