“He asked if I was content working as your maidservant. When I said yes, he seemed disappointed.”

Suddenly, a menacing sound seemed to emanate from the chair the Duke was holding.

Nelia paused and observed the Duke. His expression had become blank.

The usually emotive man seemed cold now, emotionless.

“And then?”

His voice was noticeably lower compared to before.

“…We didn’t talk further. The conversation was less than 10 minutes.”

Nelia kept hidden the Duke’s tense posture from earlier. No need to bring it up.

“Thank you for telling me.”

His thank you was subtly different this time.

While no longer expressionless, his face still had a frigid air about it. This unfamiliar Duke felt strange to Nelia.

“Do you… dislike Crown Prince Carlos?”

Though Nelia knew of their relationship, she feigned ignorance, hoping the Duke might open up more.

The Duke was never deeply communicative. Though he occasionally spoke of his family and his curse, Nelia was still curious about his thoughts, particularly regarding his remaining animosity toward the Emperor, and whether revenge was still a life goal.

Carlos would be a reflection of that resentment against the Emperor, so perhaps if she asked indirectly, she might hear something related.

“Yes, I dislike him.”

To Nelia’s surprise, he answered more straightforwardly than she’d anticipated.

“Why…?”

“Because he’s overly familiar with you.”

…His reason was completely different than she’d expected.

Nelia had thought it would be about the Emperor.

No, more importantly, did he just make an incredibly dangerous statement?

Struggling to collect herself, Nelia asked,

“Your Highness… when did the Crown Prince ever get overly familiar with me?”

Anyone overhearing could arrest him for speaking such sacrilege.

“When he visited our residence last time and now.”

“Because he offered me tea…?”

Sighing, the Duke spoke.

“My naive Nelia. That’s why I worry someone might take advantage of you.”

“What…”

“Nelia, the royal family never casually offers tea to anyone, especially not someone like Crown Prince Carlos.”

Nelia knew that, but wasn’t this an overreach?
Carlos showed no warmth or kindness to her. Aside from serving tea, he had offered no hospitality.

Nelia thought it was rather the Duke who was blinded by love, failing to accurately grasp Carlos’ intentions.

Carlos was interested in her not for personal reasons, but to elevate his own status by being close to a confidant of the Duke.

However, Nelia gave up on explaining.

The Duke seemed to already firmly believe in what he thought.

“Nelia doesn’t know her own worth. How could someone so lovable not invite darker thoughts?”

No one does, Your Grace…!

Nelia felt fortunate that her aide had a separate room. It was a frightening thing to speak of, in case someone heard.

Nelia sighed deeply.

What was she expecting from talks related to the Emperor? She was a fool to expect anything.

(This is a time marker.)

Contrary to her worries about the changing environment, each day passed without incident.

In the meantime, every night, the Duke and Nelia conducted various tests.

For example, if they physically separated, would the Duke transform into a snake, and if so, how far apart they needed to be for him to transform, how long they could endure separation, and whether the medicine no longer had any effect.

The conclusion was that the Duke inevitably turned into a snake when separated from Nelia.

However, the distance they could separate was relatively lenient. A tenminute walk, perhaps? Any further separation turned the Duke into a snake.

It wasn’t immediate. Separation for about 30 minutes was manageable. Moreover, the medicine still worked, at least taking about three pills maintained its effect.

However, taking that many pills strained the Duke’s body, so they avoided it unless it was urgent.

Knowing the conditions for the transformation eased but also troubled Nelia’s mind.

She increasingly wondered why being near her prevented his transformation.

Nelia even made some pessimistic assumptions.

While Duke Hart didn’t turn into a snake when with her, the medicine also conveniently failed.

Could it be a tradeoff of sorts?

“What are you thinking so deeply about?”

“Nothing at all.”

Nelia responded with an awkward smile.

They were on their usual route, returning to the Duke’s residence after finishing work at the palace.

As Nelia descended from the carriage, she found the evening air refreshing and took a moment to enjoy the garden.

Strolling through the harmoniously arranged green garden lifted her spirits. It must be because even the landscapers were topnotch.

However, one thing marred this beautiful view: a large warehouse adjacent to the main building.

Its rigid appearance did not fit the delicate landscaping.

Recently, she had noticed servants and maids busily coming and going, sparking her curiosity.

She even saw a suspicious person wearing a deep robe visiting yesterday.

Nelia decided to ask the Duke.

“Your Grace, what’s stored in that warehouse?”

The Duke’s gaze shifted to the warehouse. After a moment’s observation, he slowly spoke.

“Nothing at present.”

“But it will be filled soon,” the Duke muttered ominously.

‘It will be filled soon…?’

To the curious Nelia, the Duke smirked and continued.

“You’re better off not knowing, Nelia. Something quite terrifying is planned to be stored there.”

His explanation was enigmatic, like a quiz. Nelia found this manner of speech very different from his usual style.

He was someone who skillfully evaded topics he didn’t wish to discuss. Otherwise, he was excessively blunt.

So, speaking so ambiguously made it seem as though he wanted her to know something she should not.