Just as she was trying to understand if there was another reason, she heard an unexpectedly plain response and her tension eased.

“Can you be certain that you’ll be the only scapegoat? Everyone knows how excessively devoted Viscountess Delia is to her daughter. If this plan fails, she’ll find another. Then someone else will die, and more meaningless blood will be shed.”

And in the end… His voice sank low, sending a chill down her spine. Leila instinctively recoiled in fear as she met his gray eyes.

“It will end with everyone ruined. I simply don’t want to witness that. I’m sick and tired of killing.”

Javier hunched his large body and leaned against Leila. Though it was Leila who was sitting on his lap and trapped in his arms, it felt as if Javier was the one seeking refuge, nestling his face close to hers. Feeling his cheek, cooler than the night before, against her chest, Leila’s awkwardly placed hands twitched.

‘Maybe His Grace is just seeking rest…’

Everyone described him as cruel and terrifying, but he hadn’t shown such a side in front of Leila. Perhaps that wasn’t his true nature, or maybe the rumors were exaggerated.

Unaware of the soft smile brushing against her chest, Leila continued thinking.

***

“My lord, here is this month’s expense report.”

“Alright.”

A fairly thick stack of documents was handed to Javier. As soon as the butler passed it over, he began rifling through another stack and quickly sorted them with practiced ease. Javier, known as the Grand Duke who used his years on the battlefield as an excuse to avoid paperwork, wasn’t fond of administrative tasks.

Because of that, he rarely managed to complete them thoroughly. It was only when things were organized by category and simplified like this that he would at least pretend to read through them. The butler sorted the documents so the most urgent ones were on top and glanced to see if the ones he had just handed over were still in Javier’s hands.

“Hmm…”

“Is something bothering you?”

“No, I’ll look a little more.”

Contrary to the butler’s worry that Javier might toss them aside in annoyance like before, he was now reviewing them with full concentration.

Not just skimming—thoroughly!

The butler, shocked to the point of disbelief, couldn’t even hide his wide eyes as he openly stared. Javier, normally quick to notice such things, was too absorbed in the documents to register the butler’s gawking.

This month’s expenses had increased compared to last month due to the arrival of the Grand Duchess. Starting with food ingredients, there were also dresses, accessories, shoes, a new bed, linens, bath additives, and even handmade soap. The Grand Duchess’s arrival meant much more to consider.

And much more to monitor. Fearing he might throw the papers away again, the butler pretended to read another stack while stealing glances at Javier.

“The household grew, yet the food expenses are this low?”

“Pardon?”

The startled butler, caught off guard by the sudden remark, responded with a pitchy voice and quickly stepped forward. Standing beside Javier, he looked down at the documents with him and swallowed hard.

He had served Javier since he was very young, but this was the first time he’d seen such a thing.

“What do you mean specifically…?”

“With the Grand Duchess here, isn’t this spending too little? Isn’t it strange?”

“That is…”

The ever-indifferent Javier who used to say, ‘Handle it as you see fit,’ was gone, replaced by the most meticulous and attentive Grand Duke, inspecting everything line by line. Technically, this was work meant for the Grand Duchess Leila, but Javier had insisted on doing it himself, so no one dared object.

“We tried to reflect Her Grace’s tastes in dresses, shoes, and accessories, but she kept saying everything was fine. It made choosing a designer difficult. We went with trendy selections, but her reaction was…”

“Alright. I’ll ask her myself. Now then, I was told she takes three meals a day. Is this really all we spend for that?”

“Ah, that’s because Her Grace doesn’t eat much. Though she isn’t a picky eater, apparently her portions are small. So during the first week, we stocked ingredients as ordered, but after seeing how much was left over, the head chef adjusted the portions.”

“She eats little, so the kitchen reduced the food budget too?”

“Ah, yes. It seemed wasteful to throw out perfectly good food.”

“Fire him.”

“Pardon?”

Fire the head chef. Javier turned his eyes back to the documents and spoke briefly.

What? Just like that? The butler, who always prioritized Javier’s commands above all, hesitated this time, unable to give an immediate response.

The head chef? Of all people? He had worked at the Grand Duke’s estate for nearly twenty years, the longest tenure of any staff member. He was the only one who could skillfully cater to food preferences by age group, cook with exceptional taste, anticipate food trends and ingredient allergies, and accommodate each individual’s likes and dislikes with precision.

He even knew exactly what tea to serve before and after each meal, according to the menu. A chef so talented that other houses constantly tried to recruit him. And now, to fire such a person without warning. The butler stood there, unable to immediately register Javier’s sudden command, hesitating.

“Alden.”

“Yes, my lord.”

“Did you not hear me?”

“…No, I did. Then I will speak with the chef about his retirement and handle it accordingly.”

“Good.”

Since the chef, like the butler, had served Javier since he was very young, he might burst into tears upon hearing this. The butler, who had practically started his career alongside the chef, never imagined he would have to deliver such news. He suppressed his bitter feelings and discreetly glanced at Javier, who meticulously reviewed the remaining documents.

“Oh, and one more thing.”

“Yes, my lord.”

Javier, who had merely skimmed over anything not related to Leila’s expenses, now brought something to mind and opened with a casual remark. The fact that he no longer tossed documents aside was already surprising. But once someone develops a taste for something, their desire grows endlessly.

The butler forced down that feeling and listened solemnly to Javier’s commanding voice.

“Alden, you’re responsible for making sure no unnecessary talk leaks out.”

“Excuse me?”

Startled by the sudden order, the butler responded instinctively and then quickly lowered his head in embarrassment. Javier, who had spent more time in war zones than within this estate, normally didn’t care much for gossip, whether it came from servants or outsiders.

Even when rumors became exaggerated, he paid them no mind. Being called a murderer, a war maniac, scarier than a ghost—those things circulated and reached his ears, but he always brushed them off.

And yet now he was talking about managing such rumors? The butler glanced cautiously at Javier, who now bore the discerning gaze of someone who had matured.

“…I will more strictly monitor those around the madam.”

“Good.”

Clearing his throat a few times, Javier casually swept aside the clutter on his desk. Watching him, the butler murmured lightly.

“Come to think of it, you did grant the madam permission to freely roam the estate. That means she may eventually come here too.”

“……”

“In that case, I should take more care in tidying up. Since this is your workspace, if it’s too messy, the madam might misunderstand.”

At those words, Javier immediately pulled the papers he had shoved aside back in front of him and began neatly stacking them. He smoothed out crumpled corners with his palm, unfolded any creases, and aligned the edges precisely before folding them again.

Finally, he picked up the feather pen that had been lying haphazardly and returned it to its designated holder. Only then did Javier stop moving and look at the butler, as if to say, “See? It’s clean now,” with a hint of pride in his expression.