Chapter 8 : He’s My Real Brother, Duke

Translated by Niks

Edited by KBJ

“No, but the Duke brought that human here!”

“…It’s still human, a human.”

There was a long and serious discussion on the subject of Astel.

However, the war of words, which seemed to last forever, marked a turning point when Rudel, the most influential woman in the Castle, entered.

“What are you doing here?”

Rudel frowned at the maids sitting on the sofa.

“The benefactor’s room wasn’t cleaned properly, so are you sitting together and chatting?”

Unlike other noble families, some maids in the closed fortress of the Duke’s castle also served as cleaning maids.

It was a characteristic of a peasant who was relatively free from the class system.

“If you’re talking about the benefactor’s room, do you mean that human? I’ve cleaned it properly!”

Noble and cold, she didn’t like the storms in the castle very much.

So, she appropriately named Astel, a human being, a benefactor.

It wasn’t to protect Astel.

“There is dust left. I don’t think that human benefactor will stay for long, so be patient.”

No matter how strong a human could be, it could not endure life in the Castle for a long time due to the hostile and ferocious gaze of the people in the Duke’s Castle.

Most of all, Duke Anais, the greatest predator that was admired by all men.

A military god born in the war of monsters and a man who even the emperor cannot treat carelessly.

It is impossible for a slender human to be able to sit together with Duke Anais for a long time, as if their neck would be broken at any moment.

“I can’t understand. How did a human save the Duke? It must be fraud!”

Rudel waved her hand as if she didn’t want to talk about it anymore.

“Noisy. Are you guys free enough to gossip about your superiors?”

The maid, who had been making a fuss, pursed her lips from Rudel’s authority like a snail hiding in a shell.

Rudel kept a solemn attitude and nodded.

“Miel, the seedlings of the garden trees you manage. The sprout seemed to be crooked about 1cm.”

“O-oh, yes.”

“Delsa, there is dust on your pendant.”

“She might not be a hawk but her eyes are sharp like one.”

Rudel’s expression was particularly stiff at the complaining words.

Rudel didn’t like to talk about her origin.

No, it would be right to hate it more than any other words.

“Noisy. Clean up now. Cleaning is the most important thing for a clean environment.”

Rudel, who warned them coldly, glanced over the maids with a cold gaze and left.

Those who were left in their seats also raised themselves upright.

“There isn’t a single cleaning maid who can match the taste of Lady Rudel.”

“I agree with you from the bottom of my heart.”

The maids sighed deeply.

Predicting that hard labor will continue today.

Meanwhile, Rudel, who came out of the hallway, walked around and supervised every corner of the castle.

After a while, she passed near the Delphinium room and stopped to check the pocket watch she always carries with her.

‘Since they are doing their jobs properly now, it’s time to go back to that room.’

To be exact, it was time to go check on Astel.

In the meantime, did the maids clean the room properly this time?

No, I can’t even expect anything from them.

I’m sure there’s still hair and dust left on the room.

As she reached the door of the Delphinium room where Astel was staying, she knocked slowly.

“Who is it?”

Hearing that cheerful voice made her feel tired already.

But Rudel’s expression was still cold.

Still, Astel was just a human being passing by for a moment.

Rudel was not so free as to give her heart to a relationship that would pass by.

“Yes, as I shared the schedule with you the other day, I will help you with your dinner with the Duke.”

“Oh, yes! Come in!”

Soon, Rudel entered the room with a stiff expression.

Until then, she was just going to take care of the simple things quickly and leave.

There is nothing special to prepare for when visiting a VIP.

But something was different today.

“Are you here?”

“This… what… ”

Rudel looked inside and for the first time in her life, made a dumbfounded expression.

Her name was Rudel.

Her position was the maid of honor of the Duke of Anais, a shapeshifter and currently 45 years old.

She was characterized to have an obsessive-compulsive disorder.

In Astel’s room, she really saw a new world.

“…Can I ask how it was cleaned?”

“It’s a trade secret.”

While whispering, Astel had a colorless drug in her hand.

Perhaps that was the chemical that she used to polish this room.

Rudel narrowed her eyes.

Inside the room, there was a sweet smell from the sun-dried laundry.

Others may not have known, but Rudel, who had been working as a maid for a long time, knew.

This scent was the clear air that only came from a thoroughly cleaned space.

Besides, that wasn’t the only thing that was surprising.

Looking at the newspaper stand next to the desk and the neatly arranged small bookshelf, the maid opened her mouth agape.

On the table, there were bottles of chemicals that the maid believed had been brought by Astel.

They were sorted by color and neatly arranged without even a millimeter of error.

All the vials were of red color, with the darkest red on the left and a lighter color toward the right.

An average person would be amazed or surprised.

However, for Rudel, who had an obsessive-compulsive disorder, it was such a perfect and fascinating way of organizing that it made her heart skip a beat.

“It’s organized neatly.”

An innovative way of organizing things that I have never thought of.

However, Astel, who created this amazing scene, grimly frowned.

“It’s prettier to organize them by color.”

How can you be so calm?

‘It’s really fascinating.’

Rudel quickly closed her mouth and recalled the Doctor’s words.

Well, it was amazing.

*****

Seeing that look on her face, I think it’s a success!.

In fact, there are not many stories that mentioned Shapeshiters from the original.

However, while working at the treatment center, I learned information about Shapeshifters.

Of course, it was a clear mistake to expect Rudel to be a Jaguar.

But I knew that there were very few people who tried to go against the characteristics of their species, so I was able to respond quickly.

I really didn’t know that Rudel, the maid, would be like that.

‘I’m sure that foot was a Sloth Shapeshifter.’

Even though she was a sloth, she was more difficult and meticulous than lazy.

‘The Shapeshifters who overcome the main traits of their race tend to act in the extremely opposite way of said traits.’ ‘

So, Rudel assumed that the sloths were not meticulous enough to be obsessively neat and diligent.

And my predictions fit nicely.

“With all due respect, are you good at organizing and cleaning?”

“Yes!”

“Oh…”

She, who had always made a neat expression, stiffened frantically.

But that was the end.

“You don’t have to clean the inside of the Castle. You are under the Duke’s guardianship.”

“Ah, yes!”

I nodded with a bright smile.

At Rudel’s mouth, just one second.

A gentle smile passed and disappeared. But that alone was satisfactory enough.

I asked her, maintaining a cheerful and pleasant tone of voice.

“By the way, what did you say you came here for?”

“…As I said before, I’d like to help you prepare for the dinner with the Duke.”

“Oh, yes.”

“I’ll take you to the powder room.”

Rudel returned to her original cool-headed attitude.

However, it didn’t seem too scary from the perspective of her loose expression earlier.

“Okay!”

I nodded and followed her.

The cleanup operation was a huge success just by looking at the more relaxed atmosphere. As I said before, the road to heaven starts with the first step.

I fell into deep thoughts while looking at the back of Rudel entering the powder room.

I assure you, you look like ice now, but you’ll soon have a warm meltdown.

Because I collected a lot of information to enter this castle and prepared thoroughly for several years.

You will be my hands and feet soon.

And before that…

“You told me before to talk to you anytime if I had a request.”

“Yes.”

“Can the maid open the windows?”

“…The windows?”

There was a slight crack in her face.

I nodded as hard as I could and dug into her weakness.

“For a better way of cleaning, I want to continue using chemicals, but I think it will take time to open the windows to ventilate. Can you please open the window a little?”

“For cleaning?”

Rudel recited softly.

“Yes! Ventilation is essential to clean up without a grain of dust.”

Her eyes shook briefly.