* * *
Zavad had to remain there, waiting to welcome her—and to do that, he had to become the master of the house.
No matter what Benjet planned, Zavad would protect his mother’s rightful place.
Once he became the family head, he could do just that.
He could welcome his returning mother, claim the territory and title—and fully, entirely make that servant his.
Then no one could take him away.
Then it wouldn’t hurt anymore.
He would do anything for that.
As they walked in silence, Frey tightened his grip on Zavad’s arm and spoke.
“…Once the duke’s official approval arrives, I’ll arrange for the engagement ceremony to proceed immediately.”
“Yes. Until then, please play the role of my lover.”
Frey suddenly stopped walking.
Naturally, Zavad came to a halt as well.
“Is something wrong?”
“Well… I was just thinking… It must be difficult, doing this when there’s someone you love, right?”
Zavad nearly let out a laugh but replied in a flat voice, as if it were nothing of consequence.
“You can have as many lovers as you’d like. Just be discreet in public settings.”
“Oh, no, I wasn’t talking about me.”
“…Then are you referring to me?”
What kind of strange conversation was this?
Zavad frowned as Frey continued.
“You seem to have a servant you’re unusually attentive to, so I was wondering if perhaps…”
This time, Zavad couldn’t hold back a scoffing chuckle.
“…And what made you think I would harbor feelings for that lowly thing? I utterly detest commoners, I assure you.”
Annoyance flared within him, but Zavad managed to keep his voice soft.
Even as a Saint, Frey clearly hadn’t been granted the divine power to see truth.
But Frey remained unfazed and asked again.
“Still… It’s possible to grant someone noble status, isn’t it? Many nobles do that with their mistresses, after all.”
“I don’t partake in such foolish behavior.”
The very thought disgusted him. It was incomprehensible.
“You can scrape the mud off a pebble all you want—at the end of the day, it’s still just a stone. Not everything white is a pearl.”
“But… it could be a pretty stone, like a pearl. Worth cherishing.”
Zavad couldn’t understand why Frey wouldn’t let this go.
‘How long do I have to humor this nonsense…?’
Too many people were testing his patience today.
Even his smiling lips twitched with irritation.
“Who would call such a thing pretty, let alone consider it a lover?”
“Then… you only intend to keep Ranshel as a servant?”
“I believe I’ve been clear on that point.”
Zavad let out a long sigh.
Given how persistently Frey was asking, his curiosity must be sincere.
Thinking about it, they were to be not only engaged but eventually wed.
It was probably best to clarify even the minor things now.
“I simply want to keep Ranshel as my servant for life. But it irritates me to think he doesn’t view me as his master, that he could leave at any time. It’s not because he’s like a pearl. I just want to keep him close because I don’t know where he’ll end up otherwise. It’s not about love or anything like that.”
“Ah…”
Frey’s voice suddenly brimmed with mirth as he asked,
“Then… is it that you want to keep Ranshel like a flower hidden in a private garden, just for your eyes only?”
“Yes, well… Something like that. Though I wouldn’t exactly call him a flower.”
He wasn’t that rare or vibrant.
But when Zavad watched him sway like a frail little weed… it kept boredom at bay.
“…Something trivial, small… Maybe more like a wildflower.”
“Ah, yes…”
Zavad noticed the faint tremble in the fingers touching his arm.
He couldn’t understand what was so amusing.
In any case, there wasn’t a single decent soul around.
Suppressing his mounting irritation, Zavad resumed walking.
Before long, he saw the servants standing past the front gate, waiting for their masters to return.
Among them, he immediately spotted Ranshel.
Ranshel was chatting and laughing with the others, but as if sensing something, he turned his head.
His clear green eyes calmly examined Zavad and Frey.
Then, without pause, he looked away again and resumed his conversation.
“…Again with that…”
Zavad muttered in annoyance.
The fool never learns.
After all the warnings, he’s still mingling with those filthy ones.
Why is he so stupid?
It was frustrating beyond measure.
If words didn’t work, what else could he do?
He couldn’t exactly beat that small, skinny thing like Hans used to.
“…Well then, I’ll take my leave.”
Frey withdrew his hand from Zavad’s arm as he looked around.
“Yes, take care.”
Zavad replied in a sweet, indifferent tone.
Watching someone tremble like they were holding in laughter was infuriating—he was glad to see him go.
With a scowl like an angry wildcat, he marched toward his servant.
Frey, casting a final glance at Zavad, turned and made his way to someone waiting for him with a smile.
Danie, who had been watching from a short distance, fell in beside him.
“Is something making you happy?”
“Mmm, not really.”
Frey covered his mouth with a hand, eyes curving into a smile.
“I just really like him.”
Danie flinched slightly and asked cautiously,
“…Should I amend the contract terms, if you’d like?”
“Oh, come on, that’s not what I meant. You know me, right? I like him because he has no interest in me.”
“Then…”
“The contract will proceed as planned.”
Frey gently patted Danie’s back.
“All we have to do is watch from here.”
Because everything will unfold according to God’s will.
Ranshel chomped angrily on the cookie in his hand, his jaw working furiously.
He’d just had another spat with Zavad, who’d once again lost his temper out of nowhere.
‘Why the hell is this so good?’
Even while fuming, Ranshel was annoyed with himself for not being able to refuse the box of cookies Zavad had practically shoved at him.
It’s not like he even wanted to eat them, but his brain just wouldn’t allow him to say no to food, so he ended up taking it all the way back to his dorm.
“I’ve never met anyone as dumb as you.”
Well, for the record, Ranshel had met people as insufferable as him before… but still.
He just couldn’t understand why he had to be the one getting yelled at.
Don’t act so recklessly?
Why do you keep flaunting how empty-headed you are?
Recalling the sharp voice that had rung in his ears not long ago, Ranshel sprang up from the bed.
‘Like I’m just going to do whatever he wants.’
Doesn’t even realize it’s all for his sake, the idiot.
That’s probably why he can’t even manage to be top of the class.
Or runner-up, for that matter…
‘…Okay, fine, not because he’s stupid, but still…’
Either way, he couldn’t shake his sour mood.
Scowling, Ranshel left his private room and headed to one of the shared dorms inside the training facility.
Unlike his own single room, this one housed several trainees.
“What’s up?”
“Oh, I brought these to share.”
He held up the cookie box.
The moment the other servant opened the door and saw it, his face lit up.
He led Ranshel straight to the table where a few others were gathered.
“Wait, aren’t those Mirshe cookies?”
“What?! Seriously? Those sell out the second the store opens!”
“Yeah, they don’t even take reservations. You have to line up at the crack of dawn to get them. How did you get your hands on those?”
Their attention zeroed in on the box in Ranshel’s hands.
‘They’re that famous?’
He felt a little flustered, but tried to play it cool as he sat down on the chair they pulled out for him.
“I got them from the person I serve.”
“You mean… that young master from House Pomel?”
Now all eyes turned from the cookies to Ranshel’s face.
“Yeah, go on, help yourselves.”
He opened the box with an easy smile, though it felt a bit awkward.
* * *
