Chapter 12

After observing him for a while, Asterope finally spoke.

“How should I interpret this? I don’t like beating around the bush.”

“I heard that you had an argument with His Grace, the Grand Duke, today.”

“And?”  

“His Grace has been extremely cautious about you becoming entangled in the complex internal affairs of Serpiewood, but that cannot last forever, Grand Duchess.”

“……”  

Tama calmly continued speaking. He was a wise and decisive person. Unlike his old voice that lingered between middle age and old age, his intelligent eyes remained somewhere between boyhood and youth. Tama’s clear eyes turned towards Asterope.  

“As the chief steward, I was pleased with your decision, Grand Duchess.”  

“Pleased?”  

“You cannot remain in Serpiewood as an outsider forever. I, Tama, want to do my best to support your intentions, Grand Duchess.”  

Tama knelt on one knee. 

Has he ever shown this kind of favor towards me before? 

In her memories, Tama had always been a figure who remained wary of Asterope until the end. It was none other than Tama who had pushed her away as an outsider. However, Asterope realized that it all stemmed from herself.  

‘Tama had always been waiting for me to accept Serpiewood. Not as a stranger who would leave for Sodel, but as the lady of this place, of Serpiewood.’ 

To him, she was not an enemy. At least not for now, not yet. She did not want to miss this opportunity. When Tama became her ally, he would wield the most powerful strength. Asterope reached out her hand to Tama and lifted him up.  

“Tama, I do not want my sudden decision and change to bring about any further confusion.”  

“……”  

“No, I absolutely hate it!”

Tama looked at Asterope with earnest eyes, as if wanting to see whether she was sincere. Asterope tightly grasped Tama’s hand and said,  

“I won’t lie and say it’s for the greater good. I hate being in danger. I hate the attendants gossiping all day about why I have changed so much, whether I have gone mad. And I hate being watched every single moment.”

Asterope spoke with her honest feelings. She frowned as if she was fed up.  

Tama nodded at her sincerity. It was the closest expression to her true nature that he knew. And it was indeed Asterope’s genuine heart.  

“I don’t care if you call me selfish. I’ve already been criticized for the past year, and it won’t change anything if I receive more.”  

“……”  

“There’s no reputation left to tarnish anyway. People will know me as a luxurious and ignorant noble lady.”  

Asterope accurately stated her evaluation of herself. Tama neither agreed nor disagreed; he simply listened quietly to the words Asterope was expressing.  

“So help me slowly and quietly escape from this foolish state.”  

“You mean that you wish to thoroughly understand the inner workings of Serpiewood without directly intervening in its issues.”

“Indeed, you’re smart.”  

“I also believe that is the right approach. It’s better for your change to be slow and gradual, Grand Duchess. There are many difficulties in reality. Above all, the Grand Duke does not wish for it either.”  

Asterope nodded. While she had conceded to take a walk with Kallieon, anything beyond that would be difficult.  

The difference between Asterope yesterday and Asterope today should not be too vast. It was not only because it would ruin the greater good. Asterope did not want to be hated by Kallieon even a little.  

‘I just want to be loved.’  

Blind love that expects nothing in return was sweet. Asterope realized this every single day. A love that accepts her as she is. That was a precious thing.  

In the past, Asterope had tried to do anything to be loved by Villish. She attempted to become slimmer, more beautiful, politically advantageous to him, to expand his influence, and to give him strength. She believed that only by doing so could she maintain his love.  

Love that disappears without such efforts was all an illusion. True love was the kind that could exist without those things. That was what Kallieon showed her.  

She was very greedy. Therefore, she did not want to lose even a little of it.  

“I don’t want to be hated by the Grand Duke. Not even a little.”  

“Grand Duke cannot hate you, Grand Duchess.”  

“I know. But even so, I just want to be loved. I don’t want to give him any reason to hate me. Not even a little.”

At Asterope’s firm words, Tama smiled faintly. Asterope frowned as she spoke.  

“Do you find what I’m saying funny? I’m serious.”  

“It’s not funny.”  

“Then why did you laugh?”  

Tama continued to speak with a smile despite Asterope’s sharp tone.  

“I thought the Grand Duke would not dislike seeing you change like this. You may appear unfamiliar and he might be wary, but he will gradually open his heart. And ultimately—”  

“……”  

“He will come to love you even more, Your Grace.”

“Hmph, how can you be so sure of that?”  

Asterope snorted as she spoke. Tama, undeterred by Asterope’s arrogant demeanor, continued.  

“It’s because I can feel love in your actions, Grand Duchess.”  

“What?”  

“The Grand Duke is a lonely person. He has never fully experienced true love in his life. For such a person, Grand Duchess, you are his only family and everything.”  

“……”  

“If he comes to be loved by someone like that, there will be nothing His Grace cannot do.”

“No!”  

Asterope shouted, her face turning pale in an instant at Tama’s gentle words. The fear brought by Tama’s statement that “there will be nothing His Grace cannot do” was immense. After all, it was true. Such a thing should never happen.  

“Grand Duchess, are you alright?”  

“Tama, promise me.”  

“What would you have me promise? Whatever it is, this old man will serve with loyalty.”

Asterope withdrew her hand from Tama and continued speaking.  

“If the Grand Duke tries to make a wrong choice because he loves me—”  

“……”  

“Promise me that you will stop him, even at the cost of your life.”

A clear anger was evident in Asterope’s eyes more than ever before. It was unclear who it was directed at, but it was clear that she was moving to protect Kallieon. Tama nodded without hesitation.  

“This old man will keep your command, Grand Duchess, even if it means taking my own life in front of my lord.”

Asterope let out a sigh, as if relieved by Tama’s firm tone. Tama watched as she momentarily relaxed from her tense state. There was no hidden agenda in her actions. Rather than trying to seize something, it seemed she was trying to protect herself from some danger. Like a hedgehog with its spines raised, she was in a state of great fear. To Tama, whose experience was as vast as the years she had lived, this was transparently clear.  

‘What could be making the Grand Duchess so fearful? I need to find out.’  

If it posed a threat to the Grand Duchess and the Grand Duke, it was Tama’s responsibility to address it. Without voicing these thoughts, Tama withdrew. Asterope was as beautiful as ever, adorned in the most expensive jewels and furs in Serpiewood.

‘But the Grand Duchess from yesterday and the Grand Duchess from today are completely different people.’  

Feeling hopeful that his judgment was not mistaken, Tama left the Grand Duchess’s chambers. Maria, who had been waiting outside, bowed her head.

“Follow the Grand Duchess’s orders. She is a master you can trust and follow.”

“Yes.”  

Maria replied calmly to his words. Tama dusted off his soiled clothes and headed back to the Mage Tower. Maria watched Tama’s departing figure, which seemed lighter than when he had arrived.  

A master worth trusting.

Maria mulled over Tama’s words for a long time. She cautiously turned toward the Grand Duchess’s chambers, leading the still-trembling maids. Despite Tama’s words, the Grand Duchess’s chambers still felt like a heavy place to Maria. To her, it was no different from a battlefield without guns.