Living as a Butler to the Northern Duke chapter 139

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As a former job-seeker in Korea, Ed’s disciplined body had managed to prepare for every event as planned.

Once his tasks were in order, his focus naturally shifted back to the relationship between the Grand Duke and Ronen.

‘If Ronen’s like this, what was the point of asking His Grace for a whole week?’

Frustrated by the repeated failures of his plans, Ed tapped his notebook with a pen and decided to head to the Grand Duke’s office.

However, when he arrived, a sign greeted him at the door:

‘On leave. Urgent matters may be addressed to Jaenon.’

With a sigh, Ed redirected his steps toward the Grand Duke’s chambers.

‘Knock, knock.’

“Come in.”

Entering the room, Ed was greeted by an unexpected sight—Ronen, lying on the bed, greeted him before the Grand Duke did.

“Hi, Ed!”

Ed, surprised to find the source of his troubles here, masked his reaction with a bright smile.

“Good evening, young master. You’re still here at this hour?”

Ronen, half-reclined on the bed with a picture book in hand, waved it enthusiastically and wiggled from side to side.

“I came to have my brother read me a story. He’s on vacation, after all!”

The Grand Duke, mirroring Ronen’s pose, joined in.

“Don’t worry, Ronen. Thanks to Ed, your brother can now make time for you even when he’s not on vacation.”

Despite the oddity of the Grand Duke mimicking Ronen’s gestures, his handsome features somehow made the scene charming.

‘It’s… kind of cute, actually.’

Feeling something stir in his chest, Ed placed a hand over his heart and took a deep breath.

“Don’t just stand there, Ed. Come over here.”

“No, Your Grace. Please enjoy your time with the young master—”

“Ed… Are you avoiding work because of Ronen?”

Ronen’s innocent eyes turned toward Ed, looking as if they might fill with tears at any moment.

Flustered, Ed quickly walked over and sat down beside the bed.

But Ronen’s gaze didn’t let up.

“Ed, there’s an empty spot next to me.”

“Yeah, my side is free!”

When Ronen patted the mattress invitingly, Ed broke out in a nervous sweat.

‘But that’s the bed!’

As Ronen’s eyes began to droop in disappointment, Ed looked to the Grand Duke for help, but the Grand Duke mouthed silently:

‘Puberty.’

Resigning himself, Ed climbed onto the bed. Seeing this, Ronen and the Grand Duke exchanged secret smiles.

Unaware of their amusement, Ed thought as he sank into the soft mattress:

‘I’ll just stay for a bit and then quietly slip out.’

“Shall we begin?”

“Yes!”

Maybe it was because he’d just had dinner, but lying on the fluffy bed while listening to the Grand Duke’s calm voice made Ed irresistibly sleepy.

He burrowed further under the blanket, seeking a more comfortable position.

‘This is why blankets are dangerous.’

Once inside, it was hard to leave.

Despite his best efforts to stay awake, Ed’s heavy eyelids soon closed, and he fell into a peaceful sleep.

---

When Ed woke, quite some time had passed.

Blinking groggily, he noticed the room had grown dark.

Panicking, he turned his head and locked eyes with the Grand Duke, who was leaning on one arm and watching him.

“Ah…”

As Ed hurried to sit up, the Grand Duke placed a hand on his shoulder.

“It’s all right, Ed. It’s late; you should rest a little longer.”

“But young master Ronen should also return to his room to sleep—”

“Ronen went back to his room hours ago. Don’t worry.”

‘Wait, so I’ve been asleep for hours?!’

Groaning softly, Ed sat up, clutching the blanket.

The Grand Duke, too, straightened, leaning back against the bed’s headboard.

Ed was about to climb out of bed when he noticed the Grand Duke watching him intently.

Awkwardly, he pulled his leg back under the covers.

‘Does His Grace have something to say?’

But the Grand Duke remained silent, simply gazing at him.

Flustered, Ed scratched his cheek and tried to break the silence.

“I always crave apples in the winter. Is there any food Your Grace particularly enjoys during this season?”

He’d meant the question to lighten the mood and prompt the Grand Duke to speak.

“I like…”

‘Huh? That’s not the answer I was expecting.’

“Sorry, what?”

The Grand Duke repeated, this time with more clarity:

“I like you, Ed.”

“…”

Ed stared blankly at the Grand Duke. Wait a minute. This was—

“I-I like you too, Your Grace! And young master Ronen as well!”

“I mean it differently than the way you like Ronen.”

“…”

The Grand Duke’s eyes glimmered in the moonlight as he softly confessed:

“I love you, Ed.”

Shocked speechless, Ed could only gape.

‘Did I hear that right?’

And then, he promptly entered a state of denial.

‘Ah, maybe while I was unconscious, the word “love” changed its meaning to “you’ve worked hard” in the North? Yes, that must be it. Otherwise, there’s no way His Grace would say something like that to me out of the blue.’

As Ed carefully revisited the Duke’s words, he reached this conclusion and opened his mouth with a calm expression.

But he couldn’t entirely hide his shock, and his voice trembled ever so slightly as he spoke.

“Your Grace isn’t someone to lose his composure, so there’s no way you would say… you love me…”

‘His Grace is joking, isn’t he? For a moment there, I almost believed him.’

Was it because the situation was more confusing than Ed had anticipated?

His intended words got twisted as they left his mouth.

Because of that, a brief but awkward silence passed between the Duke and Ed.

Asnel, watching Ed’s utterly dumbfounded expression, couldn’t hold back and burst into laughter.

“Hahaha, ah… I’m sorry, Ed. I shouldn’t be laughing, but… don’t mind what I just said. It’s my fault for surprising you so suddenly.”

Despite the Duke’s reaction, Ed found himself unable to respond.

After all, his mind was currently in chaos, with countless inner voices deliberating on how to react to this situation.

‘Calm down. First, take a deep breath…’

‘But His Grace said he loves me!’

‘Ah, His Grace says he loves me!’

‘He’s waiting for your response. How long are you going to stand here muttering to yourself?’

‘…Even his laughter is so captivating.’

‘Hey! Stop getting distracted!’

‘You know, I’ve been thinking… maybe the meaning of the word really has changed—’

Ed’s endless stream of thoughts was abruptly interrupted by the Duke’s question.

“What do you think, Ed?”

“…Pardon?”

“I know it must be overwhelming to hear a confession in this situation, but as I said, I’m truly serious. I love you in a way that’s different from how I feel about Ronen.”

Ed, who had been deeply enamored with the Duke long before he became fully aware of his feelings, tried to answer right away.

However, lingering worries in his heart held him back.

‘His Grace is the head of a family that rules the entire North. Is it really okay for someone like me to be involved with him?’

Sure, there’s a saying that love knows no boundaries, but now that he was in this position, he couldn’t ignore the obstacles standing between them.

If he carelessly accepted this confession now, he would only become a burden.

He had witnessed firsthand how the Duke had protected the North and knew all too well the tragic end that awaited him in the original story.

‘And there’s an even bigger issue.’

Ed stared silently at the Duke. He liked him.

He loved him.

If that weren’t the case, he wouldn’t have thought it was fine to offer his life without regret when the Duke lost control and took his blood.

‘I can’t bear his child.’

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