Living as a Butler to the Northern Duke chapter 38

* * *

Erald chuckled and crossed his arms, nodding as he looked at Naisen.

“I guess if that song were true, Kerrill wouldn’t still be at Herins Count’s estate. Poor guy, really. Thanks to that silly song, whenever people think of Izar’s dress shop, they think of Kerrill first, whether it’s true or not.”

“…”

“I just hope the truth about Izar’s fraudulent books comes out soon. Rumors are flying everywhere, and innocent people are getting dragged into it. Even a generous young lord like me has started to look at the butler with suspicion.”

A crooked smile played on Naisen’s lips as he recalled something from a few days ago.

“‘Earli, earlay, Herins Count’s butler and Izar’s shop owner, earli, earlay.’”

Erald had sung that little tune into his ear on the day Naisen nearly lost all his money in a card game but managed to pull out a win at the last moment.

On any other day, Naisen wouldn’t have had enough gold to exchange for that many chips, but thanks to the Grand Duke Asnel’s generosity, he seized a final opportunity and won much more than he had originally brought.

He should’ve been in a good mood, but that annoying song Erald had sung kept echoing in his mind, so he drank wine in the Herins Count’s dining room out of frustration.

He saw Ed enter the dining hall, rubbing his eyes with his messy hair sticking up as he made his way to the kitchen.

“‘Cocky bastard.’”

Naisen hurled the wine glass he had been spinning in his hand at the wall.

It shattered with a sharp crack, leaving a thin cut on the cheek of a low-ranking servant, with a trickle of blood.

“‘Ah, that’s better.’”

Seeing the servant’s stiff face as he bowed low, rather than sitting and chatting over a meal at the same table, was much more satisfying.

“‘Since I’m in a good mood today, let’s leave it at that. See you in the morning, Ed.’”

Feeling a smirk coming on, Naisen headed to the butler Kerrill’s room.

He woke the man from his sleep, gesturing with a finger as he smiled.

“‘Butler, hand over everything you’ve gained under the Herins Count’s name. Put it all before me, and I promise I’ll turn a blind eye. As a noble of the Herins family, I give you my word.’”

“‘…’”

“‘But if you dare to keep even a pebble, I guarantee your end will be miserable. That too, I promise as a noble of Herins.’”

---

Awakened by the sudden opening of his door, Kerrill shot up in bed, looking up at Naisen, who stood at his bedside with his arms crossed. Kerrill quickly rose from the bed.

Naisen wasn’t his usual self. Normally lazy despite his improper behavior, there was now a dangerous edge to his expression.

“‘So, what will it be, butler?’”

Will you hand over your hoard of treasures, or try to hide them?

Faced with the choice, Kerrill bowed his head deeply.

“‘This isn’t just some empty threat.’”

With over ten years of experience as a butler, Kerrill knew this wasn’t something to be taken lightly.

Kneeling before Naisen, he handed over a jewelry box from beneath his mattress.

Patting Kerrill’s shoulder as if consoling him for all his efforts, Naisen left the room without asking how he had collected the items or whether he would do it again.

The silent agreement was clear: Naisen would bury the matter, and if it ever came to light, he’d smooth things over with the Count, as long as Kerrill behaved from now on.

Naisen let out a quiet laugh as Kerrill exhaled a deep sigh of relief.

Back in his own room, Naisen carelessly examined the contents of the box before getting up at dawn to leave.

A soft lamp glowed in front of Ed’s room on the second floor of the main mansion.

“‘What a waste of light for a mere servant’s room.’”

Normally, the Grand Duke’s knights would be stationed there, but fortunately, they were absent. Otherwise, it would’ve stoked his anger further.

Naisen entered Ed’s room, watching the soft hallway light cast a faint glow on his pale face.

Naisen deliberately left the door ajar.

Ed’s eyes were closed in exhaustion, a fresh red scratch on his right cheek catching Naisen’s attention. He tossed the jewelry box onto Ed’s blanket.

The box flipped open, scattering its contents dramatically across the bed.

Naisen smirked as he spoke.

“‘Care to explain yourself? Ed? These things came from your room in the annex.’”

Ed shot up in bed, bowing his head. Naisen felt power in the way he pushed down on Ed’s forehead.

Even as he framed Ed by pinning the stolen items from the butler on him, Ed couldn’t offer a single excuse.

He had no choice but to take the blame.

Naisen loved it.

No matter how much attention Ed got from the Grand Duke, in the end, his leash was firmly in Naisen’s grip, and that thought soothed his earlier frustration.

“‘…I had him backed into a corner so perfectly.’”

But then, the Grand Duke appeared.

Naisen had hoped the commotion from early morning would reach the Grand Duke’s ears, but he hadn’t anticipated his direct intervention.

“‘You seem to be mistaken, Young Master Naisen.’”

The Grand Duke’s hand, strong and imposing, stopped Naisen from hitting Ed.

The Grand Duke swiftly unraveled the situation Naisen had carefully crafted to frame Ed, leaving him with nothing.

As the Grand Duke loomed closer with his powerful strides, Naisen instinctively took a step back.

He watched as the Grand Duke tugged at the collar of his pristine white shirt, revealing smooth skin underneath, marked by bruises that invited a flood of imagination.

And with that, the Grand Duke crushed any illusion Naisen had left.

“We only share body warmth with those who are truly valuable and cherished.”

Overwhelmed by the atmosphere, Irtel helped Naisen, who had collapsed on the floor.

Naisen, who had come back to his room in a daze, locked the door and avoided any contact with others.

‘It’s certain that they spent the night together.’

He sat in the dark room with narrowed eyes, deep in thought.

‘How far has their relationship progressed? They haven’t known each other for long, so it shouldn’t have developed too deeply… if that’s the case.’

Naisen slammed his hand on the desk.

Since the Grand Duke had taken over the Count Herins’ main residence, Naisen had been staying in the annex with limited information, but even if the two had merely been physically close, it was still problematic.

His father had said:

[With the connection to the Grand Duke, investments are flowing in from other places, so you must never do anything to fall out of favor with him. The moment the Grand Duke pulls out from the Count Herins, they’ll be itching to double or triple their demands.]

And yet, he had scolded Ed so harshly… sigh, the Grand Duke certainly has peculiar tastes.

Does he really want to embrace and enjoy someone like that?

The face may be fair, but what pleasure could there be in embracing a lowly person who crawled from a pit of dust?

Naisen’s face twisted with displeasure, and he furrowed his brows.

It would be troublesome if this incident caused a rift between the Grand Duke and the Count Herins.

It would be best to apologize to the Grand Duke and Ed, but… he didn’t really want to do that.

While he could always go to the Grand Duke and bow down, he didn’t want to bow to Ed.

So, Naisen chose to avoid both of them.

Avoiding the issue wouldn’t solve anything, but it was the path his heart inclined towards.

He held his breath and kept a low profile, knowing his father would certainly scold him if he found out.

He thought he might handle the situation once the big storm had died down a bit.

However, to his dismay, that evening the Grand Duke came to find him.

Knock, knock.

Even though he didn’t respond to the knock on his door, Irtel delivered the message.

[His Highness the Grand Duke is waiting for you in the study.]

If the Grand Duke was looking for him, there was no way to ignore it. Naisen, feeling anxious, moved from the Count’s main residence to the annex.

‘’I haven’t been seen all day and have kept a low profile, but is the Grand Duke still not pacified?’

Was he planning to call me for a stern reprimand?

Could it be that he’s planning to withdraw the money invested in the Count Herins?

As the cold gaze of the Grand Duke from the morning flashed before his eyes, Naisen felt a shiver run through him.

Rubbing his forearm with his hand, he followed Irtel.

However, as soon as Naisen entered the Count’s study, he realized how unnecessary his worries had been.

The Grand Duke, who was sipping tea while guiding him to the sofa opposite, had an extremely gentle expression.

A faint smile lingered on his lips.

[Upon reflection, I realize that I was rather hasty with you, Count.]

[…….]

[So, I’ve arranged a private setting where we can speak candidly.]

As he placed a large amount of gold coins on the table, Naisen struggled to keep his mouth from twitching.

It was a significantly larger sum than usual.

‘Well, that makes sense. The Grand Duke wouldn’t be naïve enough to get into a dispute with a noble over a lowly servant he’s only just met.’

Naisen understood the implication of the substantial amount of gold.

It was a message to keep quiet about today’s events and not to speak of them.

‘This morning, the Grand Duke was angry because I interfered with Ed without his permission, but after some time, he probably leaned back towards my side. Considering the balance between the Count’s eldest son and his servant.’

A fleeting physical relationship with a servant was nothing but a trivial matter compared to the Grand Duke’s significant concerns.

The gold coins on the table could be seen as a gift from the Grand Duke acknowledging this.

Naisen resolved to keep his mouth tightly shut.

[Don’t worry, Your Grace. I won’t breathe a word about today’s events.]

[Today’s events, you say, Count? I had an issue to resolve yesterday, which is why I couldn’t invest with you, and that’s why I’ve arranged this meeting.]

[Ah! Yes, of course. I was mistaken. I apologize, Your Grace.]

Naisen gladly accepted the Grand Duke’s directive to erase today’s events from his mind entirely.

After drinking tea with the Grand Duke and collecting the gold coins, he reflected:

‘It’s been almost a week since then.’

As Naisen was lost in thought, Erald’s arm lightly tapped him, bringing him back to reality.

The casino was still moderately bright and lively.

“Let’s not dawdle here; let’s go out for dinner. I’ll treat you.”

“No, it’s fine. You go ahead and eat.”

Naisen tossed chips onto the table and gestured to Zen.

“Deal the cards.”

Thanks to the gold coins he received from the Grand Duke, he could play aggressively in the card game today.

“Good grief.”

When Erald, losing interest at Naisen’s indifferent reply, stood up, Zen spoke quietly while shuffling the cards.

“Do you know why Erald is in such a good mood, Naisen-nim?”

“He’s always like that, isn’t he?”

“Of course, Erald-nim is always a cheerful and uplifting presence. But today, he’s particularly elated because he’s won big two days in a row, ringing the Golden Bell each day.”

Naisen frowned.

“What? Ringing the Golden Bell two days in a row?”

* * *