The Duke’s Fragile Side Only I Can See

As evening fell, after sending Kazen to Duke Rupelt’s social gathering, Eren returned to the ducal residence.
He then immersed himself in paperwork for about three hours without moving a muscle.

With autumn approaching, he had to review the estate’s budget for the second half of the year.
Since the former Duchess, Catherine, had left, taking care of the ducal residence had also fallen on Eren’s shoulders.

Around the time Kazen was due to return, Eren prepared his bathwater in advance.
Whether the party was enjoyable or not, Kazen returned home a bit later than usual.
While he soaked in the warm water, Eren diligently attended to his bed.

As he moved busily, Eren suddenly remembered the letter he had to send to Aila and jerked his head up.

“Ah, look at me, forgetting my own mind.”

Thinking he had almost forgotten the letter, he pulled out some paper from the drawer.
Then, he belatedly realized the bouquet he had placed on the desk was gone.

“Where did the bouquet go?”

He searched the room just in case, but it was nowhere to be found.
Then, he suddenly recalled a conversation he’d had with the footman, Jerry, before leaving in the carriage earlier.

‘His Highness visited, so why didn’t you inform me?’

‘Why should I inform you, Mr. Lloyd?
Isn’t it enough to inform just Mr. Brennen, the butler?’

Jerry was a thoughtless boy of just sixteen, a servant personally chosen by Brennen.
While footmen, who are the first to greet guests, are usually preferred with some experience, Jerry had been immediately hired because his rather handsome looks pleased Brennen.

Whether it was due to his youth or not, his bold attitude was impressive.
Whether Brennen considered it a virtue or not, Eren found it utterly absurd that he kept talking back even while being reprimanded.

‘But shouldn’t you at least escort him to the drawing room?
You expect the guest to find the drawing room on their own?’

‘I informed the butler and came back to find the guest gone, so what do you expect me to do about it?’

Should I call it having strong opinions?
Eren lost the will to continue the conversation.
So, without further thought, he decided to simply dismiss him.
Frankly, he didn’t have time to wrestle with him anyway.

But it would take some time to hire a new footman, so until then, he decided to let Jerry do as he pleased.

‘Alright, that’s fine.
More importantly, there’s a gift to be sent to Lady Aila.
Go to the jeweler on Bayrant Avenue today and pick up the item we ordered.
I’ll prepare a bouquet and write a letter to send with it.’

‘Yes, yes.
I’ll take care of it.’

Though uneasy hearing the dismissive reply, he never thought Jerry would fail at such a simple task.

The task assigned to him was solely to pick up the pre-ordered gift.
Could he possibly have laid hands on the bouquet?
The thought made Eren uneasy.

Eren set aside the paperwork he was handling and hurriedly went to look for Jerry.
At this hour, he was likely in the servants’ quarters in the semi-basement, so Eren quickly descended the stairs.

However, he stopped walking when he began to hear murmuring voices.
Familiar names were interspersed in someone’s conversation.

“That Eren guy, isn’t he just ridiculous?
Does he think he’s some kind of duke himself?”

“You said it.
He even tries to give orders to the butler?
For someone who’s just the ‘Clifford family’s loyal dog.'”

Listening to the servants’ voices, Eren held his breath and strained his ears.

“Exactly.
Just because His Grace shows him a little favor, his arrogance goes through the roof.
A dog that gets too arrogant will bite its master someday.
Just wait, I’ll bring him down a peg soon enough.”

“And what are you going to do?”

“Well, maybe I’ll mess up the tasks he gives me.
Then go complain to His Grace that he told me to do it.
It’s not like His Grace genuinely cares for him anyway.”

“True, it’s closer to using him than caring for him.
I’d do the same.
How could anyone stand such impertinence from a commoner?”

For a moment, his hands felt like they were trembling, and Eren clutched his clothes.
He had suspected the servants might not like him, but this was the first time he had heard such openly sharp remarks behind his back.

Among them, Jerry’s voice seemed the loudest.
It was infuriating how he boasted so confidently despite having been at the estate for barely over a month.

The urge to go and say something was strong, but Eren simply took a step back.
He already planned to dismiss Jerry soon anyway.
If he confronted him now and yelled, it would seem like Jerry was being fired because of this conversation.

If that happened, Jerry’s dismissal would be seen as Eren’s personal revenge, not due to his incompetence.
So, it was far better not to get involved unnecessarily.

He could always make another bouquet, so he decided to let it go for now and write the letter to send tomorrow morning.
There was still a little time.

‘Just focus on my own tasks.’

Eren steeled himself inwardly and walked on with determined steps.
Then, realizing it was about time Kazen finished his bath, he quickly grabbed the warm milk and hurried to the bedroom.

Even after knocking carefully, there was no answer from inside.
Feeling a sudden sense of foreboding, Eren pushed the bedroom door open and entered.
The disheveled state of the room immediately met his eyes.

“Y-your Grace…”

Eren hurriedly entered the room, set the tray down on the table, and looked for Kazen.

His gaze moved past the bedding scattered haphazardly on the floor to the equally chaotic bed, where he saw a figure curled up.
Even without checking, Eren knew who it was.

“Your Grace, it’s Eren.”

Approaching the bed quietly, Eren announced in a low voice.
Kazen must have heard him, but he remained motionless, his face hidden.

So as not to startle him, Eren moved very slowly, kneeling beside the bed.
Then, carefully, he reached out and loosened the arms covering Kazen’s face.

“Eren…”

Kazen slowly lifted his head and met his gaze.
His blue eyes, which had been clouded and unfocused, gradually began to regain their shine.

“Yes, it’s me, Eren, Your Grace.”

“Where is this?”

Finally, Kazen uncurled his body and slowly sat up.
Eren tidied his disheveled robe for him.

“Your bedroom.
Everything’s fine.
Nothing happened.”

“Ah…”

As he blinked, his thick golden eyelashes fluttered slowly.
Kazen stared silently at Eren’s face for a moment, then took a deep breath.

“Eren.”

“Yes, Your Grace.
I prepared warm milk.
It will help soothe you a little.”

Eren offered the warm milk to calm Kazen.
But Kazen didn’t seem to have the mind for it.
Exhaling a thin breath, he reached out and grasped Eren’s sleeve.

“Come here.”

Without a word, Eren let himself be led by his hand and sat on the edge of the bed.
Then, Kazen stretched out a trembling hand and embraced Eren.
His large frame seemed to burrow into Eren’s narrow embrace.

Like a baby bird burrowing into its mother’s bosom, Eren thought to himself.

“Yes, Your Grace.
I am here with you.”

Eren soothed him, stroking his firm back as if it were routine.

Kazen had roamed battlefields from the mere age of sixteen and had even witnessed his father’s death.
Since that day, he had suffered from severe trauma.

The only one who could comfort him was Eren, who had been by his side at that moment.
And that was also the reason why Eren could never leave his side, no matter how poorly Kazen treated him.

He feared Kazen would collapse without him.
He couldn’t bear to leave him.

“Stay by my side.”

Hearing Kazen’s pitifully trembling voice, Eren felt his own heart race.
This was the vulnerable side of Kazen that only he knew, that others were unaware of.

He found solace only by Eren’s side.
The fact that he, and only he, could hold the beautiful and noble Kazen made Eren feel both proud and overwhelmed.

“I will always protect you, Your Grace.
I swore I would.”

Feeling Kazen’s anxiously trembling breaths, Eren quietly rested his forehead against his shoulder.
The man who always seemed so imposing felt incredibly fragile and delicate at this moment.

After a short while, breathing raggedly as he calmed down, Kazen carefully pushed Eren away.
As Eren compliantly moved back, he suddenly noticed a small scratch on Kazen’s finger.

“Your hand… it’s injured.”

Though it was a negligible size compared to the cut on his own palm, Eren felt a pang as if his own chest had been cut.

“Clean it for me.”

“Yes, Your Grace.”

Without question, as if it were natural, Eren took his hand and put the injured finger in his mouth.
The thought of it being dirty never crossed his mind.
Everything about Kazen felt sacred to him.

As he ran his tongue over the skin, Kazen lifted his other hand and stroked Eren’s hair.

“But tell me, who taught you to dare contradict me?”