Chapter 1

There are rules at the Giselleberg ducal residence on 27th Barrenfield Street.

First, do not open the curtains.

Second, do not make any sound when speaking.

Third, even breathing must be suppressed, footsteps are forbidden, and even the sound of opening and closing doors must be avoided as much as possible.

And fourth.

Do not fall in love with the Duke.

“Ah……!”

Estelle was an insolent maid who broke all of those rules.

Her head lifted as she gazed at the Duke, her dazzling silver hair spilling through his hand.

If one listened at the gap of the open door, their voices could be heard.

Estelle wrapped her arms around his shoulders, which encircled her waist.

“Duke…….”

Whenever she visited the Duke’s room, she had to make her presence known.

Whenever their hands met, she had to whisper a fragile cry like a bird, and she must not dare to bite her lips.

To suppress the feelings that responded to him was a sin.

All the sounds that usually grated on his nerves were permitted only for Estelle.

She was that kind of woman.

She was both the Duke’s maid and his caregiver—

And his lover.

“It smells like water.”

Before the heat floating in the air had even settled, the Duke, who embraced Estelle, whispered.

Estelle, leaning her arms against his chest and looking down, smiled shyly.

Whenever she did, his firm and straight fingers would touch her lips. Even with eyes that could barely see, he could tell Estelle was quietly smiling.

“I told you to stop doing hard work.”

“…….”

“How long do you think you can smooth things over just by smiling?”

He traced the scent lingering on Estelle’s nape.

As he brushed his nose down her slender neck, the color of the man’s eyes who opened them was deep cobalt blue.

The piercing blue eyes shone as if they were the embodiment of his family’s accumulated glory, and his dark hair was reminiscent of a bloodline that would allow no impurity.

The Duke, rising from his seat, swept back his hair and sat in a chair.

In the faint moonlight of dawn, a pen in hand, the man’s face was shrouded in deep shadows.

The documents he was finishing were the procedures and preparations to push forward marriage with Estelle.

A union of different social ranks.

The Giselleberg Duchy, related to the Emperor and in frequent contact with him.

They were a venerable family that had shared in the founding and history of the Empire.

One of the Empire’s only three ducal families, a great noble house, and an illustrious lineage.

The position of Duchess in such a family had long remained vacant.

Naturally, intense interest gathered, and the daughters of prominent noble houses longed for the Duke’s selection.

Then, one day, the current head, the 8th Duke of Giselleberg, suddenly announced his engagement.

His partner was so ordinary that it was embarrassing to even call her a commoner.

She was a humble woman living in a rural village.

Rumors spread that the woman was a maid at the Giselleberg Duchy, but nothing was officially known.

Adopting her as the foster daughter of a suitable noble family would be a simple matter for him.

All he needed was to push forward the marriage quickly.

This was a forced marriage.

However, for some reason, she did not seem to be in as much of a hurry to marry as the Duke wished.

Supporting his chin, he cast a sharp gaze at the woman standing on the balcony.

As if only he was yearning, she leisurely enjoyed the dawn air. As if sensing his gaze, a quiet voice was heard.

“Duke, the night air is lovely today. How about a walk together?”

Through the wide-open door, the scent of fully bloomed roses poured in. The floral fragrance carried by the cool dawn breeze suited her well.

Estelle swept her hand wide through the air, gathering the abundant scent of blooming roses.

True to the mansion’s reputation as the White Rose Residence, summer roses were everywhere.

“Come here.”

The Duke, who had been quietly watching her, gestured, as if telling her to come closer.

As Estelle approached and tilted her head, her waist was encircled and she sank down. The Duke pressed his lips to the back of Estelle’s head and lowered his voice.

“If you’ve come to me, focus only on me.”

“Ah…….”

“You don’t need to know about the flowers blooming outside, the weather, or anything else. I want you to think only of me, without distraction.”

The Duke whispered as he kissed Estelle’s ear.

“I don’t want to share my woman’s time with anything else.”

Estelle, her face flushed, cooled her heated cheeks and gently pushed him away.

“……Do you want me to think only of you all day long?”

“Of course.”

At his immediate reply, Estelle let out a surprised, quiet breath.

“But that’s not what a person can do.”

“Then I must not be a person.”

The Duke lifted Estelle’s chin and tilted her head up to meet his gaze.

“Since I think only of you, as if I could die.”

His low, whispering voice made her skin tingle.

He stroked Estelle’s fingers and spoke in a voice deeply tinged with longing.

“Kiss me.”

The Duke pressed his lips to her collarbone, gazing at her.

“Why don’t you show some sympathy for me, not for the flowers and grass?”

“But…….”

Estelle couldn’t finish her sentence. Her fingertips trembled at the Duke’s breath, moving gently with his lips on her skin.

His persistent gaze, as he encircled her slender waist, felt sticky and relentless.

He seemed determined not to stop until he got the answer he wanted. He looked up, fixing his sharp gaze on her.

“Please.”

At the same time, the gentle curve of his lips was dangerous.

Unable to endure the hot pressure, Estelle turned her head away, avoiding his pleading.

She couldn’t bear to meet his eyes, even by accident, for fear she’d lose her breath. Her slender fingers tried to push his shoulder away.

But his body, much larger than hers, didn’t budge easily. Estelle exhaled a faint sigh and spoke as if resigning.

“Normally, people don’t ask for favors like that.”

“You know, I’ve never asked for a favor before.”

His forceful push was rough yet polite. Estelle’s waist was enclosed in his large palm.

“So I’m using all my patience right now.”

“……Should I consider it an honor?”

“Sympathy would be better. You’re weak to pitiful people.”

He drew Estelle’s chin closer.

“If you don’t like it, just call it begging.”

His lips traced down her nape.

From her slender neck, he moved downward, showering her collarbone with ticklish breath.

At the same time, Estelle held back a ticklish breath.

She could no longer stop him.

Estelle decided she might as well yield to the Duke once more.

“I’ll do it. Duke, I’ll do it…….”

“Too late.”

Touching her bare skin, his voice grew rough.

“Now I want even more.”

In an instant, Theodore picked up Estelle and strode to the bed.

As his hands touched her, a rosy heat spread across Estelle’s cheeks. Everything was instantly thrown into disarray.

Breathing in the floral scent drifting through the window, she wrapped her arms around Theodore’s back as he looked down at her.

His solid back muscles moved strongly, and as she held on, her hand gradually slipped down until it was finally enclosed in his large palm.

From the dark night to the bright morning, in the breathless rush of dawn, he released the heat he had been holding back, embracing Estelle and swallowing his regret.

He circled his arms around her slender waist, hugging her curled-up body.

He held Estelle, limp and still as if already asleep, tightly in his hard arms, burying his nose in her delicate back.

“I wish you would hurry and become my bride.”

With his eyes closed, he whispered his true feelings to her.

“Lumiere.”

Ah.

That was not Estelle’s name.

“……”

At the same time, Estelle, who had been quietly closing her eyes, stared into the air.