“Huh….”
“Kyle, what’s wrong?”
“Nothing at all.”
At that moment, Sophia had disappeared with Catherine to explore the territory.
Kyle was attending Louise’s magic class.
“Then I’ll continue.”
Kyle’s face looked somewhat uncomfortable.
However, Louise conducted the class without paying much attention to Kyle’s expression.
No matter how much she loved fun, she couldn’t just behave recklessly in class.
‘If I get fired this time, I’ll really be broke…!’
That’s right.
Not too long ago, Louise gambled her life away and lost all her money.
She couldn’t treat Kyle like she normally did Sophia.
If she had treated him as usual, she would have conducted the class playfully, but now that was impossible.
If Sophia had seen her current self, she would have seriously questioned whether Louise had truly gone mad, but Sophia wasn’t present.
‘Ah… I’m craving gambling….’
Of course, she had already lost all her money and possessions to gambling, but she hadn’t grown properly from it.
It wasn’t just Sophia who called her crazy; there was a reason for it.
Louise would probably definitely spend her upcoming paycheck on gambling.
If Sophia heard that news, she would definitely scold Louise.
“And when using this magic…”
“…”
Meanwhile, while attending Louise’s class, Kyle was preoccupied with thoughts of one person.
‘When will Miss Sophia return?’
Although Sophia wasn’t present during other classes, it was the first time she had completely left the castle.
That was why Kyle couldn’t help but worry about Sophia.
If she were usually absent, that would be one thing, but it was particularly concerning since she had entirely left this time.
Kyle himself thought that this worry was pointless, but nevertheless, he couldn’t help but keep thinking about it.
The magic class went on.
It was definitely fun, but today Kyle couldn’t keep up with the lesson.
“Kyle, shall we call it a day for today?”
“… I’m sorry.”
Kyle also wondered if he was being too affected by everything.
He just went to the territory for a short visit.
But he felt uneasy due to something Catherine had said the previous night.
“In that sense, Duke Kyle, I have a suggestion for you.”
That was how Catherine spoke to Kyle.
Unbeknownst to Sophia, her story had become quite the topic among many in the territory.
After all, it was Eristirol that had a duke who never came down from the castle and a duke who had been wandering outside for years.
Sophia, a direct servant and tutor who had appeared in a situation where there had been no talk about their lords.
People who had nothing to talk about regarding the duke and Kyle could only bring up discussions about Sophia.
Some maids and servants occasionally shared snippets of Kyle’s daily life, leading to talk about Sophia.
A tutor with beautiful looks and a good figure.
People became interested in her.
Word spread from the people of the territory to outsiders.
And soon, Sophia’s tales even reached the ears of Oldenburg.
Catherine wanted a new direct servant.
Sebastian wasn’t a bad servant, but his contract was about to end soon.
She was looking for someone who could follow her and assist her well as a direct servant.
That’s when news about Sophia reached her ears.
There were rumors that, despite not being noble, she was more beautiful than nobles.
A tutor who appeared in Eristirol after years of no significant news.
It was rumored that she performed her job exceptionally well from her very first year.
And most importantly, she had already worked in Eristirol for several years.
‘I can’t let Sophia go.’
Knowing this to some extent, Kyle felt the risk.
Would he lose Sophia to Catherine, or would Sophia leave the territory?
Having spent several years with Sophia, he had completely adapted to her presence.
Sophia waking him up every morning, dressing him in the mornings, etiquette lessons, and various classes, wiping his sweat after training—he had done all sorts of things with Sophia, and therefore felt uncomfortable without her.
Even after the magic class ended, Kyle had no idea what to do.
‘Normally, Miss Sophia would have told me what to do.’
As per Kyle’s thoughts, if it were normal, Sophia would have said to him, “How about doing ~~?”
But Sophia was already spending time in the territory with Catherine.
Having left just before Kyle attended class, it would be a while before she returned.
‘Telling her to come back immediately… wouldn’t be right.’
Sophia hadn’t just left on a whim.
She had gone down to assist Catherine, the young lady of the count’s house.
Ordering Sophia to return immediately wouldn’t be appropriate.
The Oldenburg family wasn’t just a powerful family; they were also exceptional in social skills.
Unlike Eristirol, which had almost no interactions with other families, they frequently engaged with a variety of families.
They were always involved in contracts, trades, or perhaps even games with other families.
Even if Kyle disapproved of Catherine’s actions, it wouldn’t be good to commit an impolite act.
‘Still, she should return before dinner…’
Thinking this, Kyle started receiving services from the bath attendants.
For some reason, Sophia was absent from bathing services.
Kyle couldn’t wrap his head around that.
‘She helps me get dressed in the morning, so why isn’t she here for bathing?’
After all, Sophia wakes him up every morning, ventilates and cleans his room, and takes care of various tasks.
Plus, she dresses him each morning.
In a way, it was the same treatment other nobles received.
However, Kyle felt there was a significant problem with that.
‘I’m a guy, too…’
Kyle always felt uncomfortable every time Sophia helped him change his clothes.
He wasn’t the same Kyle that had first met Sophia.
His body and mind had grown differently since that time.
Perhaps due to his parents’ influence, his growth had been very vigorous.
Now he often found himself wanting to spend late nights alone.
In that situation, having Sophia, who was absolutely different from the others in terms of appearance, dress him every morning became unbearable for Kyle.
In many ways.
Thanks to that, Kyle could only engage in a daily inner battle, or rather, a showdown with Sophia.
“Hah…”
As he bathed, unnecessary thoughts filled Kyle’s mind.
Sophia’s beautiful face, her white neck, her well-fitted dress with an accentuated chest, and her servant’s trousers that emphasized her curvy hips.
“…..”
The attendants had long since left.
Kyle was alone, relinquished to the hot water.
Though the bath’s temperature was high, it wasn’t a problem for Kyle’s body.
Kyle felt that his face was hotter than the water.
Kyle probably didn’t realize, but his face was already blushing.
Because he was thinking about Sophia.
The mere existence of Sophia, with her vibrant figure during Kyle’s second growth phase, was a huge weapon.
But he couldn’t dismiss Sophia.
For Kyle, Sophia had already become someone he couldn’t let go of.
More of a family than family itself.
Having spent years without the duke’s presence made him feel that way even more.
Catherine, Elin, Louise around him.
They were all sufficiently beautiful.
But when compared to Sophia, they fell short.
In fact, Sophia perfectly matched Kyle’s ideal type.
*
“Haha… Oldenburg Young Lady, that would be quite the inconvenience.”
“Why?”
“I am affiliated with the Eristirol family.”
While happily exploring the territory with Catherine, she suddenly proposed a deal to me.
I couldn’t comprehend that deal.
Catherine knew that I belonged to the Eristirol family and was Kyle’s direct servant. Why would she propose such a deal to me?
“Hmm… Sophia, do you have a set contract period?”
“Not really…”
I hadn’t properly set a contract period.
Essentially, I thought it would last until Kyle became an adult, but I also considered that if the family dismissed me, that would mark the end of my contract.
“Then there’s absolutely no problem. Since we’ve had a long contract with Eristirol, how about making a contract with our family as well? Sebastian’s term is coming to an end soon.”
“Excuse me?”
“You mentioned before, didn’t you? Sebastian has been with us for just a few years.”
“….”
I think I heard that in a previous tea time.
It was said that Sebastian had only been a servant for a few years.
I thought that referred to Sebastian’s experience as a servant.
However, it was referring to the time Sebastian had spent as Catherine’s servant.
“So, I’m looking for a new servant, and in that sense, Sophia, I find you quite appealing.”
“May I ask which parts you find appealing…?”
“You’re beautiful, aren’t you?”
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