Where did it go wrong? Why am I trapped in this luxurious room when I should be departing for the viscount’s residence by now?

‘What is this, really.’

When I shouted that I needed to leave, the knight said it wasn’t allowed and locked the door even more securely.

At first, I was dumbfounded, but the more I thought about it, the angrier I became.

‘Just because you have some power, you can lock people up like this?’

How is this any different from Johnston, who tried to subdue me with force?

At least Johnston was an opponent I could handle if I prepared thoroughly. But I was angry because the Duke of Artenbach was someone who could defeat me with just the movement of a finger, even if I defended myself perfectly.

Finally, I jumped up from my seat and paced around the room. Then I went out onto the balcony.

Looking down, I saw that this was the third floor, much higher than ordinary buildings. It was a dizzying height, but not impossible to descend from.

‘There are knights down there too.’

The part about defeating me with just the movement of a finger was real. There were knights standing below the balcony, beneath the bathroom window as well.

‘He clearly said he’d keep me locked up until the negotiations were over.’

If that’s the case, then I just need to end the negotiations.

I strode to the door. Then I shouted with all my might.

“Let’s negotiate!”

Despite my bold shout, there was no response. The knights were definitely outside.

“I’ll negotiate. So open the door first!”

I shouted again. Then the door opened with a clatter, and the Duke appeared.

Irritation welled up in me without my realizing it. I resented my past self for thinking he might have been somewhat kind.

“I didn’t want to resort to this method.”

The Duke muttered. I burst into incredulous laughter.

“If you didn’t want to use it, you shouldn’t have.”

My voice trembled with anger. After calming myself with deep breaths, I sat down first at the table chair.

The Duke followed and sat opposite me. The secretary, Viscount Rimon Tyrell, placed paper and pen between us.

“Now, let me state my conditions first. I want you to become Rublion’s mother. It doesn’t have to be a mother exactly; a nanny or a governess would be fine too. As long as you fill a role for the child, anything will do.”

“Why are you going to such lengths? There are plenty of people who could care for the kid as much as I do.”

The Duke hesitated for a moment before speaking.

“It’s the first time Rublion has liked and followed someone.”

“……”

“When he’s with you, that boy seems like a child too.”

It was an unexpected answer, and I couldn’t find anything to rebut.

“As the rumors say, Rublion is indeed my illegitimate child. He’s a child born when my older brother was the head of the Artenbach family.”

I blinked repeatedly to avoid showing my surprise. Until now, I thought the Duke had had an accident and fathered a child before he was even of age.

“I thought I had tried not to let him feel the absence of parents, but it seems that wasn’t the case. When a child who had never mentioned his mother’s existence told me he needed a mother, I felt like the sky was falling.”

I know that feeling well. The feeling of finally speaking out after holding it in for so long. Words that I let slip to keep myself from falling apart, even knowing they would hurt.

“That’s why I did this, even knowing you didn’t want to. I sincerely apologize.”

Receiving an apology, my boiling emotions subsided a little. Still, the unpleasantness didn’t completely disappear.

“I’ve listened to your story well. I knew the kid was lonely too, so I was doing my best to fulfill the request to find someone to be his mother.”

Rublion overlapped with the Duke sitting there with an indifferent face.

“But as you know, I have work that I prioritize, so I can’t devote all my time entirely to the kid. I might be able to spend a day with him occasionally, but anything more than that is difficult.”

“It’s not like you have to do anything grand by taking on the role of Rublion’s mother.”

The Duke leaned back comfortably on the armrest.

“Just eat and sleep at the duke’s residence, and occasionally fall asleep with the child. It’s fine if you continue your work with Black Swan. It’s okay if you have to leave at dawn for work or return late at night. Neither Rublion nor I will interfere with your outside work at all.”

“The conditions you just mentioned seem far from the role of a mother.”

It had the nuance of freeloading at the duke’s residence. My mind was in confusion.

“What did you think the role of a mother was?”

“Sleeping together every day, eating meals together, helping with studies, and spending all day together.”

“You don’t have to go that far. Just stay at the duke’s residence and do those things only when the child wants. Above all, I’ll take responsibility for protecting your privacy, so don’t worry.”

Saying that, he took out a letter from his breast pocket. A familiar handwriting caught my eye.

“Do you know that Viscount Deli received a letter from Johnston?”

In the handwritten letter the Duke gave me, it contained threats from Johnston saying he had been beaten by me and wouldn’t let this matter slide. There was also a suggestion that it might be safer to stay somewhere other than the viscount’s residence, as it was dangerous.

“Viscount Deli is an indispensable talent for the army. It’s also my job to support the viscount so he can fully demonstrate his abilities.”

The Duke began writing something on the paper with his pen. Leaning forward a little to read, I saw he was writing down the rewards he would give me if I took on the role of mother. Even if he offered a high compensation, my thoughts wouldn’t change.

At that moment, the Duke wrote down a clause stating he would terminate the exclusive contracts with Ranson and Murteng.

“Now, if there’s anything lacking, don’t hesitate to say so.”

“…Are you really terminating the exclusive contracts with Ranson and Murteng? Does this mean I can bring these two to Black Swan?”

“I thought you might at least consider it if I went that far.”

“And the compensation… is ten times the base salary?”

“You read it correctly.”

With conditions like these, I thought maybe I could postpone growing Black Swan and raising the status of the Deli viscounty for a while.

“I’m not asking you to do this forever. Rublion will eventually reach a time when he leaves his guardian’s care. Maybe he’ll even find another adult he follows well besides you and me.”

The Duke looked a bit disappointed as he said those words.

“So I won’t rashly promise when you can quit the job, but I hope you’ll do it for at least a year.”

“Why a year?”

It was a short time if you thought of it as short, and a long time if you thought of it as long. The Duke hesitated for a moment before answering expressionlessly.

“Because it’s dangerous for you to stay alone at the viscount’s residence.”

Then, slightly averting his gaze to the side, he continued.

“I’ll protect you, so in return, I hope you’ll become my child’s mother.”

After sending the Duke away with the excuse that I couldn’t decide right away, I calmly organized my thoughts.

There was no need to reject his proposal. Rather, these were conditions for which I should bow deeply in gratitude.

Above all, the Duke’s words about protecting me resonated.

In my life, I had more often been a shadow for others, and when moments came where I wanted to rely on someone, I stubbornly endured alone. I grew up whipping myself, saying this much is difficult for anyone, it will get better if I endure.

So his single word about protecting me knocked on one of the walls inside me.

‘Right, I’ll just stay for exactly one year.’

It’s not like my life will change just by staying here.

‘Rather, it will be an opportunity to secure a reliable source of funds.’

If I live on the salary my father earns and use my compensation to nurture artists, Black Swan won’t need to take on small commissions anymore.

Having made up my mind, I sprang up from my seat. Then I stood in front of the door.

“Open the door.”

At my call, the door slid open, and I met eyes with a fully armed knight. I spoke with my hands neatly folded and my back straight.

“I’d like to convey that the negotiations have been concluded to the Duke.”

The eyes inside the helmet seemed to hesitate for a moment, but then he raised his arm to his chest and replied.

“I will guide you. Please follow me.”

The place I arrived at with the knight was the Duke’s office. He was quite busy working, so Viscount Tyrell, the secretary, arranged a place for me to sit.

“Shall I bring you tea first? Or would you like to see the notarized document?”

“You wrote a… notarized document?”

“Yes, I thought it would be better for you to have something definite.”

“That’s true. That would be good, I suppose.”

I was a bit taken aback because I thought we’d just write a contract for a simple employment, but they were going to have it notarized.

‘Is it because the transfer of Ranson and Murteng is involved?’

It’s certainly a better method than just vaguely promising verbally and writing a contract. But why do I feel somewhat uneasy? Is it just my imagination?

“Sorry to keep you waiting.”

The Duke said as he approached the sofa. I replied indifferently.

“You look busy.”

“A little.”

He sat down opposite me, wiping the ink off his hands. Viscount Tyrell handed over a two-page notarized document.

“Please read it and affix your seal. And please check this as well.”

The viscount said, unfolding a twice-folded certificate.

“The reason we didn’t call a separate notary lawyer is because I have a lawyer’s qualification.”

So the Artenbach ducal family employs a lawyer as a secretary. Suddenly, the Duke sitting in front of me felt unreasonably distant.

I read diligently, not missing a single letter. Then I stamped the seal of the viscount family at the very end of the notarized document and wrote my name.

“Here, I’m done.”

At the same time, the Duke also closed the notarized document. Then he gave it to the viscount.

“First, notify the art gallery immediately and also Rublion…”

Bang.

My shoulders jerked at the sudden loud noise. Startled, I turned my head towards the direction of the sound. There stood the kid who had burst in as if about to break down the door, with tears welling up in his eyes.