“A banquet?”

“Yes. That’s why Madam Mastis has been so busy these days. She has to decorate the estate and decide on the food for the banquet. Since the steward isn’t coming this year, she has even more to handle herself.”

“Really?”

Hailey’s face clouded over. She felt upset and left out for being the only one unaware of such a big event at the estate.

Is this some kind of new form of bullying? Or are they just being territorial?

While Hailey puffed up her cheeks in frustration, Catherine appeared around the corner carrying a bucket. Upon noticing Hailey, she paused briefly.

Though it had been revealed that Catherine hadn’t stolen the pocket watch, she still hadn’t returned to her dishwashing duties.

As Catherine passed them, she gave Hailey a barely perceptible nod but glared fiercely at Anna.

“Hmph.”

Anna didn’t back down, glaring right back at Catherine. Only after Catherine disappeared to the other side did Anna finally relax her tense expression and turn back to Hailey.

“Well, I need to get back to cleaning the banquet hall, so I’ll be off now. But…”

As Anna picked up her bucket and started walking away, she added as if remembering something.

“Weren’t you on your way to the duke’s office?”

“Oh no!”

Hailey’s face fell as she hurried off. Holding up the hem of her dress, she dashed up the stairs, panting all the way. Anna shook her head in exasperation as she watched her go.

“Miss Hailey Salmon.”

Hailey stood before the duke, catching her breath. His sharp silver eyes glinted with displeasure.

“How long has it been since I summoned you? I’m fairly certain I’ve mentioned multiple times that I dislike lazy people. Or am I mistaken?”

“I’m sorry, Your Grace.”

By now, the words “I’m sorry, Your Grace” rolled off her tongue like a reflex. Hailey picked a book off the shelf and headed for the sofa.

“I heard there’s going to be a banquet at the estate next week.”

Hailey spoke casually, almost like making small talk. Even if he was a cursed duke, seeing him every day must have made her comfortable enough to attempt idle conversation.

The duke, who had been dipping his quill into ink, slowly lifted his gaze. Hailey opened the book to the page marked by a bookmark.

“Are you hoping to attend the ball? I wonder… The guests will include only nobles of count rank or higher and my business partners. I’m not sure if Miss Hailey Salmon would fit in there.”

Where was I?

Tracing the familiar paragraphs with her eyes, she nonchalantly opened her mouth.

“I am curious about what a ball is like, but I don’t particularly want to attend one.”

“Well, as the daughter of a country baronet, a ball must have been nothing more than a pipe dream.”

At that point, Tayton let out an ambiguous “Ah” and slowly set down his quill. His mischievous gaze turned toward Hailey.

“What, are you planning to change your target?”

“…”

Hailey stared blankly at him, not understanding what he meant. Tayton rested his elbows on the desk, interlacing his long, pale fingers. For some reason, her gaze was drawn to them.

The appropriately thick, vein-rippled hands were unmistakably those of an adult man. Yet, they were as straight and beautiful as a sculpture.

Propping his chin on the back of his hand, he stared at her. His silver eyes, peeking out from behind his black mask, glimmered maliciously. A sense of foreboding pricked at her.

“Finding it hard to take me down, are you now planning to set your sights on someone else? Looking for a wealthy benefactor to fix the roof of Kent Hall? I didn’t realize you were someone who lacked perseverance, Miss Hailey Salmon.”

Perseverance?

Hailey, tilting her head with a puzzled expression, gave him an innocent smile.

“As I’ve said before, I have no intention of attending the ball, Your Grace.”

“You have no intention of attending?”

The duke repeated her words skeptically. Hailey nodded, turning her eyes back to the book. After all, how many employees would willingly attend a work event during their free time?

“I’m not fond of crowded places.”

“I see. Growing up in the countryside, I suppose that makes sense. Do you find wild animals more agreeable than people?”

“Also, I don’t have anything to wear.”

“A creative way of begging.”

“Begging…?”

Hailey, about to read her book, furrowed her brows and looked at the duke again. Sitting against the light from the window, Tayton still had his chin propped on his hand, staring intently at her.

“Doesn’t that imply you’re asking me to buy you a dress?”

Hmm.

Hailey replayed her own words in her mind. Where exactly had she implied she wanted him to buy her a dress?

As an ordinary person, she couldn’t make sense of the extraordinary duke’s thought process.

“I think you’ve misunderstood something…”

“If people hear that Miss Hailey Salmon is staying in my home but couldn’t attend the ball because she didn’t have a dress, what do you think they’d say? They’d say I treat my guests poorly. Imagine rumors spreading that the great Duke Gunner couldn’t even spare the cost of a dress. How laughable would that be? Clever, Miss Hailey Salmon.”

“That’s not what I meant…”

Hailey let out a sigh, her face filled with exasperation. Only then did the duke uncross his fingers and pick up his pen.

“Enough chatter. How about focusing on your book? You still have work to finish for the day.”

“Yes, Your Grace.”

What a twisted man.

Inwardly grumbling about the duke, Hailey obediently nodded with a submissive expression. She thought to herself that later, like the barber who shouted “The king’s ears are donkey ears,” she would find some secluded place to vent about him.

“During the Revival Period of Santis, there would be no dispute among historians that the reign of King Christian II marked its zenith. If Queen Isabella opened a new chapter in Santis’ history, her grandson Christian II could be credited with ushering in its cultural renaissance…”

The soft sunlight of a drowsy autumn afternoon filled the office. Tiny specks of dust floated and shimmered in the golden light, scattering like refracted beams.

Through it all, Hailey’s voice resonated softly. The scratching sound of the pen as the duke signed documents lightly tickled the ears. The faint scent of ink lingered in the air.

The two shared the same space and the same time, yet their thoughts and actions were worlds apart. They were simply engrossed in their respective tasks.

Hailey had no interest in the documents he was signing, and the duke couldn’t care less about the Santis history she was reading.

But Hailey found the moment incredibly serene. Everything felt perfect, and a faint smile softened her lips.

“…”

After a while, Tayton realized Hailey’s voice was no longer audible. Faintly frowning, he placed his pen down with a soft thud and slowly lifted his head.

Lost in thought again, is she?

“Hailey—”

Her name left his lips but trailed off before it could be completed. He abruptly stopped himself.

Leaning against the sofa with her eyes closed, clutching the heavy book to her chest, Hailey was fast asleep.

Tayton unconsciously pressed his lips into a firm line. Dark circles shadowed her eyes. He recalled the image of her wandering the garden deep into the night.

Tch.

Clicking his tongue softly, he turned his eyes back to the documents as though he hadn’t seen anything. His fingers, as they flipped through the pages, moved more gently than usual.

The faint sound of her even breathing, barely audible unless one strained to hear it, didn’t bother him as much as he thought it would.

****