The Duke’s House Garden.
A modest tea party was currently taking place there.
“How’s the tea? It’s black tea made from the finest leaves gathered from Bloomberg.”
“It… it’s delicious…”
Bloomberg was a small area located in the southern part of the Kingdom, known for its excellent tea leaves since ancient times.
Of course, at the moment, Rudell had no leisure to think about such things.
“I’m glad you find it tasty.”
At his reply, the Duchess smiled brightly.
To an outsider, it might have seemed like an innocent smile, but to Rudell, that smile looked like the grin of a reaper ready to take his life at any moment.
Hmm…
Unable to voice his thoughts, Rudell let out a groan.
Honestly, he couldn’t even hear what the Duchess was saying right now.
He was at a point where he didn’t even know if the tea was going in his mouth or nose.
…
Barely calming his trembling fingertips, he shifted his gaze to the Duchess sitting across from him.
With white hair that resembled a snowy field and deep blue eyes that felt like looking into the ocean, her playful face wore a faint smile as she gazed at him.
Hmm…
Seeing her like that, Rudell let out a low groan.
Her image from the original story was definitely different from now.
Just approaching her felt like it might freeze him solid.
Due to her personality, which maintained composure and coldness at all times, she was known to be an inaccessible figure even within the Academy.
It was no surprise people called her the Ice Duchess of the Lagrind Dukedom in the original work.
Looking at her now, that nickname was completely unfitting.
‘I have some guesses, but…’
Of course, he had some idea about her current demeanor being different from the original.
Eight years from now.
Spring of the year Rudell would turn fifteen, to be precise.
An event would occur in the Lagrind Dukedom before the timeline of the original story started.
If Rudell’s memory served him right, that event would significantly shape her character in the story.
‘So this is what she was like originally…’
Feeling freshness in her completely different persona from the original, Rudell directed his words toward her.
“By the way… I was hoping you’d stop talking now…”
“Huh? About what?”
The Duchess looked at him with a bewildered expression at his question.
What could he say? Why the heck was he here, having tea with her?
Although he wanted to shout that out loud, he barely swallowed it down and spoke instead.
“I mean… why on earth am I here?”
“Why, you came here on your own two feet.”
…
She looked at him as if to say, “Why are you asking something so obvious?”
And at her shameless reaction, Rudell found himself speechless.
After all, he hadn’t come on his own initiative, but what he was asking wasn’t about that.
It was the reason for his presence here.
In other words, he wanted to ask why the Duchess had called him.
“What’s going on? You haven’t heard?”
“All I heard was that you wanted to meet me, Your Grace…”
The knights hadn’t said a word to him, and the only thing Alma had said was that she wanted to meet him.
Nowhere could he find an explanation for the reason.
“Well, you know it now.”
“…”
Is that it?
Rudell had a dumbfounded expression on his face at the sight of her sipping tea as if expecting more.
But that was only for a moment.
“It was a joke. A joke. If you look at me like that, it makes me feel like the bad guy.”
“Ah! S-Sorry!!”
Rudell hurriedly bowed his head at Leje, who was giggling at her words.
In her eyes, he was a being less significant than dust.
He had momentarily forgotten that triggering her displeasure could lead to dire consequences.
“Don’t worry about it. Forget it.”
At Rudell’s response, the Duchess waved her hand with a smile.
Then, with an unreadable look in her eyes, she slowly scanned him.
“The reason I invited you is simple. That is…”
“That is…?”
Seeing her trailing off, Rudell’s expression tensed up.
Someone of the rank of a Duke’s daughter wouldn’t invite him without reason.
His heart began to race, and he felt cold sweat trickling down his neck as he stared at her.
Then, in the next moment…
“I want to be your friend.”
“…Huh?”
Rudell’s mouth opened in disbelief in response to Leje’s words.
“Did I make it too difficult to understand? I want to be your friend.”
“No… no, no, no. It’s not that it’s difficult, but wait a second!!”
A moment later, shouting in surprise at the Duchess’s puzzled expression, Rudell exclaimed.
It might seem rude, but Leje was smiling at him as if she didn’t care.
“You want to be friends? Me and you, Your Grace?”
Wanting to be friends.
It was an incredibly simple and short phrase, yet for Rudell, it was far more complicated and incomprehensible than any other.
‘Why on earth?’
Why would the daughter of a renowned Duke, famous throughout the Kingdom, want to be friends with a mere Count of a Duchy?
At this moment, Rudell’s mind was racing faster than ever, but no plausible answer came to mind, no matter how hard he thought.
“Is this… some sort of hidden camera?”
“A hidden camera? What’s that?”
Looking at Rudell, who had forgotten completely that they were in a fictional world, the Duchess looked puzzled.
The situation felt so unnatural to him that the knowledge from his original world spilled out unexpectedly.
“It’s strange. Wanting to be friends is such a weird thing?”
“No, that’s not it!!”
Forgetting even the need for manners, Rudell stood up and shouted.
But it was only a moment.
After a cough, he sat back down and quietly asked in a low voice.
“It’s strange. Lady Leje, you’re the daughter of a Duke.”
“And so?”
“Why on earth would you want to be friends with someone insignificant like me?”
“Is that unacceptable?”
“No, it’s not that it’s unacceptable, but…”
Caught off guard by the Duchess’s straightforward question, his voice faltered.
Technically speaking, there was no law against it.
Nevertheless, he couldn’t come up with a reason for her to want to be friends with him no matter how he thought about it.
“I just want to know the reason. I’m merely the lowly heir of a Duchy. I honestly don’t understand why someone of your stature would want to be friends with me.”
“What? Is that really the reason?”
At his dejected voice, the Duchess let out a low chuckle.
Then, she leaned forward, bringing her face closer to his.
So close that they could almost feel each other’s breath.
Seeing Rudell, tensed as he looked at her, the Duchess spoke with a soft laugh.
“I just had a feeling that you and I would get along well.”
*
“…”
“Wow. Your expression is quite something.”
The Duchess exclaimed in astonishment at Rudell, who was left at a loss for words.
There were no mirrors in this place, but Rudell had a rough idea of what his expression was like.
He was completely unable to control his emotions.
“Was my answer that shocking? I feel a bit hurt, you know.”
“No… is that really it?”
“What? Were you deceived all this time? It’s true.”
Looking at Rudell with disbelief, the Duchess shrugged her shoulders.
And at that moment, he felt a wave of relief wash over him.
What had all his worries been for?
Feeling a sense of emptiness as energy drained from his body, he leaned back in his chair.
“So? What’s your answer?”
“…”
As he sat there, the Duchess asked, and Rudell let out a short sigh.
The answer had already been decided.
To be more precise, from the moment he left his Duchy, the answer had been clear.
Being just the heir of a mere Duchy, how could he refuse the request of the Duchess of the Duke’s house?
[It’s easier to give up.]
Suddenly recalling that phrase that passed through his mind, he slowly stood up.
Then, he slowly bent one of his knees.
“I, Rudellheit Weinstein, pledge my loyalty to Her Grace, Leje El Lagrind.”
“Good. Then I will give you your first order.”
As he nodded, the Duchess said with a satisfied expression, while Rudell, looking tense, awaited her next words.
“From now on, you can speak informally to me.”
“…Huh?”
From her next words, a bewildered voice escaped Rudell’s mouth.
“I think there’s been a huge misunderstanding; I didn’t say to serve me. There are plenty of people to serve me. What I need is a friend, not a servant.”
“W-What does that even mean…”
“Surely you’re not going to say one thing and mean another now that you’re a man?”
…
Wasn’t that what someone said?
Words are like water; once poured out, they can’t be retrieved.
Right at this moment, as Rudell felt that saying deeply, he let out a short sigh inside.
“What’s your answer?”
“Ah, okay. I…”
“Uh-huh!”
“I… got it.”
“Your name too!”
“Le-Leje…”
At this point, what else could he do?
All he could do was mirroring her words.
“Alright. So please take good care of me from now on, Rudell.”
“Ah, got it… n-no, I…”
Thus, Rudell was having the worst day of his life.
