Sure enough, Astel was missing a ball of yarn. Rune, fresh out of the shower, had entered Astel’s room, picked up a ball of yarn the size of his face, and fled.
The direction Rune had taken with it was the Duke’s office.
“Why.”
Ever since she arrived in the capital, Rune had been in and out of the Duke of Anais’s office. The Duke hadn’t exactly kept him out, either.
Only the butler, who was reporting to the Duke on the magic fields in the mansion, had watched them in bewilderment.
“Daddy.”
“Hmph.”
The old butler gulped sharply, wondering if what he had just heard was true. But neither Rune nor Duke Anais seemed to care much for the butler.
Rune clutched the ball of yarn tightly in his arms and rushed forward, dashing furiously into the Duke’s arms. His stance was braver than a squirrel in the night, and his little paws were faster than a hamster.
“Heehee.”
But the Duke only warned, holding Rune’s swiftly leaping body with one hand.
“It’s dangerous.”
“Hmph. Daddy hug me, please.”
“Why should I hug you? You’re not even Astel.”
‘Well, he’s the son of the guy I want to kill,’ he whispered in a very low voice.
His expression, of course, was not as threatening as his words.
But despite the cold words, Rune smiled wryly.
The child was well-fed and cleaned, white and plump, and his cheeks were squished together as he held out a ball of yarn with one hand.
“Mommy’s doing it.”
“…?”
The butler couldn’t quite make out Rune’s words.
But the Duke was different.
“Astel is making a scarf out of this ball of yarn?”
The Duke’s gaze fell on the ball of green yarn, easily interpreting Rune’s words.
By coincidence, the yarn was the exact color of Astel’s eyes.
“Mmm!”
“…”
“That’s the baby’s! Hic!”
Hugging the ball of yarn, Rune tried to toss it up in the air as if to play with it, but the Duke snatched the ball of yarn and replied in a calm, joking tone.
“I don’t think it’s for your scarf… No.”
The Duke’s expression became subtle.
“It will be mine.”
Rune pouted and shook his head.
“No! Its baby’s!” (No, it’s for the baby!)
Amid their fruitless conversation, the butler, caught in the middle, watched them stiffly, wearing a look that said, ‘How the hell is anyone supposed to understand that…?’
The chubby-cheeked Rune and the expressionless Duke clashed fiercely.
I was knitting a scarf when Cello peeked its head through the window.
Cello looked very tired and weary. Too much magic had been cast on this ducal mansion.
‘I wonder when Cello will be able to come back in.’
The weary bird flapped its wings and fluttered around the room. I tied a scarf around its body. I wrote a short note and sent it off.
[This is a gift, the first one I give you.]
At the same time, Cello ducked and fled.
I continued to crochet the scarf diligently after that.
The yarn was enchanted and knitted incredibly fast.
‘I’ve finished two more.’
I quickly knitted two more in no time, one for Rune and another for the Duke.
Stashing them in my tiny clutch, I pondered.
‘Now that I have Rune, how am I going to give it to the Duke…’
I thought about saying, ‘Hey, this is my gift,’ but a twinge of embarrassment got in the way.
‘Why is it that when I give it to someone else, I don’t think of anything, but when I give it to the Duke, my face flushes…’
My mind kept chattering. But it was almost dinner time.
I shook my head as I saw Rune enter the room. Followed by the Duke of Anais.
“Dinner time, eat!” (It’s time to eat dinner)
Thankfully, they didn’t seem to have noticed Cello. I patted Rune’s head and said sweetly.
“Yes, shall we go to dinner?”
“Let’s go, Daddy eat!” (Let’s eat together Daddy)
“…No, your father is staying…”
“Let’s eat with Daddy.”
The Duke was so endearing in his not-so-sweet tone that I was dumbfounded.
Did the Duke really like Rune? I stared at him suspiciously.
He was stroking Rune’s head without a care in the world.
“Come on out, Astel.”
“Ah, yes… I’ll get ready then, and I’ll be right out!”
With that, I carefully picked up the clutch I’d set aside.
I might as well give him the scarf for the night…
Dinner was business as usual.
Except for the Duke’s occasional glances at my face.
No, except for this incredibly extravagant multi-course meal!
There was a sweet soft tofu dish served as an appetizer, followed by an amuse-bouche.
Every bite put a huge smile on my face.
The dessert that followed the main dish was also a great way to end the meal, with lots of caramel on top.
At the end of a very happy dinner, he looked at me and said softly, “No.”
“What?”
It was too abrupt as a conversation to start.
‘No,‘ he said. I felt like there was something more to be said before that.
But the Duke and I didn’t say anything.
After a few moments of silence, he stared at me intently and muttered.
“I did not expect anything, Astel.”
“Me! Me too, I expect nothing!” (Rune)
I glanced at Rune and the Duke, who were both wiping their mouths in agreement.
Then, cautiously, I spoke, “I… I don’t know what you both mean….”
I felt him clench his jaw.
“Whoo!”
I could feel Rune crunching on the walnut.
Rune aside, the Duke’s sudden outburst of nonsense made me wonder if he was suffering from feverish delirium or something.
With a worried look on my face, I thrust my hand forward to fiddle with the clutch in my lap.
Right away, my hand touched his forehead, which was thankfully cool.
“You don’t have a fever.”
He took my hand and kissed the top of it gently.
“It’s not the fever.”
The back of my hand where his lips met was a little hot.
“…Are you sure?”
I doubted it… He lightly passed the back of my hand over his, but I blinked, a little panicked.
‘Calm down, relax.’
Even at the end of the meal, I still didn’t hand over the scarf.
I finished the after-dinner wine.
The meal was disruptive, and I could barely appease Rune, who kept pursing his lips to offer me something, before sending him off to Sally.
Afterward, I walked with the Duke through the spooky halls of the manor.
I couldn’t give the gift without cutting to the chase. I glanced at the Duke’s stern expression and tried hard to calm my nerves.
This would be my chance.
A chance to hand him the woolen scarf I’d worked so hard to knit…!
But my mind kept spinning.
‘But what if the Duke doesn’t like it?’
Still, it’s a scarf I worked hard to knit with magic yarn…
Thinking of all the things I’d received from the Duke as an Imprint, I felt a little humbled.
‘I wanted to give it to him earlier, but I was a little nervous, so I didn’t… but I have to give it to him now. I worked hard on it.’
Maybe the Duke’s mood would improve after receiving the gift.
Opening my lips cautiously, I turned to him as he walked in step with me.
“Uh… actually, I’d like to give the Duke a gift as well.”
As I spoke, still walking at a brisk pace, the Duke, who had been walking beside me, disappeared.
I cautiously turned my head to look behind me.
There he stood, walking alongside me. He stared down at me, his face frighteningly blank.
Our gazes met in the middle, but even so, he was speechless. He was like a statue that had been rendered motionless.
As I waited for his next words, I couldn’t help but pause.
‘That’s not the reaction I was expecting, and it’s a bit… off-putting.’
I didn’t even expect him to say something polite like pleased or excited.
But at least the words had already been spoken.
“Here.”
I fumble with the scarf I’d painstakingly crocheted with magic yarn and place it warmly in his hand.
“It’s a gift! I knitted this scarf myself.”
I was hesitant because I’m not the most handy person. But it was a gift, after all.
“… If you don’t like it, you can throw it away.”
“Oh…”
The Duke stood still, looking down at the knitted scarf.
Somehow, his hands seemed to tremble a little.
“Well, since you’re so wealthy… I thought a gift from the heart would be better.”
His lack of response made me ramble on even more.
After I finished speaking, I quickly turned to leave the area.
And that’s when I heard him whisper behind my back.
“Thank you.”
I turned around and smiled and said, “You should say that every once in a while.”
He nodded slowly, muttering, “Yes.”
My gaze darted to him, blinking. Strangely, his voice seemed to have a slight bite to it.
“So…”
The Duke muttered under his breath, “Do you remember…”
I tilted my head, my eyes filled with doubt.
“What?”
“…No. The scarf, I will always carry it with me, Astel.”
That’s weird. He looks a bit tearful, but could it be my imagination…?
There’s no way the Duke would be in tears.
But after hearing the affirmative answer, I feel a little more confident.
“I’ll be so happy if you do!”
I beamed and waved at him. Now it was time to take advantage of the opportunity and give gifts to all the grateful people and benefactors I had come into contact with.
To the maids of this manor, to Ricardo, and Bell!
Sure enough, Astel was missing a ball of yarn. Rune, fresh out of the shower, had entered Astel’s room, picked up a ball of yarn the size of his face, and fled.
The direction Rune had taken with it was the Duke’s office.
“Why.”
Ever since she arrived in the capital, Rune had been in and out of the Duke of Anais’s office. The Duke hadn’t exactly kept him out, either.
Only the butler, who was reporting to the Duke on the magic fields in the mansion, had watched them in bewilderment.
“Daddy.”
“Hmph.”
The old butler gulped sharply, wondering if what he had just heard was true. But neither Rune nor Duke Anais seemed to care much for the butler.
Rune clutched the ball of yarn tightly in his arms and rushed forward, dashing furiously into the Duke’s arms. His stance was braver than a squirrel in the night, and his little paws were faster than a hamster.
“Heehee.”
But the Duke only warned, holding Rune’s swiftly leaping body with one hand.
“It’s dangerous.”
“Hmph. Daddy hug me, please.”
“Why should I hug you? You’re not even Astel.”
‘Well, he’s the son of the guy I want to kill,’ he whispered in a very low voice.
His expression, of course, was not as threatening as his words.
But despite the cold words, Rune smiled wryly.
The child was well-fed and cleaned, white and plump, and his cheeks were squished together as he held out a ball of yarn with one hand.
“Mommy’s doing it.”
“…?”
The butler couldn’t quite make out Rune’s words.
But the Duke was different.
“Astel is making a scarf out of this ball of yarn?”
The Duke’s gaze fell on the ball of green yarn, easily interpreting Rune’s words.
By coincidence, the yarn was the exact color of Astel’s eyes.
“Mmm!”
“…”
“That’s the baby’s! Hic!”
Hugging the ball of yarn, Rune tried to toss it up in the air as if to play with it, but the Duke snatched the ball of yarn and replied in a calm, joking tone.
“I don’t think it’s for your scarf… No.”
The Duke’s expression became subtle.
“It will be mine.”
Rune pouted and shook his head.
“No! Its baby’s!” (No, it’s for the baby!)
Amid their fruitless conversation, the butler, caught in the middle, watched them stiffly, wearing a look that said, ‘How the hell is anyone supposed to understand that…?’
The chubby-cheeked Rune and the expressionless Duke clashed fiercely.
I was knitting a scarf when Cello peeked its head through the window.
Cello looked very tired and weary. Too much magic had been cast on this ducal mansion.
‘I wonder when Cello will be able to come back in.’
The weary bird flapped its wings and fluttered around the room. I tied a scarf around its body. I wrote a short note and sent it off.
[This is a gift, the first one I give you.]
At the same time, Cello ducked and fled.
I continued to crochet the scarf diligently after that.
The yarn was enchanted and knitted incredibly fast.
‘I’ve finished two more.’
I quickly knitted two more in no time, one for Rune and another for the Duke.
Stashing them in my tiny clutch, I pondered.
‘Now that I have Rune, how am I going to give it to the Duke…’
I thought about saying, ‘Hey, this is my gift,’ but a twinge of embarrassment got in the way.
‘Why is it that when I give it to someone else, I don’t think of anything, but when I give it to the Duke, my face flushes…’
My mind kept chattering. But it was almost dinner time.
I shook my head as I saw Rune enter the room. Followed by the Duke of Anais.
“Dinner time, eat!” (It’s time to eat dinner)
Thankfully, they didn’t seem to have noticed Cello. I patted Rune’s head and said sweetly.
“Yes, shall we go to dinner?”
“Let’s go, Daddy eat!” (Let’s eat together Daddy)
“…No, your father is staying…”
“Let’s eat with Daddy.”
The Duke was so endearing in his not-so-sweet tone that I was dumbfounded.
Did the Duke really like Rune? I stared at him suspiciously.
He was stroking Rune’s head without a care in the world.
“Come on out, Astel.”
“Ah, yes… I’ll get ready then, and I’ll be right out!”
With that, I carefully picked up the clutch I’d set aside.
I might as well give him the scarf for the night…
Dinner was business as usual.
Except for the Duke’s occasional glances at my face.
No, except for this incredibly extravagant multi-course meal!
There was a sweet soft tofu dish served as an appetizer, followed by an amuse-bouche.
Every bite put a huge smile on my face.
The dessert that followed the main dish was also a great way to end the meal, with lots of caramel on top.
At the end of a very happy dinner, he looked at me and said softly, “No.”
“What?”
It was too abrupt as a conversation to start.
‘No,‘ he said. I felt like there was something more to be said before that.
But the Duke and I didn’t say anything.
After a few moments of silence, he stared at me intently and muttered.
“I did not expect anything, Astel.”
“Me! Me too, I expect nothing!” (Rune)
I glanced at Rune and the Duke, who were both wiping their mouths in agreement.
Then, cautiously, I spoke, “I… I don’t know what you both mean….”
I felt him clench his jaw.
“Whoo!”
I could feel Rune crunching on the walnut.
Rune aside, the Duke’s sudden outburst of nonsense made me wonder if he was suffering from feverish delirium or something.
With a worried look on my face, I thrust my hand forward to fiddle with the clutch in my lap.
Right away, my hand touched his forehead, which was thankfully cool.
“You don’t have a fever.”
He took my hand and kissed the top of it gently.
“It’s not the fever.”
The back of my hand where his lips met was a little hot.
“…Are you sure?”
I doubted it… He lightly passed the back of my hand over his, but I blinked, a little panicked.
‘Calm down, relax.’
Even at the end of the meal, I still didn’t hand over the scarf.
I finished the after-dinner wine.
The meal was disruptive, and I could barely appease Rune, who kept pursing his lips to offer me something, before sending him off to Sally.
Afterward, I walked with the Duke through the spooky halls of the manor.
I couldn’t give the gift without cutting to the chase. I glanced at the Duke’s stern expression and tried hard to calm my nerves.
This would be my chance.
A chance to hand him the woolen scarf I’d worked so hard to knit…!
But my mind kept spinning.
‘But what if the Duke doesn’t like it?’
Still, it’s a scarf I worked hard to knit with magic yarn…
Thinking of all the things I’d received from the Duke as an Imprint, I felt a little humbled.
‘I wanted to give it to him earlier, but I was a little nervous, so I didn’t… but I have to give it to him now. I worked hard on it.’
Maybe the Duke’s mood would improve after receiving the gift.
Opening my lips cautiously, I turned to him as he walked in step with me.
“Uh… actually, I’d like to give the Duke a gift as well.”
As I spoke, still walking at a brisk pace, the Duke, who had been walking beside me, disappeared.
I cautiously turned my head to look behind me.
There he stood, walking alongside me. He stared down at me, his face frighteningly blank.
Our gazes met in the middle, but even so, he was speechless. He was like a statue that had been rendered motionless.
As I waited for his next words, I couldn’t help but pause.
‘That’s not the reaction I was expecting, and it’s a bit… off-putting.’
I didn’t even expect him to say something polite like pleased or excited.
But at least the words had already been spoken.
“Here.”
I fumble with the scarf I’d painstakingly crocheted with magic yarn and place it warmly in his hand.
“It’s a gift! I knitted this scarf myself.”
I was hesitant because I’m not the most handy person. But it was a gift, after all.
“… If you don’t like it, you can throw it away.”
“Oh…”
The Duke stood still, looking down at the knitted scarf.
Somehow, his hands seemed to tremble a little.
“Well, since you’re so wealthy… I thought a gift from the heart would be better.”
His lack of response made me ramble on even more.
After I finished speaking, I quickly turned to leave the area.
And that’s when I heard him whisper behind my back.
“Thank you.”
I turned around and smiled and said, “You should say that every once in a while.”
He nodded slowly, muttering, “Yes.”
My gaze darted to him, blinking. Strangely, his voice seemed to have a slight bite to it.
“So…”
The Duke muttered under his breath, “Do you remember…”
I tilted my head, my eyes filled with doubt.
“What?”
“…No. The scarf, I will always carry it with me, Astel.”
That’s weird. He looks a bit tearful, but could it be my imagination…?
There’s no way the Duke would be in tears.
But after hearing the affirmative answer, I feel a little more confident.
“I’ll be so happy if you do!”
I beamed and waved at him. Now it was time to take advantage of the opportunity and give gifts to all the grateful people and benefactors I had come into contact with.
To the maids of this manor, to Ricardo, and Bell!
