Death Can't Sleep
Chapter 4
***
After breakfast, Diederick took Amarion to the top floor of the mansion to begin her tour. Weapons and armor were displayed here and there in each hallway. Amarion paused in one room in particular. On the walls hung elaborate portraits, each depicting an unfamiliar man. She had no doubt that each one had an elaborate history.
The butler explained, “The Grand Duke is from a family with a long history, which dates back to the beginning of the Empire. Originally a ducal family, they became grand dukes after suppressing the southern rebellion six generations ago. Morte is a family that has served the Empire for generations.”
Amarion was amazed to see so many portraits hanging all over the room.
Rather than the portraits themselves being marvelous, the peace of the Empire in which these old portraits could be preserved was marvelous.
She lived in a count’s estate, but had never seen gold encrusted decorations or paintings of any kind. It was because they had sold everything of any value, and used everything else as firewood.
She quietly examined the numerous portraits. There were quite a few faces that resembled the Grand Duke.
‘That’s why he’s so beautiful…’
She remembered his sculpted face, curved eyes, and plump lips….
Apart from her preferences, it was just a fact that he was a beautiful man.
She thought as she looked at the similar eyes in the picture.
‘Among them, did any have an eerie nickname like ‘Death’?’
She hoped not…
She pushed aside her meaningless thoughts and moved to the next room.
There were countless wonderful rooms next to the portrait room.
There was a room full of gold and jewels, and a room full of musical instruments.
But what impressed her the most was the arsenal.
It would not be an exaggeration to say that the Grand Duke’s arsenal contained weapons from all over the world.
She couldn’t hide her surprise when she saw a sword made out of pure jade placed next to a morning star*.
[*E/N: a morning star is a club with a spiked ball mounted at the end. They’re usually made out of metal, and were popular in the middle ages.]
The knights she knew would want to own weapons like this, even if they had to sell everything they had.
“Does the Grand Duke use all of these weapons?”
“No. The late Grand Duke liked to collect weapons, so most were procured by him.”
“Oh…”
She stroked the blade of a crescent-shaped sword.
Diderick spoke softly.
“You can take it if you want.”
“What? Really?”
“Yes. His highness said to give you whatever you want.”
‘The Grand Duke said that?’
She was shocked by his kindness.
She didn’t understand why he gave her such a right, but she didn’t think she should take the weapons of his late father.
What was she supposed to do with the weapons she took out of here anyway?
Wouldn’t it be better to just beat the Grand Duke with common weapons rather than sentimental ones?
She put the scimitar down with a sad expression. Diederick smiled.
“Madame seems to like the Armory.”
“Yeah, this place is amazing.”
“The maids said that Madame’s swordsmanship skills are great.”
She blushed in embarrassment.
“It’s not like that. I just…”
“There is nothing to be humble about, Madame. Most knights can’t even compete with the Grand Duke.”
Well, the Grand Duke at that time must have been sane…
She felt like a child who was being praised for telling a lie. She became flustered over nothing, so she quickly left the arsenal.
After looking around the ducal safe, the banquet hall and the drawing room, they went down to the kitchen on the ground floor.
The kitchen had always been a place that fascinated her… where there was hot fire and warm food.
The savory smell of spices and cooked food tickled her nose.
The maids, who had stopped what they were doing and bowed their heads, asked cautiously,
“Madame, could we bring you something to eat?”
It was embarrassing, but she couldn’t reject their offer. She mumbled her thanks and moved to the dining room.
Growing up wildly, if she was hungry she would go to the kitchen and make herself a meal. She knew that wasn’t proper, so she patiently waited to be served.
Soon, hot meat stew and soft bread were delivered to the dining hall. She happily ate them.
It was the first time in her life that she ate such warm and delicious food every day. Her life was much different than it was even last week.
She was happy with this much. There was no need for beautiful jewelry or expensive clothes.
She was content that the food wasn’t hard, frozen or pickled.
It was a little sad, but she was that kind of person.
***
After filling her stomach and touring the garden, she was guided to the study.
There were a surprising number of books in the library.
Books were a luxury, so it was difficult to find a single book on the Amari estate.
‘How much wheat could you buy if you sold all these books?’
She put aside her impoverished thoughts and grabbed a book at random.
<The History and Knights of the Empire>
It seemed like a difficult read.
Still, her heart raced at the word ‘knight’.
She took the book back to her bedroom. It still didn’t feel like her room, but this was the place she stayed during the day.
She sat on the embroidered sofa and opened the book.
The book was written like a story, unexpectedly, and was easy to read.
***
In the evening, the Grand Duke returned.
She had just finished eating and greeted the Grand Duke at the entrance, following lady’s etiquette.
“Have you already had dinner?”
“Yes.”
“I wish we had eaten together.”
She looked at him in bewilderment.
The Grand Duke was smiling.
‘Why do you keep smiling like that? On the first day, you looked quite gloomy.’
Embarrassed, she spoke in a haphazard manner.
“Then shall I wait starting from tomorrow?”
“Yes.”
He smiled and headed to the dining room.
She felt weird and frowned at his retreating back. She was worried that he might have gotten mixed up because she had hit him so hard last night.
She shrugged and headed to her bedroom.
After a while, the Grand Duke, having finished dinner and some work, entered the bedroom.
He sat on the bed.
“You must have been to the study.”
He looked at the book in her hand and smiled at her with a picturesque smile.
She felt like she had to find another way to put him to sleep. To repay his kindness.
“…Yes, I was.”
“The mansion… did you like it?”
“There are many beautiful rooms.”
“It is the pride of the Grand Duchy.”
He smiled lightly and loosened the laces of his robe.
“The castle on my estate is more beautiful.”
According to <The History of Knights and the Empire>, Morte’s estate was located northeast of the Empire, unlike the Empire’s Capital, which was in the south. The land near the northern border was also called the holy land of knights.
It is not poor as it was a large-scale territory, but their winters were quite severe. Like her hometown.
Unlike this place, which was always warm.
The Grand Duke spoke as if he knew what she was thinking.
“I will take you soon. Now, it is yours too.”
He spoke softly and laid down on the bed. His tired eyes disappeared under his eyelids.
She blinked.
‘Did you always speak so strangely? Could it be because I hit you in the head?’
Soon, the servant came in and pulled the curtains, like always. As soon as the lights went out, she hid his axe under the bed.
She never wanted to face him with an axe again.
***
Fortunately, that night, it was just an ordinary sword.
His weapon was blown away easily, but it took a long time for her to think about how to make him fall asleep without hitting the back of his neck.
After knocking him onto the bed, she covered his eyes and him with a blanket, hoping he would forget about fighting her and fall asleep.
For a moment she thought she was successful, but then she heard a muffled growl coming from the pile of blankets over the Duke. She got goosebumps and immediately hit him on the back of the neck.
The next day, she woke up feeling a bit guilty.
But the Duke, who had been beaten, seemed very happy.
The Grand Duke, who had slept soundly the past 3 nights, had gentle eyes and an energetic smile.
He even escorted her the short way to the dining hall.
‘Does he know what I have to do to put him to sleep?’
She secretly glanced at the back of his neck.
If he had had bruises, she would have felt really guilty, so she was glad he didn’t.
Their breakfast consisted of roasted chicken coated with sweet sauce, and fragrant vegetable soup.
“Wow…”
Admiring how fragrant food could be, she cut off a chicken leg and put it in her mouth.
She wished for the happiness of those who worked in the kitchen.
The Grand Duke silently watched her frantically devour the chicken, and spoke only after her plate was half empty.
“As Diederick told you, you are welcome to use anything in the mansion as if it were your own.”
She quickly swallowed the food in her mouth and nodded.
“There are a lot of empty rooms, so please use them however you want. Whether you want to build a dance hall or a salon, it doesn’t matter.”
“I…”
‘I’ve never had a hobby in my life.’
The words she wanted to speak died in her throat.
Her life had been a pure struggle. All she could worry about was keeping her head attached to her neck.
If she could afford to embroider or dance, she could kill an orc threatening her estate.
Feeling a hint of hesitation, the Grand Duke turned around.
“If you want something, tell Diederick. He will get you anything.”
“Yes, my lord.”
She answered quickly.
The Grand Duke smiled and put salad in one side of his mouth.
***
Chapter 5: 4
***
After breakfast, Diederick took Amarion to the top floor of the mansion to begin her tour. Weapons and armor were displayed here and there in each hallway. Amarion paused in one room in particular. On the walls hung elaborate portraits, each depicting an unfamiliar man. She had no doubt that each one had an elaborate history.
The butler explained, “The Grand Duke is from a family with a long history, which dates back to the beginning of the Empire. Originally a ducal family, they became grand dukes after suppressing the southern rebellion six generations ago. Morte is a family that has served the Empire for generations.”
Amarion was amazed to see so many portraits hanging all over the room.
Rather than the portraits themselves being marvelous, the peace of the Empire in which these old portraits could be preserved was marvelous.
She lived in a count’s estate, but had never seen gold encrusted decorations or paintings of any kind. It was because they had sold everything of any value, and used everything else as firewood.
She quietly examined the numerous portraits. There were quite a few faces that resembled the Grand Duke.
‘That’s why he’s so beautiful…’
She remembered his sculpted face, curved eyes, and plump lips….
Apart from her preferences, it was just a fact that he was a beautiful man.
She thought as she looked at the similar eyes in the picture.
‘Among them, did any have an eerie nickname like ‘Death’?’
She hoped not…
She pushed aside her meaningless thoughts and moved to the next room.
There were countless wonderful rooms next to the portrait room.
There was a room full of gold and jewels, and a room full of musical instruments.
But what impressed her the most was the arsenal.
It would not be an exaggeration to say that the Grand Duke’s arsenal contained weapons from all over the world.
She couldn’t hide her surprise when she saw a sword made out of pure jade placed next to a morning star*.
The knights she knew would want to own weapons like this, even if they had to sell everything they had.
“Does the Grand Duke use all of these weapons?”
“No. The late Grand Duke liked to collect weapons, so most were procured by him.”
“Oh…”
She stroked the blade of a crescent-shaped sword.
Diderick spoke softly.
“You can take it if you want.”
“What? Really?”
“Yes. His highness said to give you whatever you want.”
‘The Grand Duke said that?’
She was shocked by his kindness.
She didn’t understand why he gave her such a right, but she didn’t think she should take the weapons of his late father.
What was she supposed to do with the weapons she took out of here anyway?
Wouldn’t it be better to just beat the Grand Duke with common weapons rather than sentimental ones?
She put the scimitar down with a sad expression. Diederick smiled.
“Madame seems to like the Armory.”
“Yeah, this place is amazing.”
“The maids said that Madame’s swordsmanship skills are great.”
She blushed in embarrassment.
“There is nothing to be humble about, Madame. Most knights can’t even compete with the Grand Duke.”
Well, the Grand Duke at that time must have been sane…
She felt like a child who was being praised for telling a lie. She became flustered over nothing, so she quickly left the arsenal.
After looking around the ducal safe, the banquet hall and the drawing room, they went down to the kitchen on the ground floor.
The kitchen had always been a place that fascinated her… where there was hot fire and warm food.
The savory smell of spices and cooked food tickled her nose.
The maids, who had stopped what they were doing and bowed their heads, asked cautiously,
“Madame, could we bring you something to eat?”
It was embarrassing, but she couldn’t reject their offer. She mumbled her thanks and moved to the dining room.
Growing up wildly, if she was hungry she would go to the kitchen and make herself a meal. She knew that wasn’t proper, so she patiently waited to be served.
Soon, hot meat stew and soft bread were delivered to the dining hall. She happily ate them.
It was the first time in her life that she ate such warm and delicious food every day. Her life was much different than it was even last week.
She was happy with this much. There was no need for beautiful jewelry or expensive clothes.
She was content that the food wasn’t hard, frozen or pickled.
It was a little sad, but she was that kind of person.
***
After filling her stomach and touring the garden, she was guided to the study.
There were a surprising number of books in the library.
Books were a luxury, so it was difficult to find a single book on the Amari estate.
She put aside her impoverished thoughts and grabbed a book at random.
<The History and Knights of the Empire>
It seemed like a difficult read.
Still, her heart raced at the word ‘knight’.
She took the book back to her bedroom. It still didn’t feel like her room, but this was the place she stayed during the day.
She sat on the embroidered sofa and opened the book.
The book was written like a story, unexpectedly, and was easy to read.
You are reading story Death Can't Sleep at novel35.com
She fell in love with reading.***
In the evening, the Grand Duke returned.
She had just finished eating and greeted the Grand Duke at the entrance, following lady’s etiquette.
“Have you already had dinner?”
“Yes.”
“I wish we had eaten together.”
She looked at him in bewilderment.
The Grand Duke was smiling.
‘Why do you keep smiling like that? On the first day, you looked quite gloomy.’
Embarrassed, she spoke in a haphazard manner.
“Then shall I wait starting from tomorrow?”
He smiled and headed to the dining room.
She felt weird and frowned at his retreating back. She was worried that he might have gotten mixed up because she had hit him so hard last night.
She shrugged and headed to her bedroom.
After a while, the Grand Duke, having finished dinner and some work, entered the bedroom.
He sat on the bed.
“You must have been to the study.”
He looked at the book in her hand and smiled at her with a picturesque smile.
She felt like she had to find another way to put him to sleep. To repay his kindness.
“…Yes, I was.”
“The mansion… did you like it?”
“There are many beautiful rooms.”
“It is the pride of the Grand Duchy.”
He smiled lightly and loosened the laces of his robe.
“The castle on my estate is more beautiful.”
According to <The History of Knights and the Empire>, Morte’s estate was located northeast of the Empire, unlike the Empire’s Capital, which was in the south. The land near the northern border was also called the holy land of knights.
It is not poor as it was a large-scale territory, but their winters were quite severe. Like her hometown.
Unlike this place, which was always warm.
The Grand Duke spoke as if he knew what she was thinking.
“I will take you soon. Now, it is yours too.”
She blinked.
‘Did you always speak so strangely? Could it be because I hit you in the head?’
Soon, the servant came in and pulled the curtains, like always. As soon as the lights went out, she hid his axe under the bed.
She never wanted to face him with an axe again.
***
Fortunately, that night, it was just an ordinary sword.
His weapon was blown away easily, but it took a long time for her to think about how to make him fall asleep without hitting the back of his neck.
After knocking him onto the bed, she covered his eyes and him with a blanket, hoping he would forget about fighting her and fall asleep.
For a moment she thought she was successful, but then she heard a muffled growl coming from the pile of blankets over the Duke. She got goosebumps and immediately hit him on the back of the neck.
The next day, she woke up feeling a bit guilty.
But the Duke, who had been beaten, seemed very happy.
The Grand Duke, who had slept soundly the past 3 nights, had gentle eyes and an energetic smile.
He even escorted her the short way to the dining hall.
‘Does he know what I have to do to put him to sleep?’
She secretly glanced at the back of his neck.
If he had had bruises, she would have felt really guilty, so she was glad he didn’t.
Their breakfast consisted of roasted chicken coated with sweet sauce, and fragrant vegetable soup.
“Wow…”
Admiring how fragrant food could be, she cut off a chicken leg and put it in her mouth.
The Grand Duke silently watched her frantically devour the chicken, and spoke only after her plate was half empty.
“As Diederick told you, you are welcome to use anything in the mansion as if it were your own.”
She quickly swallowed the food in her mouth and nodded.
“There are a lot of empty rooms, so please use them however you want. Whether you want to build a dance hall or a salon, it doesn’t matter.”
“I…”
‘I’ve never had a hobby in my life.’
The words she wanted to speak died in her throat.
Her life had been a pure struggle. All she could worry about was keeping her head attached to her neck.
If she could afford to embroider or dance, she could kill an orc threatening her estate.
Feeling a hint of hesitation, the Grand Duke turned around.
“If you want something, tell Diederick. He will get you anything.”
“Yes, my lord.”
She answered quickly.
The Grand Duke smiled and put salad in one side of his mouth.
***
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