The Duke’s Concern

 I opened my eyes to a white ceiling.

“Ailena! You’re finally awake!”

…And a golden little blowfish.

The moment I opened my eyes, the young lady leapt forward and threw her arms around me.

“Ailena! I was so worried about you! You’ve been asleep for half a day!”

“…Milady?”

Had she really stayed here waiting for me this entire time?

“Do you feel unwell anywhere? Are you in pain?”

“Katarina, didn’t the physician say it was merely exhaustion? That she fainted from fatigue but wasn’t seriously hurt?”

It wasn’t until the Duke’s voice spoke up that I realized he was in the room as well.

At his words, the young lady’s expression soured.

She shot the Duke a glare, then looked back at me with wide, anxious eyes.

“Ailena, you really don’t hurt anywhere?”

“Just like His Grace said, I only dozed off from exhaustion after relaxing a bit. Really, it’s nothing serious—no pain at all.”

“Really?”

“Really.”

“Really really?”

“Really really.”

“Well… if you say so…”

Though she still seemed a bit unconvinced, the young lady finally gave in.

Just then, the Duke stepped up to the bedside.

“Katarina, I have some questions for Ailena. Would you mind stepping out for a moment?”

“No!”

“Katarina…”

The Duke looked troubled.

…He’s probably planning to ask about the demonkin.

Since they were targeting the young lady, it would be better if she didn’t hear about it. No need to cause needless panic.

“But children shouldn’t be hearing this kind of—”

“Ailena is a child too!”

“…”

That… was a dead end.

“Milady, just let me speak to the Duke for a little while, alright? I believe he only wants to ask about my work.”

At that, the young lady’s eyes widened in disbelief.

“So even you’re taking Father’s side, Ailena?”

“She works for me, of course she’s on my side.”

“Hmph… Ailena, you big idiot!”

With puffed-up cheeks, the young lady stormed out of the room in a huff.

It stung a little, but I’d managed to get a moment alone with the Duke…

Well—almost alone. Butler Joseph was still here too, so not quite.

“You want to ask about the demonkin, correct?”

Once the door closed, I got straight to the point.

“As sharp as ever… Yes, I’d like you to tell us everything you saw.”

“He called himself Vladimir, stood around six-foot-three, black hair, red eyes, slicked-back hairstyle.

He wore a black suit with a purple cloak and had a pair of massive bat wings.

Oh—and his fangs were very long and sharp.”

“Vladimir…”

The Duke murmured the name, stroking his chin in thought.

Joseph, listening nearby, offered a grim addition.

“A vampire who appeared in the kingdom a century ago.

He attacked over a hundred victims, sixty percent of whom were nobles.

The damage he caused to the realm was… substantial.”

Wow… that creep’s really over a hundred years old?

What a top-tier copper-coin collector.*

[*Translator’s Note: “Copper-coin collector” is slang for someone with a disturbing interest in minors.]

“Did he do anything? Did he harm Katarina?”

“No…” I shook my head.

“I think I caught him just as he was preparing to sneak into her room. He didn’t have time to act yet…”

I lowered my eyes, thinking back to Vladimir’s odd behavior.

“But he seemed to have used his shadows to do something within the estate.

It might be wise to conduct a thorough search…

And please arrange a full medical checkup for the young lady.”

“I will.

Anything else? Do you have any idea how he infiltrated the estate?”

“Hm… He had the ability to merge with shadows.

So it’s possible he slipped in through one of them.”

“…Understood.”

At that point, the Duke stepped closer and extended a large, calloused hand toward me—

Before I could react, it landed gently on my head.

“You’ve done well.

Fighting such a terrifying opponent must have shaken you.”

His rough hand met my soft hair, the resulting sensation producing a strange kind of alchemy…

…So this is what it feels like to be patted on the head.

No wonder the young lady’s so obsessed with it.

To be honest, no one ever patted my head in my last life.

My parents in this life prefer kisses, so I rarely got headpats.

It was usually me patting others.

But this…

There really is something oddly addictive about it.

“Fuu-myaa…”

That weird sound probably slipped out. Let’s just ignore it.

Right now, savoring this rare moment was far more important.

“Ahem.”

A sudden cough from Butler Joseph brought us back to reality.

“Your Grace.”

“Er… Ahem.

Ailena, please rest for now.

Take the rest of today off—take tomorrow and the day after if needed.

We need to get back to handling the situation from last night.”

With that, the Duke hurried out.

“…But without me, can Milady even eat properly?”

Honestly? Probably not.

Maybe she’ll be fine for a day, but two or three?

I’m worried she’ll throw a tantrum and refuse to eat.

Alright, decision made.

I’ll sneak out of bed and check on her tonight.

It was around dinnertime when I slipped out of bed and quietly made my way through the halls.

Just as I arrived at the young lady’s door, I spotted Joseph bringing in a tray of food.

Not good—time to hide.

…Why didn’t he send another maid? Isn’t the butler supposed to be busy?

Knock knock.

Click.

“Milady, it’s time for your meal.”

“Did Ailena make it?”

“You’re aware that Miss Ailena needs rest today.

She wasn’t given any duties.”

“Mmm…”

The young lady’s displeasure was written all over her face.

“If Ailena didn’t make it, I’m not eating!”

“I understand that you enjoy Miss Ailena’s cooking.

But this is a special circumstance.

She wouldn’t want to see you skip meals—

It would harm your health and worry her greatly.”

As he spoke, Joseph turned to look directly at the spot where I was hiding.

“Isn’t that right, Miss Ailena?”

…How did he even spot me? I should’ve been perfectly concealed.

But since I’d been outed, I had no choice but to show myself, sheepishly.

“Ailena!? What are you doing here? You’re supposed to be resting in the infirmary!”

“I was… worried about you.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?

Do you think I can’t survive a day without you?”

I shifted my gaze to the untouched meal cart.

Honestly… I do think that.

Maybe noticing where I was looking, the young lady’s cheeks turned bright red as she realized what I meant.

“Idiot Ailena!

Before worrying about me, worry about yourself!”

She stormed up and grabbed my collar.…Even though we’re close in age, I’m still taller than her by quite a bit.

So she had to stand on tiptoes to reach me—

It was, frankly, adorable.

But what wasn’t adorable was the way she suddenly screamed like a hysterical kitten:

“Do you have any idea how worried I was when I heard you collapsed after fighting a demonkin?!”