Chapter 22

“It’s really Karl’s fault that he caught a cold.”

Kaelen said this, which sounded cold considering how long Karl had worked as his butler. But honestly, it really was Karl’s own fault.

‘The Duke spent time with a woman…’

‘Karl, don’t overreact.’

Karl was shocked when he heard Kaelen had spent time with a woman.

‘Not just any woman—but the spy the Emperor sent from the capital!’

‘I told you it’s not even confirmed that she’s a spy.’

‘Still, I must see with my own eyes if this is true!’

‘So you’re giving her a warning before spying on her? That’s very kind of you.’

The next morning, Karl spent the whole night outside Elaine’s place.

Kaelen told him it was pointless, but Karl didn’t listen.

And the only thing Karl got from that all-night watch was…

“Achoo! Cough! Cough! AHH-choo!”

“Butler Karl, just go inside and rest.”

“You’ll give the whole manor a cold!”

It was the common cold that spread in Saint Port every winter.

His cough was loud, but the cold wasn’t serious. Karl was still strong and healthy.

“It’s just a cold. He’ll probably live over 200 years.”

“I bet five silver coins he’ll die of stress before that.”

After Karl got sick, Jeremy had to take over watching Kaelen and Elaine’s meetings.

Jeremy was the son of Kaelen’s childhood nanny, his most trusted officer, and a loyal knight. It made sense he’d be the one to step in.

“I do appreciate that she found the embezzlement,” Jeremy admitted.

“So you were thankful,” Kaelen said.

“…Ahem! Still, I honestly don’t think much differently from Karl.”

“Hmm.”

“You suspected her too at first, Your Grace.”

Jeremy looked uncomfortable as he spoke.

“It’s strange that the capital would send a priestess now, of all times.”

Right when mutant monsters started appearing—a suspicious time to arrive.

And on top of that, she wasn’t a foreign prisoner, but a real noblewoman from the Empire?

‘If we treat her poorly, it could cause trouble.’

Even after Elaine arrived, Kaelen was leaving every night to fight the monsters.

If the noblewoman made a complaint during this situation, who knows what the Empire would demand?

And also…

‘Normally, Kaelen doesn’t even look at women.’

But now he was going out of his way to see her.

He wasn’t interrogating her—he took her to the market, visited her place, and even ate meals with her.

‘Wait… isn’t that just dating?’

Kaelen was usually not someone who fell for people easily, but who knew?

‘Maybe that woman the Emperor sent did seduce him.’

Jeremy didn’t want to believe it, but Kaelen’s recent behavior made it hard not to.

“It would be best not to get any closer to her. If it gets worse, I’ll go drive her out—”

“You should worry more about Harold’s business instead,” Kaelen interrupted.

Jeremy’s eyes widened in surprise.

“…My uncle is still selling at the market?”

“He’s been sitting there trying to sell monster meat that no one wants.”

Jeremy’s uncle had been a monster hunter in the nearby region his whole life.

After Jeremy’s father died early, his uncle sent all his earnings to help raise Jeremy.

He recently retired because of an injury and moved to Saint Port with Jeremy’s help.

And after surviving Saint Port’s freezing first winter…

‘I’ll make monster meat popular.’

‘What?’

‘In harsh places like Saint Port, people need this kind of food!’

With that dream, he set up a small stall.

But the monsters he used had very strong poison.

The priests who followed the Pope refused to help, and there hadn’t been a Holy Knight in years.

‘And the few Holy Knights left are being managed by the priests.’

It was hard to purify the meat. Jeremy was worried, but his uncle didn’t give up.

Jeremy always kept an eye on him…

“…Wait. Why are we even talking about my uncle? This conversation was about something else!”

Jeremy looked frustrated.

“Anyway, about the lady…”

“She showed interest in your uncle’s sad little meat stall,” Kaelen said.

“…What.”

“Your uncle was so touched, he looked like he was about to cry.”

(Of course, later he got mad that it still didn’t help sales—but Kaelen left that part out.)

“But still, she’s a noble from the capital. Once she hears it’s monster meat—”

“She was very polite.”

“…?”

“She didn’t ask, ‘Why do people eat this?’ She asked, ‘Can it be purified?’”

Jeremy couldn’t say anything.

Kaelen looked at him, smiling slyly, and said like a teacher scolding a child:

“You should be ashamed of bullying a powerless girl.”

“She’s… powerless?”

Jeremy still remembered how Elaine lifted heavy supply boxes like they were nothing.

But then Kaelen added something that made his expression change.

“Especially a girl who might die at any time.”

“…!”

Jeremy’s neck got chills.

Kaelen’s eyes looked like cold glass—clear and without emotion.

Kaelen was always hard to read, but when he really hid his emotions like this, he was scary.

After a moment of silence, Jeremy carefully asked:

“…Are you planning to kill her yourself? Is that why you’re being nice to her?”

That idea made him feel strange.

Yes, he had wanted to get rid of her—but not kill her.

‘I didn’t mean to have her assassinated…’

The thought made everything feel weird.

Elaine, who carried heavy crates easily and stayed calm even under pressure, suddenly felt like a helpless girl being set up to die.

‘But she really did catch the embezzler and cared about my uncle’s business…’

Jeremy started to feel soft-hearted.

He glanced at Kaelen.

Kaelen smiled more and answered:

“We’ll see.”

“…?”

“Who knows?”

Kaelen thought back to his time with Elaine.

‘I did go to spy on her and question her, yes…’

It would be a lie to say he never thought of killing her.

She was a good shot—he almost wanted to recruit her into the army.

But since she came from the Emperor, she needed to be watched.

Still, when he saw her face…

‘If I’m really suspicious, I should give her a physical check-up.’

Her bold attitude made him curious.

Even after being kicked out of the manor, she didn’t act sad or scared—she was up early and ready to work.

He already thought she was special when she killed a monster with a musket.

‘I wondered what she’d show me next.’

She went around the manor like she owned the place. Her pouting face was fun to tease.

Kaelen started teasing her more, asking about her husband or boyfriend—but she never lost.

‘If I don’t have one, will you make one up for me?’

When she asked if he’d give her a name, he almost asked her what kind of name she wanted.

‘She never gives up, huh?’

He couldn’t understand why he felt annoyed and… something else he couldn’t name.

He’d met many people who bowed down to him, but never one who challenged him.

‘And to think… she looks like a tiny, useless squirrel.’

If Elaine heard that, she would probably scream, “I bite!”

But she didn’t know, so Kaelen ignored the thought.

When she pouted and said she was hungry, he leaned more toward her side.

She didn’t just look like a squirrel—she looked like one that hadn’t been fed enough and never fully grew.

That’s why she was so small.

‘I was curious how she’d react to monster meat.’

But he didn’t want to make her sick.

So he went all the way to the kitchen himself.

He planned to bring just one pie, thinking that tiny girl couldn’t eat much.

But once he saw all the ingredients…

‘Squirrels eat everything anyway.’

The cook, who had been told to use leftovers and make simple meals for the manor, was shocked by Kaelen’s request.

“Why are you asking for such fancy food all of a sudden?”

“…”

“You usually only take jerky or preserved rations.”

Kaelen simply replied:

“Squirrel food.”

‘We should make monster meat more popular.’

‘Huh?’

‘In a tough place like Saint Fortu during winter, it’s necessary!’

With that bold statement, his uncle excitedly set up a street stall.

But the monsters his uncle hunted were especially toxic.

The priests who followed the Pope were uncooperative, and it had already been years since a new Holy Knight had arrived.

‘Even the current Holy Knights are being managed by the priests.’

In a situation where even purification was hard to get, Jeremy was worried that it wouldn’t be easy—but his uncle didn’t give up.

Jeremy was always concerned about him…

“But why are we talking about my uncle now? We were on a different topic.”

Jeremy spoke with a defeated look.

“Anyway, I was saying about that noble lady—”

“Elaine showed interest in your uncle’s stall, even though no one was buying anything.”

“…”

“Your uncle looked like he was about to cry with joy.”

Of course, afterward he got upset that business still didn’t go well—but Kaelen left that part out.

“Still, she’s a noble lady from the capital. If she hears about monster meat…”

“She was very friendly.”

“…”

“Instead of asking why we eat it, she asked if it could be purified.”

Jeremy’s lips shut tightly.

Kaelen stared at him and smirked with a mean smile, then spoke in a scolding tone:

“You should be ashamed of picking on a noble lady with no power.”

“No power…?”

Jeremy still remembered how Elaine had easily lifted a heavy supply box. He hesitated but answered.

But that expression soon faded with Kaelen’s next words.

“Especially a noble lady who could die at any time.”

“…”

Jeremy felt a chill run down his neck.

Kaelen’s eyes were so clear and emotionless like glass when he said that.

Kaelen was always hard to read, but when he purposely hid his thoughts like this, it was even harder to deal with him.

After a pause, Jeremy cautiously asked:

“…Don’t tell me… you’re planning to take care of her yourself?”

“…”

“Are you being kind to her now just to catch her off guard?”

Thinking that made him feel uncomfortable in a different way.

He had suggested kicking her out himself but…

‘I didn’t mean kill her though…’

It was strange. Suddenly, Elaine didn’t seem threatening—just small and harmless, like Kaelen had said.

Just imagining Kaelen planning to take her life made Jeremy feel like they were turning an innocent girl into an assassination target.

He even forgot how Elaine could easily lift heavy boxes and stay calm no matter how cold people acted toward her.

‘Anyway, she did catch the embezzler. And she showed interest in my uncle’s stall…’

Jeremy’s heart started to soften.

As he glanced at Kaelen, Kaelen smiled even more and replied:

“Who knows.”

“…”

“What do you think?”

With that, Kaelen recalled the times he met with Elaine.

‘To be honest, it was mostly to observe and question her.’

It would be a lie to say he never thought of getting rid of her.

Her shooting skills alone made him want to draft her into the Grand Duke’s army. But since she was sent by the emperor, he had to be cautious.

Still, when he saw her face in person…

‘If you’re suspicious, why don’t you check her body?’

Her confident attitude, even after being kicked out of the manor, and how she showed up the next morning without losing spirit—it all made him curious.

He had already thought she was unusual when she shot a monster with a musket.

‘I kept wondering what she would show me next.’

When left alone, she roamed around confidently. Her sulky face was amusing.

He found himself teasing her on purpose, even joking about being her lover or fiancé—but she never backed down once. That was refreshing.

‘If you don’t have a name for it, want me to give you one?’

When she asked if he was going to name it, he almost asked what kind of name she would give.

‘She really never loses an argument.’

And that made him feel irritated, with a strange mix of emotions.

He had only ever seen people bow their heads to him—not challenge him.

‘And to think that someone trying to gain the upper hand… would be so tiny and harmless, like a squirrel on the road.’

If Elaine had heard that, she would’ve yelled that she’d bite—but luckily, she didn’t know, so it was safely ignored.

When she pouted and said she was hungry, his thoughts tilted even more toward her.

She didn’t just look like a squirrel—but like a malnourished one that hadn’t eaten properly and didn’t grow much.

That’s why her whole body looked so small.

‘I was curious how she would react to monster meat.’

But he didn’t want to see her get sick from it.

So he even went to the Grand Duke’s kitchen. He thought she’d only eat a small pie—but when he saw all the ingredients, he wanted to feed her more.

‘Squirrels are omnivores after all.’

It was a time of low supplies, so the Grand Duke’s meals were kept simple. The head chef had been ordered to share any leftovers with civilians.

So when Kaelen suddenly ordered fancy dishes, the chef became busy and asked curiously:

‘Why are you ordering all these fancy foods?’

‘…’

‘Lately, you only take dried jerky or preserved foods…’

Kaelen simply answered:

“Squirrel food.”