"Huh, taming a monster, huh?"
The Duke of Speda couldn't believe what his daughter was saying. He scanned the creature she was embracing with a mix of astonishment.
"In my life, I've seen it all. Your brother wanted to raise a bear when he was young, and here you are, going a step further," he mused. He enjoyed falconry himself, but this situation was different – the issue was that the creature was a monster.
The Duke's eyes narrowed at the creature's whimper.
Though still young, the silver mane resembling its eyes clearly identified it as a Direwolf, one of the three greatest monsters of the North.
"Taming a monster to kill other monsters. I thought it a fitting way to forever honor my coming of age," his daughter explained.
Her words seemed reasonable at first, but really?
Looking at her gently stroking the Direwolf's head, who would believe she had such intentions?
"Lucy, if this creature harms the townspeople in any way, I won't hesitate to eliminate it," he warned. The wildness of monsters and their hostility towards humans were on a different level from ordinary wild animals. This small wolf might look cute now, but it could become a problem later.
"I understand. If it comes to that, I'll take its life myself, so don't worry," she replied firmly.
But the Duke could see a faint tremor of hesitation in her determined blue eyes – a feeling only a family member could perceive.
"Sure you will…"
"…Trust me on this."
As a Duke, he couldn't ignore the potential danger of a monster within the city walls. But as a father, he also understood the disappointment his daughter would face if he killed the monster she brought home after her successful coming of age ceremony.
A helpless cub, it wouldn't harm to watch it for a while.
"Remember this. If you fail, I will do it myself."
It was a compromise, leaning more towards a father's heart, but also a stern warning from a Duke as he stood up.
"Are you allowing it?"
"Consider it a coming of age gift. I trust you'll manage it well."
"Don't worry! I'll instruct the servants to take thorough care of it," she assured him, her face lighting up with joy, which brought a slight smile to the Duke's face as well.
* * *
After the Direwolf entered her room, my life as her servant changed for both better and worse.
"Are you hungry? I'll bring you some milk right away," I said, noting the wolf's whimper.
The upside was seeing Luciana's usually cold demeanor soften more often, making my work enjoyable.
But the downside was the massive increase in my workload.
"Hans, why are you spacing out? Hurry up with the milk."
From managing waste to grooming and feeding, these tedious tasks naturally fell to me, her dedicated servant.
"Yes, right away!"
At least I had the reward of watching the cute wolf cub and the beautiful Luciana.
But dealing with Yegor, the old man who gave orders without lifting a finger, was far less pleasant.
"What's its name?"
"It's named Friede, which means 'traitor' in the Northern tongue."
An odd name for a pet. I looked back and forth between the wolf and Luciana in disbelief.
"It's appropriate for a creature that will turn against its own kind," she remarked
"True," I conceded, though I wasn't sure about the name's suitability. As long as it performed well, what did it matter?
"So, what's next on the schedule?"
Luciana, seemingly reluctant, turned away from the wolf engrossed in its milk to ask me. The life of a high noble was busier than I thought, keeping me equally occupied managing her schedule.
"It's 2 PM… You have a social gathering with other noble children prepared soon."
"Hmm," she frowned, clearly unenthusiastic.
"You're not looking forward to it, are you?"
"You catch on fast," she replied with a wry smile, running her fingers through her long hair.
It was unusual for her to show such open disdain.
"I hate the mind games. Those who couldn't stand a chance against me in a fair sword fight act all high and mighty in front of me. It's unbearable."
This was the so-called destiny of high nobility.
She seemed stressed about securing her position amid the tangled interests of various noble families.
"Why not skip the event, then?"
"That might work. I could use our sparring as an excuse."
"…On second thought, skipping might not be the best idea."
Luciana's skill level was too high for a regular soldier to spar with. Only three groups could realistically face her in a duel: the knights of the Ducal family, her father Duke Speda, and myself.
It was an effective training method, as no matter what technique I used, she would always find a way to counter it, naturally improving her skills.
But for me, sparring with her was excruciating.
With mana training, physical exhaustion, and servant duties to attend to afterward, I preferred to avoid dueling with her if possible.
"Just kidding. I wouldn't cancel an event that my father and other nobles organized on my own accord."
"Indeed, that makes sense."
"You seem a bit too happy about that."
Oops, I need to manage my expressions better.
"Oh, look at the time. I'll lead you to the drawing room."
"Changing the subject, I see…"
Ignoring her displeased look, I headed to the drawing room where the social gathering was to take place.
* * *
Luciana glanced down at her dress.
The rare purple dye obtained only from certain monsters in the East, combined with the occasionally found diamonds from the Western magic stone mines, made this dress perfect for showcasing the prestige of her Ducal family.
'Uncomfortable.'
While aesthetically pleasing to others, the dress was restrictive and cumbersome to move in.
The only reason she wore it was for the social event.
Her high-heeled shoes were another story.
At social events, even a small weakness could become a target for scrutiny. Her slightly shorter stature was no exception.
Though restrictive, she had to wear them to conceal her perceived flaw.
Her gaze drifted to Hans, walking ahead. His steps were light and carefree, devoid of the dignity expected in such a setting, but also free from the chains of rank and responsibility.
His freedom stood in stark contrast to Luciana's discomfort in her high heels.
"I'm envious," she muttered.
"Huh? What did you say?"
It was the same during her coming of age ceremony and now at this social event.
The advantages of being a noble lady were clear, but so were the constraints.
She wished she could toss aside these social events and restrictive clothes, armed only with armor and a sword.
"I thought you were free."
"Free? I have to wake up early for all sorts of chores. Plus, being a newcomer and a Westerner, the servants and maids subtly disrespect me. And recently, there's been the care of Friede…"
As Hans spoke nonchalantly, he turned to look at her and then fell silent.
"Is there something bothering you?"
His voice carried a cautious note when he spoke again.
"It's nothing."
"Your face says otherwise. Problems lighten when shared. Why carry a log alone? Just talk to me."
As a mere baron's son, he probably couldn't relate to her struggles. But there was hope that, like during her coming of age ceremony, he might come up with a solution.
"What would you do if I skipped the social event?"
"That would be difficult. Yegor would scold me for letting you stray."
A dead end, then.
True, finding the Direwolf den during her ceremony was a stroke of luck.
Cunning can't always be relied upon.
"Forget it. It was just a thought. Don't worry about it."
Disappointed, her tone turned cold. She moved past Hans towards the drawing room. This was her home; she didn't need his guidance.
'…She's upset.'
Her emotions were always so transparent.
He sighed inwardly as he watched her storm off, upset.
But his mind was made up.
'I'm already on thin ice.'
Ever since her coming of age ceremony, the head servant has been on his case, giving him no rest.
And if he gets caught helping Luciana break the rules again?
'I've told you time and again, a servant must prevent their master from going down the wrong path.'
Enduring another round of endless nagging wasn't appealing, so he silently followed her.
*Ping*
A notification sound accompanied a message on his status screen.
[Quest Alert!]
[Resolve NPC 'Luciana's' Desire for Rebellion]
[Reward: Check Luciana's Favorability Level]
That favorability level, unchanged since his awakening, except right after the ceremony.
Well, he had to see if it had changed after all he'd been through.
He whispered this excuse to himself as he quietly followed her, growing colder in the distance.
* * *
"Actually, there is a way to skip the social event without anyone knowing. If you cooperate a little, we can avoid drawing attention. It won't bring shame to your family either."
Luciana stopped in her tracks at my unexpected proposal.
"That sounds promising. Let's hear it."
"But you can't get angry, okay? I didn't mention it earlier because I thought you might not like the idea."
I fumbled in my pocket and pulled something out.
"What's that?"
"It's something I acquired from a notorious criminal in the West."
Luciana realized immediately what it could be used for.
"You have my permission. But can you pull it off?"
I grinned, confidently responding to her challenge.
"Complaining twice is too much, three times is asking for trouble. I assure you, with just a little bit of information, I can do it better than anyone."
It was a risky move that could tarnish the family's name if anything went wrong.
The old me, before joining her, would never have allowed it.
"Your confidence is convincing."
I had already made up my mind.
The thrill of rebellion I experienced during her coming of age ceremony wasn't something I could just forget.
The chance to feel that freedom again was worth any risk.
And with me on the job, I was sure to handle it well.