“Hmm.”
“……”
“Sigh.”
“……”
“Huh.”
With a series of sighs coming from the Duke's office, the aides rose again and again.
Why on earth is he acting like this?
Is it possible that the report I submitted yesterday did not meet their expectations?
“Maybe there's something wrong with the budget?”
“If he doesn't like it, he can say so clearly.”
I feel like I'm walking on eggshells.
Liam, who had been enduring the assistants' passing notes in silence, finally rose from his seat as the sound of the scratching of feathers increased in speed.
He approached Kayan quietly, lowered his voice and asked him:
“Your Highness, is something bothering you?”
“...bothered me?”
“Are you perhaps worried about the visit of the Tower Master and the other wizards from the Magic Tower tomorrow?”
At the sudden question, Kaiyan finally realized what he was doing.
Looking at the assistants' pale faces, it was clear that they had severely misunderstood, thinking it was because of the mountain of reports piled up on his desk.
“I made a mistake. I had something personal on my mind.”
At that, Liam's eyes narrowed slightly.
“Something personal,” he thought. He knew Kaiyan's every move, and as far as he knew, no new disturbing things had appeared recently.
If so, this new anxiety may be due to a personal emotional change.
Did he finally realize it?
Liam knew it, the maids knew it, the servants knew it.
Even the head chef knew about it, the knights knew about it, and even some of the weary assistants, who normally didn't care about such matters, understood!
A pleasant, subtle but tense atmosphere, to which only the two main parties seemed completely oblivious.
This topic has long been of interest among the intelligent members of the ducal family.
Now, maybe this idiot, Kayan Blair, has finally realized that he acted differently in April?
“…I see. I was worried because none of the reports submitted since yesterday morning have been processed yet.”
“Oh, right.”
“Of course, there is nothing urgent, so you can take your time.”
The assistants' eyes widened upon hearing Liam's words.
If they don't get approvals quickly, next week they will be drowned in a deluge of paperwork.
But Liam, who was more aware of the situation than anyone else, remained completely calm despite their desperate looks, and continued his work smoothly.
“Please continue with your personal thoughts, Your Highness. I will inform you separately if anything urgent arises.”
“In this case...”
Kaiyan glanced at the documents stacked in front of him.
Because he was distracted, he couldn't focus on his work. Normally, it was just a stamp of approval, but for some reason, he couldn't even read the text properly.
For this reason, the reports that had been received since yesterday morning had piled up untouched on his desk.
But he couldn't leave things like this. He decided to stay up all night if necessary to get over it, then he answered:
I will finish everything by tomorrow. Everyone go to work. Thinking about it, it's too late.
"…Excuse me?"
The assistants looked at him in confusion, then looked outside.
No matter how they looked at it, the bright sunshine outside did not suggest that it was “late night.”
His Highness the Grand Duke has finally...
Is it possible that he was suffering from something related, causing his eyesight to deteriorate?
“It appears that his condition has not improved, but may have worsened.”
Their guess wasn't entirely wrong – Kaiyan wasn't really paying attention to things like the time of day.
Liam realized that Kayan's condition was not normal, so he shook his head. This was a moment that called for the intervention of Liam Grey, the loyal servant of the ducal family.
Even if it meant compromising his dignity a little… he was willing to sacrifice anything for Kayan.
“Uhm, Your Highness, how about we take a short break? It’s still too early to leave today.”
“Ah. Is that so?…Then let’s do this.”
When Kaiyan nodded obediently, the assistants breathed a sigh of relief and turned to leave the office.
They were planning to escape the unusually tense atmosphere and chat outside for a while.
But at that very moment—
“There is something I need your advice on. Can you help me?”
Liam suddenly spoke.
His voice was so loud that it echoed throughout the office.
“……?”
Everyone - even Kaiyan - turned their attention to him.
Then he detonated a bomb.
Since I was born, I've been lonely, I've never known love. But now, I think I'm attracted to a lady. So, I would like to ask for relationship advice from all of you who have partnered and started a family. Specifically, how do I win a woman's heart?
Without taking a breath, Liam launched his statement at lightning speed, paying special attention to the last part.
For a moment, it felt like a cold wind was blowing through the office.
But soon one of the more solid assistants spoke up,
“Hahaha, Mr. Liam. Well, considering that you haven’t known women yet, you must be confused by this sudden wave of emotions. Actually, winning a woman’s heart is not that difficult. Just buy her delicious food.”
“Buying food is a thing of the past. I heard that ‘beast men’ are common in popular novels in the neighboring country.”
“In our duchy, we have monsters and strange creatures, but we have no ‘wild men’…”
While the older assistants were immersed in thought, Kayan was also immersed in meditation.
“Beast-man, huh.”
He'd heard about them before.
This was briefly mentioned in “Safety Rules for the Duke’s Haunted Mansion.”
A man with a muscular build and unbridled charm – he was called the Beast Man. They seem to be popular now?
Maybe I should change my tailor.
While he was thinking about this matter seriously, one of his younger assistants asked him cautiously:
“Master Liam, what kind of personality is this lady? The way to win her heart will definitely depend on it.”
“Ah, her personality...hmmm...”
Liam frowned as he explained the “objective facts.”
“She hates annoying things, prefers efficiency, and loves money, but she doesn’t particularly care about outward appearances.”
There seems to be more similarity between Liam's lady crush and April than expected.
Which made the helpers' advice all the more worthwhile.
Kaiyan perked up his ears.
“Ah, in short, she is a practical person.”
“…You could say that.”
“In that case, winning her heart might be easier than you think.”
Simpler than expected?
What does that mean?
His gaze fixed on the young assistant's lips.
“Mr. Liam, do you have… some savings?”
“Savings…?”
“Yes. How about investing in Miss April’s project and sharing investment shares with her? If she values efficiency and likes money, she might be impressed by your good financial judgment.”
...which was, in the end, an impossible method for him.
However, even if he couldn't use the young assistant's idea directly, it wasn't useless to Kayan.
Because he often saw April losing her mind over money.
“Haha, after this month’s earnings, I will finally be able to buy a house...”
“Ugh, I know it's an investment, but… my blood… my blood-like money!”
“Please, reduce the costs of accommodation and food a little!”
Realizing that the assistants' advice might actually be meaningful to Liam's romantic relationship — and perhaps to his future, too — Kayanne knew what to do.
“Ahem.”
“Ah, maybe we should get back to work—”
Hearing Kaiyan's fake cough, the assistants hesitated and reluctantly began to pick up their documents.
But-
“What are you doing?”
"Excuse me?"
“This is an important moment – Liam, who has served the ducal family loyally, may have finally found his life partner. Shouldn’t we all join hands to help him succeed?”
Kaiyan declared confidently.
“Then, let’s start an official meeting from now on.”