Living as a Butler to the Northern Duke chapter 26

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When the water play finally ended, the Grand Duke left first, changing out of his soaked clothes and checking the campfire.

Jaynon followed him up the hill, drying himself with a towel.

Ed tried to pull his tired body out of the water, but the weight of his waterlogged clothes made him stumble.

Everyone was exhausted—except for Ronen, who was still splashing around energetically.

“Young Master, it’s time to get out. You’ve been in the water for too long.”

“Alright…wait, huh?”

As Ed, sitting on the ground, was toweling off his hair, he called out to Ronen, who was still playing at the water’s edge.

But then, Ronen’s puzzled response drew his attention.

Suddenly, bubbles began to rise from the surface, and a swirling vortex formed in the water.

It happened in an instant.

The low, ominous rumbling seemed to reverberate through the entire forest, like a threatening vibration.

Before Ed even had time to process what was happening, he leapt into the water, his mind filled with only one thought: he had to save Ronen.

Ronen tried to swim toward the shore, but the swirling water kept pulling him inward.

Ed swam quickly, grabbing Ronen’s arm just before he was swallowed by the vortex, and with all his strength, he yanked him out.

Exhausted, Ed pushed Ronen toward Jaynon, who had been swimming after them, throwing Ronen into his arms.

“Ed!”

As Ed, now heavy with water, used all his remaining strength, he saw Jaynon catch Ronen and immediately knew.

‘I’m going to be swallowed by this whirlpool.’

Just as he felt his right hand caught in the edge of the growing vortex, Ed saw Jaynon extend his hand.

“Ed! Grab my hand!”

Ed stretched out his left arm, trying to pull himself forward to grasp Jaynon’s hand.

But just as their fingers were about to touch, they slipped apart, and with a gurgling sound, darkness enveloped Ed as he was pulled underwater.

Thump. Thump. Thump.

Ed’s body tumbled down, spinning like he was descending a spiral staircase, bumping against the uneven walls.

He felt a dull ache in his arms, legs, and ankles as he landed with a thud on the ground.

“…Ugh.”

Suddenly thrust into a strange new space, Ed slowly pushed himself up and looked around.

He had been swallowed by the water, but now found himself in a narrow, dark cave.

The hole he had fallen through had already sealed up.

Backing away cautiously, Ed’s hand brushed against something—grapevine-like tendrils clinging to the wall.

The cold, eerie sensation made him shudder as he finally looked around, taking in his surroundings.

“…”

In front of him stood a colossal statue, so massive that Ed wondered how he hadn’t noticed it before.

It was so terrifying in appearance that his mind went blank the moment he laid eyes on it.

The enormous stone figure, shaped like a demon with towering horns, was exhaling black smoke from its mouth.

Each time it did, its body would shudder, producing a thunderous “thud, thud”.

With every sound, fine black sand would crumble from its body and drift into the air.

Realizing where he was, Ed froze in place.

‘…The Rift.’

This space, referred to as “The Rift” or “The Monster’s Nest” in the original work, was similar to dungeons or gates in other novels.

It would suddenly open like a sinkhole, either sucking people in or letting monsters spill out.

Monsters usually lived in these rifts, isolated from the world, but occasionally, some would slip into inhabited areas.

Though it was a phenomenon akin to a natural disaster, sometimes someone would forcibly create cracks in the rift to summon these creatures.

The northern regions experienced more frequent occurrences of these rifts, but they didn’t pose much of a problem, as the Grand Duke handled them swiftly and effectively.

‘…I thought it wasn’t a big deal when I read about it in the novel.’

He was wrong.

In some stories or movies, characters encountered monsters for the first time without fear and fought back.

But Ed… he wasn’t one of those people.

The monster before him was so large and imposing that Ed felt utterly overwhelmed.

Even as the stone monster, towering above, lowered its head to spot him, Ed couldn’t even think of running away.

What Ed didn’t realize was that the black sand falling from the monster carried a cursed power, amplifying the fear and anxiety in anyone it touched.

That’s why he didn’t notice the golden-bordered barrier that was flickering just in front of him.

“Ed!”

Just before Ed was swallowed by the vortex, the Grand Duke, who had followed him into the rift, hooked a magical thread around Ed’s wrist and called out to him as he was about to be attacked by the monster.

But Ed, consumed by the overwhelming presence of the creature, couldn’t hear.

It was as if his ears were submerged in water, deafened by the weight of the situation.

The Grand Duke quickly wrapped blue magical chains around the giant monster’s legs, binding its movements, then fastened the ends of the chains between the walls of the solid cave.

He then leapt over the creature. He could’ve crushed the monster right then, but there was something more urgent.

He stood before Ed, who was still entranced by the stone figure, oblivious to his presence.

“Ed.”

“…”

“Ed.”

The Grand Duke moved closer to Ed, his image now filling Ed’s dimmed eyes, which were clouded by the monster’s overwhelming presence.

In a voice as soft as a lullaby, he whispered to Ed.

“It’s okay.”

“…”

“I’m here.”

The best way to break a curse that had ensnared someone was through human presence.

The Grand Duke lowered his head and pressed his lips to Ed’s pale, round forehead.

His soft lips lingered there for a little while, offering warmth.

“Ed.”

When he called Ed’s name again in a low voice, Ed’s eyes began to glow blue, returning to their full vitality.

Watching the transformation closely, the Grand Duke smiled quietly.

When Ed turned to meet his gaze, the Grand Duke tilted his head slightly.

It felt similar to that night.

The night when Ed was trembling in pain from poison, and when his lips touched Ed’s forehead, the life that had drained from his eyes slowly returned, filling the Grand Duke with a deep sense of satisfaction.

With a faint smile, the Grand Duke spoke.

“May I kiss your forehead again?”

He wanted to linger in Ed’s eyes a little longer.

---

When did the darkness in front of his eyes begin to clear?

“…Ah.”

“It’s okay, Ed.”

“I’m here.”

With those words, the tension left Ed’s body, and the strength that had been tightly coiled within him began to release.

The gentle reassurance was a kindness in Ed’s world, which revolved solely around keeping Ronen safe and away from danger.

It was okay to not shoulder everything alone anymore.

So, Ed let himself go with the flow.

He put down the crushing pressure that had been swirling in his head and, for just this moment, accepted the vivid warmth that reached him.

He didn’t try to force his exhausted body to stand firm anymore.

As the soft lips pressed firmly against his forehead, the knot of anxiety in his stomach loosened.

The smooth touch tracing a delicate arc over his forehead felt incredibly sweet.

As Ed accepted the gentle, tender kiss on his forehead, when the lips started to part, his eyelids fluttered up without him realizing it, as if following them.

A quiet chuckle, like a breeze, brushed over his forehead, making Ed’s neck tense slightly.

The lips, which had been about to pull away, stayed a little longer.

‘…It feels good.’

When the lips finally left his forehead with a faint, wet sound, a languid sigh escaped Ed’s lips.

His forehead felt warm, as if it had been heated.

Inside the golden-bordered barrier, Ed and the Grand Duke’s eyes locked.

The Grand Duke lowered his head to meet Ed’s gaze, his long eyelashes shimmering.

“…”

“…”

At first, Ed saw the Grand Duke’s lowered lashes, and then, he became aware of the slight, ticklish sensation of their noses nearly touching.

With his head tilted, the Grand Duke asked again.

“Ed.”

“…”

“May I kiss your forehead again?”

At that moment, Ed snapped back to reality as if waking from a dream.

“…Ah.”

“…”

“Y-Your Grace.”

“Can you see me now, Ed?”

And as the Grand Duke’s face loomed right in front of him—wait, hold on.

What was going on?

“Y-Your Grace. I-I mean, this, this is…”

“Seems you still can’t see me properly.”

The Grand Duke slowly leaned in again.

Something warm and soft touched Ed’s forehead once more.

This time, the kiss lingered a little longer.

Ed instinctively leaned back, but the soft sensation drew him in again.

That light, warm point of contact spread heat throughout his entire body. Ed’s eyelids trembled.

The soft, heated lips pressed deeply against Ed’s forehead.

As sweetness seeped into the once-gentle kiss, Ed’s fingers, which had been gripping the Grand Duke’s arm, trembled.

His toes twitched.

In response to Ed’s reactions, the Grand Duke’s lips curved into a smile.

It was a smile that gently spread over Ed’s forehead.

“I’ll ask once more. Can you see me now, Ed?”

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