Lena opened her eyes to a damp sensation on her face.

“Oh, are you awake?”

A girl with tanned skin and freckles across the bridge of her nose, which suited her strangely well, was smiling.

Lena wanted to say something, but her throat was so dry that her voice wouldn’t come out properly.

“I’ll get you water!”

The girl wearing a black dress with a white apron quickly brought lukewarm water. Then she skillfully supported Lena and helped her drink.

When Lena thanked her quietly, the child smiled brightly.

“I was worried thinking~ you might be hungry if you didn’t wake up today too!”

Her lively pink eyes looked pure. Lena found herself absently staring at the girl’s green hair before tilting her head slightly.

As Lena’s long starlight-colored hair cascaded down, the girl couldn’t help but let out an exclamation.

“My goodness, where on earth did our Duke find such a beautiful person? I was so surprised at first. You collapsed as soon as you arrived! But don’t worry anymore. I, Penna Highum, will serve you with all my heart!”

“…What?”

The girl who introduced herself as Penna Highum was bubbly. She was so talkative that she rambled on about things without being asked, saying she was originally a maid but had been promoted to be Lena’s lady’s maid.

Lena touched her damp face, not knowing why it was wet.

“Oh, I’m sorry. I came to check on you and you were crying… I couldn’t help it……”

Hearing Penna’s deflated voice, Lena hurriedly shook her head to indicate it was fine.

Then suddenly feeling dizzy with a “ping-” sound, she squinted her eyes for a moment.

‘I was crying……’

Lena smiled bitterly.

She had dreamed. A memory from the day before she was offered as a sacrifice. Until then, Lena had thought she was happy.

But the next day, everything collapsed. Her parents had sold her, and her brother had mocked her.

‘Was that meat bought with the money from selling me……’

She seemed to have no shock left to feel.

‘How can I be so calm.’

Lena found herself strange. Penna chattered beside her for quite a while, but none of the words registered.

‘Why am I here? Where is this place?’

At that moment, there was a knock.

“Penna?”

The person knocking carefully called Penna’s name.

It was the deep, cave-like voice she had faintly heard before falling asleep.

“Ah, Your Grace!”

Penna jumped up in surprise.

‘Your Grace?’

The man who had been pacing outside spoke.

“If she’s awake, I’d like to come in too.”

“Ah! Would that be alright, Miss? It’s the Duke! The one who carried you here!”

Lena was dumbfounded.

‘The Duke carried me?’

At that moment, she recalled the face of the man who had rescued her when she was tied to the sacrificial post.

Before Lena could mentally prepare herself, the person waiting impatiently opened the door.

He was completely black.

He was so tall that it would take a while just to look from bottom to top.

The man with his black hair half swept back was walking toward her, staring directly at her with one piercing golden eye.

‘Duke Delian Northdelion…..’

He was the very person who had saved her in the moment of death.

“You’re awake.”

The Northern Duke, the man rumored to have gone mad one day and killed all the servants in the castle, said.

When Lena momentarily panicked and tried to get up, he raised his hand to stop her.

“You were asleep so long I thought you were dead.”

He smiled grimly. His golden eye not covered by the eyepatch shone like a beast’s. An overall fierce atmosphere surrounded him.

From his black wave-like hair swept to one side, to his piercingly stern expressionless face, to his threatening dark-toned skin.

‘No, apart from that……’

Lena stared blankly at the Duke. Despite his title as Duke, he had his sleeves carelessly rolled up and was sitting however he pleased.

‘I heard he was a nobleman but……’

He didn’t show the slightest trace of nobility, he was…

‘Rough.’

Yes, he looked rough.

Looking closer, the hair swept to one side that heightened his fierce atmosphere also showed signs of being done ‘carelessly’.

No matter how bad his reputation was, he was very different from the nobleman she had imagined.

‘I never thought he would be so unlike a nobleman……’

The villagers would call the Duke a “mad dog” in unison if he raised taxes even slightly.

It was both a mockery of his completely un-noble appearance and a slur against the massacre he had committed.

‘Mad dog……’

Lena somehow felt she understood a little why such an unsavory nickname had stuck.

“Are you deaf?”

When the Duke spoke indifferently, Penna made a fuss.

‘He really is like an unleashed dog.’

The way he acted as if nothing could stop him was exactly like that.

‘Of course, it’s probably because he’s a Duke……’

Lena felt herself relaxing slightly.

‘He doesn’t seem like such a bad person.’

After all, he was her benefactor who not only saved her from the brink of death but also took her in during this bitter cold.

‘Though I don’t know why he saved me……’

Lena tilted her head slightly and answered.

“No, I can hear well……”

“Then why aren’t you speaking? I thought you were deaf or had your tongue cut out.”

The Duke spoke as if annoyed.

His fierce appearance momentarily frightened her, but seeing Penna soundly slapping the Duke’s back made her tension dissolve.

How many Dukes in this world would simply respond “Ah, why did you hit me!” when slapped on the back by a maid? Certainly not a single one.

“Speak more nicely!”

“Why should I.”

When Penna huffed, the Duke huffed back, refusing to back down.

Lena found this absurd situation funny and burst out laughing before she knew it.

“Pfft……”

As Lena covered her mouth and laughed, the Duke raised his eyebrow not covered by the eyepatch.

“Is it funny?”

Slap.

Penna slapped the Duke’s back once more. The Duke gritted his teeth, but Penna didn’t back down and rolled her eyes.

At that sight, Lena burst into laughter again.

“Ahahahaha.”

It was a clear, clean laugh. Pure and refreshing without a speck of dust.

At that laughter, the Duke and Penna stared at Lena for a moment before simultaneously dropping their shoulders.

Was it an illusion that the Duke’s face, which had looked only fierce, momentarily appeared warm?

The Duke shooed Penna outside.

“But I’m the Miss’s lady’s maid?!”

“And I’m your employer.”

Slam.

Outside the closed door, Penna whined.

“You’re not delicate enough, Your Grace!”

“I can be delicate when I need to be.”

After snapping back at Penna without backing down, the Duke took a moment to catch his breath, then walked straight toward her.

Then he carelessly threw himself into the chair he had sat in earlier. Being so tall, his feet touched the floor even with his legs casually crossed.

Lena stared at the Duke.

“Your body.”

“…Pardon?”

“I’m asking if you’re okay. You collapsed.”

“Ah… yes. I’m fine.”

‘How long has it been since I heard someone ask that? I don’t think I heard it even on the day I was offered as a sacrifice……’

Well, since she was sick every day, what meaning would there be in asking about her condition?

But why did it make her feel good?

“What are you thinking so deeply about? With that small head.”

“…Pardon?”

“The conversation keeps breaking off.”

“Ah, I’m sorry.”

“It’s fine, don’t apologize. I don’t know how much I want to talk with you… no, never mind.”

The Duke turned his head to the side as if displeased.

‘How much he wants to talk with me……?’

Lena tilted her head slightly again.

He wore an eyepatch over his left eye. Thanks to his high nose, his profile was also extremely handsome.

Feeling Lena’s blank stare, the Duke also tilted his head slightly with a “Hmm?” and looked back at her.

It seemed to be a habit developed because of the eyepatch.

“Is there something on my face?”

“Ah, …no.”

“Then why are you looking?”

“Because you’re handsome.”

“Wha, what?”

The Duke looked at her directly as if flustered.

Lena blinked her spring-sky-like eyes, wondering if she had said something wrong.

She had thought the feeling was familiar somewhere; the Duke’s golden eyes resembled the wolf she had read about in fairy tales.

“Wh, what are you saying. What is that.”

The Duke pressed his hand against his lips and turned his head. Was it her imagination that his ears seemed to be turning red?

An awkward moment passed.

Having regained his composure, the Duke asked.

“Why were you tied up there?”

“Pardon?”

“Is ‘Pardon?’ the only thing you know how to say?”

“I’m sorry.”

“Now add ‘I’m sorry’ to that. Anyway, why were you tied up there? That day, I mean.”

Lena realized which day the Duke was referring to. At the same time, she recalled Penna’s words about the Duke not being delicate.

Lena said.

“You really aren’t delicate.”

“What?”

“Nothing.”

“What?”

“It seems ‘What?’ is all Your Grace can say.”

When Lena looked at him directly and spoke, the Duke raised his chin as if dumbfounded. Then he smiled grimly.

At that moment, Lena realized she had crossed a line. No matter how poor his attitude was or how casual he seemed, he was a Duke.

A nobleman born from the imperial bloodline, a ruler of the vast Northern Duchy where her village was located.

Lena hurriedly tried to apologize. But the Duke was one step faster.

“Well, you can speak properly after all.”

“…Pardon?”

“Why does ‘Pardon?’ come out again. Why again.”

The Duke frowned sharply. But she wasn’t scared like before.

‘He doesn’t get angry even when I’m this rude……’

She just found it strange.

The Duke said.

“So what’s your answer?”

“Pardon? Ah, ah……”

Lena briefly explained why she had been tied to that sacrificial post. Leaving out the story of her family, that is.

The Duke quietly listened to Lena’s story. When Lena finished speaking and drank water, looking tired, the Duke spoke.

“That’s absurd.”

“……”

“Who dared to do such a thing……”

The Duke growled. The canine teeth visible between his tightly closed lips looked extremely sharp.

Though she knew it was a disloyal thought, she kept thinking of the nickname “mad dog.”

The Duke’s anger grew increasingly sharper.

Just a moment ago he had scolded her for being lost in thought, but now he himself was deep in thought.

Lena stared at him for a while and found herself reaching out her hand. Perhaps because of the eyepatch, the Duke didn’t move.

Her pale hand came to rest on the Duke’s black hair that was carelessly swept to one side.