Thank You For The Confinement, Grand Duke! - Chapter 78.2
We made our way through the crowd of people.
“…What a combination.”
“The blood thief of the imperial family and the flower of society.”
“Considering how he has been hiding her until now, he must have done something awful to the young lady.”
“Poor thing.”
….
Were they seriously whispering this loud enough for me to hear? They couldn’t think I wasn’t hearing them right now, could they?
I stopped walking and turned in the direction of the voices. Their clothes were neat, but their words were anything but.
What should I do?
I’d been told that the servants in this mansion weren’t Enfrise’s people—they were from the imperial family. So, the only reason they could speak so carelessly was because they were likely relying on the Emperor’s backing.
However, the current Emperor was only in power because Enfrise gave up his claim to the throne. If even one of Enfrise’s features had resembled the late emperor, he never would’ve become Emperor. He wasn’t even close to being fit for the position.
Still, an Emperor is an Emperor. The most powerful figure in the country, and causing trouble would only lead to problems.
I glanced at Enfrise.
He must’ve heard the gossip as well, but he looked confused, likely not understanding why I had stopped. He probably didn’t realize the reason I was upset. He was too used to this kind of treatment.
Ugh, it’s making me angry. Should I snap? Should I not?
“Is something wrong, Chaperil?”
“…No.”
I needed to think about what to do next.
Acting recklessly here could cause problems for my future life. It didn’t bother me much, but I didn’t want to cause him trouble. How much do they underestimate Enfrise to openly say such things?
“Enfrise.”
“Yes?”
I tightened my grip on his hand. This time, it wasn’t out of fear, but because I wanted to protect him.
“I’ll figure out a good way to handle this.”
“…Pardon?”
Enfrise tilted his head.
He probably didn’t quite understand what I meant. Nonetheless, that was fine. He didn’t need to know everything.
I sighed quietly and followed him up the stairs.
* * *
“This will be the room Chaperil will be using from now on.”
“Wow…”
It was so extravagant. What was with all this gold? Why was there so much gold? And the furniture, unlike the room I had before, was all intricate with designs and lots of gilded details. My eyes were starting to feel dizzy.
“Do you like it?”
Hmm.
I glanced back at Enfrise. He was watching me with a tense expression.
“Did you decorate this, Enfrise?”
“It wasn’t me. The maids decorated the room. I told them to use the highest quality items, but since I’m not good at this sort of thing…”
I figured as much.
The room I had before in the old mansion was probably more to Enfrise’s taste. And mine, too, for that matter.
“It’s too extravagant; it hurts my eyes.”
“Is that so?”
“I prefer the furniture from the old room.”
“I’ll have it moved over.”
The one thing I really didn’t like was the bed. I knew that noble beds were excessively large, but this was just too much. I couldn’t feel settled in it. I’ve barely slept since the bedding was upgraded!
‘Ah, I want to go back to my old room.’
“Where is Enfrise’s room?”
“It’s right next door.”
That was a relief. If anything happened, I could run over right away. Even if I shouted, he’d hear it immediately.
“If I shout here, will Enfrise hear it from your room?”
“I’ll hear it. Do you want to try?”
“Maybe later.”
While I was looking around the room, I glanced at the travel crate where I’d secretly placed Frii, who had fallen asleep during the move. As expected, Frii was still sleeping.
‘Do other ferrets sleep this much? How do they survive in the wild?’
“Frii will probably be surprised when he sees the room.”
“It might not care much, actually. Though, it might get mad since the treasure chest is gone.”
Treasure chest?
Oh, right, the space under the bed and behind the wardrobe. It used to drag its favorite things or my clothes there to hide them. Sometimes, it even hid some tasty food, which Tambor would find while cleaning and then scolded it.
But Frii wasn’t intimidated. Instead, he’d shout “Ppi!” and fight with Tambor.
“What about Tambor?”
“Once the mansion’s organization is finished, she’ll come over here. She’ll still serve Chaperil here, so don’t worry.”
That was a relief.
Having Tambor around would help calm my nerves. Maybe I should talk to her later? How to… well, handle the servants? No, that wasn’t quite it.
What was the word I was looking for?
“Chaperil?”
“Yes?”
“What are you thinking so deeply about?”
“…Was my face scary again?”
“Yes.”
Hmm, I needed to be more careful. I’d have to manage my expression from now on.
I let out a low sigh as I thought about the uncertain future…
“…Don’t worry too much. No matter what happens, I will protect you.”
As he said this, Enfrise gently pulled me into his arms. As I embraced his broad back, I made a vow in my heart.
‘I’ll protect this man too.’
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