Chapter 6. The Day of the First Snow (2)

The personal butler of the Raven Duke’s estate was seriously directionally challenged. Even though he claimed to have been working for nearly a year, he was freely showing me his clueless side by getting lost inside the mansion.

‘I thought he was a perfect butler’

I looked at Sebastian, who had already led me into the wrong room twice, with a cold stare. I had thought he was someone who did everything flawlessly, but it turns out he was a clumsy man with no sense of direction.

“I am absolutely not bad with directions.”

Noticing my gaze, Sebastian firmly insisted with a stern expression that he was not directionally challenged.

But by now, the image of ‘clumsy and directionally challenged Sebastian’ was already branded into my mind.

In the end, we did manage to arrive at the reception room safely—but my legs were a bit… no, quite sore. Maybe it was because I was wearing high heels with a taller heel than usual—it was a little uncomfortable walking.

“Please have a seat and make yourself comfortable. I’ll prepare for tea time.”

I sat down on a sofa framed in gold trim. The soft cushion that sank the moment I sat felt wonderful.

Sebastian—no, not clumsy and bad-with-directions Sebastian—gave me a polite bow and left the reception room.

“Hmm, I expected it, but the inside of the mansion is incredibly luxurious. Every decoration is golden and covered in jewels. Surely, that’s not all real gold… right?”

I sat and scanned around the reception room for a while. Even with just a glance, it was easy to tell how immense the wealth of the Raven Duke’s family was. I had thought Count Karel’s estate was quite grand, but now that I’ve seen this, it didn’t even compare.

“Milady, everything is ready.”

Huh? Already? Not even thirty minutes had passed, yet Sebastian opened the door and stepped in. He really must be a capable butler—he seemed to have finished the preparations in no time. With his usual composed manner, he approached me.

“The Duchess is waiting for you in the garden. Please follow me.”

So I’m finally going to meet the Duchess. Last time, I hadn’t realized Lady Martina was the Duchess, so I had spoken to her quite casually. But now that I know her true status, she’s become someone I can’t easily speak to without caution. I hope she’s not going to use my previous behavior as an excuse to scold me.

Having been tossed around by so many nobles, I felt anxiety rising first.

No, calm down.

The Martina I met before was as gentle and kind as an angel. Nothing bad should happen, haha…

“You won’t lose your way this time, right?”

“I’m not bad with directions.”

Sure you’re not. When it came to giving directions, he was the last person I could trust. God really must be fair—He gave Sebastian a perfect face and poise, and in exchange took away his sense of direction.

“Ah, young master.”

Sebastian, who had been walking down the hallway with an expressionless face, came to a brief stop. A young boy had appeared in front of us.

‘He looks really familiar…’

His sleek, jet-black hair was as beautiful as the night sky, drawing a spontaneous sense of admiration, and his small, intense red eyes reminded me of blazing flames. Hmm, he clearly looked just like that person!

I immediately realized who this small child standing before me was. Black hair, red eyes, and even that sullen expression! He was the spitting image of Kyle.

“Are you Kyle’s younger brother?”

Though I was already sure in my heart, I asked just in case. The boy looked up at me with wide, alert eyes.

So cute! He looked like a miniature version of Kyle, and I couldn’t help but smile—until my face froze in shock.

“Don’t talk to me!”

Crash.

Words I never would’ve expected from such an adorable-looking child burst out, and my mental state crumbled on the spot. H-Huh? Did I hear that right? I’m sure I just heard something?

As if to crush my attempts at denial, that young voice rang out again.

“You’re another one of my brother’s guests, aren’t you? So annoying…”

My mental state didn’t just collapse—it felt like it turned to dust and floated away. His tone didn’t match his face at all. He had sharp, cat-like eyes, but overall a gentle-looking face, yet harsh words kept coming out of that boy’s mouth, leaving me utterly confused.

While I stood there dumbfounded and dazed, Sebastian calmly began introducing me to the boy.

“Young master, this is Lady Radel Karel.”

“Hmph. Don’t care.”

Whether or not I was being introduced, Kyle’s younger brother completely ignored both me and Sebastian as he walked past.

“Is he really Kyle’s younger brother?“

It was hard to believe they were siblings, their personalities were so different. Kyle, at least, had a certain level of consideration and manners, but his younger brother was completely twisted. He looked about eleven or twelve, so maybe puberty had hit early?

“I apologize, my lady. Young Master Karn was quite rude.”

“Oh, it’s okay.”

So his name was Karn. His attitude had surprised me, but for some reason, I wasn’t angry or irritated. It just felt like a child being bratty, so it didn’t leave much of a sting. Well… maybe my mental state was a little cracked…

“We’ve arrived.”

Following Sebastian, we soon arrived at the garden. Thankfully, we didn’t get lost this time. Sebastian stood proudly, as if to prove he wasn’t directionally challenged. Maybe I should praise him?

“Wow, you did a great job guiding us! Truly impressive skills!“

“You flatter me,”

Sebastian said, bowing deeply as if he didn’t know what to do with himself.

Gasp—what a perfect angle! His posture! As expected, his movements were impeccable, absolutely flawless.

“If you ever wish to be guided through the duke’s estate again, please call on me.”

“Ah, yes…”

When he straightened up again, Sebastian wore his usual expressionless face, but for some reason, he looked rather pleased. I think I’m getting better at reading people’s expressions.

I handed Sebastian the cake I brought and slowly approached the large table in the garden. Duchess Martina, seated gracefully among the blooming flowers, looked just as elegant and beautiful as before.

“Oh my, welcome,”

she said, setting down her teacup as she spotted me.

Her calm, sunset-colored eyes and her refined, elegant smile instantly put me at ease. Seeing her in person, I didn’t feel nervous at all. I sat down naturally and greeted her.

“Hello, Duchess Martina.”

“Oh my, that sounds much too formal. You can just call me madam—or even mother, if you like.”

Madam, sure—but mother?! I blinked at the word I hadn’t even considered. Seeing my flustered expression, the duchess covered her mouth and added with a soft laugh:

“I only have sons, so I’ve always thought it would be lovely to have a sweet daughter…”

Duchess Martina’s eyes shimmered sadly. Her pitiful, wistful expression tugged at my heart. Still, calling her ‘mother’ didn’t feel right, so I gently declined.

“I’m sorry… For now, I’ll just call you Duchess Martina.”

“Oh dear, how disappointing.”

The mournful look vanished as if it were never there, replaced by a bright, cheerful smile. Wait a second—is the duchess an actress too? That impressive shift in expression certainly made it worth considering.

“I heard from Kailon,” she said. “You’re in the same academy, aren’t you?”

“Yes, we’re in the same swordsmanship club.”

Technically, I was still in the magic department, but I’d be switching to swordsmanship next week. I took a sip of tea, comforted by the thought that I wouldn’t be setting any more classrooms on fire. Then, Duchess Martina looked at me with a gentle smile.

“Miss Radel, are you… my Kailon’s girlfriend?“

“Pfft!“

The directness of the question made me spit out my tea. I couldn’t believe this was the day I would actually spray tea from my mouth! What a shock. But more importantly—Duchess Martina! How could you just drop a bomb like that so casually?

“Cough, cough!“

“Are you alright? I’ll have someone bring something to clean up right away.”

With a flick of her hand, maids began bustling around the room. They swiftly wiped away all the tea I had sprayed and handed me a handkerchief with such practiced ease that it caught me off guard. I had thought Vivian was the best, but wow—there really are so many capable maids in the world.

Wiping around my mouth with the handkerchief, I spoke to the duchess.

“Um, we’re just friends.”

“Friends become lovers, and lovers become spouses, hoho.”

No, Duchess… if you keep saying things like that, I’m going to be in a lot of trouble. Flustered by Duchess Martina’s teasing, I cleared my throat just as Sebastian reappeared with the cake.

“Duchess, if you keep teasing her like that, the young lady’s going to be very flustered.”

“It’s just… it’s the first time my son’s ever invited a girl over.”

Duchess Martina let out another graceful laugh. Then, she looked at the cake I had brought and her eyes lit up.

“Did you bring this, Miss Radel?”

“Yes, I thought you might like cake, so I stopped to get it on the way.”

At the bakery, I had spent a long time trying to decide and finally picked a strawberry cake and a classic whipped cream cake. I’d been nervous about whether she’d like it, but thankfully, Duchess Martina seemed very pleased. She gazed at the cake with a face full of emotion.

“Such good taste—now I really want you as my daughter-in-law!”

“Wow, then that would be an honor for me!”

At least now, I could respond to the duchess’s jokes without panicking.

I smiled brightly and joked, but the Duchess suddenly shifted her gaze to something more serious and pulled out a sheet of paper.

“Then would you mind signing here?“

This feels very suspicious. Suddenly, the Duchess no longer looked like a graceful noblewoman but a large wolf ready to pounce on her prey.

As I blinked in confusion, Sebastian’s voice cut in.

“It’s still a bit early for that, Duchess.”

“Oh my, you think so?”

Thanks to Sebastian, who was carrying the cake nearby, the Duchess tucked the paper away again. The paper was gone from sight, but I couldn’t stop thinking about it. What was that even about?

‘As expected, I need to be careful around everyone in the Raven duchy.’

I couldn’t shake the feeling that if I let my guard down even a little, I’d be eaten alive.