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Chapter 212
“Amber, you must be cautious. Always cautious, understand?”
“Of course.”
The young woman called Amber replied, her face tense with anxiety.
Perhaps because of her trembling, the surface of the wine bottle resting on the silver tray quivered ever so slightly.
A man leaning casually against the table, watching their conversation, burst out laughing.
“Don’t scare her too much. They all seem like kind people. Besides, they have no interest in us—not even the slightest bit.”
The man emphasized the words “no” and “not even the slightest bit” with a deliberate accent, as if trying to drive the point home.
His remark seemed relatable, as the people sitting around him also began to laugh one by one.
Gathered in the kitchen after finishing their work, they were already flushed red from the drinks they were sharing.
At just the right moment, the orders that had come from upstairs served as perfect gossip fodder for them.
“A late-night wine date between a couple? How romantic.”
A middle-aged woman rested her chin in her hand and murmured, half complaining.
Another woman sitting beside her smirked and replied, “Unexpected, wasn’t it? I thought it was just a typical noble’s arranged marriage.”
“Who wouldn’t think so?”
The Nigel estate, where they worked, had recently hosted some unexpected guests.
The Duke Leroy and his wife, who were on their honeymoon, had requested a visit to the estate.
Located at the northernmost region, the Nigel territory was ideally situated for sightseeing at the Everett Canyon.
Surrounded by cliffs, the terrain was safe from raids by the Nant tribes, making it a preferred destination for most travelers in the north.
Unlike the Bilfaud estate, travelers often flocked to the Nigel territory instead.
Count Nigel, grateful to his ancestors for establishing themselves here, welcomed the duke and his wife with open arms.
He spared no effort in instructing the servants to provide them with the utmost hospitality.
Fortunately for the staff, their workload hadn’t increased beyond reason.
Surprisingly, for people of such high status, the duke and his wife were extremely low-maintenance guests.
They didn’t complain about the food or accommodations, didn’t nitpick the servants’ minor mistakes, and didn’t make unreasonable demands only to reprimand them for not fulfilling them.
For the estate’s staff, accustomed to dealing with countless guests due to its location, this was nothing short of a dream come true.
Even nobles of lower rank than the duke often vented their travel frustrations on the servants.
In contrast, the duke and duchess seemed uninterested in anything outside of each other. They acted as though nothing else mattered, focusing solely on one another.
The wine delivered to their bedroom every evening was proof of that.
“Just when I thought tonight might pass quietly.”
“Tomorrow, they’ll probably wake up only when the sun is high in the sky.”
At the lewd undertones of the joke, Amber’s face turned crimson.
Still young, she wasn’t used to such brazen comments from the married staff.
A stout man with a kind expression, who had been standing across from her, gave her back a hearty pat.
He was the chef who had prepared the wine tray for her.
“Better get going! Stop listening to their indecent chatter and hurry upstairs.”
Amber left the kitchen, ignoring the teasing calls directed at the chef.
The hallway was silent, devoid of any passersby.
Turning her back to the kitchen door, Amber took a deep breath.
Resolving herself, she steadied her legs and stepped forward.
The guest room where the duke and duchess were staying was at the end of the right-wing corridor on the second floor.
Count Nigel had specially chosen the sunniest spot in the estate for them.
‘Though, judging by how they spend their days, they don’t seem to need sunlight much.’
As others had mentioned, the duke and duchess rarely woke before noon.
Though they did occasionally venture outside, it was only for brief visits nearby before retreating to their room again.
Amber felt as though she understood why the duke and duchess were so easygoing.
What they truly desired wasn’t sightseeing or even the lavish hospitality of the estate.
‘Because of that, no matter what we do, they won’t complain, which is why even someone new like me can step into their room.’
Feeling embarrassed, Amber raised her hands to cover her face.
The coolness of her palms helped soothe the heat that had risen to her cheeks.
Lost in her increasingly flustered thoughts, Amber’s feet had already carried her to her destination.
Before knocking, she checked her appearance one last time and carefully tapped on the door.
“I’ve brought the wine you requested. May I come in?”
The response came after a long pause.
“Come in.”
Amber silently counted to three before opening the door.
The Duke was sitting up in bed, his lower half covered by a blanket, leaning against the headboard. Meanwhile, the Duchess was seated at a table near the window, gazing at the moonlit sky.
Amber approached the Duchess’ table cautiously and set down the wine glasses with delicate precision.
The Duchess’ gaze naturally turned to Amber.
Amber had to try very hard not to let her hands tremble under the scrutiny.
‘She’s… she’s dressed so lightly…’
Amber grimaced internally.
The Duchess was wearing a white silk robe, the loose knot allowing the neckline to plunge far enough to make Amber feel she might see more than intended if she looked too closely.
And the Duke, reclining on the bed? Amber couldn’t help but wonder just how much was really covered beneath that blanket.
Would it be too irreverent to imagine he wasn’t wearing anything at all?
‘I need to leave before I think anything worse.’
Focusing her eyes on the silver tray she’d brought, Amber spoke quickly.
“If you need anything else, please don’t hesitate to call.”
“Oh, one thing,” the Duke said nonchalantly. “We’ll likely sleep in late, so make sure no one enters the room until we summon them.”
“…Yes, sir.”
Amber barely avoided biting her tongue and responded a beat late.
As she left the room, her mind was occupied by one singular thought.
‘They’re… really an intense couple.’
The door clicked shut, leaving behind only the “intense couple” in the bedroom.
As the sound of Amber’s footsteps faded into the distance, Iona turned to Leroy.
“You can get up now.”
“She seemed a bit nervous. You think she noticed anything?” Leroy asked as he swung his legs off the bed.
“She’s just young, I think. Her face looked quite youthful—barely twenty at most?” Iona replied, recalling the maid’s face.
By then, Leroy had stepped toward Iona, fully dressed in trousers, contrary to the maid’s wild imagination.
Though it had been their intention to encourage such assumptions, neither of them felt particularly embarrassed about it.
“In the future, let’s refrain from summoning anyone before changing,” Leroy remarked as he picked up his discarded shirt and slipped it on.
The fabric, though comfortable, was of notably poor quality—an irritation he ignored.
While Leroy finished dressing, Iona opened the wine bottle and took a quick sniff of its aroma.
Her expression turned regretful.
“…Another fine wine. Too good to waste.”
“Should we honor Count Nigel’s hospitality with just a taste?” Leroy suggested with a slight smile.
Brightening at the idea, Iona poured the wine into two glasses.
After all, they needed to make it look like they’d had a lively drinking session. A small sip wouldn’t hurt, right?
Iona had a liver far too strong to be affected by a single glass of wine.
Leroy merely wet his lips with the wine before setting his glass back down.
Iona, on the other hand, quickly emptied her glass and looked wistfully at the bottle.
Leroy, noticing her lingering gaze, grabbed the bottle by its neck and pulled it toward himself. In a gentle voice, he said,
“Riding while intoxicated is dangerous.”
“This much won’t get me drunk,” Iona protested.
“I trust you’ll understand my desire not to be widowed at such a young age,” Leroy quipped as he opened the window and poured the wine out into the grass below.
Iona watched the scene with deep regret, knowing he was right. They would be riding horses soon, and it was only prudent to follow Leroy’s reasoning.
Still, watching such a fine wine become mere nutrients for the grass was undeniably heartbreaking.
A pang of regret surged through her.
‘I should’ve come up with a better excuse than the wine.’
Recently, the two of them had been using untouched wine as a pretense to slip away unnoticed for nighttime escapades.
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