Chapter 5 — The Unexpected Proposal

The oppressive aura of a Dragonblood weighed heavily upon me, and I instinctively sucked in a sharp breath.

They said ordinary people could barely bring themselves to meet a Dragonblood’s eyes.

Apparently, the descriptions in the original novel hadn’t been exaggerated at all.

I never imagined I’d meet Kain like this.

Although my mind had frozen solid from sheer nervousness, my body faithfully carried out the mission I had rehearsed over and over in my head.

“It is an honor to meet you, Your Grace…!”

“Do you know me?”

His deep yet strangely sweet voice pierced my ears. I cautiously lifted my head just enough to look at him.

But…

He really was handsome.

Even if he weren’t a Dragonblood, surely no one would be able to meet those otherworldly eyes.

Come to think of it, hadn’t I seen another incredibly handsome man recently? Or was that just my imagination?

But this wasn’t the time to think about such things. I hurriedly answered his question.

“I-I suppose there are fewer people who don’t know you…!”

I was so nervous that I ended up spouting nonsense, but thankfully, the Duke didn’t seem to mind.

“Sit for now.”

“Yes, sir!”

Kain gave a slight nod before sitting down on the sofa across from me. I awkwardly took a seat as well, but honestly, the whole situation still didn’t feel real.

I came here specifically to meet Kain, so I’m happy about this, but why?

Something felt strange. It was one thing to consider myself lucky, but this was practically like the chairman of a company personally showing up to interview an entry-level employee.

I discreetly studied him while pretending to look at the table.

Kain sat with one leg crossed over the other, slowly scanning through my documents.

And just like that, the interview began.

“Your résumé is rather unremarkable. There is no record of you studying at an academy, either. Did you have a master?”

Ouch. He’s going straight for the jugular.

“I-I studied… on my own!”

“On your own?”

Kain’s eyes narrowed slightly. There was unmistakable suspicion in his gaze.

I understand, but even if you investigate, you won’t find anything… because it’s true.

Remembering the old saying that even if your mouth is crooked, you should still speak the truth, I squeezed every bit of courage I had and opened my mouth.

“Yes… I didn’t have the opportunity to receive formal instruction due to certain circumstances.”

Pharmacology wasn’t exactly an easily accessible field of study. Most people either learned through apprenticeships or attended an academy, and afterward, they took the national examination to prove their qualifications.

But I had skipped the former process.

More precisely, I was forced to skip it because the marquis’s household never gave me the opportunity to learn anything…

“Hmm.”

Fortunately, Kain didn’t dig any deeper.

Instead, he asked a few more simple questions.

I discreetly wiped my sweaty palms on my skirt and answered each one as sincerely as I could. Most of his questions concerned basic healing techniques and knowledge of herbs and medicine, so they weren’t particularly difficult.

After a while—

Tap.

Kain placed the documents he was holding on the table.

“That concludes the interview.”

Urgh.

Those words sounded practically like a rejection notice, and I squeezed my eyes shut.

I really did fail, didn’t I?

This was an interview for a position at the Duke’s residence. There was no way it would end this easily.

I must have been dismissed quickly because I was an unsuccessful candidate.

It was disappointing, but there was nothing I could do.

It wasn’t the job I wanted in the first place.

All right. The interview is over, so now I can tell him my real purpose!

I took a deep breath to calm myself down.

“I’d like you to start working tomorrow.”

“Huh?”

“You passed.”

“I… did?”

Why…?

Faced with such an unexpected response, I stared blankly and pointed at myself.

Me? But I haven’t even shown you what I can do yet…?

Before I could even process it, Kain pulled a pen from inside his coat and swiftly wrote something on the documents.

“This should be sufficient for your salary.”

My eyes widened at the unexpectedly large number.

“Um… So this is the monthly salary?”

“It’s weekly. Would you prefer to receive it monthly?”

I couldn’t help but gasp.

I’d heard that the Ashlehn Ducal Estate was a good place to work, but this was beyond anything I’d expected.

Wow. So this is why people say you’d be lucky to work for a wealthy household.

How much money is this?

With this much, I could buy Melody new outfits every day, stack expensive macarons as high as a tower, and…

I tried imagining a few more things I could spend the money on, but unfortunately, I quickly ran out of ideas.

They say people who have always had money are the ones who know how to spend it well.

Regardless, it was an extremely tempting offer.

But…

“No, the salary is fine. More importantly…”

It’s okay, Viola. You can do this!

Think about Melody, that adorable little rabbit, waiting for you…!

My heart pounded furiously.

After reaffirming my resolve hundreds of times in my mind, I forced my heavy lips to move again.

“Before I say what I came here to say, I humbly ask that you dismiss the other attendants…”

Kain tilted his head slightly, as if surprised.

A subtle crack appeared in his expressionless, statue-like face.

“If you’re trying to pique my interest, you’ve succeeded.”

After saying that in a low voice, he gestured to the servants.

In an instant, only the two of us remained in the reception room.

Kain gestured with his chin, as if telling me to go ahead.

My mouth went completely dry.

I had no idea how I would be treated after saying this. This was a secret concerning the ducal family. For all I knew, revealing it could put my life in danger.

But if I didn’t tell him first, I couldn’t propose the deal.

After going over my plan one final time, I clenched my fists.

“I’d like to propose different terms.”

“……”

“I will cure your nephew—Lord Jayden—of his Tamutarr Disease. In exchange, please protect the young candidate for Saintess.”

Ha.

A short, incredulous laugh broke the silence.

The faint interest that had been present in Kain’s eyes vanished, replaced by an icy coldness.

“Are you a spy?”

Ah. No, I’m not.

Kain Ashlehn had two nephews.

Their names were Noah and Jayden.

They were the children his elder brother and his wife had left behind after dying in an unfortunate accident.

Although he was now the Duke, only a few years ago, Kain had never imagined himself living this kind of life.

The reason was his constitution.

Among the direct descendants of the Ashlehn family, he had inherited an exceptionally potent Dragonblood.

His very existence frightened people.

So from a young age, rather than naturally remaining at the estate, he chose a life of traveling throughout the Empire and fighting monsters.

But when his elder brother, the heir, died—and, to make matters worse, his father suddenly passed away as well—everything changed overnight.

The ducal title had suddenly fallen upon his shoulders.

And there were two young nephews who had no guardian other than him.

None of this was a situation Kain had wanted.

Nevertheless, he silently fulfilled his duty.

Day after day, he dealt with monster waves breaking out across the Empire, protecting not only his duchy but the Empire itself.

People feared their powerful ruler, but they respected him as well.

His nephews, however, were another matter.

To be perfectly honest, Kain wasn’t particularly comfortable around either Noah or Jayden.

He had always found children difficult.

It was hardly pleasant to be around beings who cried and ran away even when he hadn’t done anything to them.

Even so, he had made a considerable effort.

He might not have been the best guardian, but he had always done his best.

Even while he was so busy subjugating monsters that he barely had time to set foot inside his own residence.

Thanks to that, his once-small nephews had gradually grown up.

They were still afraid of their uncle, though…

Not that it really matters.

Kain was accustomed to seeing fear in people’s eyes when they looked at him.

In fact, it was more accurate to say that it felt stranger when they weren’t afraid of him.

Perhaps that was why…

The woman standing before him kept drawing his attention.

“Ts—! Please hold still.”

He still couldn’t believe the audacity she’d shown when she’d looked at him sternly, as though scolding a child.

He had subsequently brought her into the estate under the pretext of obtaining the ointment she had made, but now that he thought about it, perhaps that had merely been an excuse.

Kain had been interested in her from the very beginning.

An apothecary with this level of skill is rare.

Perhaps that was why, even after returning to the estate, the image of her soft, fluffy pink hair lingered strangely in his mind.

But he swore he had never imagined that she would capture his attention again like this.

He certainly hadn’t imagined that she would dare mention Jayden’s illness.

“Spies these days certainly have no fear. To think you’d dare make such a proposal in front of me.”

A mocking smile naturally curled at the corner of Kain’s lips.

“So, where did you hear it?”

“Y-yes…?”

“Who sent you?”

The woman’s eyes widened.

She had boldly proposed a bargain moments ago.

Yet now, as though completely overwhelmed by his aura, her body visibly trembled.

The color drained from her pink lips.

“N-no, it’s absolutely not like that…”

“It’s not?”

“Ugh… Y-yes…”

Even while being crushed beneath his aura, she struggled to open her mouth.

Kain gave a faint, derisive smile.

Not even a convincing lie.

The fact that Jayden had contracted Tamutarr Disease was information Kain had kept strictly confidential.

Because it was his nephew’s fatal weakness, he had gone to great lengths to keep it secret.

There was no way an ordinary individual could have discovered it.

She was undoubtedly a spy sent by someone.

Could it have been the Temple? Or perhaps the Imperial Family?

This didn’t seem like the Emperor’s way of doing things.

But there was no other explanation unless a power of that magnitude was involved.

While Kain considered the various possibilities, the woman still showed no intention of confessing.

“I-I really am not!”

Despite continuing to tremble, she merely denied the accusation.

“Do you think simply insisting that you’re not a spy will be enough in a situation like this?”

Kain took another step toward her.

She sucked in a sharp breath.

“Why don’t you try insisting that you figured it out yourself?”

He murmured the words like a warning.

The woman, who had been desperately trying to look at him, lowered her head.

Is she going to cry?

It was honestly impressive that she’d managed to hold out this long.

But then—

“Yes! Th-that’s right! That’s exactly it!”

“What?”

Kain’s brow furrowed at the unexpectedly bright voice.

“Exactly what you just said! I… deduced it!”

She suddenly raised her head and looked up at him.

Her body was still trembling, evidently unable to withstand his aura, but her eyes—clear and green like young sprouts—were unwaveringly fixed on him.

For the first time, they looked completely truthful.