Nothing happened for the next few days. Guarding the Duke was not difficult. At the end of her duty, Adi had breakfast, quickly fell asleep and woke up in the afternoon. Then - training, and back to service. This was repeated day after day.
However, Adi’s very behavior gave rise to some kind of misunderstanding.
Roy swore that it was not he who said that. Of course, the rumor did not spread from Bert or from any of the servants. Roy conducted an investigation, and the source turned out to be the Lintu family, or more precisely, it could just as well be said that it was Duke Woodpecker himself.
- Oh, my God, what a shame!
This is what Adi heard as she passed through the Inner Palace. Roy, who was walking nearby, also shuddered.
- Every night?
- Yes, every night.
- They say they spend every single day together?
Similar rumors spread among the ladies-in-waiting and servants. And if they knew, then everyone they encountered knew.
And the kitchen servants, and the knights, and the nobles they served, and even the grooms - everyone was aware of these rumors. The problem was that Adi didn’t really understand what exactly they were gossiping about. She simply didn't have anyone close enough to tell her this.
-......
Except for Roy.
- What exactly is the rumor?
And why did it fall to him to report this? Roy grimaced with embarrassment, but under Adi’s impatient gaze he sighed heavily and spoke.
“You know that the daughter of the house of Lingtu is not indifferent to His Grace the Duke?”
Adi nodded.
“She asked to arrange a supposedly random meeting, so we set it up a little.
That same acquaintance from the Second Order of Knights, or something.
“The Duke then said that he had a person who interested him, and that even if they approached him like this, he would not be able to give her what she wanted.
- And what?
- She asked who.
- AND?
“His Lordship called your name.”
Adrian Grimaldi - he gave his full name. There would hardly be anyone in Palais who did not know the name Grimaldi.
It was not only the position that the count now occupied at the royal court in Jonada - the knights could not help but know the Dog of Palesa. The servants and ladies-in-waiting were also, of course, aware, because palace rumors reached them with lightning speed. Moreover, Adi Grimaldi’s appearance was widely known - for a variety of reasons.
-...And what in the end?
- It’s as if you can’t see it yourself. There are rumors that you seduced His Grace the Duke.
-...
“They say the father seduced the king, and the son the duke.”
Come to think of it, they both had royal blood in them. Maybe even such Grimaldis know how to be generous to their own? Or do they have some other secret? They say that witches bewitch people, so maybe a witch’s curse can bewitch the royal family?.. An absurd thought.
“Besides, you’re nowhere to be seen, only Bert and I are glimpsed.” You are also a bodyguard knight - so where are you then? Well, then it’s obvious: night service - they say, that’s what you do. These are the conversations that started.
Roy added.
Night service. It's just security. Adi decided that such ridiculous rumors should simply be ignored, but people seemed to have a different opinion. Roy asked with a "don't tell me it's true" expression.
- Surely not?
-...
- Is it true?
- No.
Adi replied with a straight face.
“You don’t believe me either?”
“Are we really close enough to trust each other?”
Moreover, in this case, trust in Adi was not so important. That is, to be honest, he did not trust Adrian Grimaldi so much as Duke Woodpecker. Well, yes, His Excellency is a grown man, and things can happen, of course, but this, this...
- Who would have thought that he had such tastes?
Would anyone even dare to guess? But as soon as the Duke announced that he was interested in Adi Grimaldi, and lately, when they were on daytime security duty, some men hovered around endlessly.
And it’s not surprising that they stare. Handsome, tall, a duke with royal blood in his veins. Here, after all, Dalkatir - as long as the heir is provided for, no one cares whether you keep a man or a woman as your favorite.
- Looking at you, it seems to me that you are not his type, so... For me personally - as long as it’s not me, but it doesn’t matter. But you need an heir, don’t you? Oh, exactly. You will still return to Grimaldi, so if you consider this to be just entertainment for a while...
- Roy.
Adi called Roy by name, not allowing him to finish. It was impossible to predict where else this stream of thoughts would lead.
- True, there is nothing between us. It’s just that I can be involved in lifting His Lordship’s Curse, that’s all.
- How?
By asking this, Roy had already come to his own conclusion: maybe it was because they were both cursed? Well, as they say, they knock out a wedge with a wedge. So, the Curse is also cured by the Curse? Is the Curse even curable?
- I don't know yet.
Adi answered.
“So we're just researching a way to break the Curse.”
The only problem was that this very “research” consisted of him kissing the back of the Duke’s hand.
Like now, for example.
Adi lowered his gaze to the Duke’s graceful, large hand. She was strikingly different from his own - with calluses from the sword and many scars.
He was not ashamed of the marks and scars on the back of his hand, but now, looking like this, he realized that it did not look like a woman’s hand. He didn’t want her to look feminine, but for some reason, when he saw that hand, a strange feeling came over him. Although most aristocrats who did not hold a sword in their hands should have exactly the same palms.
- It doesn’t work out.
Jules said.
- Do you even intend to love me?
-......
Didn't he say that if the curse was not lifted, love would have to be resorted to? First, it was necessary to find out whether it would be filmed or not. The Duke said he had a way to test it. After this, Bert sighed long and hard, and finally informed the Duke that he was absolutely unable to find Dorothy.
Adi never dared to ask who Dorothy was.
What mattered to Adi was not whether Dorothy was alive or not. But this situation - yes.
- Your Grace, I dare say...
“If you dare, it’s better to remain silent.”
-......
Adi fell silent. But it was impossible to hide forever and kiss the back of the Duke’s hand. No matter what you think, it was not he who influenced the Duke’s curse. There were too many variables that day. For example, a murderer.
- It could have been something else.
Adi was ready to go over and over again in his head what exactly this “other” was and look for the answer together with the Duke.
- No. It's you.
The problem was the Duke.
“My gut tells me so.”
-......
He didn't even think to listen. They say that the highest nobility is all like this, but how much longer they will have to adapt to his whims is unknown.
Adi was not a knight of the Woodpecker house, but a knight of the Palace of Palesa, and now he was just a temporary bodyguard knight. But it was no longer possible to contact the Commander of the Second Order of Knighthood or the manager with a request for a replacement at this stage.
“I don’t know much about you, and it’s inconvenient, Adi.”
Jules said.
— It doesn’t matter what kind of food it is, I’m not picky. I heard that you often get into fights, I thought you were the one getting into fights, but it turns out that if they don’t touch you, you don’t even care. Women...
Having said this, Juls looked Adi up and down. For some reason, his body began to stiffen from the movement of his pupils, but Adi did not show it.
- It looks like there is no experience.
-......
“And, apparently, there are no men either.”
Have you been there yourself? Looks like both are good.
“I don’t see anything that could seduce you, so maybe you can tell me what you like?”
- Your Mightiness.
- What's happened?
Jules smiled. As if he was really going to seduce him. But Adi knew that all this was dictated only by necessity, and he also remembered too clearly what he was like in childhood.
The main reason was that Adi did not trust Duke Woodpecker. No matter what actions he took, Adi was not going to listen to Duke. And this whole thing will end as soon as the Duke returns to Woodpecker.
He will return... By the way, how long will the Count stay in Pales? If he comes, we should see him. He will, of course, return for the night security shift, but he may be delayed. Even if you ask Bert to adjust the schedule, the Duke will probably ask the reason.
— What do you intend to do at the Festival?
— At the Festival? Do you like festivals?
- No. I've never been... That is, I don't remember going. I was too young then.
- Is that so?
The Duke continued as if this answer did not interest him at all.
— A festival is just that: a festival. Just one of those days where people are allowed to breathe a little.
Having said this, Yuls looked outside the window and winced at the noise - hubbub and fun that did not subside until late at night.
This is what he especially didn’t like about Pales. People who tirelessly, day and night, talk, laugh, drink wine and waste time on empty ceremonies.
And they also talk nonsense about how this is, they say, a sacred duty of the nobility. For them, the whole year is a continuous festival. It is not surprising that the very meaning of the festival has long been emasculated. But the common people rejoice even from this one week.
What holidays are there in Grimaldi? Whatever you remember about these parts, only beauties, witch hunts and Spencer Grimaldi come to mind. Nothing else of note. And even if Spencer Grimaldi had not appeared, Grimaldi would have remained a land known primarily for witch hunts.
— Do you want to go and watch the festival?
Yuls asked. Adi replied: “No, just...” and continued:
— My father is coming to Palesa for this festival.
- …What?