“Isn’t there just some bread for appetizers?”

“There’s no need to bring out anything new. Eat what you’re given.”

“There are also dishes like appetizer bread or salad.”

“I specifically instructed my chef to pay special attention. Only the most labor-intensive and luxurious dishes are being served, so eat without complaint.”

Originally, each region had its own food specialties, but Winchester was a bit unique. Winchester was known for its many pickled dishes and spicy foods.

Of course, it didn’t suit Axel’s taste at all. When he came to Winchester as a child, he forced himself to eat and had terrible stomach aches.

“It seems to suit your taste.”

“Yes. The taste is excellent. It’s my first time trying this dish, and it’s really delicious.”

Unlike Axel, Hailey found it very palatable. Hailey generally found most things tasty.

Theo, who had been a concern, also seemed to enjoy the taste, neatly picking at the mackerel meat. Even the small plate for children and the carefully prepared dish were cute.

Of course, in the midst of that, the lovely beans were pushed to the corner of the plate and gathered together.

The Grand Duke, without realizing it, was looking fondly at Theo eating neatly with his small mouth, but then glanced disapprovingly at his grandson on the opposite side, who was poking at his food with a fork, and clicked his tongue.

“Bring some appetizer bread or something for this incompetent guy.”

Axel felt a surge of anger.

“Do you know how delicious appetizer bread can be? Bring the most delicious butter in the world with it!”

Axel thought this was still part of his initiation, but the Grand Duke had no such intention at all.

In fact, the pickled mackerel served before them were a far more luxurious dish than any appetizer bread or salmon salad.

He had served dishes that couldn’t even be seen on the mainland, and yet there were complaints about the food.

The Grand Duke didn’t even look at Axel, focusing his gaze and conversation only towards Hailey and Theo. Throughout the meal, Axel was left out in the cold.

“Grandpa Oldman– Theo wants more juice.”

“You, you shouldn’t call him that. I’m sorry, Your Grace.”

Grandpa Oldman, right.

At that cheeky title, the servants waiting nearby tried hard to maintain their expressions, but their mouths all twitched.

Of course, Grandpa Oldman himself let a smile slip before trying to regain a dignified expression by glancing at Axel several times. He was indeed the most effective at wiping the smile off his face.

“Ahem. Bring a full glass of juice.”

Contrary to concerns, thanks to Theo, the first formal dinner at the Grand Duke’s mansion ended in a warm atmosphere.

* * *

After finishing his meal, Theo declined dessert and disappeared in a flash, saying he was going to explore the castle with Roto.

The five-year-old who used to stick close to Hailey was now learning to mingle with others away from her.

Axel approached Hailey, who was proudly watching Theo’s excited back as he left.

“Would you like to tour the castle together? It’ll help with digestion too.”

“Sure.”

Hailey readily agreed, as she had been thinking of looking around the enormous Grand Duke’s castle anyway.

Hiding his joy, Axel naturally led Hailey.

But the problem was the servants following behind Hailey and Axel.

It was natural for the serving staff to follow them. Kieran, who had been in charge of Hailey’s personal guard since the capital, also stuck close behind Hailey.

Axel once again shot a glaring look at Kieran.

‘It’s the same murderous atmosphere as last time.’

Kieran, having experienced this before, immediately noticed and flinched back. But the other servants didn’t know to retreat.

“We’ll manage the tour ourselves, so there’s no need to follow.”

“The grand ducal castle is designed to be complex to guard against enemy intrusions. There’s a risk of getting lost. If it’s inconvenient, I’ll dismiss all but two to accompany you.”

“Not necessary.”

Despite Anika, the senior maid, politely offering, Axel was firm. Axel even added a gesture as if shooing away peddlers.

The servants were flustered. Anika’s words were true. The grand ducal castle was so complex that even maids who had worked there for a year sometimes got lost.

To the servants who didn’t disperse and stood their ground with troubled faces, Axel threw out a curt remark.

“If you’re that free, I can create new work for you. How about that? No surveillance is needed, so disperse.”

“…Understood.”

It wasn’t surveillance but their job to follow and assist the newly arrived consort couple to avoid inconvenience, but they had no response to being called idle.

‘He wants to be alone with her.’

Anika was a perceptive maid. Though it had been less than a day since she’d seen this young master, the prince’s gaze had been constantly fixed on the lady.

She could read in the prince’s words that he didn’t want to be disturbed, so she didn’t add anything more.

Hailey was a bit anxious, but Axel seemed so confident that she thought he must know the way well and followed him.

Anika was certain that the newly arrived couple would soon become lost, but she didn’t say anything more.

The two disappeared completely around a corner.

“Then, take care.”

Kieran, who had once again lost his guard duty to Axel, gave a light greeting to Anika before leaving the corridor.

After Kieran had gone, another maid approached Anika.

“Will it really be alright?”

“How could it be? But there are some things you only learn by experience.”

“But… Why didn’t the young madam mention about us? Does she really think we made a mistake and gave her the wrong time?”

“How could we understand the mind of a noble lady from the capital? Be careful with your words and keep them to yourself.”

The Grand Duke of Winchester was particularly sensitive about time commitments. The Grand Duke despised anything that went against ‘basics’ such as discipline, rules, and time commitments.

So there was no way the maids working in the Grand Duke’s castle would misread the time.

They had certainly expected her to report it to the Grand Duke, but their young madam apologized without showing any sign, saying it was her fault.

Of course, if she had reported it, the Grand Duke would have looked unfavorably upon Hailey for not managing her subordinates well and tattling.

Either way, Hailey couldn’t have looked good to the Grand Duke.

However, the Grand Duke, who they thought would be very angry, didn’t say much.

* * *

The door of a small, rarely used guest room in the corridor where Anika and the maids had all disappeared opened carefully.

The shadow cast in the corridor was very small, but the shadow that followed was even smaller.

“Are we playing hide and seek?”

“Young Master. Shh.”

The very small shadow that followed was Theo.

This was a room that Roto sometimes sneaked into when he wanted to slack off.

It was a guest room, but it was rarely used, making it perfect for secret naps.

Today, he had specially shown it only to the little young master.

Roto, who had been quietly staying with the little young master to avoid being caught entering this room, accidentally overheard something he shouldn’t have.

Roto didn’t fully understand adult matters, but he could roughly guess what had happened.

But this little young master knew even less than Roto. Looking at Theo’s innocent face asking if the hide and seek was already over, Roto felt strange.

“Young Master Theo. Is the young madam a good person?”

“Mommy Hailey is the coolest, smartest, and the best in the world! Roto, don’t you like Mommy Hailey?”

“Ah, no. I’ve never seen such a beautiful person before…”

“Our Mommy Hailey is the best.”

Theo, the number one fan-making fairy for Hailey, became particularly talkative when talking about her.

Blushing, Roto agreed with Theo, saying he had never seen such a beautiful person before.

Theo gave Roto an extra candy as a reward for calling Hailey pretty.

“Young Master, you’re supposed to eat only three candies a day.”

“Shh. Shh.”

Theo was a very quick learner for a five-year-old.

He brought his little finger to his lips and awkwardly squinted his eyes. Theo couldn’t wink.

Anyway, knowing how delicious that candy was, Roto said “We shouldn’t” with his mouth, but his hands were already unwrapping the candy.

‘It’s not bullying, is it?’

Roto was an apprentice butler, but no one acknowledged him as a ‘butler’. The other adult servants were fond of him, but they didn’t quite include him in their group.

While thinking it couldn’t be, Roto sensed an inexplicable uneasiness as he sucked on the delicious candy given by the little young master.

* * *

Hailey was also a bit suspicious and wondered if she should drop some breadcrumbs along the way, but she walked alongside Axel, who was confidently leading the way.

Axel kept rotating one of his shoulders as if he had a heavy pain there.

To be precise, it was the arm that was close to Hailey’s, but she just thought he might have a stiff shoulder and didn’t think much of it.

“Have you adjusted to the weather?”

“So far, yes.”

“…It must be cold.”

“I haven’t been outside yet.”

“Your hands must be cold.”

Hailey found this conversation strange.

‘What is he trying to say?’

Didn’t Axel himself say yesterday that the mansion had warming magic cast on it?

“Your hands must be co—”

“Yes. They’re cold.”

Hailey, feeling annoyed, just said they were cold to end the conversation.