The Male Lead’s Younger Sister is Still Sad Today

Episode 5

Perhaps sensing my mood, Peter began telling interesting stories that had happened while he was working at the Duke’s place to lighten the atmosphere. Thanks to him, my mood improved significantly.

As I chatted with Peter, we soon arrived at my room. Before Peter entered his own room, he spoke up.

“Don’t worry too much about today’s work. Just rest well. It’s normal for things to be a bit tough at first.”

“Yes… thank you.”

“Sure, get some good rest, and I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Only after seeing Peter enter his room did, I finally turn the doorknob of my own room. As I did so, the door swung open abruptly.

And the one opening the door was none other than Abel.

Thanks to him, I ended up bumping my face into his body, so I rubbed my nose and asked him,

“Where are you going?”

Seeing his wet hair, it seemed like he had taken a bath… Was he going out again?

Raising a curious eyebrow at Abel, he spoke up.

“I felt stifled, so I thought of going for a walk. Want to come along?”

Contrary to the words he blurted out, Abel’s expression suggested he had something important to say to me. I nodded in response. Seemingly eager to confirm my answer, Abel quickened his pace.

The place where Abel eventually halted was behind a sparsely populated building.

“Is something the matter?”

Worried about Abel’s demeanor, I quickly opened my mouth before he stopped walking.

Upon my question, Abel’s expression shifted from stern, as he had been moments ago, to something quite nonchalant.

“It’s nothing much… It’s just that the soundproofing magic isn’t cast on our room.”

…Soundproofing magic out of the blue.

Wasn’t it normal for it not to be cast in the first place? Enchanting objects with magic is quite expensive. It was unusual for mere employees to have soundproofing spells in their rooms anymore.

Abel shrugged and continued speaking.

“I stopped by Roland’s room briefly because he asked me for help. But it turns out soundproofing magic is cast on the walls of Roland’s room.”

“…So?”

“Just to be safe, I checked our room as well. The structure of the magic circle in our room seemed a bit peculiar.”

I hadn’t learned much about magic circles, so I didn’t really understand what he was saying.

Seeing my puzzled expression, Abel added.

“So, you see, while we can’t hear the sounds from the adjacent room, the sounds from our room are audible to the adjacent room.”

Well, that’s quite strange.

“Why?”

“I’m not entirely sure… Maybe because the room we’ve been using has been vacant for a while, the structure of the magic circle could be like that. If we just change one of the official magic circles in our room, it’ll be the same as any other room.”

“…”

“It’s nothing significant, but let’s be careful about what we say in our room, just in case.”

Abel smiled as if it was nothing. The problem was, that expression made the situation even more unsettling.

* * *

Apart from the unsettling feeling, a few days passed without anything significant happening afterward.

Of course, the reason for the quietness was because the Duke had gone on a business trip. However, I believed that even if the Duke were to return, I would be able to get along with him just fine.

I thought he would have forgotten all about this!

He wasn’t someone who would pay attention to a mere employee like me, and he had such a noble lineage that I couldn’t even compare.

“Charles!”

The Duke’s voice, which I hadn’t heard in a long time, echoed throughout the mansion. I wondered who he was calling, his voice resounding powerfully.

It seemed that maybe one of his friends had visited the mansion.

Startled by the thunderous voice, Flynn, who had been tidying up the table with me, became wide-eyed like a rabbit.

Although I was fearful of the Duke approaching us, seeing him call out an unfamiliar name made it seem unlikely that he was coming toward us.

In an attempt to avoid making eye contact with him, I lowered my head and focused on arranging the tablecloth.

However, Flynn, who was standing in front of me, began to look increasingly restless. Eventually, he even half-bowed and greeted someone behind me.

Only then did I make a judgment and attempt to turn around.

In that moment, a musky scent wafted suddenly, and someone placed their hand on my shoulder.

“Charles, pretending not to know is quite pathetic, don’t you think?”

As I turned around, I found the Duke’s presence before me, causing my gaze to wander in all directions.

‘I’m Charles…?’

I tried my best to understand the Duke’s actions, but after that day, I had no memory of any accident.

Of course, I couldn’t voice such doubts aloud.

Instead, I smiled energetically and greeted him.

“It’s been a while, Your Grace.”

Even in response to my greeting, Raiden didn’t offer any particular reply. He simply observed me closely, as if studying me.

I turned my gaze away as much as possible, trying to avoid making eye contact with him.

As a result, my wandering gaze found its way naturally to the Duke’s arm resting on my shoulder.

On his white wrist, there was an expensive-looking wristwatch that caught the sunlight from outside the window and sparkled beautifully.

Seeing the watch, which was undoubtedly worth the price of a car, I involuntarily tensed up, feeling my whole body stiffen.

That watch would probably cost a fortune, maybe the price of a luxurious car?

Even if I didn’t know for sure, it was clear that if I were to break that watch, I would have a hard time earning enough to cover the cost even if I worked my whole life.

So, my pathetic self had to be careful not to touch that watch.

However, the Duke, oblivious to my inner turmoil, started speaking, focusing only on what he wanted to say.

“Have you learned a lot at work?”

“Yes, yes! I’m learning very diligently!”

Every time my wretched body brushed against that cursed watch, I worried that it might break and had a multitude of thoughts running through my mind.

But the Duke only held my shoulder more firmly as I tried to distance myself from him.

“Because of you, I was thrown with all your strength last time, and my whole body hurt. So, you should make sure such a thing doesn’t happen again.”

The Duke’s voice, softly whispering in my ear, was infuriatingly condescending.

Moreover, due to his voice combined with his scent, a shiver ran down my body. Why was even his scent so intimidating?

“Well, yes!”

I quickly replied, listening to the Duke’s words.

“Sure, keep working hard like that in the future.”

The Duke lightly patted my shoulder and smirked before finally releasing his hold.

Anyway, from what he was saying, it seemed like he had bruises on his body because of me. To think that I could cause injuries to the Duke’s body, even if I was just a commoner, it made me feel dizzy.

The Duke also turned to Flynn, who was standing beside us with an uncertain look, and said something like “Work hard too,” in a tone that carried the nuance of a suggestion.

The issue was that the way he said it probably sounded like “If you don’t work hard, you’ll die with me,” a verdict of execution.

Trembling, we exchanged greetings with the Duke until he was out of sight and then lifted our heads.

“Chase, did, did something happen between you and the, Duke?”

As soon as the Duke disappeared, Flynn cautiously asked me.

I rolled my eyes, realizing that I didn’t have much to say, and responded by shaking my head.

If my words slipped out unintentionally and reached the Duke’s ears…

Oh, heavens. Just thinking about it was horrifying.

Fortunately, the quick-witted Flynn didn’t probe further about this incident afterward. Instead, he brought some snacks from the kitchen.

Flynn had become a close friend, helping out with the restaurant’s work due to a shortage of staff. He had a gentle appearance, and we quickly became friends because we shared many common traits.

Furthermore, since Flynn’s parents worked at the Duke’s estate, he had lived here since he was born. This had equipped him with a lot of knowledge.

By the way, Flynn had even carefully observed the Duke’s childhood appearance with his own eyes. Of course, we were never really close, but…

He was currently working in the Duke’s estate kitchen, but his dream was to run a restaurant under his own name. He mentioned that as soon as he gathered enough money for the venture, he would leave this place.

As Flynn talked about his aspirations, his eyes sparkled. There was a captivating light in his eyes. People who radiated such light had the power to attract others. Perhaps that was why I quickly became close to Flynn.

That kid had a clear goal in mind, and it was true that I envied someone like Flynn.

* * *

Did I say that Raiden Akarut was better than the rumors I had heard before?

I immediately take back those words.

That man was on a level of understanding that surpassed anyone I had ever seen.

This happened just a few days ago.

I hadn’t realized that Raiden had so many enemies. Of course, given Raiden’s personality, having no enemies would be more unusual, but still, Raiden was the one and only Duke of the kingdom.

I never expected there would be someone bold enough to try to kill him.

I blinked at the man, who was tightly bound to the chair. Actually, did I get a job as a commoner, or did I get a job as an executioner?

I couldn’t understand why there was a gun in my hand.

However, unlike me, Raiden Akarut didn’t even bat an eye and only urged me from the side.

“Chase, what are you doing?”

“…Duke?”

Raiden lightly gestured towards the gun in my hand.

“Should I pull the trigger, or should you?”

Naturally, shouldn’t you be the one pulling the trigger, not me?

It was the first time I felt the gun in my hand was so heavy.

“Chase, answer me. You’re on my side, aren’t you?”

“…I’m, I’m Duke’s man.”

Perhaps my answer pleased him, as Raiden smiled warmly.

“Then, pull the trigger.”

However, despite his cheerful demeanor, there was a strong sense of dissonance in the way he casually uttered those words.

The man with the gag in his mouth was murmuring incoherently. As our eyes met – his eyes, completely bloodshot – I involuntarily averted my gaze, avoiding his intense stare without even realizing it.