Chapter 71

Yelena recalled the scene she had witnessed during her husband’s battle.

She nodded in agreement, “I suppose so.”

“If it shatters, you can either accept the reality of it being broken and focus on training, or you can go back to your hometown and continue listening to the praises of being a prodigy. Instead, this madman ignorantly remained presumptuous… Ah, sorry.”

“It’s all right.”

Ben, who showed various sides to his casual side, sighed again.

“Well, anyway, after being badly broken by the master, this inexperienced knight with his immature personality and even more immature tongue began to show his inferiority and envy toward the master.”

“Did that appear in the form of speaking carelessly about my husband?”

“That’s right. Every time I see the master, I tell him to cut off his tongue! Or to kick him out of here! I’ve been saying that for a long time!”

“He must’ve not listened.”

“…Yeah. He’s a careless talker, but the master said that his skills as a knight are fine.”

“Hmm, but… For that knight, Thomas, apart from his tongue, all other assessments of him are quite good, right?”

Ben snorted at Yelena’s comments.

“What do you want to know? No matter where he usually goes and how much good he does, it remains the same that his tongue is impudent against his master. I can’t let it go.”

“As expected, right? That’s exactly what I mean!”

“Yes?”

“It doesn’t matter how good the knight turns out to be since what is wrong is wrong. It’s natural to be punished for doing something wrong, isn’t that right?”

“…What happened?”

“Actually…”

Yelena told Ben about the events that unfolded at the training grounds a few days ago.

After hearing the whole story, Ben looked as though he couldn’t be any more happier.

“No wonder he was hobbling past me when I saw him before… Madam, you did a great job. I really mean it. I respect you.”

“But, Ben. My husband saw me step on Thomas’s foot.”

“Yes. What about it?”

“Um… I’m worried that it might have looked like I was too quick to judge based on seeing one side of a person, and I acted imprudently, or something like that.”

Yelena was bothered by the fact that she trampled on Thomas’s foot.

Of course, it didn’t mean that she was concerned about Thomas.

On the contrary, Yelena was wholeheartedly unapologetic.

The belief that she stepped on him because he did something wrong remained unchanged.

However, she was afraid that her actions would not look well in her husband’s eyes.

Only that was on her mind.

‘Was I always this timid?’

She was aware that these were just thoughts that she conceived herself, but she couldn’t shake off the worries.

Ben blinked at Yelena’s serious expression.

He soon shook his head as if it was nothing.

“Madam, I assure you that will not happen. The reason the master leaves Thomas alone is because of his remarkable skills. There’s no other reason.”

“…Really?”

“I’ll be honest with you. The master has no interest in his own reputation or anyone else’s. ‘He is just a knight who is good at handling the sword, but the old butler often gets angry because of his careless mouth,’ that’s probably what the duke thinks.”

“…Oh.”

“The madam crushed the knight’s foot, right? The duke probably thinks of it as a worthy task.”

“Is that so?”

“I assure you. Madam, who am I? I have been by the master’s side for the longest time in this castle. Trust me.”

“…Butler!”

Yelena’s expression brightened.

She said with all her heart, “Thank you.”

“It’s nothing. I’m more grateful that the madam smashed Thomas’s foot.”

“No, I thank you more.”

“I thank you even more.”

Haha. Ho-ho.

A smile bloomed on the faces of the butler and the duchess.

The atmosphere of the duchy was harmonious.

* * *

A little after sunset, there was a knock on the door of the Duke’s office.

“…Are you busy?”

It was Yelena. Kaywhin put down the documents he was reading and replied, “It’s fine.”

It wasn’t empty talk.

Kaywhin finished all the urgent work that had to be done today.

The documents he was looking at were actually a task that he didn’t have to handle himself.

Yelena gave a satisfied smile and offered a suggestion.

“Then take a walk with me.”