Chapter 23:  The Lion and the Wolf (3)

I walked side by side with Echina down the corridor of the annex.

In the meantime, two maids followed us, guiding us toward the dressing room.

The Grand Duke’s daughter silently observed the two unfamiliar faces.

Then she glanced sideways and sent her gaze toward me.

“Do you perhaps have more to say to me?”

“You were chosen as an attendant, yet your expression doesn’t seem to show anything in particular.”

Dressed in a tight-fitting one-piece, she crossed her arms alone.

“Most attendants get quite flustered when I ask them to accompany me.”

Echina’s elegant hand tapped lightly on the lapel of my suit jacket.

As if trying to pry open my chest and look into my heart.

“But you seem completely unfazed, as if it’s only natural.”

Was it because we were standing in the shade?

Her golden eyes felt as though they could pierce through everything.

Most men our age would have lost their composure under that gaze and confessed their true thoughts.

“Well, on weekday afternoons, there isn’t anyone else besides me to assist you, Lady.”

However, to someone like me, who had served this family his whole life, this was a very familiar situation.

“You always avoid the hours when your attendants are on standby, so I find it quite natural.”

I stopped in front of the dressing room and spoke to her.

Showing interest, the Grand Duke’s daughter looked toward the maid who accompanied us and asked,

“Do you know why I do that?”

“To avoid the servants of other family members who were sent to spy on you.”

The accompanying maids faltered for a moment upon hearing those words.

They glanced at each other briefly, then regained their composure.

“Most attendants have their own duties during regular weekday hours. But if they were already on standby in advance to serve the suddenly arrived Grand Duke’s daughter…”

My cold gaze struck the maids.

Sensing my stare, the backs of their necks flinched ever so slightly.

“It would be reasonable to suspect they’re servants sent by other family members.”

“Exactly. It’s a world where you can’t even trust your own family.”

The young maids carefully opened the door to the dressing room.

Then, after bowing deeply, they stepped back behind me.

“Wait. I’ll be out soon.”

Echina took off her cardigan and draped it over my arm.

Afterward, her black hair fluttered as she entered the dressing room alone.

“……”

Thanks to that, I was left alone in the corridor with only the two maids.

They looked at me cautiously, then spoke in soft voices.

“We only followed the orders of the Chief Secretary.”

I casually adjusted my suit jacket with both hands.

Then, one of them hurriedly added,

“We once served Lady Freya, but due to inexperience, we were reassigned to the mansion as housemaids.”

“That’s right. We just wanted to make a good impression on Lady Echina, even if it’s here…”

Maids, too, had their own hierarchy.

They were likely also working hard to secure a stable position somehow.

It didn’t feel like they were lying.

“Isn’t there a way we could avoid suspicion, Mr. Roger…?”

A way, she asked.

If such a thing existed, the Luton family wouldn’t be the one with the highest dismissal rate in the Empire.

“Well, I’m not sure myself, but there was one thing I knew for certain.”

I gave the two girls around my age a sly smile and spoke with a laid-back tone.

Then, matching the sound of the doorknob turning inside the dressing room, I gave my answer.

“Most spies tend to be extremely quiet so they don’t make mistakes.”

I recalled the former attendants who’d performed well during my time as Chief Secretary.

Then, I shared their common trait with the maids before me.

“But those who truly cared for their masters never hesitated to offer the advice that was needed.”

The maids swallowed hard at my words.

“But… wouldn’t that be too dangerous? What if we’re reprimanded for speaking out of turn…?”

I looked down at the timid maids with the fondness of a grandfather watching over his granddaughters.

Then, raising a finger, I responded gently.

“Our job is, after all, to serve our masters, isn’t it?”

“Well, that’s true…”

I met their uncertain gazes.

Then, drawing on my ten years of experience serving the Grand Duke’s household, I offered a word of advice.

“If they are truly the Grand Duke’s children, they’ll come to recognize that sincerity—and in the end, they’ll value you even more for it.”

In truth, the most trusted attendants who’d survived beside the noble children were always those who had shown courage.

A truly prestigious household would always favor loyal retainers over sycophants.

“Understood… Mr. Roger, I think I understand your point now.”

The maids seemed to take my words to heart, and the light returned to their eyes.

But then, they fell silent again at the sight of Echina emerging from the dressing room.

“Let’s go, Roger.”

The women’s lips parted in awe at the Grand Duke’s daughter’s attire.

The second daughter of the Empire’s most prestigious noble house had stepped out wearing… the academy uniform.

And not even a skirt—but tight-fitting slacks.

“Um, Lady…?”

Emboldened by my advice, one maid summoned the courage to speak.

Upon closer look, she was the one who would later be selected as Echina’s personal maid.

“If I may dare to ask… is there a particular reason you chose pants as today’s dress code…?”

“Why are you curious about that?”

Echina clasped her hands behind her back in her school uniform.

The fabric of her form-fitting pants stretched taut.

“It’s just… if there weren’t any dresses or skirts in the dressing room, I was thinking of retrieving one from the main house.”

It was quite an impressive response for a novice maid.

Since the Grand Duke of Luton had always praised Freya for wearing dresses, it was clear this maid was trying to recommend a skirt with that in mind.

Truly, she was fit to become a formal maid.

“I appreciate the thought, but it’s fine. I chose this outfit because it’s what I wanted to wear.”

Echina leisurely brushed her long hair to the side.

Her sharp jawline stood out clearly.

“Roger, you understand the reason well enough, don’t you?”

The Grand Duke’s daughter glanced at me and asked in a thoughtful, intelligent tone.

She was hinting that I should take this chance to offer advice to the maids.

“Yes, Lady. It’s because you’re not merely a noble daughter—you also belong to the Order of Knights.”

Given how cold she usually was to her attendants, her asking me to give them advice clearly meant she’d taken a liking to the petite maid in front of us.

Echina also knew that the maid had elegantly twirled the skirt as she suggested it.

“If one is a knight tasked with protecting the Empire, they must always be prepared to draw their sword. In that sense, slacks are more appropriate for going out.”

“Correct.”

The Northern Grand Duke’s daughter ran her skilled fingers along the end of the hilt hanging at her waist.

The head of a black lion gleamed between her fingers.

“And…”

Echina glanced at me again, this time with a rare, faint smile in her eyes.

“Aren’t pants elegant enough as they are?”

Then, with her hands clasped behind her back, she led the way to the lobby.

The maids standing beside me stared blankly at her figure.

“……”

Each time the Grand Duke’s daughter took a step, her black hair swayed softly.

Through it, one could glimpse graceful movement.

The young maids murmured as they watched her walk in a daze.

“Pants… really can be feminine…”

“Yeah…”

Like them, I silently watched Echina’s back.

But unlike the two women, my gaze focused on the Luton Sword hanging from her waist.

She had taken the initiative to wear it for promotional purposes.

Echina was fully aware of just how influential she was in the public eye.

“Those two were quite bold.”

And in that brief moment, she had also realized the maids weren’t minions of her brother or sister.

“That’s right. They gave their advice quite clearly.”

“Yes. Not bad at all.”

Leaving the dressing room behind, we made our way down to the first-floor lobby.

There, a knight from the Luton family, already waiting, greeted us politely.

“Welcome, Lady Echina. I am Derek, and I’ll be escorting you on today’s outing.”

“There’s no coachman? Are you filling both roles?”

The second daughter of the Luton family examined the carriage at the front gate with a sharp gaze.

Derek answered with a wide smile.

“Yes, I came alone since you mentioned this was a personal outing.”

“……”

Echina stared at the young man with lifeless golden eyes.

Her pupils were nearly perfect circles, and even a veteran knight swallowed hard under her gaze.

“Let’s go.”

“Yes, we’ll depart immediately.”

The Luton knight kept his head bowed until she had fully passed him by.

Then, he glanced up at me briefly.

As if an unplanned thorn had been added to the trip.

But I didn’t even spare him a glance.

Even if Derek didn’t know me, I knew him very well.

An attendant of the second son, Edward.

A watchdog assigned by the ever-suspicious Luton Arms Dealer’s master.

Even though he was disregarded by his own father, Edward Luton was a seasoned power player outside the household—and he didn’t let his guard down, even with his younger sister.

She might have chosen the path of a knight, but she had always been known for her precociousness since childhood.

“Where shall I take you, Lady?”

“To Nord’s city center. Somewhere near the cathedral would be good.”

Derek received the command and immediately grabbed the reins.

“By the way… may I ask who that is…?”

“He’s a secretary trainee. Since this is a simple outing, I figured I’d bring him along to the city.”

“Ah, I see…”

At the explanation that I was just another subordinate tagging along, the knight slowly nodded.

From that moment, he seemed to stop paying much attention to me and focused solely on driving and watching over us.

――――――

Seated across from me, she didn’t say a word.

She simply rested her chin on her palm and stared silently out the moving window.

“……”

And yet, what lingered in my mind wasn’t the beauty in front of me, but one particular thing she had said.

She told me she was taking me along as an attendant—but then told the knight I’d be getting off midway.

I couldn’t help but wonder why she had lied so deliberately.

The Grand Duke’s daughter must have sensed my gaze, for she moved only her eyes to look at me.

Then, she raised her index finger to her lips with a faint smile in her eyes.

‘Surely not…’

I finally understood Echina’s intent only after the carriage came to a full stop.

We had arrived at New Luton—the Empire’s largest city.

A proud northern gem, famed for its countless stone buildings and well-paved roads.

“We’ve arrived, Lady Echina.”

Knight Derek got out of the carriage and naturally stood across from her.

His manly gaze and handsome face peeked out between strands of brown hair.

“Then, I will now begin escorting you.”

The second son’s knight placed his fist over his left chest and spoke with confidence.

But—

Echina’s expression remained utterly cold.

“No, I don’t need an escort.”

“Pardon…? But surely the Grand Duke gave a direct order that you must be accompanied during outings.”

Derek looked briefly flustered, though he quickly composed himself.

However, his expression soon twisted completely beyond control.

“It’s fine. This boy here will take that role.”

“Th-this trainee, ma’am? But earlier you said he’d be getting off midway…”

Echina stared coldly at the knight who couldn’t maintain his composure in front of her.

“I changed my mind.”

Only then did Derek finally realize—

The young woman standing before him wasn’t just an easy-to-handle noble lady.

“Someone has to stay and watch the carriage anyway. This powerless trainee is at greater risk, so wouldn’t it make more sense for you to protect him?”

In truth, she was the cub of the Empire’s fiercest beast—the black lion—utterly overpowering him.

“Then how will the Grand Duke’s daughter be protected? That’s the most important thing!”

As if clinging to his last excuse, Derek latched onto the duty of guarding her.

He desperately wanted to keep watch over the Grand Duke’s daughter and report back to Edward in hopes of earning favor.

But—

“Do I look so weak that I need a bodyguard?”

The moment he saw the Grand Duke’s daughter standing with her hands behind her back, eyes locked directly on him—

All thoughts of currying favor vanished from his head.

“Th-that is…”

Her face—

Her gaze and aura were far too chilling for anyone to mistake her as a mere noble daughter.

“N-no, ma’am… I will remain by the carriage.”

Derek instinctively felt that fear seep into his bones.

In the end, he bowed deeply and hurried back toward the carriage.

“……”

Echina watched his retreating figure with an emotionless expression.

Then she moved only her lips to speak in a cold murmur.

“Edward really is pathetic. Entrusting my surveillance to such a spineless man, one who turns tail the moment he’s dismissed.”

The Grand Duke’s daughter turned her gaze gently toward me.

Then, with a bright smile in her eyes, she left me with a chilling remark.

“If he’d been even halfway competent, he would’ve found a way to threaten you and steal your position as my escort.”

To her, I responded with a calm smile.

That kind of man wouldn’t even blink if dozens of rookies came at him at once.

“Let’s go, Roger.”

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