Episode 16: Alexia’s Question
A few days had passed since they arrived at Rietberg Castle.
Luke was enjoying a perfectly healthy life.
He woke up at sunrise, headed to the kitchen, stacked firewood, and started a fire. Consulting with Hans and the other cooks, they divided the tasks of making breakfast, serving it, and cleaning up afterward. After quickly finishing his meal, he fed the livestock, took care of the horses in the stables, worked in the fields, cleaned various areas inside and outside the castle, and busily found more and more work to do, moving around briskly.
Every corner of Rietberg Castle was comfortably cozy, and strangely enough, no matter how hard he worked, he didn’t feel tired at all.
There was no younger brother here who despised Luke, trampled on him, and thought he could treat him however he wanted.
There was also no stepmother who blatantly favored the younger brother, openly discriminated against Luke, and frequently yelled at him.
And his father? Well, he wasn’t around either—not that he would have protected Luke anyway; he simply ignored him, remaining an indifferent bystander.
Emile and Lily called Luke “big brother” and had grown attached to him; it was utterly adorable.
Having never received any affection from his biological brother Matthias, Luke found great comfort in the innocent smiles of Emile and Lily directed at him.
Everyone in the castle was nice to Luke, including their mother Marie, the cooks, Hans, the servants, gardeners, and grooms—they all treated him well.
He reminisced about the servants at the Valten family home who had secretly been kind to him, but here, even as Luke grew closer to them, no one threatened or fired the servants, which made him feel incredibly relaxed.
And above all else.
She was in this castle.
Alexia Louise Rietberg.
No matter where he was, what he was doing, or who he was with, he always thought about her.
The strong figure of Alexia, her graceful movements, those mesmerizing blue eyes more beautiful than any jewel—each one was clearly etched in the deepest part of Luke’s soul, shining brilliantly like a twinkling star that would never fade.
The feathered arrow that Alexia shot in the forest flew straight like a star.
The arrow that saved Luke’s life was still lodged in the center of his heart.
Still, it wasn’t as if he had no regrets.
“Please marry me!”
Recalling those words he had blurted out, his whole body burned with embarrassment.
“Ahhh… What have I done…!”
It was the first time his body had moved on its own like that; words had just spilled out of his mouth uncontrollably.
He didn’t know anything about her name, her status, or anything else. But he felt she was the only one.
It wasn’t a lie, an illusion, or a passing fancy. This love was real. Real enough that he could confidently declare it, but even so, remembering that instinctive confession set his face on fire.
“Suddenly saying something like that… I must’ve really put her off…”
The very first words he uttered upon meeting her were a marriage proposal.
It would be no surprise if she found him annoying or looked down upon him.
He felt downcast by his own rash statement, but even after several encounters since then, Alexia never brought up his proposal.
She always asked if the food at the castle suited his taste, would inquire if there was anything he needed, and expressed concern for his health. To put it mildly, he thought, is she a goddess?
Ever since their first meeting, just catching a glimpse of Alexia passing by set Luke’s heart racing.
He became convinced that the passion he felt was not a misunderstanding or a fleeting whim; it was a genuine flame.
So, he didn’t mind doing any mundane or menial tasks.
As long as he could be of even the slightest help to Alexia, that was enough.
He resolved to continue working hard to assist the people of this castle.
With this renewed determination, Luke returned to his tasks, energized and lively, like a fish that has just been thrown back into water, savoring the thrill and satisfaction of his work.
*
“…Is he really the son of the Valten family?”
While surrounded by documents in her office, Alexia mused as she looked puzzled.
Marie, the maid, placed the tea she carried on the table and nodded.
“Luke-sama? He seems to enjoy working every day.”
“A noble? Working…?”
Nobles generally do not engage in labor. They not only reject it but also look down upon it as something for commoners, often failing to appreciate that their opulent lifestyle is supported by the toil of servants. There’s a strong belief that it’s beneath them for a master to perform chores meant for their servants.
Given that Rietberg is a remote area, even Alexia, the daughter of the head of the family, occasionally conducted patrols and security measures, but that was truly an exception, even among exceptions.
If he hailed from a central noble family known for good governance, he would have likely lived a life far removed from any labor.
Yet, could it really be possible for a noble’s son to be so diligently engaged in work?
Luke had already moved out of the guest room he had first been shown on his first day.
According to Brigitte, he personally requested to transfer to a corner of the servant quarters because he felt intimidated.
“Feeling intimidated…?”
Alexia tilted her head in confusion.
The room was cleaned up in preparation for visitors, but it wasn’t luxurious enough to be intimidating.
The Valten family, known for their wealth, surely had a far more extravagant setup.
“Also, I feel like the quality of the food in the kitchen has improved recently…”
“That’s also thanks to Master Luke. He’s been diligently teaching Hans and the other chefs the city’s cooking techniques.”
“That can’t be true, right?”
“It is true. Hans is overjoyed.”
Hans had been in charge of the castle kitchen for quite some time, but he was not a man with excessive pride—on the contrary, he had a good nature. His passion was eating, and he loved food more than anything else, believing that anyone who provided delicious food was a friend.
While Luke was well acquainted with the latest culinary trends popular in the royal capital, Hans naturally had greater knowledge regarding the local cuisine of Rietberg.
The two of them had formed a friendly partnership, experimenting cheerfully while merging innovative city cooking techniques with traditional Rietberg methods, utilizing fresh ingredients shipped straight from the source.
“I can’t wrap my head around this…”
As the mystery deepened, Alexia blinked her blue eyes.
An ordinary noble son would have never set foot in a kitchen, let alone cooked.
—This might truly be a son with some fascinating circumstances.
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