chapter 9
“Ah, Miss Tulia. You've come again today.”
Leck, the chief aide to Grand Duke Frazier, stepped out of the office with a smile.
Tulia, who had been gazing out the window while holding a basket barely larger than her palm, turned toward him and smiled as well.
“Hello.”
“It puts me in a difficult position if you keep speaking so formally, Miss.”
“Hi.”
Leck chuckled.
“Yes, hello, Miss.”
“Have you had lunch?”
“Of course. Have you eaten?”
“Mhm.”
To Leck, Tulia was an unusual existence, like a single tulip blooming in a field of pure white snow.
The fact that she was a direct descendant of the Frazier family yet treated him like a familiar old grandfather she knew well was proof enough.
Of course, many people tried to curry favor with Leck Kelposher, the chief aide of Grand Duke Asis Frazier.
But trying to gain someone's favor and acting genuinely close to them were completely different things.
Especially considering that Tulia Frazier had shown absolutely no interest in Leck Kelposher for years.
Is this because I scolded those maids that day?
Leck Kelposher had no idea why Tulia Frazier had suddenly begun looking at him with eyes full of affection and trust.
Not that he disliked it.
To be honest, he even felt sorry for her.
Tulia behaved as though he was the only person in this estate she could talk to.
And that may actually be true.
The thought left a slightly bitter taste in his mouth, but there was nothing he could do about it right now.
Perhaps because he felt sympathy for her, his attention lingered on her appearance.
Her jewelry and clothes are remarkably plain.
Both her accessories and dress were merely adequate.
It was obvious that no skilled maid had been assigned to her.
And her hair...
He felt genuinely sorry for thinking it, but honestly...
Is that explosion hairstyle the latest trend these days?
Absolutely not.
It wasn't as though she'd simply let her hair hang loose without any adornment.
In fact, it looked like she'd made an effort to appear presentable.
But that hairstyle...
No proper noble lady would ever wear it.
Frankly, not even a commoner with a shred of common sense would.
Apparently, Tulia hadn't even been assigned a sane maid.
Half of the internal affairs of the Grand Ducal household were effectively controlled by Viscount and Viscountess Lilius.
Although their son Tedric had recently been severely reprimanded by Grand Duke Asis Frazier and even had his direct-lineage necklace temporarily confiscated, that wasn't enough to strip them of their authority over household administration.
This wasn't some ordinary noble house.
Replacing the manager of the internal affairs of this enormous Grand Ducal family would be comparable to replacing the prime minister of an entire kingdom.
Even the family's elders would take notice of such a matter.
His Grace never gave an order that drastic.
Even so, the Viscount and Viscountess Lilius were currently keeping their heads down and watching the Grand Duke's mood carefully.
This was the main estate. There were too many eyes watching.
They couldn't openly mistreat Tulia.
But until just a few days ago, she had practically been a ghost within the family.
Which meant she couldn't realistically complain that no proper maid had been assigned to help her dress and groom herself.
In fact, Viscount Lilius and Viscountess Aubrey were probably hoping for exactly that.
It would be advantageous for them if they could catch Tulia making a mistake.
Wait. Something's strange...
Leck looked at Tulia again.
Unlike Grand Duke Asis, who paid little attention to his grandchildren, Leck made it his duty as an aide to understand the traits of every direct descendant of the Frazier family.
Tulia Frazier was known for placing great importance on appearances.
If she wasn't perfectly dressed and groomed, she wouldn't even leave her room. People didn't call her extravagant for nothing.
Then why had she confidently walked outside with that disaster of a hairstyle?
The old Tulia would never have done such a thing.
She would have thrown a tantrum over not being assigned a proper maid before showing herself like that.
I wonder what His Grace will think if he sees this.
Smiling, Leck asked,
“Miss Tulia, have you brought homemade jam again today?”
“Yes. Though Grandfather probably won't eat something like this...”
Leck merely smiled. He couldn't honestly deny it.
Asis Frazier, Grand Duke and a man often said to possess power rivaling that of the Emperor, received countless rare and precious gifts every day.
And Tulia?
Until only days ago, she had been a granddaughter in whom he showed not even the slightest interest.
Grand Duke Asis was certainly not warm-hearted enough to personally sample jam given by such a granddaughter.
At least he never ordered it thrown away. But he hasn't tasted it even once.
Still, after glancing at Tulia's jam one day, the Grand Duke had casually remarked:
“That little Tulia seems to resent me quite a bit.”
The aides present in the office at the time had broken into cold sweats and laughed awkwardly.
Well, today too...
The jam Tulia brought did not look particularly appetizing.
Seeing her faithfully make and deliver it every day, Leck was convinced that Tulia Frazier truly was the daughter of Marquis Aster Frazier, a man famous for having the heart of a beast.
“Ahem.”
Pushing aside his thoughts, Leck smiled.
“Sometimes simple gifts like these are nice, don't you think?”
“Right?”
“Of course, Miss Tulia.”
When Tulia smiled, her pink explosion—
No, her pink cloud-like hair puffed up adorably.
“By the way, Miss. Wouldn't you like to return to your quarters now? The council meeting is about to end—”
He paused.
“Ah, my apologies. The vassals' meeting is about to finish, so many people will be coming out soon.”
In other words, it might be better not to let the vassals see that hairstyle and wound her pride—
Well, assuming her sense of pride still functioned normally.
So this is the time.
A spark lit up in Tulia's eyes.
“Okay. I'll head back.”
Thanking him for the information, she turned around.
Leck failed to notice the sly smile spreading across her lips.
So the Grand Duke really doesn't eat the jam I bring him.
As expected of the head of a great house—he was a wise man.
Judging from Leck's expression, he seemed a little sorry that he couldn't honestly assure her that the Grand Duke would eat the homemade jam.
But personally, I was relieved.
I worked hard making it, sure, but jam made with a Skill -10 penalty... who knows whether someone could eat it and survive.
It was much better if the Grand Duke simply recognized that I had consistently brought him gifts I made myself.
Crude gifts, but sincere ones.
Despite his stern appearance, Asis Frazier was the type of character who was surprisingly weak against that sort of thing.
Though admittedly, they're very crude...
The man had eyes.
Surely he could tell at a glance that the apple jam I brought wasn't fit for human consumption.
It had been created under a whopping Skill -10 penalty.
The color alone was awful.
Still, I had heard that most nobles couldn't cook to save their lives.
If I kept bringing jam every day, I might be able to earn at least a little favor.
Besides, thanks to coming here every day, I finally figured out when the vassals gather.
By next week—
No, starting this very week—
There would no longer be rotten fruit showing up in my kitchen.
Just as Tulia had predicted, a few days later—
Viscount Lilius returned to the couple's bedroom with his face flushed red.
“You!”
he shouted.
“How in the world are you handling things?!”
