Living as a Butler to the Northern Duke chapter 126

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“I picked this out for you at the night market. I hope you like it.”

“Thank you, Ronen.”

“Tens and Jaynon also got you gifts!”

Like a master of ceremonies, Ronen pointed to them.

The Grand Duke extended his hand.

“Well, hand them over.”

Tens and Jaynon chuckled lightly as they pulled out their gifts.

Then the Grand Duke turned his gaze to Ed.

Ed, fiddling with the gift box in his pocket, remembered Jaynon’s words:

“A red gemstone brooch is something nobles give to someone they like. Ed, do you like someone?”

When Ed looked up and met the Grand Duke’s eyes, his heart felt like it had dropped.

“Ed, what’s wrong?”

As Ed froze with his hand in his pocket, Jaynon nudged his elbow.

The nudge was forceful enough that Ed’s hand slipped out of his pocket, revealing the gift box.

“Oh? Isn’t that the one you bought earlier? You said you bought it because it was pretty. Is it for His Grace?”

Jaynon’s words drew the Grand Duke’s attention to Ed’s hand.

“Ed, did you get me a gift, too?”

“It’s… nothing special. Just a small brooch.”

“A brooch…”

“It’s a ruby brooch. You know what they say, Your Highness? Red symbolizes passion, so giving such an item to someone implies…”

Before Jaynon could say anything more, Ed quickly cut him off and handed the box to the Grand Duke.

“No, it’s not like that. We were all picking out gifts for Your Highness, and I just chose something different.”

As the Grand Duke opened the box, Ed silently thanked Jaynon for breaking the tension.

Buying the ruby brooch had felt risky, and Ed had worried it might stand out too much.

But now, giving it in this setting felt oddly liberating.

‘If we weren’t all together like this, I might never have given it. Seeing His Grace smile makes me glad I bought it, even if… it has nothing to do with what Jaynon said!’

…But why was his heart still pounding?

The Grand Duke smiled warmly as he looked at the brooch, and Ed felt his chest tighten.

“Your Highness, could you show us Ed’s gift? We weren’t there when he bought it, and I’m dying to know what it is!” Tens exclaimed.

Ignoring Tens, the Grand Duke quietly tucked the gift box into his chest and turned to Ed.

“I’ll treasure it, Ed, since you chose it specially for me.”

After coming up from the parlor, Ed quickly finished his shower.

When he stepped out of the bathroom in light clothing, a comforting warmth enveloped his body.

Ed dried his hair with a towel while checking the firewood in the fireplace, his brow furrowing slightly.

‘No, but why is my heart beating so fast and hard all of a sudden? Is it because of the coffee I had this morning?’

Thump, thump—his heart pounded as if it were about to burst through his ribs.

Ed pressed a hand to his chest, trying to calm it down.

Even so, the pounding refused to subside. He let out a small sigh.

“…This is definitely because of what Jaynon said earlier. I just bought the ruby brooch because it caught my eye.”

Dragging a chair in front of the fireplace, Ed sat down and sipped warm water, trying to soothe his restless heart.

“Come on, calm down already, heart.”

But no matter how long he stared at the flames, nothing improved.

His heart wasn’t the only thing in turmoil now—his mind was in chaos, too.

Finally, Ed shot to his feet.

‘Maybe going to the library to find information about herbs will help.’

Surely, focusing on something else would make these symptoms disappear.

Ed left the room and headed toward the library in the center of the castle.

Thankfully, he didn’t run into anyone on the way.

He let out a sigh of relief as he opened the heavy library door.

But his breath caught again when he saw an unexpected figure standing in front of a bookshelf.

Between the tall shelves, the Grand Duke was pulling out a book.

“…Your Grace.”

Ed paused for a moment, then quickly approached and greeted him.

“You must be tired. I thought you’d be resting, but you’re here in the library. You’ve been working late recently, too—please don’t overexert yourself…”

“Ed, you’re the one who went out today and should be resting. What are you doing here instead of sleeping? What if you fall asleep somewhere that isn’t your bed, like last time?”

Ed’s words of concern faltered when he realized he wasn’t in any shape to be giving advice.

He closed his mouth, suddenly aware of his own state.

Lowering his gaze to avoid the Grand Duke’s eyes, Ed noticed the brooch gleaming on the Grand Duke’s chest.

“Oh, that’s…”

Before he could finish his sentence, the Grand Duke adjusted his clothes and spoke.

“It’s a brooch someone gave me today. What do you think, Ed? Does it go well with my outfit?”

“…”

The ruby sparkled under the light, capturing Ed’s gaze.

“If the person who gave it to me doesn’t like it, that would be a problem. Does it look strange?”

The Grand Duke leaned closer, and Ed, startled, stammered a reply.

“N-no, of course, it suits you well.”

The Grand Duke smiled faintly and reached out, gently sweeping Ed’s hair back.

His dry hair slipped softly through the Grand Duke’s fingers.

The touch felt comforting, but also stirred something strange in Ed.

‘Is this how Roa feels when Ronen strokes his fur? Warm, not lonely…like being cherished and loved.’

Ed wanted to stay like this forever, wrapped in that soothing feeling.

But something suddenly occurred to him.

“…Your Grace, have you ever been to the night market in the central village?”

The question seemed to catch the Grand Duke off guard. He paused to think.

“I went a few times as a child with my parents.”

“What about after you became an adult?”

“Hmm… I’ve gone out a few times during the day with Irutel to check on things.”

With each answer, Ed felt his chest tighten.

Without realizing it, he grabbed the Grand Duke’s hand.

“No, I mean… Have you ever gone to the night market just to have fun, like I did today?”

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The horse galloped swiftly through the dark night.

Sitting stiffly atop Joey for the first time in ages, Ed felt his body lock up, prompting a laugh from the Grand Duke.

“If you stay that stiff, you’ll get sore muscles later. Try leaning on me to relax.”

“…Okay.”

Ed couldn’t admit that it wasn’t fear of falling off that made him tense, but the Grand Duke’s presence so close behind him.

The wind swept his quiet reply away, and the Grand Duke urged Joey to pick up speed.

“Thanks to Joey, we got here quickly.”

Their destination was the night market.

What started with Ed’s question had turned into an impromptu night out.

“Wait here for a moment, Ed.”

The Grand Duke took Joey to be stabled at the market entrance.

While waiting, Ed lingered near the now even brighter and livelier entrance.

Then he noticed people staring at the Grand Duke’s tall figure.

‘This won’t be easy for him to enjoy.’

Looking around quickly, Ed ducked into a shop selling party supplies.

When he returned, he held a hat and a cloak that could obscure the Grand Duke’s face.

Ed handed them over and, standing on tiptoe, whispered, “It might be better to cover up, Your Grace. People here might recognize you.”

The Grand Duke, his eyes amused, disappeared briefly into the trees to put on the disguise. When he returned, the cloak and hat partially hid his face.

‘His jawline still shows under the hat, so it doesn’t completely hide his beauty. But at least people won’t stare as much.’

The Grand Duke stepped closer, seeming more cheerful now, and whispered into Ed’s ear.

“So, Ed, what’s the plan? According to Jaynon, you should follow the lead of someone experienced with these things.”

“Normally, we’d start with skewers, but since we’ve already eaten… This way, Your Grace.”

Ed led the Grand Duke to a cotton candy stand and handed him a stick of pink candy.

“You don’t seem to like sweets, so I hope this suits your taste.”

Without a word, the Grand Duke tore off a piece and popped it into his mouth.

“It’s good.”

Relieved, Ed smiled and started wandering the market with the Grand Duke.

Amidst the growing crowd, Ed stumbled, his body lurching forward.

The Grand Duke caught him quickly, pulling Ed into his arms.

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