Hailey stared blankly at the silver cutlery set in front of her on the dining table. This was the second time she was dining with the Duke.

Usually, a governess ate alone. Since she was not family, it was rare for her to dine with the Duke, and the servants, naturally, ate among themselves.

Having no place where she truly fit in, Hailey often ate solitary meals in the empty dining room, gnawing on her food in silence.

Just as she had started to grow accustomed to these lonely meals, the Duke had suggested dining together. Officially, it was to allow her to practice conversing in Santier, but by now, she was beginning to suspect his true intentions.

Tayton glanced at the gleaming silver plate of turkey before turning his gaze to Hailey.

“What do you think, Miss Hailey? Have you ever had turkey before?”

“…Yes, Your Grace.”

“Really? I heard the Salmon Baron’s house was so rundown that it leaked when it rained. Did eating turkey leave no money for roof repairs?”

“We weren’t so poor that we couldn’t afford turkey, Your Grace.”

After all, they were still technically nobility. Although the Baron Salmon had no lands to govern, Count Landers was a distant relative and occasionally sent financial aid.

Despite her response, the Duke’s expression remained indifferent. Hailey quietly lowered her gaze to the fork in her hand. The candlelight reflected off the fork, casting a sharp glint.

She tightened her grip on the fork. If she didn’t, she feared she might stab the Duke with it right then and there.

Completely oblivious to her murderous thoughts, Tayton turned his attention to the steamed mullet dish nearby.

“Westhill is an inland region, so fish must be expensive. Have you ever eaten mullet?”

“Yes, Your Grace.”

“You needn’t lie to save face, Miss Salmon. Poverty is not shameful, merely inconvenient.”

“I’m not lying. I really have eaten it before. Count Landers occasionally sent us quality ingredients.”

“Hmm.”

Tayton’s lips twisted, disappointed by her response. He had clearly hoped to tease her, and her unyielding replies had thwarted his intentions.

Nevertheless, a contrived smile soon spread across his face, one that was both generous and irksome.

“I’m sure there are many foods you haven’t had the chance to enjoy. Don’t hold back; feel free to eat as much as you like. The venison with mint sauce is particularly exquisite.”

“Thank you, Your Grace.”

Tayton recommended each dish as it was served, and Hailey responded with polite nods, smiling as if he were entirely correct.

“It’s truly delicious. As you said, the venison is exceptional.”

Hailey didn’t hesitate, taking generous bites of the food. Her appetite, however, only deepened the Duke’s displeasure, which flickered faintly in his gaze.

As she chewed her food, she stole a glance at him from the corner of her eye.

At first, she had been curious about how a masked Duke would manage to eat, but his table manners were impeccable. Not a single drop of sauce stained his mask.

For the first time, she realized just how elegantly a person could dine.

Tayton, sipping wine, seemed to recall something as he began to speak.

“The watchdogs came and went today, didn’t they?”

“Watchdogs?”

Hailey set down her fork and turned her gaze toward him. Her round, green eyes were filled with curiosity.

“The dogs from the police department,” he clarified.

“The dogs from the police department?”

Irritated by her parrot-like repetition, Tayton frowned as he speared a piece of venison with his fork.

He didn’t continue until he had swallowed his mouthful of food.

“Yes, those mutts who do nothing but leech off taxpayers’ money while wagging their tails at the royal family.”

“Ah.”

Hailey’s mind conjured up images of Albert and Hans. Albert, in particular, had made it quite clear that he didn’t like the Duke, so much so that even someone like her had noticed it right away.

Now, it seemed, the Duke wasn’t fond of him either.

It’s mutual, at least, she thought with some relief.

Recalling Anna’s praises of Blair, Hailey raised an eyebrow.

“But isn’t Albert Blair quite capable? I heard he’s the one who brought the police department its current reputation.”

“Ha. Which fool is spreading such nonsense? Bring them to me so I can gouge their eyes out.”

“…Hmm. I can’t quite recall who I heard it from.”

Hailey silently wished Anna peace and refrained from mentioning her. She worried he might press her further, but thankfully, he didn’t pursue the matter.

“If not for the Earl of Blair’s influence, that man would still be working as a low-ranking officer. Saying he’s competent enough to excel is ridiculous—it’d make even a passing dog laugh. Back in the royal academy, he could never do better than second place.”

Isn’t second place impressive?

Hailey tilted her head slightly in doubt.

“Of course, I was the one who always came in first.”

“…”

“…”

“…Yes. That’s incredible.”

Unable to withstand his persistent silence, Hailey begrudgingly praised him. Only then did Tayton’s satisfied gaze finally move away.

The duke’s command of Santier was so fluent that he hardly needed a tutor. His sharp tongue, especially, was unmatched—he might even be more adept at it than native Santierians.

How does someone like him even manage in society? Ah, I guess at his level, everyone just caters to him, so he doesn’t really need social skills. Power is indeed convenient.

Behind her composed smile, Hailey grumbled inwardly about him. She continued to shovel food into her mouth without knowing if it was going down the right way.

“You certainly have a knack for infuriating people—Inspector Blair, I mean.”

At those words, Tayton, who was just about to take a bite of mullet, widened his eyes slightly. For the first time, his silver gaze shone with approval.

“You’ve judged correctly, Miss Hailey. You unexpectedly have a good eye for people.”

Huh?

Startled by his unexpected reaction, Hailey paused mid-cutting of her meat. Tilting her head slightly, she cautiously voiced her thoughts across the table.

“It just seems like he speaks too harshly at times. His high-handed, rigid attitude is quite aggravating, honestly.”

“He’s always been like that, even as a student. He thought he was the best in the world, never bowing to anyone. A thoroughly unpleasant fellow, then and now.”

Nothing builds rapport like shared gossip. Nodding along at his words, Hailey let them go in one ear and out the other.

“Rather than pleading for a budget increase like he should, he marches into the royal court with his head held high and his eyes glaring. What insolence.”

“Ehh, is that so.”

With her mouth stuffed with meat, Hailey replied absentmindedly. Her cheeks puffed out like a chipmunk hoarding nuts.

Her and Tayton’s eyes met.

“?”

She blinked innocently, her round green eyes wide with an almost childlike expression.

Tilting her head curiously, she began chewing her food, her puffed-up cheeks twitching like those of a greedy squirrel.

Looking visibly displeased, Tayton set his fork and knife down and picked up his wine glass, furrowing his brows.

“Do you even digest all that? You’re not some hibernating bear, foolishly stuffing yourself like that.”

Wasn’t he the one who said to eat as much as I wanted? Now he’s complaining?

Hailey’s eyes narrowed in discontent almost instantly.

***

The familiar night air brushed past the tip of Hailey’s nose. She tightened the shawl draped over her shoulders as she strolled through the garden under the night’s embrace.

The faint glow of street lamps illuminated her path, and the distant sound of dogs barking filled the quiet. Though not as grand as the Kent Hall courtyard, the scenery had become somewhat familiar.

Sleepless nights had yet to improve. It was a wonder she managed to stay lucid throughout the day.

“Is it because of all the late-night shifts? Oh wait, this isn’t my body. Then it must be my mental fortitude? Wow, I guess the mind really does rule over matter.”

Muttering nonsensical remarks, Hailey trudged leisurely through the garden. Moving her body like this helped her fall asleep, even if only slightly.

It was then that her eyes caught sight of a lit window. She didn’t need to count to know which room it was—it was the duke’s study, which she frequented far too often.

Standing hidden in the shadows, Hailey stared quietly up at the window. Through the light, a large silhouette could be seen. The figure stood unmoving before the desk, like a statue.

“Workaholic. It’s not like he can take it with him when he dies, so why bother working this hard?”

Shaking her head like a weary old woman, Hailey clicked her tongue and resumed her stroll.

Having experienced death once, she no longer placed much value on wealth or fame. All she wanted now was to live her given life peacefully and happily until the very end.

“Happiness, huh.”

At that moment, countless rumors about the duke surfaced in her mind. His tragic birth, his turbulent childhood, and the road that had led him to his current state.

She realized, at some point, that not a single portrait of the duke hung in this enormous mansion.

Despite the hallways and rooms being adorned with works by the finest painters, not one of them depicted the duke himself.

Nobles often commissioned renowned artists to paint their portraits and prominently displayed them. In that sense, the duke’s actions were unconventional.

Could it be that he didn’t want to face his own image?

Hailey’s green eyes glimmered with a fleeting trace of sympathy. Though she sighed at the irony of worrying about someone else’s troubles when her own were plentiful, she couldn’t shake the nagging thoughts of that difficult man.

The lonely, unyielding back of a man who seemed to know no solace lingered in her mind. Along with it came a peculiar sense of…

“Ah.”

Hailey suddenly stopped in her tracks. Slowly, she raised her head to gaze up at the lit study. More specifically, at the shadow cast across the window.

It was only then that Hailey realized the bitter emotion she had been feeling wasn’t pity—it was a sense of kinship. In the duke, she saw herself.

She had struggled to maintain her place by being the “good child,” while the duke had done the same by becoming the “troublesome child.” Though their approaches were polar opposites, both of them had desperately fought to hold on to their positions.

“A troublesome child, huh? That suits the cursed duke just perfectly.”

A faint chuckle escaped Hailey’s lips as she glanced down at her feet with softened eyes.

Although she stood firmly on the ground, there was an odd sensation of floating as though she were half-suspended in the air. Perhaps it was because she had yet to find her place.

“Will I feel grounded like a tree with deep roots once I find where I belong…?”

Hailey’s quiet murmur lingered at her feet before dissolving into the darkness. After wandering a few more laps around the garden, she finally slipped back into the mansion.

At that exact moment, the light in the study flickered off.