chapter 06
I slumped into the sofa and glanced at the two sitting across from me, visibly tense.
Their hair was crimson, and their eyes were the same color. Bright and eye-catching.
‘They’ll stand out no matter where they go.’
Unlike Rieli, these young ladies had gentle, round, puppy-like eyes and soft, youthful faces.
They were identical twins, looking exactly alike, as if made from the same mold.
One had her hair neatly braided, and the other had it tied back in a round bun, making it possible—at least at first—to tell them apart.
‘If even their hairstyles were identical, distinguishing them would be almost impossible.’
“Which one is Eva?”
I asked, unsure who was who.
The girl with the braid jumped slightly and replied.
“I- I am Eva Tuna, milady!”
“…I’m Sebani Tuna, milady.”
“Right… Eva and Sebani.”
The names sounded a little strange… but I shrugged it off, cleared my throat, and continued.
“Hmm, nice to meet you. As you probably know, I’m Rieli Robel. The reason I called you here is that I want to hire you as my personal maids.”
I spoke directly, since this wasn’t an interview—I intended to hire them immediately.
Their eyes widened like saucers.
“Wha—?! My personal maids, milady?”
“U- us?”
“Yes, you’ll just follow me around and run small errands.”
“But milady… we haven’t worked at the ducal household long, so we don’t know much…”
“It’s fine. It’ll be simpler than working anywhere else. Nothing to worry about.”
Eva and Sebani weren’t just similar in appearance—they acted alike too.
Flustered, both of their pale cheeks turned pink.
It looked like someone had lightly touched their cheeks, giving them a fresh and innocent impression.
They seemed secretly pleased by my offer, their eyes sparkling with both nervousness and excitement.
Uh… but they’re overexcited.
From their perspective, being personal maids might sound very professional and glamorous—but for me, having personal maids was basically nothing special.
The four sparkling eyes were a bit overwhelming, so I looked away and said:
“You’ll start as my personal maids tomorrow. Come to this room in the morning. You don’t need me today, so take instructions from Amy and Karen, and I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Yes, milady!”
“We’ll see you tomorrow, milady.”
“Okay…”
They seemed like unspoiled, innocent children. I had seen that they were from the countryside, and their naive appearance pleased me.
I nudged them toward Amy and Karen, then flopped onto the bed.
I didn’t even do anything yet, but I felt unusually tired for a morning. So drowsy…
Knock-knock—
Just as I was about to fall asleep, someone urgently knocked on the door, startling me.
“Ah! Come in…”
“Milady!”
It was the head maid. She entered hurriedly, flustered, and started speaking in a rush.
“His Grace, Duke Canellowel, has arrived.”
…Who? Just like that, all of a sudden?
I scrambled to remember. Canellowel… Duke Canellowel…
‘Ah, he’s the one who becomes Amon’s swordsmanship teacher in the future.’
This shouldn’t be the time to meet him yet. What was going on?
“Duke? Why is Duke Canellowel suddenly here?”
I asked, dumbfounded.
The head maid kept her eyes on the floor and spoke without looking up.
“There was a lunch appointment scheduled with Your Lordship.”
“But?”
“Your Lordship went to inspect the estate immediately after your meal. He was supposed to return this morning… but he hasn’t yet.”
“Why… why hasn’t Father returned yet? Our estate isn’t that far.”
Amon and I were staying at the Robel family mansion in the capital.
The Robel estate was southwest of the capital, and immediately west of it was the Canellowel Duchy.
Both estates were close to the capital.
The duke usually handled affairs at the royal palace or his mansion but occasionally went to inspect his estate.
I had learned this by chance during our last meal—apparently this was that occasion.
“We’re still figuring out the reason. But milady, His Grace has already been waiting quite some time.”
“How long?”
“Ten minutes, maybe a little longer. I apologize for not reporting sooner, as we did not expect such a delay.”
“So… you want me to meet the duke in Father’s place?”
“…It seems you’ll need to meet His Grace before Your Lordship returns.”
I thought she would at least report to me before letting the duke wait.
I furrowed my brow slightly but didn’t voice my irritation.
She must have trusted the duke and waited in good faith.
Because Father was absent, it fell on me to handle this suddenly.
Suppressing my rising annoyance, I said to the head maid:
“It can’t be helped. I’ll do it for now. But what was Father’s appointment about? I need to know so I can say something.”
“It was to discuss shares of a magic stone mine discovered in the Esit Mountains.”
“The Esit Mountains… near the border?”
“Yes, that’s what we understand.”
I had some information about the Esit Mountains magic stone mine.
The mine contained a massive amount of magic stones, unmatched by previous discoveries.
It was the biggest source of income in the Robel estate, so there wasn’t much need to elaborate.
Also, the Esit Mountains served as the border between our estate and the Canellowel Duchy.
The mine happened to lie exactly on that boundary.
In the original story, the negotiations had already happened long ago.
Since minor details weren’t recorded, there wasn’t much useful info for me.
I grabbed any shawl from the dressing room and draped it over my shoulders, then asked the still downcast head maid:
“I don’t think this is something I can solve on my own… but we can’t make him wait. Where is he waiting? The second-floor reception room?”
“Yes, milady. He’s waiting in the reception room.”
“Then let’s go.”
The head maid opened the door quickly. I strode ahead, and she hurried behind.
On the way to the reception room, I tried to recall what kind of person Duke Canellowel was.
He had appeared as Amon’s swordsmanship teacher, and there had been a side story from his perspective about his past.
In the original story, his father, the previous duke, died during a conquest war with several kingdoms.
The young duke participated in the war to fill his father’s place and achieved a great victory.
He continued participating in battles, gaining fame and fear as a war hero among the empire’s citizens.
But…
Knock-knock—
“Your Grace, Miss Robel has arrived.”
The head maid knocked and announced, and a young man’s voice inside gave permission.
The head maid looked at me. I nodded, and she opened the door.
“Excuse us.”
Entering the reception room, the first thing I noticed was a man sitting on the sofa.
A knight or aide stood behind him, but I barely noticed.
All my attention was on the man in front of me.
He had black hair, which I saw for the first time since the possession.
His eyebrows matched his hair, his eyes sharp, nose high, lips firm, jawline sharp—everything drew my gaze.
If you wanted to embody the words “handsome” or “beautiful,” he might be it.
His appearance was so striking that I almost forgot why I was standing there.
Especially his eyes. It was difficult to look away.
A deep, blue shade like peering into the depths of the ocean, as if seeing straight into my soul.
I quickly looked away, worried my gaze might feel strange if I continued.
Then I noticed his broad shoulders and muscular upper body.
Even fully clothed, his presence was captivating. I consciously restrained my eyes and exhaled softly.
I found myself holding my breath, observing him.
Yet he remained completely unshaken by my staring.
For a moment, I forgot my manners and kept scrutinizing him.
Feeling slightly embarrassed, I tried to regain composure and said:
“…It’s an honor to meet you, Your Grace. I am Rieli Robel, eldest daughter of the Robel family. I’m honored to be here.”
“I am Arban Canellowel. The honor is mine, Miss Robel.”
‘His voice is nice too.’
A pleasantly low tone.
Even while trying to act composed, my gaze wouldn’t leave Arban.
I thought it would be obvious I was staring, but I couldn’t help it.
I realized I was openly admiring someone’s appearance… and felt a bit self-conscious.
But I ignored it. Life is about timing; when else would I see a face like this?
As I continued admiring his handsomeness, I noticed his left arm.
‘Right, his arm…’
