# 9 - 9
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Chapter Nine
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Ah, Miss Tulia. You came back today.
Rock, Grand Duke Fraser's chief advisor, walked out of the office smiling.
Tulia, who was looking out the window holding a small basket the size of her palm, saw Rock and smiled at him.
"Welcome."
“If you don’t talk to me comfortably, I will be in trouble, miss.”
"Hello."
Rock laughed and replied.
Yes, hello, miss.
Did you have lunch?
"Sure. Have you eaten, miss?"
“Mmmmm.”
To Rock, Tullia was a unique existence, like a single tulip blooming in a pure white snow field.
The fact that she was essentially a direct descendant of Fraser and yet treated Rock like “some grandfather she knew” showed it.
Of course, there were many who tried to curry favor with Rook Kilfusher, the chief advisor to Grand Duke Fraser's aide.
But trying to be friendly and being intimate were two completely different things.
Especially since Tulia Fraser has shown absolutely no interest in Brooke Kilfusher over the past few years.
“Are you doing this because I scolded the maids the other day?”
Rock Kilfusher had no way of knowing why Tullia Fraser suddenly looked at him with eyes full of affection and trust.
Not that it was bad.
Honestly, he felt sorry for her too.
Tullia acted just like a young lady who had no one else to talk to in this main castle except Rock Kilfusher himself.
“This may be true.”
It was a bit bitter, but there was nothing Rock Kilfusher could do about it at the moment.
Perhaps because he felt sorry for her, his eyes were more attracted to Tulia's appearance.
'Her accessories and clothes are very modest.'
Her accessories and dress barely fit. This means that she was not assigned a maid with professional skills.
“And her hair...”
I'm really sorry, but it's just...
Is this type of loose hair in fashion these days?
Absolutely not.
It wasn't like she left her hair down without any decorations at all.
It looked like she was trying to look decent in her own way, but this hair… Even a commoner with common sense, let alone a decent noblewoman, would never style their hair like this.
It seems that Tullia was not assigned a maid so she would have common sense.
Half of the internal affairs of the House of Grand Duke Fraser were under the control of Viscount Lilius and his wife.
Although their son Tedric was reprimanded by Grand Duke Fraser and even had his pendant of direct lineage temporarily confiscated, this alone was not enough to deprive them of their authority over internal affairs.
If this Grand Ducal House were just an ordinary noble family, things might be different.
But changing the director of internal affairs of this huge grand ducal house, which can only be described as monumental, was like changing the prime minister of the kingdom.
This was the kind of thing that would interest the elders of the family, asking what was going on.
“His Highness the Grand Duke did not go so far as to issue such orders.”
However, Viscount Lelius and his wife were at that time in a state of calm, observing the mood of the Grand Duke.
This was the main castle, so there were many eyes watching it. They couldn't openly persecute Tullia, but frankly, until recently, Tullia had been a ghost in the family.
This means that it will actually be difficult for her to complain about not having a suitable maid to help her take care of her appearance.
Indeed, Viscount Lilius and Viscountess Aubrey may have been hoping for just that.
They had to find fault with Tullia to be in an advantageous position.
'Wait a minute. But this is strange...'
Suddenly, Rock Kilfusher looked at Tullia standing in front of him again.
In contrast to the Grand Duke Assis's lack of interest in his descendants, Roc Kilfaucher, as advisor, always kept track of the characteristics of the Fraser's direct descendants.
Tulia Fraser valued appearance, and would not leave her room unless she was perfectly groomed. Rumors about her love of luxury were not unfounded.
So why did Tulia step out so confidently with this bombshell hair?
The original Tullia could never have looked like this.
Rather, she would have been angry because a suitable maid had not been sent for her...
“I wonder what His Highness the Grand Duke will think about this appearance.”
Rock Kilfusher smiled and asked.
Miss Tulia, did you make handmade jam again today?
Yes. Of course, my grandfather probably wouldn't eat something like that...
Rock couldn't help but smile upon hearing those words and couldn't deny it.
Grand Duke Fraser, who was said to have power rivaling that of the Emperor, was someone who received all kinds of rare delicacies from around the world every day.
A granddaughter who had not interested him until a few days ago.
Grand Duke Assis was certainly not the kind to taste the jam given to him as a gift by his granddaughter.
“At least he didn’t order the jam to be thrown away, but he didn’t eat it even once.”
However, after taking a look at Tulia's jam, Grand Duke Fraser made a passing comment.
“Tullia seems to resent me a lot.”
The advisors in the office at that time broke out in a cold sweat and laughed awkwardly.
“Sure today too.”
The jam Tullia brought didn't look very good.
Seeing her diligently making and producing this kind of thing, Tulia Fraser must be the real daughter of Marquis Aster Fraser, who had the heart of a monster.
“Most important.”
Rock Kilfusher shook off his thoughts and smiled.
“Sometimes those simple gifts are nice too, right?”
"right?"
“Of course, Miss Tulia.”
When Tulia smiled, her soft pink hair – no, her cloud-like pink hair – bounced gently.
Miss, shouldn't you be back in your room now? The president's meeting is about to end... No, I'm sorry. The agents' meeting is about to end, and several agents will come out.
It was a nice way of saying that showing such hair to the servants might hurt Tullia's pride… No, he couldn't imagine how her circles of pride had changed, but it would be better not to show it.
“So it's about time.”
Stars twinkled in Tullia's eyes.
“Understood. I'll be back.”
Rock didn't notice the evil smile that crossed Tullia's lips when she turned around after thanking him for letting her know.
* * *
“It seems that the Grand Duke does not eat the jam I give him.”
As expected from the head of a noble family, he is a wise person.
Looking at Rock's face, he seemed to feel inner regret that he couldn't give me confidence that the Grand Duke would eat the handmade jam I brought, but on the other hand, I thought this was lucky.
“I worked hard to make it, but with a skill level of -10 in making jam, will it be okay after eating it...”
It would have been much better for him to acknowledge the fact that I had brought gifts that I had carefully made myself.
A gift that was rude but had sincerity in it.
Contrary to his strict impression, Grand Duke Fraser was a weak character in the face of such things.
“Well, it's rather primitive...”
The Grand Duke also has eyes, so he knows just by looking, right?
That the apple jam I was making was not food fit for human consumption.
It was made with a massive penalty to a skill level of -10.
Even the color looked terrible from the start.
However, they say that most nobles don't know how to cook anyway.
If I bring jam every time, maybe I'll be able to gain a little popularity.
“In addition, thanks to my attendance every day, I was finally able to schedule an appointment to meet the servants.”
Maybe starting next week – no, starting this week – spoiled fruit will no longer enter my kitchen.
* * *
As Tullia predicted, a few days later.
Viscount Lilius returned to the couple's bedroom, his face red.
My dear! How are you?
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