Chapter 6 : He’s My Real Brother, Duke

Translated by Niks

Edited by KBJ

“Do not open the window.”

“Oh, it’s a little stuffy.”

“In every window of the castle, a dangerous ancient magic circle is hung.”

“… What?”

Suddenly adversity and hardship arise!

It was a notorious Duke Castle, so I expected that there would be magic circles everywhere, but that ancient magic would be hanging on every window.

I hurried my feet back.

Ancient magic circles should never be touched carelessly.

If you do something wrong, you may lose your life.

“If someone who is not a shapeshifter opens a window, they are enchanted with terrifying magic.”

The Duke whispered sweetly and drowsily as if reading a fairy tale.

“So never, ever touch open the windows.”

He skipped further explanations and maintained a seriously iron-walled attitude.

“Because I can’t go down whenever you’re in danger.”

It is also a tremendous defense against his iron wall.

Indeed there is a close link between my life and the life of the Duke.

‘Of course it is worth worrying about my personal life.’

I bit on my lips, rolling my head fiercely as to what excuse to keep the window open.

“Of course. I will never do anything dangerous.”

…I said that I would not do anything dangerous, but the duke said he would not keep the window open.

I stepped into the luggage room inside the Delphinium room, devising a way to keep the windows open without danger.

“Well, then I’ll check the office as well!”

“Yeah. Then take a look around and take a break.”

I bowed my head toward the Duke.

“Think of this like your home and stay comfortably.”

It was an incredibly friendly consideration.

With that greeting, he left and the door was closed with a clicking noise.

After a little bit of tension, I took a quick step and headed to the office first.

The morning newspaper was on the table in the office.

《Commoner Knight Cassian, Received the Last Name “Gray”!

Cassian, a commoner knight, was given a surname of “Gray” by His Majesty the Emperor in exchange for the supply and demand of the head of the rebels on the island of Asahand.

Although there is no beast, it is certain that it has earned the most honorable award  among the commoners of the day.

Many nobles are keenly interested in the prominence of《Lord Cassian Gray.》

Seeing the portraits of my brother appeared all over the newspaper, I was so proud that one side of my heart  tickled.

Everyone! This Cassian Gray is my brother, yet I can’t tell anyone, but…

Someday, by all means!

With a happy expression, I swiped my finger over the rough surface of the newspaper.

I was so impressed. After I came to my senses and checked all the shower rooms, morning rooms and bedrooms other than the office, a dozen minutes passed.

I was tired and sat on the bed and fell into thought.

Entering Duke Castle was successful!

By the way…

An important problem still remained.

You can’t get proper information right away, I have to make friends, or wander around freely.

Because I’m a human, I will be criticized.

They wouldn’t back me up.

Even a single window could not be opened with my hand.

If I can’t open the window, I will not be able to see Cello, so I will not be able to contact my brother—.

I sighed as I went off the ground.

‘As long as this is the case, I need a brilliant and powerful shapeshifter who will be my hands and feet.’

Not the Duke, of course.

Please open the window! If someone can open it properly.

*********

The next morning.

Rudel, who is widely known as the most carefree and indifferent person in the Duke Castle, was on her way to the Delphinium Room at the order of the Duke.

It was shortly after hearing that the Duke of Anais brought his guardianship.

Dukes Castle Fortress was closed due to the many years of war and the cold nature of the Duke.

Those who can enter the castle are pure-blooded maids’ who have been recommended by some of the vassals, ‘shapeshifters benefactor servants’ who were born and raised in the north after being selected through verification,  ‘knights’ who are loyal and brave, and ‘fourth-generation guards’ relatives. It was about the ‘direct blood relatives’ , and ‘some human beings’ who received permission for special purposes.

But suddenly bringing a guardian.

It was when I was feeling puzzled while heading to the Delphinium room.

“Hey, Rudel!”

“What is it?”

Rudel  frowned.

The man who appeared in front of her was the Duke’s dedicated doctor.

“No, no!”

The doctor who faced Rudel couldn’t control his beating heart.

He spent a long time watching the Duke of Anais.

From the first time the current Duke entered the Duke Castle Fortress with a blood-stained cuff that I never knew the origin of.

It means that he survived the previous weak-minded Duke family, rather than a blood-related hereditary, and eventually achieved the title of Duke.

I also participated in the battle, and I was active throughout the entire period as a doctor in charge of the Duke.

But this was the first time.

The Duke of Anais brought a woman, while enchanted by the ancient magic of the companion’s imprint.

Besides, that subtly finite feeling.

“Disappear now!”

‘I don’t think it’s worth exchanging words with you.’

It was a Duke who always seemed arrogant and cold-blooded in this way.

I thought that even the green pine trees in all seasons would not be as consistently cynical as me, but something changed in front of him.

Unlike other Shapeshifters, he was a unique doctor with less aversion to humans.

There was no prejudice against Astel from the beginning, but it was definitely the first time I saw a human with such a clever mind.

‘It’s a woman, who is mysterious in many ways.’

A couple of times he coughed, and the doctor spoke seriously.

“Hmm, hmm. No, I have something to say, Rudel.”

The maid-in-chief was a pure-blooded, and she was the one overseeing the interior of the Duke Castle, which has no hostess yet.

When the Duke left the castle for war problems, her authority became even more powerful.

Meanwhile, her eyes narrowed to the appearance of the doctor who seemed to be distracted.

“What is it?”

“You must have heard the story of the guardianship brought by your Excellency?”

“Ah yes.”

The attending physician muttered, wiping the sweat from his  forehead.

“It’s a ‘human’ who is gracious to His Excellency the Duke”

“Human.”

Interest passed by the maid’s eyes.

She, too, knew very well about the Duke.

I didn’t think he was going to bring an ordinary person to guardianship.

Asked in a low-pitched tone.

“If you have seen it in person, I will ask you. What kind of human is it?”

“That…”

The doctor bit his lips.

Like a squirrel on the surface.

It’s gentle!

There must have been something special.

Smart still is smart, but anyway, the Duke’s attitude wasn’t surprising.

So he had to say something he couldn’t be responsible for in this duke castle, which rejects humans.

“I think it’s pretty cool.”

Of course, information on imprinting could not be leaked.

The maid’s eyebrows were twitching up. The attending Doctor was rubbing his hand several times with a regretful look.

‘Looking at the attending doctor, he seems to like the human quite a bit. It didn’t seem like he really liked humans.’

Rudel’s eyes grew even thinner.

Seeing that he was sponsored by the Duke and was favored by the doctor, it was clear that person  was an unusual human.

I have to figure this out.

But Rudel didn’t like humans very much.

In addition to herself, the Duke of Anais was the front and Conservative leader of the imperial war zone.

As it is closed, it is sensitive to external inflow, and other species hate it even more.

Can humans survive alone in this cold fortress of ice filled with Shapeshifters?

No, it won’t be possible.

“After staying in the battlefield for a long time, the evaluation seems to be quite harmful even to poor humans?”

“No, as long as you’re a real amazing human being.”

“Ah yes.”

After showing a cynical confrontation, Rudel lightly passed by the stupid doctor and headed to the Delphinium room where the “human” was present.

********

It was only yesterday’s day that I saved  the Duke of Anais and imprinted with the Duke.

After that, I tried to write a letter to my brother, but I felt frustrated because of  the window on the wall that I could not overcome.

Lying on my fluffy bed, I thought about how I could meet Cello overnight.

And my conclusion was…

“Astel-nim.”

At that moment, I heard a knock on the door.

“Yes? Come in!”

“Nice to meet you. This is the maid, Rudel.”

My eyes brightened.

‘Finally, I’m going to meet the maid, Rudel.’

In  Rudel’s terms, she could be said to be the Duke’s first real castle agent.

Last time, I worked for 3 years in a private treatment center in Duchy.

Rumors about the closed operation of the Duchy, including our treatment center, were spreading like wind.

According to the words of a few patients I met at that time, the actual power under the Duke was divided into total excise categories.

The knight commander who says that there is no one to follow in terms of force, the maid who oversees the resistance, and the 4th generation of Duke family members.

‘Especially the maid knows the information of everyone who enters the castle.’

Last night, after long thoughts, the first goal I set was to get acquainted with the real agent of the Duke Castle, and the first target to attack was Rudel, the maid of honor.

I, who is still under the duke’s guardianship, will not be able to meet with the commander of the Knights or the forces of the vassal family right now.

Therefore, my first priority of the target opponent was the maidservant.

‘More than anything else, the maid chief you’re gonna be quick in the magic circle!’

In fact, I expected that I would be able to get to know the maid relatively easily.

And then— from the start, I hit the button.

I bit my lips as I watched the maid’s appearance.

‘No one said that the maid looked so scary!’

A height that is 180cm tall and has a long, straight hair that has no hair sticking out.

It looks like a stubborn supervisor.

Even wearing sharp-looking glasses, she looked quite professional, and to say badly, she gave off a force that couldn’t be reached.

‘Are all the people from Duke Castle huge?’

All officials from the Dukes Castle External Healing Center, I, Astel versus all scary opponents to deal with.

I’m in the middle of being cheated, but I have to be brave. If I don’t want to die!

I opened my mouth carefully, dropping my eyes to the floor.

“Well…”

The maid stopped and said to me.

“Yes, if you need anything, please tell me right away.”

This is also an iron wall.

Her hardened, brick-like attitude made me scared again.

But if you can’t push through this first wall, nothing can be solved.

“Okay!”

I answered energetically.

The maid, who glanced at me, put a magic tool on the back of my hand.

“It is a magic tool that assesses the identity of all outsiders and checks whether they are affected by dangerous magic.”

At her careless guidance, I sighed and inhaled.

I was stuck in a suspicious and dangerous ancient stealth magic, so I was stabbed.

‘This is exactly what I expected. I have to spend a long time at the Duke Castle, but of course I’ll have an identity check.’

I put the back of my hand closer to the magic tool.

“Yes, please check.”

The maid said coldly.

“If you’re not sure, your wrist will break.”

It is also a northern method.

Since this world was still developing, the verification method was also cruel…

I swallowed and looked down at my wrist.