Living as a Butler to the Northern Duke chapter 69

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The Grand Duke’s touch was gentle and cautious as he cradled Ed’s ankle, his thumb brushing softly over the prominent bone.

Beneath the firelight, the shadow cast by the Grand Duke’s lashes came into view.

He was silent, his thoughts hidden, but as the firelight flickered over his face, Ed found himself biting his lower lip, then releasing it.

“…”

“…”

Their eyes met.

The Grand Duke traced Ed’s ankle with a lingering gaze, and Ed instinctively scratched his forehead, feeling the heat rush to his face.

The Grand Duke offered a faint smile and looked down.

‘These feet have tirelessly cared for and protected Ronen.’

Having watched Ed all this time, the Grand Duke wanted to take this chance to relieve the tension in his weary legs.

He lightly massaged Ed’s ankle and asked, “Are your feet tired or sore, Edgar?”

“Oh, no, I’m fine.”

“You say that, but this area is very tense and knotted.”

The Grand Duke rotated Ed’s ankle gently, pressing softly along his calf.

Surprised by the pressure, Ed let out a brief “Ah!” before quickly covering his mouth, realizing his voice had echoed in the cave.

“Ah, I’m sorry.”

The Grand Duke tilted his head slightly.

“You cried out because it hurt—no need to apologize.”

“Oh, no, it wasn’t painful. I was just…startled. I’m truly fine, Your Grace.”

Ed looked down as he watched the Grand Duke massage his calves through his trousers.

‘What a treat. Here I am being pampered, when I should be the one massaging His Grace’s legs.’

Noticing how delicately the Grand Duke treated his feet, as though they were fragile treasures, Ed wiggled his toes.

Once the Grand Duke finished massaging his left foot and reached for his right, Ed spoke up.

“I’m truly fine now, Your Grace. Aren’t you uncomfortable anywhere?”

Ed clenched and released his fists, showing his readiness to assist if the Grand Duke needed him.

Hissss!

A loud sound suddenly echoed from the cave’s entrance.

‘What was that?’

The moment Ed turned his head, the Grand Duke rose, his back to Ed as he faced the entrance.

Ed stood as well, peering around.

The shadow cast on the cave floor by the flickering flames seemed distorted.

“Ed, stay where you are,” the Grand Duke ordered, drawing his sword from his belt.

At the entrance, a massive, dark snake reared its head, poised to slither in.

Sssk.

Each movement of the snake made a chilling sound.

Startled, Ed barely blinked twice, and already the snake’s head had drawn much closer.

Hissss!

The snake hissed menacingly, its sleek, glossy scales reflecting the cave’s firelight with an ominous gleam.

Ed shivered from the cold, noxious aura emanating from the creature.

In that instant, the Grand Duke swung his chain with a swift swoosh, wrapping it tightly around the snake’s open jaws, preventing it from lunging forward.

The snake, which had seemed moments from striking, bit down with a crunching sound.

The snake monster pulled back, trying to escape, causing dirt and debris from the cave entrance to scatter as it struggled.

The Grand Duke tightened his chain around the snake’s neck, pulling firmly.

His forearm muscles bulged as he held the writhing snake in place.

Hisss.

The snake, now producing a quieter hiss, began to shrink, as if trying to free itself by reducing its size.

But as soon as it slipped free of the chain, the monster transformed back into a large snake and lunged at the Grand Duke.

Watching the snake’s movements carefully, the Grand Duke ran his hand along his blade.

A red glow flared to life at the tip.

As he traced a circle on the cave floor with the blade, a blackened line scorched the ground.

With a stomp of his foot, the Grand Duke baited the snake, which advanced quickly, aiming to immobilize him by biting his leg.

The Grand Duke again ran his hand over the blade, this time intensifying the heat, warming the cave, which had felt slightly cool just moments ago.

The air grew so hot that water on the cave floor near the Grand Duke evaporated, creating a thin mist that quickly dissipated in the heat.

As Ed’s vision cleared, he saw that the Grand Duke had already driven his blade through the monster’s body.

The creature struggled briefly, but it quickly burned up and disintegrated in the intense heat of the blade.

Brushing ash from his sword, the Grand Duke turned, and the cave settled back into silence.

“Shall we go, Ed?” he asked calmly, as though dispatching a monster were just another task.

---

Outside the cave, bright light shimmered overhead, and a droplet of dew slid down a large green leaf.

Ed glanced at the Grand Duke, hesitant. “Um, is it really safe to be moving around like this?”

Earlier, he had mentioned something about the snakes targeting cocoons for their cores…

Ed looked up at the sky, searching for any sign of a cocoon but couldn’t see clearly from this distance.

The Grand Duke turned to him and explained, “That snake targets monsters in cocoons to absorb their magic.”

“Oh, I see.”

“So if it finds an abandoned cocoon and destroys the core, we can escape through the rift.”

Ed looked up again.

‘But how are we supposed to find the right one among all those cocoons?’

Reading Ed’s thoughts, the Grand Duke lightly grasped his wrist and said, “That snake sensed our presence and approached, so the cocoon we’re looking for should be close, probably hanging on a nearby tree, not up in the sky.”

Clearing the path for Ed, the Grand Duke moved ahead with confidence, parting dense foliage as he went.

Soon enough, they found a broken cocoon hanging precariously from a branch of a tall poplar tree.

The Grand Duke surveyed the surroundings, then sat Ed on a large, flat rock that looked comfortable enough.

“Wait here, Ed.”

“Yes, Your Grace.”

Ed held his breath, careful not to disturb him.

The Grand Duke drew his sword and, again, ran his hand along the blade, then aimed for the cocoon.

His strike hit the center of the cocoon, which cracked and split open, dropping a core that he swiftly picked up and pierced with his sword, shattering it.

Crack.

The blue core disintegrated, and a brilliant light poured over them, revealing an exit from the rift.

The Grand Duke extended his hand to Ed.

“Let’s go, Ed.”

Ed took his hand.

It was their second escape from the rift.

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Exiting the rift felt oddly surreal, even the second time.

Following the dim passage, they soon arrived at the place where they had initially entered.

The rest was straightforward.

Guided by the Grand Duke’s strong, broad back, Ed soon found himself outside the Grand Duke’s temporary quarters.

Ed released a deep sigh as he stood before the tent, feeling like a long day had finally come to an end.

The Grand Duke ruffled his hair lightly, smiling.

“You did well, Ed.”

“It was nothing, Your Grace.”

Yet Ed realized their day was far from over.

“Brother Asnel, you’re back?”

Standing at the tent’s entrance was a boy of about ten, with the same black hair and red eyes as the Grand Duke.

Though he looked exactly like the Grand Duke’s brother, Ronen, this boy was a stranger.

“…….”

The Grand Duke’s expression hardened, and Ed quickly glanced around.

Noticing the real Ronen peeking from inside the tent, he relaxed slightly.

As the Grand Duke studied the boy with suspicion, the boy spoke.

“I—I am truly Ronenkeaz Linden, Brother Asnel.”

“Ronenkeaz Linden?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

The boy’s voice echoed across the clearing, a ruby necklace hanging around his neck.

The Grand Duke looked down at the necklace hanging from the child’s neck before raising his gaze.

At that moment, Ronen, who had been peeking out from the tent entrance, quickly retreated, blinking as he hid himself inside before their eyes could meet.

As he looked at the floor, Ronen thought about everything that had happened today.

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