It was impossible to gauge exactly how much time had passed.

Several voices calling for her echoed from afar all at once. Chloe, who had been lost in thought for hours sitting on a wooden bench, finally snapped back to reality.

“Ah! I’ve gone mad.”

Why on earth had she been crying here like this? Though her tears had already dried, her body had stiffened from sitting still in one place for so long. The once warm bench had long since fallen into shadow as the sun set.

“Yes! I’m over here.”

Shivering from the cold she had only just noticed, Chloe stood up to run towards the voices, but her knees buckled.

“Clyne! What on earth have you been doing here!”

A servant who had followed her voice scolded Chloe.

“Ah, I’m sorry. But why is everyone looking for me?”

“Why are we looking? How long have you been away from your post? The Duke has given strict orders to find you immediately. He seems quite angry, so you’d better prepare yourself. Good heavens, you’ve secured the position of the Duke’s personal attendant, yet you skive off for hours. You really are gutsy.”

The servant, known for being talkative, spewed out so many words in that short time. So the Duke was angry?

“But why does your face look like that? Your lips have even turned blue.”

Another servant, known for being kind-hearted, pressed the arm of the talkative one and said.

“Ah, I’m fine. Well then, I’ll go to the Duke now.”

Though limping slightly, Chloe began to run towards the Duke’s office. She was, above all else, his personal attendant.

Knock knock knock.

“Your Grace, it’s Clyne.”

“Chloe!”

As Chloe knocked on the office door and tried to catch her breath, she was startled by the Duke’s sudden appearance behind her, gasping at his loud voice. She looked around, thinking his voice was too loud. Fortunately, no other servants had followed.

“Your Grace, you were looking for me…”

Before she could finish speaking, the Duke grabbed her arm. The door slammed shut behind her as she practically fell into the Duke’s arms.

“Chloe, where on earth, where on earth have you been!”

“Your Grace, I’m sorry. I’m truly sorry.”

As Chloe bowed her head, her forehead lightly touched somewhere between the Duke’s chest and neck.

“Ah!”

Due to the Duke’s hand firmly pressing her, Chloe had no choice but to be embraced in his arms.

“How could you disappear for so many hours? I thought you…”

“Your Grace, please let go of me.”

Chloe felt a bit dizzy. Fortunately, the Duke released her immediately. Though his hands then cupped her cheeks.

“Why does your face look like this? Where have you been and what have you been doing? No! Why are you so cold?”

The Duke stroked her face, then her neck, and then rubbed her arms. Strangely, seeing the Duke so worried about her made Chloe feel like she might burst into tears.

Foolishly, did she want to believe this was love?

“I fell asleep on a bench in the garden, the sunlight was so nice.”

The lies came out so smoothly. Perhaps it was due to months of practice in lying, she had now become a complete liar.

“Fell asleep? Outside? You? Ha!”

The Duke kept making sounds of disbelief, angry about something.

“You, who shivers even after being outside for just a little while.”

“I’m sorry. I’m truly sorry.”

Why was he angry? Because he loved me? Because he liked me? Because he was worried about me?

Even as she apologized, those futile thoughts raised their heads again. His mind was bound to her for physical reasons, they said. This was just an instinctive reaction, they said.

“Ack!”

Chloe screamed as the Duke suddenly picked her up like a baby.

“Stop saying you’re sorry. That’s not what I want to hear. For now, you need to get under the covers.”

“Put me down, Your Grace. I can walk.”

“No.”

The Duke stubbornly carried her towards his bedroom.

“Your Grace, at least take me to my room.”

“I don’t want to do that either.”

Chloe finally closed her mouth.

She had already lain in the Duke’s bed once before, and for now it seemed best to let the Duke have his way. He was on edge because of her, and she was in no position to be stubborn.

“Your Grace, I’m sorry for inconveniencing you. I shouldn’t have been so absentminded, I was away from my post for too long…”

“Yes, you shouldn’t have done that. So you’re fired.”

Chloe bolted upright in bed at these unexpected words.

“What kind of personal attendant leaves their post for four hours! Without their master’s permission, no less.”

She couldn’t bring herself to speak. Every single word was correct. She had boasted about continuing her role as a personal attendant, but in reality she had done nothing.

“I have nothing to say if you fire me.”

“Yes, from this moment you’re fired. You’re no longer my personal attendant, now you’re just my woman, so get some rest for now.”

So that’s why he said she was fired. This really makes it seem like he likes me. Really… not imprinting, binding, or anything like that, but just simply liking me.

This shouldn’t be happening, but she felt like she might cry again.

How wonderful would it be if the Duke liked her, loved her even, not because of wolf shifter instincts, but just like a normal human?

“What’s wrong? Why are your eyes turning red?”

The Duke frowned.

“It’s because I’ve been fired from being your personal attendant. I was going to earn money to pay you back, but now that you’ve fired me, how can I pay you back?”

The Duke smiled gently, stroked her cheek, then removed her glasses and placed them on the bedside table. She liked the feel of the Duke’s large, warm hand on her face.

“You can love me for the rest of your life. My money has extremely high interest, and since you couldn’t pay back the principal, you’ll have to pay for the rest of your life.”

“You’re a loan shark. You’re a villain for stopping me when I said I’d pay back the principal.”

Just forget about imprinting or whatever, I want to stay by your side for the rest of my life, Your Grace, who has become so blinded to me. Is that alright? You said you couldn’t push me away anyway. You said you’re bound to me regardless of emotions.

“I’m not usually so harsh, but someone is making me this way.”

The Duke stroked her face again.

“Your Grace.”

Chloe finally made up her mind. Though afraid, she decided to ask.

“Your Grace… do you like me?”

She couldn’t bring herself to ask if he loved her. She just didn’t have the courage for that.

“Haa…”

The Duke let out a big sigh.

“Please answer me.”

“Chloe Liden, do you think everything I’ve said to you so far has been nonsense? I said I liked everything about you! Asking if I like you. It’s so absurd I feel like getting angry.”

“Just tell me. If you really like me.”

“You’re asking this because you like me, right?”

“Yes, I really like you, Your Grace. Really…”

She swallowed the words “I love you.” It felt too pathetic to say such words first to someone who said they were bound to her for physical reasons.

“Like… it’s hard to express with such words. My body and heart react solely towards you. Will that suffice as an answer?”

“…Yes.”

Is that what it means to like someone?

She felt like all the strength was draining from her body and she might collapse. Though it sounded more passionate than any love confession, to Chloe, who knew the truth about “imprinting,” it sounded like “I’m bound to you by imprinting.”

No, it’s not that it sounded that way, but that was actually the truth.

“I’m curious about what thoughts are in that little head of yours.”

The Duke said, ruffling her hair.

“I am exactly as I appear.”

“I don’t think so. For one thing, your head isn’t as it appears, is it? Come to think of it, why don’t you take off the wig? I like your real hair.”

“…”

“From now on, don’t wear wigs or anything like that. I like your… no, never mind.”

What was he going to say?

“Take it off. Take off the wig.”

Why did he want her to take off the wig so badly?

But she didn’t want to take off the wig in front of the Duke like this. Her hair would be a mess underneath.

“I’ll take it off when you leave the room, Your Grace. But am I really fired? Then how will you introduce me right away? To the people in the mansion, I mean.”

“That… why don’t you sleep for now? Your face is still red. Let’s talk again after you sleep and your body warms up.”

The Duke laid her down and pulled the covers up to her shoulders. His actions were so warm and affectionate that she quickly squeezed her eyes shut.

Otherwise, she felt like she might cry again. When had she become so tearful? Does holding someone in your heart mean you hold that many tears too? The tears that were about to spill seemed to show how full her heart was with the Duke.

Even with her eyes closed, she could feel the Duke watching her. After a while, the Duke finally got up and left the room. When she could no longer hear any sound, Chloe finally opened her eyes, sat up in bed, and took off her wig, placing it next to her glasses on the bedside table.

For some reason, the glasses and wig on the bedside table looked particularly dreary today.