Living as a Butler to the Northern Duke chapter 9

* * *

“Young master, if you find it difficult to see blood, you can step back and turn away for a moment.”

“…Ah, no, I can handle it.”

“Then could you bring me some scissors?”

“Scissors?”

“I need to cut the bandage a bit.”

“Ah, yes. I think I saw them in the desk drawer. Just a moment.”

As Ronen stood up, the Duke carefully unwrapped the bandage. His hands moved with caution and speed.

His gaze was calm and meticulous as he examined the hand wounded by the poison.

Ed’s fingertips tingled under the Duke’s scrutiny, making him want to clench his fist, but he resisted.

“I-I’m fine, Your Grace.”

Seeing the bleeding wound wasn’t a pleasant sight, so Ed tried to pull his hand back, but the Duke tightened his grip on his wrist.

“In war, encountering such wounds is common.”

With a faint smile, the Duke rewrapped the bandage around Ed’s hand, covering the wound that Ed was concerned about.

Then he turned to Ronen and spoke.

“Young master, could you also bring something suitable for a bandage?”

“A bandage?”

When Ronen, who had found the scissors in the desk drawer, responded, the Duke nodded.

“A clean cloth would do as well.”

“Ah, just a moment.”

As Ronen rummaged through the desk drawers, Ed spoke to him.

“You’ll find items useful for treating wounds in the second drawer on the left, young master.”

Since minor injuries often occurred while doing unfamiliar servant work, Ed had prepared a small first aid kit and kept it in the desk drawer.

Ronen found the box and handed it to the Duke.

“Here it is.”

“Thank you, young master.”

The Duke cut the bandage only around the wound on Ed’s hand and opened the first aid kit. He took out a fresh bandage and gently wrapped it around Ed’s hand.

Seeing this, Ronen, who had been keeping a distance from the Duke, began to inch closer.

Moving sideways like a crab, he cautiously approached until he was standing beside the Duke, watching intently as he bandaged Ed’s hand.

The Duke, noticing Ronen’s gaze following his movements, slowed his hand slightly. Then, he turned to meet Ronen’s eyes.

“Would you like to try, young master?”

“…Uh, is that okay?”

“Of course.”

Holding Ed’s wrist to keep it steady, the Duke handed the bandage to Ronen.

Ed’s fingertips were now not just tingling but almost sweating, but he didn’t want to interfere with the heartfelt connection between the long-lost brothers.

The Duke stood up, giving Ronen his seat, and then leaned down to explain. His voice was gentle and soft.

“Now, before wrapping the bandage, it’s important to check where and how the injury occurred. That way, you’ll know where to start wrapping the bandage.”

Ronen nodded.

“Yes.”

“When I checked, I noticed Ed had injured his palm and fingers, so I thought it would be best to wrap them separately. This way, it’ll be easier to move his fingers, and it won’t cut off the circulation.”

Ronen carefully examined Ed’s hand.

“Then, what should we do next?”

“Hmm, since the bandage is still loose, it would be good to wrap it around Ed’s hand once more, don’t you think?”

“Yes, that’s a great idea.”

Ronen’s ears turned red at the timely compliment.

The Duke looked down at those cute ears and offered some advice.

“Just be careful not to pull the bandage too tight, or it could cut off circulation.”

“Yes, how about wrapping it like this?”

“Yes, that’s good. You’re doing very well.”

Although Ronen’s hands were a bit clumsy and awkward as he wrapped the bandage in a crisscross pattern, the Duke helped him adjust it so it was comfortable.

“You’re doing really well, Ronen.”

With the Duke’s praise, Ronen’s ears turned red again as he carefully finished wrapping Ed’s hand.

“How is it, Ed? Is it okay?”

Ronen smiled proudly after bandaging Ed’s hand with the Duke’s help.

Caught between the Duke and Ronen, Ed lowered his gaze, looking at the meticulously bandaged hand.

“Yes, it’s very good.”

But that wasn’t the end.

“Now, shall we bandage the fingers?”

Apparently liking the atmosphere, the Duke picked up the bandage again, looking at Ed, whose fingers twitched slightly.

With both the Duke and Ronen focusing intently on his fingers, Ed let out a small sigh.

“How about now, Ed? Does it still feel okay?”

After bandaging each finger carefully, Ed tested his hand.

Although his fingers still felt a bit uncomfortable from the poison, thanks to Ronen and the Duke’s meticulous care, he could move them without much difficulty.

“Yes, thank you very much, young master Ronen.”

Then he looked up at the Duke.

“Thank you very much, Your Grace.”

Ed pondered as he thought to himself,

‘After holding and guiding Ronen’s hand like this, a bond must have formed between them. Between Ronen and the Duke… And between the Duke and me as well.’

Feeling the weight of the eyes on him, Ed lowered his head and cleared his throat softly.

‘Yes, with this atmosphere, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to proceed with the family relationship test.’

Ed bent down to retrieve something from under the bed—an object he had intended to take earlier but couldn’t because the Duke had grabbed his wrist.

“Uh, what’s that?” Ronen asked, tilting his head in curiosity as Ed pulled out a box from under the bed.

“Yes, Young Master Ronen. This is a test kit for verifying family relations.”

“Why do you have that?”

“Well, it seems the Duke is also searching for his lost family.”

“Ah.”

Ronen glanced at the Duke with a calm, discerning look.

It appeared he was feeling a sense of kinship with the Duke, who, like himself, had lost family members.

“So, I’m planning to confirm whether the Duke and I are related, Young Master.”

“With… Ed?”

The person the Duke was searching for was a boy around ten years old. Since Ronen was nine, they were of similar ages.

However, even though the Duke knew Ed was not his brother, he didn’t interfere with what Ed was doing.

Ed sensed that the Duke was observing the situation to ensure Ronen wasn’t confused or upset.

There was a reason Ed was proceeding with such caution.

Instead of immediately using the test kit on Ronen, Ed wanted to try it on himself and the Duke first, to show that it wasn’t something to be afraid of.

This approach was necessary because, in the original story, there was a scene where Ronen felt uncomfortable about undergoing a family relationship test with the Duke.

Ronen had become prickly with worry, wondering what would happen if the Duke wasn’t really his brother.

He even thought that the Duke might be doing this because he didn’t trust him.

Although Ronen was younger in this version, Ed wanted to preempt any such emotions by conducting the test himself first.

While the Duke might have already sensed that Ronen was his brother, Ronen wouldn’t be able to believe it until he saw the results with his own eyes.

“Um… Duke, I’m sorry, but could you extend your arm? I’m also looking for my lost family.”

The Duke gazed at Ed for a moment before silently rolling up his sleeve.

Even in this simple action, there was an overwhelming sense of elegance… Ed rubbed his tired eyes slightly.

Gulp.

For some reason, Ronen was more nervous than Ed, swallowing hard.

‘Why is that?’

With a curious tilt of his head, Ed fastened the test device around the Duke’s left arm.

The test device resembled a pair of handcuffs.

As Ed and the Duke each placed their hands in the cuffs, a magical stone inside began reading their biological information to verify if they were family.

Unlike cheaper test kits that required blood to get results, this one did not.

Ed inserted a test sheet into the device and pressed the confirm button, causing Ronen to gulp again.

‘Strange. Why is he so tense?’

Was it because he feared the Duke and I might be related?

Or was it because he hoped he himself would be related to the Duke instead?

Ding.

As Ed was lost in thought, the results of the family relationship test between him and the Duke appeared.

The device Ed had showed the result through the color of the magical stone attached to the handcuffs.

Green meant they were family.

Red meant they were not. If it was yellow, it meant the test was inconclusive, and they would need to visit the imperial testing center for a more reliable result.

After receiving final approval from the temple, the entire testing process would be complete.

“Ah.”

“……”

As expected, the test results between Ed and the Duke were red.

It was an obvious outcome.

“…Unfortunately, the Duke and I are not related.”

Ronen’s eyes welled up with tears.

“I-I’m sorry, Ed.”

* * *