The Seeds of Control and a Bittersweet Farewell

“Ever since Aile came, my status in the master’s heart has plummeted.”

“It’s all that woman’s fault…”

She had been the first by her master’s side, the one who arrived before all others, yet she had been so effortlessly supplanted.

Noyu chuckled softly, then cleared her throat.

“If I told you that by following my instructions, you could not only win him over but also bind him firmly to your side?”

Chris swallowed hard.

She had not been immune to such thoughts.

However, her reverence for her master had always outweighed her personal desires; she had believed she could endure anything for Mingqian’s sake.

Yet, despite her unwavering obedience, she had received no deserved reward.

Far from offering rewards, her master merely urged her to exercise more patience.

‘Hmph…’

The thought stirred a restless frustration within her, causing her to rake a hand through her hair.

She had never intended to vie with Aile for their master’s attention, given Aile’s youth, but now, a subtle discontent had begun to fester within her.

This nascent feeling stirred within her heart.

She regarded Mingqian as her sun, while she herself was but a mere satellite orbiting his brilliance.

The sun illuminated the earth, and she was content to be merely a shadow at its side, finding immense joy in her proximity to her master.

Yet… she possessed emotions; she was no mere doll.

Noyu, sensing the moment, fanned the flames.

“If things continue like this, he’ll marry you off to someone else before you know it, won’t he?”

Noyu’s words drained the color from Chris’s face.

“Marry, marry me off to someone else!”

“What are you saying? How could Master possibly…”

Chris sat beside Noyu, her gaze, slightly unfocused and hazy, fixed on Noyu.

Meeting her eyes, Noyu offered a knowing, playful smile.

“Why wouldn’t he? Just two days ago, I saw someone propose marriage to him.”

“Aile is still too young, and Eliza is out of the question, leaving only…”

“Only me! Only me?!”

“I don’t want to marry… Even if I were to marry, it would be to no one but my master!”

Chris grew frantic, even contemplating abandoning her guard duties to rush to her master’s side and demand a clear answer.

The thought of being married off to another was simply unthinkable!

But, she truly feared what truth she might uncover.

What if her master genuinely intended to marry her to someone she had never met?

Just the thought sent a pang of agony through her stomach, a shiver down her spine.

Would her master, in his favoritism towards Aile, cast her out of the mansion?

Normally, such thoughts would never cross her mind, yet the alcohol had robbed her of her usual composure.

Chris’s face was utterly devoid of color; had she been her usual self, she surely would have noticed the faint, knowing smile playing on Noyu’s lips.

If she were to marry anyone other than her master, she would rather die!

“If, if such a day truly comes, I’ll die right before him, leaving him to regret it for the rest of his life!”

Chris declared, her words slurred.

Tipsy and disoriented, she was now in a state where she believed anything Noyu told her.

In reality, Mingqian had already rejected all marriage proposals, believing political unions to be devoid of love.

Yet Noyu, knowing this perfectly well, still chose to deceive Chris.

She, too, had her own agenda; Mingqian, as a duke, was far too rigid.

Once Chris had a taste of success, she might just assist Noyu in her own plans.

Such a small sacrifice, Noyu could easily overlook.

“Princess, no, Teacher!”

Chris seized Noyu’s hand.

“Please, teach me!”

“Excellent, Chris. Now, seiza (TL Note: A traditional Japanese formal kneeling posture)!”

“Yes!”

Chris straightened her posture, dutifully kneeling by the bed.

“Hehe, Chris, what do you believe is the ultimate form of love?”

“Love?”

Chris blinked, not quite grasping Noyu’s meaning.

“Seeing him makes me happy, talking to him makes my heart pound, and when he’s not around, I miss him terribly. Isn’t that it?”

Noyu waved a dismissive hand.

“That is indeed love, but its intensity is insufficient.”

“Intensity?”

“That’s a schoolgirl’s crush, Chris. Are you a schoolgirl?”

“I, I’m a schoolgirl?!”

Chris opened her mouth to retort, but suddenly found herself unable to conjure any suitable excuse.

‘Indeed…’

When it came to matters of the heart, she was indeed still a child.

Unlike Noyu, she had long accompanied him in her capacity as his maid.

“Listen to me, Chris. Love is about control.”

“?”

Chris looked at Noyu, her face a tableau of confusion.

Noyu crossed her legs, stretched languidly, and drained her cup of wine once more.

“Isn’t it only natural? If you love him, you must keep him by your side forever. Yes, don’t let him see other women, and then he’ll always be yours.”

“But what if Master is unwilling?”

“Why would he be unwilling? If he shows resistance… he’s simply shy. Sometimes, when a man says no, it’s actually an invitation.”

“That’s right, he’s overly shy, so he speaks in opposites. He, he’s a tsundere (TL Note: A Japanese term for a character who is initially cold or hostile but later reveals a warmer, softer side.) after all.”

Noyu’s cheeks flushed slightly, yet she shamelessly uttered the words.

“What!” Chris exclaimed in shock.

“I only just realized this today! Does that mean when Master says, ‘Chris, go back to your room and sleep,’ he’s actually inviting me to his room?!”

Chris leapt to her feet, bowing deeply in Noyu’s direction.

“Thank you, Teacher Noyu!”

“Hehe, you’re welcome…”

Only after this did Noyu realize she had underestimated the depth of Chris’s feelings for Mingqian.

Just a few days of separation had plunged the girl into a state of profound anxiety.

Chris possessed the potential to become a yandere.

****

After comforting Chris, Mingqian declined any further meetings and ventured out onto the street with Aile.

For Mingqian, this might well be his final outing with Aile.

“Is there anything you want?”

Aile, walking a step behind Mingqian, paused at his words.

“Something I want…?”

The bustling street, lined with dazzling displays, filled with the cries of hawkers and the playful shouts of children, offered nothing she truly desired.

Aile opened her mouth, and suddenly, a delightful aroma wafted into her nostrils.

The scent of cake.

She could not be mistaken; it was the taste she had revisited countless times in her dreams, the flavor she had savored at the pinnacle of her happiness that day.

Suddenly, she yearned to taste it.

“Cake. I want to try cake.”

She spoke, and Mingqian’s steps faltered.

He turned to Aile, and she met his gaze.

“Forgive me, I shouldn’t be so willful…”

Aile decided it would be better to apologize before the Duke grew angry; after all, eating cake wasn’t an absolute necessity at this very moment.

Since outwardly submitting to the Duke, she had an endless supply of spending money.

However, she could not forgive herself for living such a life; like an ascetic, she spent no unnecessary money.

Her teacher had died poor and helpless, while she reveled in luxury and splendor.

How could this be right?

“It’s alright. Let’s go, Aile.”

Mingqian turned and walked towards a roadside shop, purchasing a small cake for Aile.

Its surface, enrobed in cream and adorned with two fresh, vibrant fruits, looked irresistibly soft and delicious, but Aile simply stared at it, transfixed.

In her memory, her teacher’s cakes had never had so much cream, nor had they been particularly attractive.

“Aren’t you going to eat it?”

“I am, I’ll eat it!”

Aile gingerly picked up her fork. The cake was small, yet it took her a full ten minutes to eat.

A dazed expression settled upon her face.

Was cake… truly such an unpleasant thing to eat?

In her memory, cake should have been sweeter, more delectable, imbued with her teacher’s very essence…

Her teacher.

In that moment, she understood once more.

She didn’t actually like eating cake; she simply loved eating things her teacher had made with his own hands. Eating by the Duke’s side was utterly devoid of flavor.

Mingqian, discerning her expression, offered a faint, melancholic smile.

“Is it delicious?”

“Yes, it’s delicious.”

Aile nodded, yet her smile was conspicuously absent.

Mingqian rose, casting a fleeting glance at Eliza, who was subtly hidden within the shop.

The young woman was signaling to him.

This cake, he had made himself last night.

But it seemed Aile was not satisfied.

Perhaps his skill had diminished.

No matter. This would likely be the last time Aile tasted a cake made by him, and for his part, he had no lingering regrets.

“You will eat even sweeter cakes in the future.”

“Me? Will I?”

Aile tilted her head, utterly bewildered. She didn’t understand why the Duke seemed a little haggard today, why he was unusually gentle, why he…

Why, seeing his sadness, her heart felt a strange pang.

Her throat tightened; she felt a sudden urge to speak. If she didn’t speak now, perhaps…

“You, why are you suddenly…”

“It’s nothing. Perhaps you’ll understand later.”

“Is that so?”

Aile asked no further questions. The very next day, she departed the capital.