Somehow, this scene seems familiar... as if I've seen it before.
There is an old saying: A thief feels guilty even if he is not caught.
But I didn't do anything wrong.
Why was my heart beating so fast?
As I frantically searched through my past for any mistakes I had made, the Grand Duke's expression gradually became harsher.
“I...I'm not sure I understand what kind of conversation you want to have...”
He stared at me fixedly, then clenched his fist before spitting out his words as if he were biting them off.
“Late room and board fees are being reconsidered.”
"review?"
suddenly?
Why?
This shocking statement left me completely stunned.
“Let's talk inside first. Follow me.”
You stood there stiffly for a moment, but even if you fell into a tiger's den, you could survive if you kept calm.
Trying hard not to panic, I followed the Grand Duke to the palace.
However, because the topic of housing and food had always worried me, my thoughts were conflicted with all kinds of concerns as I walked behind him.
What's the problem here?
Why was he reconsidering my late fees? Was he planning to raise it? Or to reduce it? What's going on?!
No matter how much I thought about it, I couldn't detect anything suspicious.
While I was struggling with this, we finally arrived at the office of the Grand Duke—a place with which I was now quite familiar.
“Come in.”
“Yes...”
Click.
The moment I entered, the door closed behind us.
Then he stood there staring at me.
...He didn't utter a single word.
“Oh, Your Highness?”
I felt suffocated under the pressure, and my voice came out weak and timid.
However, he has not spoken yet.
What the hell is going on?!
Was it one minute? Ten minutes? It felt like a whole year had passed before he finally opened his mouth.
“Liam checked and found that you frequently order meals for two.”
“……!”
How did he know that?!
I felt really guilty, and I cringed at his words.
“This...”
I had so many reasons!
Since I was paying for my own accommodation and living, I felt aggrieved that I was skipping meals while working non-stop!
So, naturally, I ended up sharing the food with Ashley and Bonita, who were working with me...but I didn't expect him to know about it too!
I can't claim to be completely innocent, but still! There was no law against sharing food with guests!
However, as the saying goes, severe shock may leave you speechless.
Dozens of excuses ran through my mind, but my lips felt stuck together.
Without realizing it, I lowered my head, not noticing the increasingly piercing look in the Grand Duke's eyes.
So, this “reconsideration” thing… wasn’t a good thing after all?
To be honest, a small part of me was hoping that maybe – just maybe – he would take pity on me.
Maybe it will lower my fees. Or at least give me a discount?
It wasn't unreasonable, considering that everyone knew that Grand Duke Belial was the second richest person in the empire, right after the Crown Prince.
...But instead of a discount, he immediately pointed out my meals for two.
As I was sinking deeper into despair, he surprised me with another question.
“You were eating with guys you met at work, right?”
“Oh...”
I hunched my shoulders more, like a frightened ostrich.
Sometimes I would invite managers from the merchants' guild or elderly painters after their shift to share a meal.
But how the hell did the Grand Duke know about all that?!
There weren't even any surveillance devices in this place!
“Your silence means you're admitting it, right? Then I'll have to charge accommodation for two people instead of one—”
Wait a minute!
If I remain silent any longer, I will only make things worse.
I quickly raised my head.
And-
“…Huh.”
For some reason, when our eyes met, his green gaze didn't look particularly angry.
It was like...
As if he didn't really want to be angry with me.
But since I had already started talking, I had to keep talking.
“I...I object!!”
“Do you have an objection?”
“Don’t I have the right to invite guests and eat with them?!”
Especially since I was already paying for housing and food!
But the Grand Duke did not budge an inch.
“So, you definitely have a lot of male guests.”
His tone exuded something suspicious and unpleasant.
At this point, I was starting to feel more confused as to why he kept mentioning “male guests” instead of the accommodation and food issue.
Honestly, I had a lot more female guests than male guests.
Does he think I eat more when men are around or what?
But that was just a stereotype!
Bonita and Ashley can easily out-eat the old timers by two or three times — especially when it comes to dessert.
However, I couldn't use that as an argument.
“I have the right to eat with whoever I want while I stay here, right?”
His gaze grew more intense, making my voice waver.
“Who do you want, huh?”
Slow and terrifying repetition.
“You said: ‘Who do you want?’… Ha.”
In that moment, I realized it.
You made a huge mistake.
Suddenly, I wished I could ignore the issue of housing and food completely and beg him to let me leave.
And then-
“You will have dinner with me from now on.”
"…What?"
I blinked in confusion.
This was not the response I was expecting.
“What…why?”
Ignoring my words, the Grand Duke summoned his right-hand man.
“Liam.”
Click.
“Yes, Your Highness.”
As if he had been waiting outside, Liam immediately entered the office.
I turned to him in a state of disbelief.
Was he just going to ignore me like that?!
Liam bowed, unmoved, and stood next to the Grand Duke.
A living example of loyalty.
Meanwhile, the Grand Duke casually asked:
“Dinner is usually the most expensive meal of the day, isn't it?”
“Yes, that is generally the case.”
“Do you hear that?”
Wait a minute.
The conversation has taken a strange turn again.
Does he mean that dinner costs so much that I shouldn't eat two servings?
Instead, I should eat with him?
When I realized that the Grand Duke was more insignificant than I had imagined, I almost laughed.
How could one of the richest people in the empire be so stingy?!
Even Scrooge himself would have been impressed.
But…
This might not be so bad?
After all, the Grand Duke had a face worth looking at.
Although he spent most of his time in his office, his physique was not affected even once.
Even having dinner with him might be a great deal for me.
With that in mind, I quickly nodded.
"Okay! Actually, I'd really like that!"
“…Would you like it?”
“Yes! It's not as if I wouldn't like to have dinner with Your Highness.”
Thinking about it, this was a rare opportunity.
There were a lot of people who would kill for an opportunity like this.
Besides, we had a lot of work-related discussions that we had to review anyway.
As I was accepting it gladly, the Grand Duke's expression changed slightly.
Then he suddenly muttered:
I will lower your fees.
“…Huh?”
“Accommodation and food fees.”
suddenly?!
Before I could respond, he added:
“But if you ask to hire another bodyguard, I will double your fee. Keep that in mind.”
"Wait, what?! Why?!"
“Because what you have now is so cheap.”
My guard? Very cheap?
What does that even mean?!
Before I could ask, the Grand Duke turned to Liam.
“Liam, do the math.”
"concept."
When Liam left the room, there was an awkward silence between the Grand Duke and me.
What the hell just happened?
I felt like I had been swept away by a hurricane storm.