To My Arrogant Master - Chapter 15
Seeing those innocent eyes, the duke pondered for a moment before asking.
“Why didn’t you resist? It shouldn’t have been difficult to break out of that kind of wardrobe…”
“I was told it was Your Grace’s order.”
It was none other than the duke who had previously told her to obediently follow the head maid’s instructions, and Flora simply followed that order.
Then, remembering what he had said, the duke let out a short sigh and spoke as if spitting out the words.
“I didn’t realize you would take my orders so seriously. You could have died, you know?”
“I wouldn’t die from just that.”
Instead of agreeing, Flora briefly corrected the duke’s words.
Although she had lost consciousness for a moment when she let her guard down, she had endured for four days with strong willpower without giving in. From the start, going without proper meals for several days was not a problem for her.
“I once survived for a week on just water when isolated in enemy territory.”
At her words implying that this much was bearable, the duke’s expression became somewhat strange. He pondered for a moment with a complicated look, then slowly began to speak.
“This is not Filheim Forest.”
Flora tilted her head. Seeing her look that seemed to ask if he thought she didn’t know that, the duke let out a deep sigh and continued.
“Haa… I mean it’s not a battlefield. You don’t need to repeat what you experienced there here.”
Flora’s pale lips parted slightly, as if she finally understood.
“Do you resent me?”
“…Why do you say that?”
“You must think I look ridiculous. You probably complained about why I brought you here, after boasting that I would treat you like a person.”
The duke truly looked like he didn’t know what to do with himself, finding himself pathetic.
He was strange. As though their relationship was beyond simply being a master and maid.
For a noble who should be dignified and lofty to look down — Flora, who knew how absurd this was, found him unfamiliar, as if he were some rare animal.
Flora somehow felt uncomfortable with this situation. She couldn’t understand why the duke, who had originally told her to quietly accept her punishment, had come to get her out, nor could she fathom why he had come to her room.
“In any case, I regret this incident.”
Flora sensed that the duke’s expression was somewhat different from before.
What was faintly visible on his face, which had been relaxed and arrogant, was guilt. No, it could be a sense of responsibility.
In any case, it was an expression where various emotions were subtly intertwined, which made it feel even more awkward.
But… why? That was the first question that came to mind.
Until now, no one had ever said such things to her. His cold voice was the same, but the words were warm.
Why are you doing this much for me? Just as she was about to open her mouth to ask, he spoke quickly.
“Don’t force yourself to get up. I’ll give you a week’s vacation, so rest well.”
He emphasized his last words and then left the room.
* * *
The next day, the servants, including the head maid, left in a line carrying small bundles. Celine, who had been strutting around this place as if it were her own home, looked back at the mansion several times, sniffling.
Flora watched them with indifferent eyes.
Afterwards, she got up and headed to the back garden. Perhaps because she had slept soundly for the first time in a long while, her whole body felt stiff and she thought she needed to walk a bit.
Her steps came to a halt at the training ground at the entrance of the eastern forest within the ducal estate. As she had never had occasion to come this way, Flora peered inside with somewhat curious eyes.
The training ground, which should have been full of knights starting their dawn training, was empty. They had all gone towards the main castle to prevent any potential accidents.
“Shall I go in?”
There was still some time before her duties, and she was interested in seeing an official training ground for the first time.
Although most soldiers had disbanded after the war, the Heinst ducal estate still maintained a large private army, so the training ground was very spacious.
It was wide enough for hundreds of people to train at once, and equipment for sparring was well-stocked here and there.
As Flora looked around the interior, her eyes caught sight of wooden swords placed on a platform.
Flora picked up one of the wooden swords and lightly tossed and caught it to gauge its weight. It was too light. It was obvious that this would break and fly off in the wrong direction before it could even cut an enemy’s neck.
“Why don’t you train when you have the chance?”
Suddenly hearing a man’s voice, she turned around to find the duke standing there in casual attire.
Flora opened her eyes wide and asked.
“Is that allowed?”
“It’s not my business what each person does during their personal rest time.”
Sensing the faint expectation in Flora’s voice, Claude approached her with a smile on his lips.
He naturally picked up another wooden sword and showed it. Although it was made for training purposes, it looked like a toy in his large hand.
“It would be troublesome if rumors spread that the ducal family is exploiting a maid. I absolutely hate being called a stingy master.”
“I thought you don’t like me using force?”
Didn’t he take away her sword twice? Then Flora looked down at the wooden sword that fit perfectly in one hand.
Perhaps because it wasn’t a real sword, she could barely feel its weight.
“Ah… that?”
Recalling the previous incident, the duke burst into laughter. The morning sunlight shattered finely on his well-shaped lips, which formed a deep curve.
“Excluding those who pick fights. If there are others who spout nonsense, feel free to beat them up then.”
Wasn’t he the man who reprimanded her even for pushing Celine?
Flora stared blankly at the duke, who had become a different person overnight, with unfamiliar eyes. The refreshing morning breeze lightly ruffled his slightly disheveled bangs, as if he had just woken up.
“Just don’t kill them.”
Claude, with one corner of his mouth raised, lightly moved his wrist in a circle. Even with the slight rebound, the wooden sword in his hand made a sharp whistling sound as it swung widely.
“I don’t kill people for such reasons.”
“I’m telling you to skillfully teach them a lesson.”
The duke, who had sneered as if looking at someone stubborn, glanced around the empty training ground and then turned his head as if he had remembered something.
“By the way, why are you here? I’m sure I told you to rest.”
“I’m fine now. The doctor confirmed that my nutritional state is sufficient.”
“You don’t look fine to me.”
His skeptical gray eyes slowly scanned the somewhat sloppy appearance of the woman with a crooked ribbon.
Although her complexion had somewhat returned, knowing how light her body was, she still looked like a sick person to his eyes.
From her pale cheeks, to her small lips that had lost their redness, to her thin wrist holding the sword.
He took the wooden sword from Flora’s hand as she blinked her round eyes with her head slightly tilted, and gestured towards the main building with his chin.
“I’m hungry. Let’s go eat.”
* * *
Flora’s eyes widened at the sight of the lavish dishes laid out before her. So now she was sitting at the same table, facing the master.
The duke put a thickly sliced steak in his mouth. At that elegant movement, Flora was acutely reminded of the man’s noble status, which she had momentarily forgotten.
Sitting with a dignified posture, the duke was eating while barely moving his arms. Even just watching quietly like this, he seemed to be wrapped in dignity to the extent that she could feel he was a different kind of human from herself.
That’s why this situation felt even stranger. A maid sharing a table with the master? As she pondered, their eyes happened to meet.
“Why aren’t you eating?”
“Why am I having a meal with Your Grace?”
Flora responded to the duke’s question with a question of her own.
“Sometimes when I’m bored, I call whoever I come across with to eat. Today it’s you.”
It seemed he meant he had called her because he was bored eating alone. Flora, somewhat understanding, cut the steak in front of her and pushed it into her mouth in one go.
While she was thinking to herself that the ducal mansion was quite generous, with even the meal menu being quite good, and that it was amazing that a servant could even share a table with the master, something happened.
After finishing her meal, she put down her knife and fork with a clatter, only to find the duke staring at her intently while holding a wine glass. His lips were even slightly parted as if he had seen something he shouldn’t have.
Claude saw Flora eating for the first time. How could a person push such a large piece of meat into that small frame in less than a minute?
He had deliberately ordered a large portion for Flora, who had been suffering from malnutrition.
Flora didn’t even bother to use the knife, instead putting large chunks directly into her mouth and chewing vigorously. Rather than savoring the food, she looked like a barbarian devouring a wild boar to satisfy her hunger.
After Flora had gulped down the large meat in just a few minutes, he swallowed the urge to point out her table manners and asked.
“How does it taste when you eat like that?”
“It tastes like meat.”
Flora, not grasping the intention behind the question, answered nonchalantly as though he asked a strange question. Then, seeing the duke’s expression become even stranger at her answer, she became puzzled.
“Did I make a mistake?”
“No… no. Bring more.”
Claude, trying to understand that she must have been hungry, called for a servant, but Flora shook her head. It was a response that instantly nullified his consideration.
“I’m full, so it’s fine.”
“……”
Looking at the duke, whose expression had become strangely furrowed again along with the returning silence, Flora tilted her head.
Why is he like that? Should I have made some conversation so he wouldn’t be bored?
Soon, as if he had come to his senses, the duke began to speak.
“Do you always eat that fast?”
“Yes. I tend to shorten the time since you never know what might happen.”
Flora nodded, looking at the empty plate in front of her.
Only then did Claude seem to understand why she had finished her meal so quickly.
The habits of the past were still ingrained in her body. After all, the battlefield is a place where one must be vigilant even while sleeping or eating.
But how long has it been since the war ended, and she’s still bound by that lifestyle?
He was about to say something but closed his mouth. Despite reminding her several times already, the woman still seemed to be lingering there.
While he was considering explaining it again in an easier-to-understand way, he suddenly changed his mind, thinking it would be tiresome if she changed as unexpectedly as when she came through the window.
He did think he wanted to see that side of her again, but not here and now.
“Then just watch me eat.”
He answered indifferently and reached for his water glass. Somehow, the woman staring blankly at him was making him feel uncomfortable.
Throughout the slow-paced meal, Flora obediently stayed in her seat as per the master’s order.
Translator
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manonbb
I’ve been looking forward to this novel since the prologue chapter. It’s an unusual story where the FL lead is the war broken one with minor PTSD and the Duke being a refined-jerk-gentleman.
Can’t wait for the rest of the story ♥️