“So, you're saying you don't know what happened between the princess and the head maid?”
“Yes. The head maid has remained silent.”
At Liam's response, Kayan frowned slightly.
“Did she look like she was hiding something?”
“That's how I felt.”
A conversation with the head maid, huh...
As he was getting more curious to know what might have happened this time, someone knocked on the office door.
Knock, knock.
“Sir, it's Milena.”
What a coincidence! One of the main figures in their discussion has arrived.
Feeling a little guilty that she might have overheard their conversation, Kayan cleared his throat and stood up.
“Uhm… yeah, what’s going on?”
“Dinner is ready, so I came to tell you. Would you like to have dinner in the dining room today?”
It had been a long time since he had eaten outside his office due to non-stop work, so Kaiyan nodded easily.
“Okay, I'll be down soon.”
“Before that, maybe you should change your clothes?”
At the suggestion of the head maid, he belatedly checked his appearance.
Was he too overwhelmed with work? Ink stains stained the sleeves of his shirt.
Even for a simple meal inside the palace, it was tradition in the Grand Duke's household to dress properly for dinner.
“I'll change my clothes before I go.”
Kayan headed towards his bedroom, which was conveniently located not far from his office.
It had been a long time since he had last walked this short distance.
He swallowed a self-deprecating laugh, then opened the door – but his face froze.
“Hmm?”
Something was different.
The room, which was supposed to be bathed in the red rays of the setting sun, was instead bathed in comfortable darkness
It felt as if the room was covered in fog or as if it had been a rainy day – somehow dim and quiet.
Instead of going in immediately, Kayan checked inside and quickly realized that the curtains covering the window had been changed.
"What is this? Did someone change the curtains?"
His room always remained the same.
Because of his meticulous nature, not even his house slippers could be replaced without his permission, let alone the furniture.
But something had been changed without his consent.
Kayan frowned heavily.
“Who allowed you to touch my room?”
“Well, actually...”
The head maid sensed his displeasure, so she quickly nodded
“It was at Lady April’s request.”
"…What?"
Unexpected answer. Qian's mind was immediately filled with doubt.
Why would April change the curtains, of all things?
When the head maid saw his confusion, she quickly explained the matter.
Madam said it was a gift.
"…gift?"
“She wanted to inform you earlier but couldn’t. However, she wanted me to convey to you that this was something she had prepared.”
As Kayan carefully examined the new curtains, he realized that they were made of the treated buletta leather that April had requested.
But would she have gone to all that trouble for plain curtains?
A sudden idea came to his mind, so he issued an order to the head maid.
“Turn off all the lights in the room.”
At his command, the head maid extinguished every source of light - candles and lamps - until finally even the lantern by the door was extinguished.
Darkness immediately covered the place, so dense that it was difficult to see even an inch ahead.
“…It's like the darkness of the night.”
“It really feels like the middle of the night.”
Even the usual faint glow of twilight was completely blocked out, making the room feel quiet and comfortable.
At that moment, Kaiyan finally understood April's intention.
What he himself did not notice.
He remembered how the Grand Duke's estate was brightly lit even in the late hours of the night.
If the master did not get enough rest, his subordinates must have felt more pressure to follow his example.
April must have been aware of the exhaustion evident on the faces of the workers here.
Realizing that he had been oblivious to something so obvious, Kayan felt…embarrassed. And with gratitude.
In the end, he admitted, “I feel ashamed.”
Hearing his low murmur, the head maid spoke cautiously.
“She is a caring person.”
“...Mileena.”
“Yes sir?”
“Invite a guest to dinner tonight.”
It had been a long time since a guest had been invited to the Grand Duke's dinner table.
Determined to make this evening special, the head maid nodded firmly.
“Understood, sir.”
* * *
The news that the Grand Duke had invited her to dinner arrived just before the sun had set
Since most of her encounters with him ended in some kind of trouble, April felt instinctively uneasy.
But Bonita, oblivious to her fears, was enthusiastically stacking the dresses she had brought from an unknown location, treating the occasion as a big dance party.
“That's wonderful, ma'am! Your Highness must be very pleased with you.”
“...Do you think so?”
As she watched the colorful dresses pile up with a resigned expression, April asked hesitantly,
“Can't I wear something comfortable?”
“Of course not.”
Bonita answered as if the question wasn't even worth thinking about. Then I muttered,
“Other noble ladies ask for new dresses every day...Our lady cares little about vanity.”
hahaha…
Resistance seemed futile.
Resigned to her fate, April let Bonita work her magic
“My lady’s fair skin suits bright colors. What do you think of this color?”
“Mm, anything is fine.”
She had never been the type to care much about dressing up. This was something that only people with a lot of time – like Limia – cared about
But today, the soft green, empire-style dress that draped over her body matched her hair surprisingly well.
She took a moment to contemplate her reflection in the mirror, then took a deep breath and composed herself.
“I didn't do anything wrong, so there's no reason to feel guilty.”
...or was there?
Had she overstepped her bounds by changing the Grand Duke's curtains without permission?
Is this considered a violation of public morals?
Could she... be executed?
The estate executioner was on vacation recently, wasn't he?
Ma'am, it's time to go!
Bonita's cheerful voice brought her out of her thoughts.
"…Yes. Let's go."
Surely, nothing bad will happen.
She will face anything that comes her way
.
.
.
However, this resolve collapsed within ten minutes.
“Wait, is something wrong?”
Didn't he like the design?
Or was he angry because she changed the curtains without asking permission?
...or maybe he didn't even know what blackout curtains were?
The Grand Duke, who had sat at the dinner table even before she arrived, was a commanding presence.
Naturally, the shy April felt a strange pressure pressing down on her even before he spoke.
Tremble, tremble.
She gathered her courage and opened her mouth cautiously.
“Did-you called me...?”
"Sit".
At his command, a sumptuous meal was immediately served.
From appetizers to a table filled with enough to break the table, every dish looked irresistibly delicious
Do you like seafood?
After April was staring at the shiny grilled meat, she raised her head to find herself faced with the unexpected question.
“Oh? I'm not good with raw seafood, but I like it cooked.”
When she responded, Kayan pointed to one of the servants.
The waiter immediately placed a perfectly grilled white fish in front of her.
"…Thank you?"
“If there's anything else you like, let me know.”
"…Good."
On his recommendation, more fresh and seasonal dishes were introduced.
The tender thought made her face feel warm, but only for a moment.
As she stared at the peach pie in front of her, she carefully brought up the real issue.
“It was a wonderful meal. But...”
She swallowed.
After some hesitation, I finally asked,
“…Why are you so nice to me?”