Chapter 10
“Miss Prim.”
Those sharp blue eyes slowly rose to my face once more.
Then his low, languid voice brushed against my ears.
“The amount of work assigned to you is decided by me, your employer. It should be stated clearly in the contract.”
His meaning was obvious.
You’re overstepping your place.
“But—”
“Are you asking me to resolve the issue?”
He interrupted before I could defend myself.
Apparently, he wasn’t trying to reprimand me for my rudeness.
“Yes.”
“I am.”
“…”
“In practical terms.”
I politely folded my hands together.
Paying even greater attention to my posture, I continued.
“As I said before, I’d like to be given more work.”
“If it’s physical labor, that would be even better.”
The Duke of Schultz tapped the tips of his interlocked fingers with an expression of mild difficulty.
A short sigh escaped him as the silence stretched between us, and the crease between his brows deepened.
Then he spoke in a voice that sounded almost resigned.
“And what am I supposed to do?”
“The number of documents arriving at the castle changes every day, and every task has already been assigned.”
“The only vacancy left…”
“…is the work of the lady of the house.”
“Then I’ll take even that—”
“So you truly don’t mind being called presumptuous.”
Ah.
The moment the words left his mouth, I realized my mistake and immediately fell silent.
The Duke leaned forward slightly.
A faint smile rested on his lips.
Unable to endure the tension beneath the deeper gaze in his eyes, I quietly inhaled.
“So you prefer physical work.”
Lowering my eyes to the floor, I slowly nodded.
“Would anything be acceptable?”
“Yes.”
“Of course.”
“And what if you don’t know what kind of work I intend to assign?”
There was an unmistakable implication in his words.
Without thinking, I looked back up at him and frowned.
The Duke of Schultz felt strangely different from when I had met him outside.
Sharper.
Far more refined.
And somehow…
More…
His clear blue eyes curved ever so slightly.
“I don’t believe Your Grace is the sort of person who doesn’t know where the line should be.”
“Besides… I heard you were close friends with my father, so…”
Before I could even finish—
He asked an utterly unbelievable question.
“What do you think about getting married?”
For a long moment…
I couldn’t say a word.
I simply couldn’t understand what he meant.
The room fell into a heavy silence.
Only after gathering myself did I finally manage to speak.
“…What are you talking about?”
“You wouldn’t have to hear people call you presumptuous anymore.”
“And the servants would look at you differently.”
“I’m sorry, but I don’t understand.”
“Does getting married change something?”
“Do married servants receive more work, perhaps…?”
“Well.”
For some reason…
The Duke looked thoroughly amused.
“In that case, I’m afraid I don’t have a lover.”
“And my father only recently passed away, so marriage is hardly something I…”
“That’s fortunate.”
“I was just about to ask you to marry me.”
“So that’s why. The person I’m supposed to marry just happens to be Your Gra—”
“…Excuse me?”
His answer was so absurd that my carefully maintained formality instantly cracked.
I blinked several times.
Staring at him in complete disbelief, I watched him reply as though it were nothing unusual.
“I’m proposing to you, Miss Prim.”
His voice was dry and matter-of-fact.
As if he were discussing tomorrow’s weather.
His expression wasn’t any different.
Was this some kind of aristocratic joke?
It wasn’t funny in the slightest.
Still…
He was my employer.
So I forced an awkward smile.
The corners of my lips trembled uncontrollably before I finally managed to speak.
“…You really must have been very close to my father.”
“You’re comfortable enough with me to make jokes like this.”
In other words…
Please don’t make jokes like that with me again.
“I am honored, Your Grace.”
Holding up one side of my skirt, I bent my knees in a formal curtsy.
I wasn’t certain it was perfect.
But it was, at least, proper noble etiquette.
The slight crease between the Duke’s brows deepened almost imperceptibly.
“If my response was disrespectful, I apologize.”
“My father taught me to show courtesy to those above me…”
“…but never to make myself look weak or easy to take advantage of.”
Kindness should be met with kindness.
Rudeness with rudeness.
No matter how high the other person’s status might be…
Father had always said I possessed that right.
The Duke stared at me for quite some time.
Long enough to become embarrassing.
Then his sharp voice finally broke the silence.
“I don’t believe we’re close enough to joke with one another.”
“…Pardon?”
Then why are you proposing to someone you aren’t even close to?
I barely managed to swallow the words before they escaped.
“I mean it, Miss Prim.”
“I believe it would be best if you married me.”
Just as he claimed…
His expression couldn’t have looked more serious.
That only made the entire situation even more incomprehensible.
“I don’t believe marriage is something one person should decide alone.”
What I truly meant was—
Why are you confusing someone who has absolutely no intention of marrying you based solely on your own decision?
Naturally…
This was only the second time I had ever met Johannes Schultz.
We barely knew one another.
There wasn’t any meaningful connection between us.
And my life wasn’t so beautiful that I could convince myself of the ridiculous idea that he’d fallen in love with me at first sight.
What’s his real motive?
Meeting those unfathomable blue eyes head-on, I asked,
“Is this proposal also connected to the reputation of the House of Schultz in Müsen?”
If it wasn’t…
Then there was only one conclusion I could reach.
Unfortunately…
It wasn’t a pleasant one.
“Even if that’s the case…”
“I refuse.”
He didn’t seem surprised in the slightest.
He had probably expected my rejection from the beginning.
“You’re not even going to ask me why?”
“No.”
The reason was obvious.
I knew very well that some high-ranking noblemen led lives of indulgence and debauchery.
Not because they frequented taverns to satisfy themselves.
No.
They preferred women who were… untouched.
They would take impoverished common women…
Fill their bellies.
Give them a life of luxury.
And in exchange…
Take pleasure from them.
Once they were no longer useful…
They discarded them without hesitation.
Still…
Jumping straight to marriage?
That part was strange.
I had no idea why he had suddenly brought up marriage.
Perhaps it was simply some new aristocratic trend.
Straightening my posture even further, I continued in a calm voice, hiding every trace of emotion.
“And if you hired me as a servant with this intention from the very beginning…”
“…then I will resign.”
There was no point apologizing.
I didn’t do anything wrong.
If I’d made any mistake at all… it was only being too naive.
Just as I should have expected.
Excessive kindness always came with another motive.
I had accepted everything at face value simply because he’d said he owed my father a debt.
“I won’t deny that this was one of my intentions.”
“But you came to me first.”
“And I simply thought the timing was appropriate.”
“The timing?”
“You wanted work suitable for you.”
“And the only work left…”
“…belongs to the lady of the house.”
For several moments…
I was speechless.
“You can’t seriously be telling me that’s why you proposed to me.”
“Of course not.”
His answer was simple.
“Then may I ask your reason?”
“Surely you’re not about to tell me you’ve fallen in love with me at first sight—that sort of cliché…”
“Miss Prim.”
“I already told you this isn’t a joke.”
“But then why—!”
“I’m offering you a transaction.”
His eyes grew deeper.
A dry laugh escaped me before I could stop it.
A transaction.
What an incredibly carefree thing to say.
To someone who worried every single day about how she would survive.
Even a passing stray dog would scoff at those words.
“I believe a transaction is only possible between equals.”
He had countless things he could offer me.
I had absolutely nothing to offer him.
I was merely a servant employed by the Duke of Schultz.
Even now…
I was living on his money.
So what exactly could I possibly—
His quiet voice interrupted my thoughts.
“I believe I mentioned this before.”
“I’m not someone who particularly values the process.”
That explained why he’d suddenly asked me whether I wanted to work for the House of Schultz.
“I obtain whatever it is I want.”
“So I made the proposal without burdening you with unnecessary explanations.”
Because…
It would end the way he wanted regardless.
That was why he still wasn’t explaining himself in detail.
And I had no intention of asking.
I wasn’t going to accept him no matter what his reason was.
“If my approach made you uncomfortable, then I apologize.”
“If you require an explanation… I’ll gladly give you one.”
I quietly met his gaze.
Looking into them again…
His eyes were astonishingly deep and beautiful.
Some people called Johannes Schultz…
The Jewel of the Baltz Sea.
It was a title that suited him perfectly.
Smiling bitterly, I answered,
“No.”
“You don’t need to explain.”
“Because even after hearing your reason…”
“…I’ll still refuse.”
For the briefest instant…
The faint curve on the Duke’s lips disappeared.
But it lasted only a moment.
His expression returned to its usual rigid composure as he slowly looked away.
“I have no intention of forcing you.”
Even so…
Somewhere deep inside…
I already knew that, in the end…
That was exactly what would happen.
