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Translator: penny
Chapter: 8
Chapter Title: An Uncomfortable Meal with My Fiancée?
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'Don't glare at me with your eyes—open your mouth already. My arm hurts.'
'....'
I'd never know for sure if that's exactly what she said, but Roselia's gaze right now was screaming it loud and clear.
Her brazen face made me want to refuse out of sheer spite,
but with all the eyes on us, that wasn't an option.
In the end, I gave in and opened my mouth to accept the piece of meat she offered.
Of course, it tasted so bad I couldn't tell if it went in through my mouth or my nose.
"...It's delicious."
"Right? It's even better because I'm feeding it to you."
She beamed with satisfaction.
Here, eat up and buzz off. That's probably what she was thinking inside.
And yet, here I was, my heart skipping a beat because her smile was so damn pretty. What a marvel I am.
More importantly, the steak tastes good because Kaltstein's chef is just that skilled, you know?
I dabbed my mouth with the napkin and called her name in the most refined tone I could muster.
"Roselia."
"Yes?"
"There are a lot of eyes on us. Wouldn't it be enough to do this sort of thing when we're alone?"
In other words: Let's tone it down. You don't really want to go this far either, right?
That was the intent, but... this possessed girl twisted even that to her advantage and fired back.
"Oh my, are you embarrassed? How cute."
"...."
This woman, seriously.
I felt a light kick to my shin under the table.
And then, shaping her lips so only I could see, she mouthed:
Play along. You're the cold Northern Duke, aren't you? So I have to go with the aggressive concept to balance it out.
"…."
She wasn't wrong, so I couldn't argue.
That's when a chilling aura hit me from the side, cold enough to raise goosebumps.
"...I'll prepare dessert."
It was Seria.
Her voice was flat, without a hint of inflection.
The same dry tone as always.
But her hands cleared the empty plates faster than usual.
Clink, clatter.
Listening to the utensils clinking together, it felt oddly like she was protesting to me.
So I hurriedly called out to her.
"Seria, wait."
"Yes, Your Grace. What is it?"
"What's my afternoon schedule like?"
"After the meal, I plan to personally handle moving Her Highness the Imperial Princess's belongings and settling her in."
"Settling her in."
I glanced briefly at Roselia before looking away.
"You could have the other servants handle moving her to the main residence. There's no need for you to do it personally…."
"No."
Seria cut me off sharply.
"She's a precious guest—no, the future lady of the house. It's only proper that I attend to her myself."
The future lady of the house.
Those words carried heavy weight.
As if she were imprinting it on herself.
Or maybe saying it on purpose for me to hear.
Roselia must have sensed the tense atmosphere too, because she set down her fork and gauged the mood.
What's up? Why's the head maid acting like that?
You don't need to know.
I replied with a look and swallowed hard.
This is getting more tangled than I thought.
Seria didn't give me a chance to respond and bowed her head.
"Then I'll go ahead and make preparations. Enjoy your meal."
With that, she left the dining hall without a backward glance.
After her, the maids—who seemed fed up with watching our farce—followed suit, fleeing the room.
Click-clack, click-clack.
The sound of heels fading down the hall felt especially loud today.
In the end, only Roselia and I were left alone in the dining hall.
"…Haa."
"Hm…?"
In the awkward silence, Roselia propped her chin and asked.
"Duke."
"What is it?"
"That head maid... she likes you, doesn't she?"
"...."
"Yep, thought so. She had that jealous glare. Guess the dense romance novel hero didn't notice?"
"Quiet. Finish your meal."
If even this newbie possessor noticed on her first day, then everyone pretty much knows.
No—none of this would have happened if it weren't for you!
I vented on the innocent steak, hacking away at it.
Meanwhile, Roselia watched me for a moment, then chuckled softly.
She cut another piece of steak, speared it on her fork, and held it out to me.
"Duke? Ahh~"
"Haa… Enough, please. I beg you."
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
Thirty minutes later, after finishing the meal, we stepped out of the dining hall, and the biting Northern chill brushed against my face.
I always noticed it, but leaving any heated area in this ducal residence meant a drastic temperature drop.
No wonder I caught so many colds as a kid with temperature swings this extreme.
Of course, today was a bit different.
Today, Roselia's body heat—clinging tightly to my arm and seeping through my clothes—gave me worse chills than the damn cold air.
She had latched onto my arm like gum, her head leaning slightly against me.
To anyone watching, we looked like a perfectly harmonious engaged couple.
Naturally, the conversation between us was anything but.
"Could you let go of my arm? We're out of the dining hall now. No maids around."
"Oh? Take a look around. There are still plenty of eyes on us. Besides, your muscles are pretty firm—nice to hold onto."
"Thanks for the compliment."
I let out a hollow laugh and kept walking.
The annex where she was staying was quite a distance from here.
Silence would be too awkward, and whispering sweet nothings was beyond my anti-magic reserves.
In the end, I opted for a thoroughly pragmatic background check.
As we walked the corridors, we started sharing trivial details about ourselves.
"Foods you hate?"
"Carrots and bell peppers. Total kid tastes."
"Surprising. I can't stand fishy raw fish dishes. Like most Northern men, I'm a die-hard meat guy."
"Oh, we match there. Hobbies?"
"Sword training, and... quietly reading in the study."
"You live boringly. I like shopping, dessert cafe tours, and counting money."
"Vulgar hobbies... I like them."
A laugh slipped out.
Maybe because she was a possessor, or maybe because we were both top-tier nobles, but conversation flowed easier with her than with others.
I'd grown tired of the roundabout speech of noble ladies in this world, so her directness felt refreshingly novel.
We exchanged tastes, dislikes, and little habits like modern folks on a blind date.
Before long, as we walked, the topic naturally shifted to earlier events.
Roselia lowered her voice cautiously.
"So, you really won't tell her?"
"Tell her what?"
"The head maid. That our relationship is just business."
I kept walking forward without breaking stride.
Glancing slightly to the side, I saw the Northern snowfields sparkling under the sunlight through the corridor windows.
"…I already told her everything. She's the woman I trust most. It's just…."
I hesitated on whether to say more, but I suddenly wanted to vent this frustration to someone—anyone.
"I wanted to confirm something… but I haven't found the right moment."
"Oh? I see. 'The woman I trust most,' huh…."
Roselia looked up at me with a strange expression.
The playfulness was gone; her eyes were quite serious.
"Duke, I've read a lot of romance novels, you know. Guys who miss their timing end up in a heap of regret."
"...."
"Once someone's feelings get tangled, even if you explain the truth later, they won't just go, 'Oh, I see.' Whatever happens, Seria must be hurt by your engagement to me. And betrayal leaves deeper scars than you think."
I couldn't argue with her words.
Seria had stood by my side silently for fifteen years since the day we met.
Telling her I'd fallen for another woman—especially the princess who appeared out of nowhere—even if it was fake...
It might be deceiving her loyalty. No, her very feelings.
Roselia tightened her grip on my arm and added,
"Make it clear. If she's truly someone you can trust, you can't let her stay misunderstood. It won't end well."
"You're right."
Maybe it was advice from a suspected romance novel veteran, but it carried weight.
I took a short breath in and out, nodding.
"Thanks for the advice."
"Well, it'd be fun to watch you roll in regret-hero mode... but loyalty as partners, you know."
She flashed her playful smile again.
We entered the Moonlight Garden connecting the main building and annex.
A garden where special Northern plants that don't die in winter glowed with mystical blue light.
Morning sunlight filtered through the glass dome, illuminating the interior brightly.
Roselia slowed her steps, looking around.
"Pretty. Who knew even the barren North had a place like this."
"It was Mother's favorite spot. Seria handles all the maintenance."
"Hm… Yeah, no place without the head maid's touch."
She murmured meaningfully and lightly touched a Frost Rose with purple petals.
"Come on. Linger too long, and it'll raise suspicions."
Roselia hugged my arm again.
We crossed the garden like that and soon reached the annex entrance.
And there.
"Welcome, Your Highness. And Your Grace."
Seria was waiting.
Like a statue fixed in place from the start.
Impeccable posture, perfectly pressed uniform, and her signature dry expression that revealed no emotions.
The agitation from the dining hall was completely gone.
It was the perfect head maid Seria I always knew.
"The room preparations are all complete. Please let me know if anything is lacking."
Businesslike tone.
I could feel her drawing a firm line between Roselia and me—purely business, or rather, lord and guest.
Seeing that made my chest ache.
It would have been better if she'd snapped or pouted.
Her pretending everything was fine like this bothered me even more.
That's when it happened.
Poke, poke.
Roselia nudged my side with her elbow.
From an angle Seria couldn't see, she shot me a meaningful glance.
Hurry up and talk to her. I've laid out the perfect opening.
Her eyes said it all.
"…."
I hesitated for a moment, cleared my throat, and slowly disentangled Roselia's arm.
"Her Highness the Imperial Princess must still be fatigued from the journey, so please go rest first."
"Sure, I will. Thanks for seeing me off, Duke... even though you're busy."
Roselia entered the annex gracefully, but her eyes shouted "fighting!" before she vanished inside.
"…."
"…."
In an instant, only Seria and I remained at the annex entrance.
A cold wind passed between us.
I awkwardly rubbed my neck and called to her.
"Seria."
"Yes, Your Grace. Shall we head back?"
She was avoiding my eyes.
Those eyes that always met mine directly now stared off at some point over my shoulder.
I couldn't let her go like this.
If we parted now, like Roselia said, the misunderstanding would snowball, and it could really end in disaster.
I took a step closer to her.
"No. I need to talk to you."
"If it's about work, then in the office…."
"It's not about work."
I cut her off firmly.
Seria's shoulders twitched faintly.
"Spare me a moment. It's something just between us."