Surviving As A Cannon Fodder

Chapter 165

Herbie Verlock has been Young Duke Edward Frost's attendant for more than five years now. He was a young man in his twenties with orange hair and freckles on his face.

Herbie was responsible for assisting Edward in simple day-to-day activities. As per his daily duties, Herbie would wake up Edward before the sun rises, clean the room, make the bed, and lay out the clothes for the day before Edward returned from morning training. After that, he would do menial chores around the estate and help wherever he could.

When the sun sets, Herbie would prepare Edward's bath and nightwear to conclude the day. And the cycle repeats itself the next day. 

During the period Edward was cursed, Herbie continued his duties diligently. Given his position, he was one of the few people who worked closely with the Young Duchess Angelica Frost before her unfortunate demise. He along with the rest of the servants in the estate mourned her untimely death and prayed for her to get a peaceful afterlife.

After Edward had risen from his curse, he had become a changed man. Most days, Herbie would come in the morning to wake up Edward, only to find him fully awake in front of the fireplace, looking like he had not slept a wink the entire night or holed up in his office staring at maps with an obsessive expression on his face as if he was desperately searching for something.

This went on for years till one day Angelica miraculously returned to the Frost estate in Edward's arms in the middle of the night.

Herbie did not believe his own eyes until he saw Angelica heading to the dining hall the previous night escorted by the Knights. The Young Duchess Frost they had thought to have perished years ago was back in the flesh as if she had risen from the dead.

Right now, Herbie was on his way to wake up Edward. He greeted the Knights standing guard at the entrance to Edward's chambers as they let him in through the doors.

Unlike the other Frost Knights, these Knights were members of the elite Dark Wolf Knight Brigade that operated solely under Edward's command. Herbie had become acquainted with the Dark Wolf Knights over the past few weeks ever since they started guarding Edward's chambers.

Once he reached the entrance to the inner bed chamber, Herbie knocked on the door to make his presence known. He was feeling nervous since this was his first interaction with Angelica after she returned.

"Come in"

A few seconds later, Herbie heard Edward's voice from the other side of the door permitting him to enter his bed chamber. 

Herbie straightened himself before twisting the door knob. He wanted to make a good second first impression on Angelica. He recalled how they used to have pleasant conversations back in the day when he was attending to a cursed Edward.

With that in mind, Herbie opened the door and stepped in.

"My apologies!!"

However, the next second Herbie closed the door and ran out of Edward's chambers his freckled face as red as a tomato. He desperately tried to get the picture of the young ducal couple out of his mind as he rushed outside much to the confusion of the Knights.

'Howw-How dare I!'

Herbie clenched his spinning head. He had just seen Angelica sitting on top of Edward, her hand on his cheek and leaning into his face. Both of them were disheveled in a mess of sheets, their faces flushed with a hazy expression. 

For a young man his age, it was evident to him what the young ducal couple had been doing prior to his arrival.

From Herbie's point of view, Edward had just reunited with Angelica after a long time. Even though they had been in each other's presence, they were never 'together' as a married couple. Be it a deadly curse or even death, there was always an invisible force that separated them.