Chapter 9
Kidnapped by My Fan (9)
“Ugh… I’m so tired…”
I let out a groan as I collapsed onto the bed. I had spent almost the entire day with the Duke—Cloud—and I was mentally exhausted.
Mary, who had helped me change into my nightclothes, looked at me with concern.
“Were you alright today, Miss?”
“No. I was not.”
I answered with a completely serious face.
Seeing my stiff expression, Mary gave an awkward smile.
Unlike her, I couldn’t smile at all. I clenched my fist tightly and muttered through gritted teeth,
“That Cloud… he’s an even bigger lunatic than I imagined.”
“M-Miss! What if someone hears you…?”
Mary gasped and nervously glanced toward the door.
I shrugged.
“You don’t think a duke’s mansion would have walls this poorly soundproofed, do you?”
“Even so… And is it really alright to call His Grace by his name like that?”
She sounded as though she were scolding me.
But I couldn’t help smiling.
“It’s fine. Cloud told me to call him that.”
“His Grace did?”
“Yeah.”
Seeing Mary’s eyes grow wide, I could tell just how shocked she was.
I understood how she felt.
When he first said it, I thought I had heard him wrong too.
I remembered the conversation we’d had in the garden.
“Alright. I’ll call you that… Cloud… sir.”
I had answered cautiously while watching his reaction.
But Cloud frowned slightly, as if something displeased him.
Then, after a brief silence, he said,
“Drop the ‘sir.’ “
“Pardon? But…”
No matter what, calling a duke by his name felt inappropriate.
I tried to refuse.
But Cloud only smiled.
“If I said drop it, then drop it.”
“…Yes.”
And that was how we ended up calling each other by name.
Well… not exactly.
Cloud still called me “Author.”
Well… I guess it’s fine.
It’s not like I’m calling his first name.
Unlike a middle name, a person’s first name was reserved for family, lovers, or people extremely close to them.
As I stared blankly at the ceiling, Mary, who was folding the dress I had worn today, called out.
“Hm? Miss, what’s this?”
“What is it?”
Still lying down, I simply turned my head toward her.
She held something up.
“This. It looks like… a note.”
“Oh, that.”
I immediately sat upright.
Right.
I had forgotten about the note I tucked into the ribbon on my dress.
Walking over, I took it from her.
Mary looked at it curiously.
“What is it?”
“My escape plan from this mansion.”
“Excuse me?”
I unfolded the paper in front of her.
The list of escape methods I had written earlier today was still there.
“What do you mean by escape plan?”
When I looked up, Mary was wearing an incredibly determined expression.
The sight made me laugh.
“Well… it’s nothing special, but do you want to hear it?”
“Yes.”
I explained all the escape methods I had come up with during the day.
Throughout the explanation, Mary’s expression never lost its seriousness.
Eventually, it became late.
Mary returned to the room Cloud had prepared for her.
Left alone, I stared absentmindedly into the darkness before eventually drifting off to sleep.
And so, my second night in the mansion came to an end.
✦ ✦ ✦
Morning arrived, and I woke up.
As if she somehow knew I was awake, Mary entered my room.
Like always, I greeted her.
“Good morning, Mary.”
“Good morning, Miss.”
Almost at the same time, the mansion’s maids poured into the room.
After bowing politely, they helped me bathe and get dressed just as they had yesterday.
This time, however, Mary joined them.
Since she had served me for years, she knew exactly which perfumes and clothing styles I disliked, so she stopped the maids whenever they picked something I wouldn’t enjoy.
“Miss doesn’t really like that fragrance.”
“She prefers this instead.”
“I think this ribbon suits Miss much better.”
The timid Mary who had worried about being overshadowed by the duke’s maids was nowhere to be seen.
She confidently voiced her opinions, blending naturally into the group.
The maids also seemed to appreciate her help.
Before long, they had finished dressing me as one perfectly coordinated team.
“We’re finished. Do you like it, Miss?”
Looking into the mirror, I examined myself.
A pale lavender dress embroidered with shimmering floral patterns.
My long hair tied up neatly.
A violet ribbon decorating it.
Once again, I looked incredibly extravagant.
A frightening thought suddenly crossed my mind.
Don’t tell me noble ladies with high ranks dress like this every single day…?
I absolutely must never marry a high-ranking noble.
Thinking something that would have horrified anyone who heard it, I smiled at the maids.
“I like it. Thank you, everyone.”
Their faces immediately brightened.
The atmosphere became warm and cheerful.
But then anxiety crept back into me.
I asked one of them,
“Is His Grace waiting again today?”
“Yes, Miss. He’s waiting in the dining room.”
I forced the corners of my mouth upward.
Well…
That’s probably why they dressed me up like this.
I wanted to sigh, but held it back.
Instead, I steeled myself and nodded.
“I’m ready. Let’s go.”
But the determination I had barely gathered vanished the moment I stepped into the dining room.
Because of that dazzling smile directed at me.
“There you are, Author.”
Just like yesterday, it was a smile beautiful enough to brighten anyone’s day.
Beautiful enough to make me wonder if I’d always cared this much about appearances.
Yet despite that…
My heart shrank in fear of him.
Looking at him with mixed emotions, I gave a short reply.
“Yes… well.”
“I won’t ask if you slept well.”
“You obviously did.”
For some reason, my brain translated his words differently.
“Your face is all puffy. Looks like you slept well.”
I immediately felt irritated.
Smiling sarcastically, I replied,
“Oh? Is it because my face looks all puffy again today?”
“You know it yourself.”
That damned duke.
I almost cursed out loud.
Barely holding myself back, I wondered if I was going to die of stress at this rate.
“Sit down. The food will get cold.”
Without much hesitation, I walked over to the seat beside him.
Still grumbling.
“If I eat cold food, maybe my swollen face will go back to normal.”
I plopped into the chair and started serving myself before he even offered.
Just as I lifted a forkful toward my mouth—
Laughter echoed throughout the dining room.
“Hahaha!”
I froze.
Cloud was laughing loudly as though he had heard the funniest joke imaginable.
W-What?
Why is he laughing?
I felt both bewildered and slightly frightened.
After calming down, he chuckled.
“That was the funniest thing I’ve heard in a while.”
“I guess authors really imagine things differently from ordinary people.”
Hearing that from someone far less ordinary than me left me speechless.
As I stood there with an awkward expression, he suddenly reached over.
Using the serving tongs, he placed a piece of food onto my plate.
Startled, I looked at him.
“W-What is this?”
“The head chef made this special dish.”
“He was ridiculously confident about it.”
“For a chef, his cooking isn’t bad.”
Then why are you giving it to me?
I wanted to ask.
But I couldn’t.
Perhaps the question was written all over my face.
Cloud smiled.
“For you.”
“Me?”
“A reward.”
“For making me laugh.”
I was beyond speechless.
I was certain I looked incredibly stupid right now.
Since I couldn’t bring myself to move my fork, Cloud narrowed his eyes.
“You’re not planning to refuse a reward personally given by a duke… are you?”
“…Thank you for the meal.”
Crying bitter tears inside, I cut the food into small pieces and took a bite.
I thought the pressure would keep me from tasting anything.
But despite everything…
It was unbelievably delicious.
Before I knew it, my plate was empty.
I found myself wanting more.
My eyes drifted toward the large platter still piled high with the special dish.
But…
Reaching for it myself somehow felt like admitting defeat.
So I hesitated.
Cloud noticed immediately.
“You want more?”
He gestured toward the platter.
My heart nodded yes.
My pride shook my head.
Caught between satisfying my appetite and protecting my dignity, I hesitated.
“Well…”
“Or did you not like it?”
“That’s not it, but…”
“Then I guess I’ll fire the chef.”
His sudden remark jolted me.
This man seriously wants to fire people every other day!
The gardener had barely survived.
Now it was the chef’s turn.
As he motioned for the butler, I grabbed his hand without thinking.
“W-Wait!”
Cloud looked down at me with curiosity.
My pride resisted.
But I couldn’t let an innocent person suffer because of it.
Forcing a smile, I admitted,
“This is really delicious.”
“I want more.”
“So please don’t fire the chef.”
Cloud stared at me silently.
His lack of response made me nervous.
Then his gaze shifted.
To my hand.
Still holding his.
Realizing it, I immediately let go.
“I-I’m sorry.”
“I acted without thinking.”
Cloud gently rubbed the place where my hand had touched him.
For some reason, he looked strangely serious.
Then he finally spoke.
“Author.”
“Your hand is small.”
“And soft.”
“Huh?”
“Well… that’s pretty normal for a noble lady’s hand… isn’t it?”
Although I had lived rather freely in the countryside…
I was still born into a noble family.
With Mary and the servants taking care of everything for me, my hands had never become rough.
“A woman’s hand…”
Cloud paid no attention whatsoever to my explanation.
Instead, he quietly repeated the words.
“A woman’s hand.”
He looked genuinely fascinated.
As though it were the first time he had ever held one.
That reminded me.
He was unmarried.
Wait…
Has he never dated anyone before?
Just as I was about to ask—
The butler approached us.
He must have noticed Cloud’s earlier gesture.
“Your Grace, did you call for me?”
I looked anxiously at Cloud.
Still rubbing his hand, he spoke without even looking at the butler.
“Butler.”
“Yes, Your Grace.”
“Give the head chef a bonus.”
I blinked in surprise.
Wasn’t he just about to fire him?
Cloud looked at me.
When our eyes met, he smiled.
Well…
All’s well that ends well.
The chef got to keep his job.
A sigh of relief escaped my lips.
At that moment, I made a silent promise.
From now on, I need to think about everyone around me before I speak.
Meanwhile, Cloud served another helping of the chef’s special dish onto my plate.
This time, even more than before.
Smiling cheerfully, he said,
“Enjoy your meal, Author.”
I hesitated.
Then, worried the chef might somehow lose his job again, I quickly picked up my fork and started eating while cautiously watching Cloud’s expression.
He truly was impossible to understand.
“Eat well.”
“Then use that energy to write.”
“Understood?”
“…Cough!”
No…
Maybe he was actually a very easy man to understand.
After gulping down some water, I couldn’t help worrying about what would happen after breakfast.
