AMOTGD

CHAPTER XXVlll

In this society, a maid is nothing more or less than a tool for the convenience of nobles. No one marries a tool. A tool is just a tool.

Even lower nobles consider relationships with maids as mere flings. If a child is born from such a liaison, they either abandon it, get rid of it, or deal with both out of sight. Occasionally, a family desperate for an heir might take the child in and change its status as if swapping out a register entry, but they would never dream of letting the maid officially be a member of the family.

If this is the case for lower nobles, how much stricter would it be for a grand ducal family? There’s no happy future where one can dream of a cozy family life with a maid. The only options are either really dying or pretending to be dead.

What Ernst proposed was the latter — a voluntary social death, burying his status and honor.

Understanding what he meant, Kainri let out a low laugh and clapped one hand against the other.

“You guys are crazy.”

Who decides to die over a woman?! Are you out of your mind?! Luina, you’re no better. Instead of stopping this, you’re supporting it!

Kainri vehemently opposed it, ranting and raving, but neither of them was inclined to listen to him.

Time passed, and Ernst married Luina. Meanwhile, Kainri, as a member of the Alva Marquisate’s branch family, inherited the marquis title due to the vacancy and officially gained the right to enter the grand ducal family.

Exactly half a year later, an incident occurred.

An unbelievable, enormous incident that was hard to believe Ernst could have caused.

***

My goodness, what a mess. Has he lost his mind? He’s really done it this time.

It happened while Kainri was away for a while, dealing with matters in the Alva Marquisate. As soon as Kainri received the telegram and rushed back, he found Luina pacing around with an unusual expression.

When I asked what had happened, she said the maid had gotten married.

“Married?”

“Married.”

Just as Kainri was about to say “Good for her,” he had a foreboding feeling that if things had gone well, this wouldn’t have happened, and he asked another question.

“And Ernst?”

Instead of answering, Luina pointed to the study.

Even Luina, who usually scoffed at most things, was scared this time and had avoided him. Apparently, he had gone utterly mad, breaking everything in sight.

“And the maid?”

“She’s unwell.”

Kainri heard that Ernst had sent her husband to manage the stables at the military camp, but the maid herself was very sick. Of course, as soon as Ernst heard the news, he sent a doctor, but she refused to open the door and kept insisting she was fine.

To be honest, Kainri had an inkling about the situation. You know, the kind of thing a gentleman should never do, but when a man’s head gets turned, he might just snap.

That led to a lot of thoughts. Cowardly, useless thoughts like, ‘After all, she’s just a maid.’

Yes, it’s cowardly, but Kainri couldn’t help feeling that way. Why make things so complicated? A maid can’t refuse a command from her superiors. This was bound to happen eventually, so why did it have to come to this?

But those thoughts evaporated like a lie the moment he opened the door to the study and was hit by the strong scent of alcohol filling the room.

“Ernst…?”

“Don’t turn on the light.”

Despite it being broad daylight, the curtains were drawn, casting the room in darkness, but Kainri could still make out Ernst’s figure. He clicked his tongue involuntarily.

He was, as always, annoyingly handsome. Hair like spun gold, eyes like precious aquamarines. His finely sculpted frame and muscular build made it hard for anyone to resist, so why did the maid keep rejecting him?

Putting aside personal preferences, he was the epitome of an ideal man. Moreover, he wasn’t his usual self around her—he pleaded, clung to her, and even smiled at her.

“I’m not doing all this because I’m trying to impress her. I just want to be good to her.”

He wasn’t even putting on an act. Despite his wretched temper, he genuinely wanted to be good to her.

But now, the feelings he had protected so dearly had led to this.

Standing there silently for a while, Kainri finally heard him confess in a voice thick with regret.

“She said no, but I forced her.”

Ah, of course. He’d finally crossed the line.

It’s all a matter of perspective, but at least he was sincere.

That doesn’t mean being sincere makes it okay. It just means he was sincere and ended up hurting himself by destroying what he cherished.

…Not to mention how it affected her.

“She said she has someone she loves.”

And that person is probably her current husband. It makes sense why he’s so frantic and desperate now.

It’s heart-wrenching to think about how he ruined the person he had protected for so long. He can’t let her go, no matter what. The fact that her heart belongs to someone else must feel like the ultimate betrayal.

Kainri had been there too. He had pushed Luina away, insisting it would never work, trying to forget her, but it was futile. When he felt like dying, Ernst was the one who stepped in to help.

So now, seeing him like this, Kainri could understand, though it’s impossible to justify his actions.