Chapter 07:
I gave a brief reply and silently pointed toward the desk with my finger.
There lay a neatly stacked pile of documents—petitions, tax reports, and other paperwork—that would easily take at least two full days to process.
The old man, who had been fully prepared to launch into a tirade, widened his eyes in surprise.
Right. That’s exactly the reaction I was going for. Why else would I have worked late last night?
“You mean… you handled all this by yourself? What about that brat Jeremy? Don’t tell me he whined to Your Grace again and went home early!”
“Don’t be so hard on your son, old man. Jeremy practically crawled home half-dead.”
Looking at me with my still-tired, hungover voice, Lord Russell seemed to feel a mix of sympathy and admiration—for the Duke of the Steren family, who, despite his debauched ways, was undeniably competent.
Of course. Who do you think I am? I’m the Duke of the mighty Steren household.
As I basked in my victory and smiled smugly, the old man, refusing to be defeated, shifted his approach to a different complaint.
“Then why did you call me so early in the morning instead of getting some more sleep? You need to fix this habit. The elders among the noble council are all old men. Not all of us have joints as spry as yours.”
“Enough. I called because I needed to discuss something with you.”
Just thinking about that matter sobered me up instantly, and I shot up from my seat.
Lord Russell looked at me with wide eyes, clearly puzzled.
“We’re short on time, so I’ll explain on the way.”
I practically pushed him along as I led him toward where Puppy was being held.
“Dio wants to keep Puppy by her side.”
“Pardon?”
“But the thing is, Puppy’s a person. And not just a person—a man. More specifically, a slave I had a connection with some time ago.”
As we walked toward the prison where Puppy was being held, I gave him a brief rundown of what had happened yesterday.
—
The guy was a slave I saved while traveling. But then I heard the news of my brother and sister-in-law’s passing, so I abandoned him in the empire and returned on my own.
Now, three years later, he shows up looking for me. I never told him my name or my house. Suspicious, right? He might be a spy from somewhere.
So, I tried to kill him, but Dio caught me in the act. That’s why he’s currently locked up.
But Dio—she seems to like the guy. She’s dead set on not letting me kill him and wants to keep him around.
—
Lord Russell’s expression was one of serene transcendence, as if he had passed through intense fury and emerged on the other side.
In the eastern kingdom, they call this “achieving enlightenment.”
I knew that face all too well. Every time he wore that expression, a torrent of nagging always followed.
“…But when you look at the guy, he almost seems like a fallen noble from some foreign land. He won’t say anything, but the way he talks and acts—it’s oddly refined.”
The old man took a deep breath, as if trying to calm himself, and replied.
“I’ll see him for myself.”
The way he said it made it sound like he was out for blood. I felt strangely guilty.
Before I knew it, I was clinging to him like some sniveling noble trying to butter up a higher-up.
“Well, you have a good eye for people, old man. Once you see him, you’ll get a gut feeling, right? Like… facial reading? You’re good at that, aren’t you?”
“That’s some Eastern superstition. I don’t know how to read faces.”
Despite his grumbling, he still responded to every word.
After descending a long set of stairs, we finally arrived at the cell where he was being kept.
Inside, we found a man sitting calmly on a small stone bed, gazing through the bars as if admiring the view—even though there wasn’t much to see in a basement, aside from ankles and the occasional grass patch.
Yet he was gazing at the tiny sliver of moonlight as if it were the most beautiful thing in the world. Of course, once we entered, the guards banged on the bars and ended his little moment.
“Hey! The Duke and Lord Russell are here! Show some respect!”
“No need. You’ve done well. Step outside for now.”
“Yes, Your Grace.”
After slipping him a few coins and sending him away, I slowly approached the cell.
“You. Come here.”
The man in the shadows, backlit by the barred window, simply looked at us and didn’t move.
“Didn’t you hear me? Come here. Unless you’ve got a death wish, you’d better do as you’re told.”
Finally, he stood and ambled forward.
With each step, his shackles clinked softly.
Once he emerged from the darkness, he looked at us and smiled sweetly.
“Please, call me Puppy. It’s the name my new master gave me.”
“Shut it. …Anyway, this is him, old man. Now you see why I’ve got a headache?”
Showing him would do more than a hundred explanations. Once he saw the guy’s face, he’d understand why Dio was so smitten, why she gave him the name “Puppy” and wanted to keep him close.
I sighed and glanced at Lord Russell—but his reaction was unusual.
He looked as if he’d seen a ghost, his face gone pale. He shook his head in disbelief.
Sure, the man’s beauty was startling, even under all that grime, but I didn’t expect the old man to be this shaken.
Eventually, he looked downright furious.
Once we left the cell, I was certain Lord Russell would rain down an endless barrage of nagging and lectures. The thought alone made my head ache.
I tried to gauge his mood as I quietly tugged on his sleeve.
“Old man?”
“Ah. Yes, Your Grace.”
“You alright? Why that face?”
“It’s nothing, Your Grace. Let’s head upstairs. I have… quite a few questions.”
Meaning: Why did you have to go around mingling with all sorts of men on your travels? No, fine, mingle all you want, but at least make sure they’re of noble blood. What kind of example are you setting for Dio? And so on, and so forth. I could already hear the nagging in my head.
With slumped shoulders, I climbed back upstairs with the old man. The entire way to my office, he kept stroking his beard and mumbling something to himself.
…Was he practicing his lecture in advance?
Knowing I was about to get scolded, I lowered my head like a child awaiting punishment. I was twenty-six, for heaven’s sake.
‘It’s not that I regret my scandalous past. This is all that weirdo’s fault. What the hell is he? Why did he come all this way to find me…?!’
Dio has been driving me crazy for days now—“Don’t kill Puppy,” “Puppy’s my friend,” and so on.
Meanwhile, the guy himself just smiles and doesn’t even seem scared of dying.
I’m the only one stuck in the middle, getting all the flak. It’s so unfair.
Determined not to be the only one scolded, I returned to my office and stared at the old man with a solemn expression.
“Your Grace, I have something to—”
“Let me speak first, old man. I know the only reason that guy’s here is because he followed me. I never should’ve picked him up at that slave market.”
“But—!”
“But whatever I did in the past, I never broke the law. So I don’t feel regret or guilt. That said, I know my actions might have a bad influence on Dio.”
“……”
“That’s why I haven’t been seeing any men since I inherited this title. What I want from you isn’t a lecture about my love life—I want advice on how to convince Dio. That’s all.”
After that rapid-fire confession and plea for advice, the old man fell silent for a moment, wearing a serious expression.
Then he asked me:
“Where did you get that slave?”
“At the slave market in Idarian Port.”
“Do you know his name?”
“If I did, would I be calling him Puppy? I don’t know if he’s forgotten or just refuses to say. Either way, he won’t open his mouth.”
I expected the old man to shoot back with logic, rebukes, and some scolding, but surprisingly, he didn’t say anything.
He just kept stroking his beard and murmuring to himself like an old man lost in thought.
“Old man? What are you thinking about? If you’re going to scold me, do it already.”
“…For now, please give me some time to think, Your Grace.”
“Huh?”
“You said you’re wondering how to convince the young lady. I won’t comment on Your Grace’s past exploits.”
“…That’s all you’re going to say?”
“Also… about this ‘Puppy’ person. Whether he’s hiding something or truly doesn’t remember, I’ll look into it again.”
“We don’t even know what kind of guy he is. What if he suddenly snaps and attacks you? There’s no need to go that far.”
“No, Your Grace. Especially now, you must focus on the young lady. Please help her lose interest in this Puppy fellow by giving her your full attention.”
Saying that, the old man suddenly remembered something “urgent” and rushed out of the room.
That’s not like Lord Russell. He lives for scolding me.
Why did it end so anticlimactically?
Something felt off ever since he saw Puppy. But if he knew him, Lord Russell would’ve told me straight up.
‘Weird. Did something really urgent come up?’
Tilting my head in confusion, I decided to keep things simple.
It’s not like I miss his nagging or anything. I’ll just do as he said—focus on Dio for a while, keep her mind off Puppy and that strange guy.
She’s just a kid. Give it a few more days and she’ll forget all about him.
Then I can take care of the problem quietly.
