Proofreader: somnium

Unpleasant memories

“Hey, who is that?”

“How can he be so beautiful…….”

Those who looked at him with affectionate eyes and uttered praises began to pant.

“Aaahhh, please! Please hold my hand just once!”

“You’re like my child! Let me hug you just once!”

“Get out of the way! Heuk! Look at me!”

The banquet hall quickly became a mess. The knights stopped in front of Kahel, who had turned white, but those who were drenched in Kahel’s devilish power didn’t seem to care even if it was the Queen who blocked them. An unprecedented chaos occurred on the Queen’s birthday.

“Kahel!”

That was then. His father, Duke Damien Luave, came running with Calia…….

He borrowed the manpower of the royal knights to push the nobles away, and hastily hung Calia around Kahel’s neck. Please, I hope it has some effect.

But a miracle happened.

“…… uh?”

“Huh? Why am I …….”

“Oh my God! what do I do……!”

As soon as Calia touched Kahel’s body, those who had reached out to him began to retreat. It wasn’t just that. The nobles were shocked to learn that they had just craved Kahel crazily. Even though Kahel was a very beautiful boy, he was only ten years old after all.

It was as if Kahel had been saved by God. Tears came to his eyes because he thought people would now treat him like a normal person. But things didn’t go the way Kahel thought.

“Ah, the devil! That’s the devil!”

“Right! Oh my God, that’s terrible!”

“He is trying to seduce other nobles with the power of the devil! Are you crazy!”

The nobles with high pride felt ashamed that they had turned their eyes like beasts, and began to blame Kahel. The tremendous change in attitude was unbelievable. The eyes that had just been passionately affectionate were cold, as if they were looking at something dirty.

It was hate. It was contempt. And at the same time, it was fear. Still, there was a passion that had not yet faded in some eyes.

Little Kahel thought that day, humans were really ugly. No one said sorry to him or if he was okay. He left the place in the arms of his father, who sighed in relief, engraved in Kahel’s mind was the ugliness of nobles who were still squirming.

For a long time after that, the story of ‘a devil was born into the Luave family’ was floating around in the social circles, and from that day on, Kahel stopped believing in humanity. And for the first time he had feelings other than fear about his power to drive such humans crazy.

‘An unpleasant memory came to mind.’

That’s why he was asked to thoroughly cover himself from others, but it seems that someone here was persuaded by Viscount Peyton’s bribe. He told Gerard to catch the rat, so he could see their face right away.

People were just as curious as cats. People were very curious about the ‘Duke with devilish power’, who does not show up in the social world because of the curse. How absurd was it when he heard rumors that they were paying and trading rights to meet Kahel.

‘What the hell do you want to do ….?’

Kahel couldn’t understand what people were trying to achieve by meeting him. Do they want to test whether Kahel really possessed devilish powers? Do they want to take a look at this appearance, which has been arbitrarily said to be like the god of war, Perius?

Whatever it was, they didn’t even laugh at their own stupidity. But at the same time, Kahel thought that he was fortunate enough to be the Duke of Luave. If his title had been a little lower, he would have been reduced to a toy for those in power.

“Your Excellency. The meal is ready.”

The words of the knight guarding his door gave Kahel a break from his unpleasant thoughts. But the situation waiting for him was also not pleasant.

He ate in his own small dining room, not the main dining hall of the mansion. There was no need to eat alone at the huge table, and he was more comfortable with the small dining room, where the door could be closed to prevent any employee, who passed by the dining hall by accident, to be charmed by him.

However, there was no one to attend to him. So only after all the meals were all set on the table, did he go down to the dining room to eat, in the meantime the food would cool and lose its flavor.

He knew, of course, that it was inevitable. Even if the devilish power was properly suppressed, those with weak auras or those who were not in good shape would often grab hold of their heart and collapse when they got close to Kahel. Even so, it was impossible for a busy butler to personally attend to his dinner. Because Arder was just as busy as he was.

“Hooo..….”

He couldn’t skip a meal even if he had no appetite. It was not possible to lead this great Duchy of Luave, the subjects and servants, in deprivation. The work to be done piled up every day, and the challenges and threats to the family also occurred day by day. He had to constantly roll his head and move his body. For him, food was more like fuel.

On the table were still warm chicken and wine sauce, crispy bread and butter, and soup with a fragrant flavor. However, without much motivation, Kahel washed his hands in a bowl of water on one side, then cut the bread and ate it with butter. Both the wine to accompany and the water for rinsing the mouth had to be poured directly into the glass. Obviously the best dishes were made by the best chefs, but he always left food behind.

He had a busy time again, so after he had eaten, he read books until late or read and replied to selected letters. And before he went to bed, every few days he would soak in a hot tub to unwind. Of course, there was no such thing as a bath attendant. He was reluctant to have his naked body be seen even by most knights. It’s not for any other reason that he always wears clothes that wrap around his neck. It is because the devilish power is spreading from the skin, and the more he reveals his skin, the stronger the devilish power.

There were only two Dukes in this kingdom, and they were second only to the Queen in power. And one of them, Kahel Luave, had to use a long stick brush to wash his unreachable back in the serene bath, and he had to rub his arms around himself to reach his muscular shoulders.

“Tck.”

He felt shabby by washing alone today

(T/N: I don’t know why this cracked me up instead when this was supposed to make us feel bad for him.)

* * *

Lena’s wedding preparation passed by in the blink of an eye. Three months seemed like a long time, but it was already a month away.

Of course, two months was too short for someone who had lived only as a maid to learn the noble manners. Lena practiced even until her sleep, but she was still being harassed by Elliott and the tutor every day.

However, Lena was not the one to get hurt or tearful by such bullying. She’s been bullied ever since she joined the Barony anyway, and it’s nothing new, because she’s at least in a much better situation than when she was a maid.

‘Anyway, I feel comfortable…….’

She felt like her back was going to break from practicing walking, but it was really comfortable. There was no need to dip her hands in ice-cold wells, and Elliot didn’t scratch at her for fear of bruising or scarring Lena’s body. The fact that she had to improve her skinny body meant the meals were much better, and the cough she had always been having disappeared by a lot because she had left the musty room.

But before the wedding, the fact that she had to look like a noble girl came as a great pressure. If it was found out that she was a maid, she could be beaten to death for mockery against the nobility. Lena knew all too well that it was Baron Fidelia who had cheated, but it would be her who will be punished for it.

What bothered her more than that, was the fact that she had never seen the man who would become her husband. In fact, she thought it was because of the tradition, that she had heard, where it was common for nobles to see each other right on the day of the wedding. But she was worried as it was a marriage that Elliot had rejected, and she became more anxious day by day.

So when she heard that Viscount Delroins was visiting the castle, Lena was very nervous. However, Elliot and the other maids seemed to have mistaken Lena, who was constantly looking out the window, as fluttering.

“Lena. Are you looking forward to seeing the Viscount?”

“Oh, no…… Rather than looking forward…….”

“Yes, yes. No matter how vulgar you are because you take after your mother, you should know how to pretend to be ashamed of yourself as if you have been taught that way. But don’t worry. The Viscount is someone who will get along really well with you. Pfftt!”

When Elliot laughed unbearably, her anxiety increased even more. In light of her years of experience with Elliott, that laugh just now was a laugh to watch out for.

For example, tying a string at the kitchen door while Lena was cleaning the table, or putting a dead mouse in a large washing pail, or deliberately pushing a dictation answer sheet in front of Lena to be beaten. That’s the laugh Elliot had before.

But even if she knew beforehand, there was nothing Lena could do. All she could do was pray that this wasn’t the worst…….

“Viscount Delroins! Welcome.”

“It’s been a while, Madam Fidelia.”

That afternoon, Baron Fidelia brought Viscount Delroins, who wanted to visit the castle.

The excuse he offered to visit the castle was that he wanted to talk about his future plans with the ‘great’ nobles of Ardennes, but the Baron Fidelia couple knew that this pervert old man would like to see Lena as soon as possible.

In the meantime, they had put it off in fear that he would find out that Lena was a maid. Fortunately, Lena’s appearance has become quite noble in the meantime. Since they had strongly warned her not to talk unnecessarily in front of Viscount Delroins, drinking tea for an hour or two would not be a big deal.

“I prepared a tea that I thought was good, but I don’t know if it will suit the taste of Viscount, who lived in Ardennes.”

“Hohoho. When I came to Kerouac, I had already given up all my expectations. Don’t worry.”

Viscount Delroins, who could not control the belly fat that overflowed from the belt, did not even humble himself even with empty words. For a moment, Madam Fidelia’s smile cracked, but fortunately, Viscount Delroins was not interested in Madam Fidelia.

“Hmmhmm. Now that I have visited, I would like to see Miss Fidelia.”

A greedy anticipation flashed across his greasy face. He hadn’t even had a cup of tea yet.