The Woodpecker Mansion has many security knights, so the work schedule is organized efficiently. Four hours per person, six knights a day protect Juls. After each shift there are two days of rest.
Pages who were to receive knighthood usually took duty with senior knights. It was the same now. There were two soldiers standing at the entrance, and two knights inside.
One of them was a page who was soon to receive a knighthood along with Adi. His face expressed bewilderment: why did she come when it was not time for a shift change yet? Adi just shrugged. It seemed that this made it clear without words that she did not want to answer.
It looked like Dimitri's shift was over and Gavin was inside. Gavin led Adi into another room.
The apartments where the Duke lived consisted of five rooms. Apart from the bedroom and reception room, the rest were used mainly for business. As soon as Adi entered, she saw Yuls, immersed in work.
- Don't stand, sit down.
This place seemed more personal than the office in which the knights usually stood guard. Plants were placed everywhere, the owner wore looser clothes, and furniture - instead of individual armchairs, there were wide sofas for common use.
Adi sat awkwardly on the edge of the sofa. Jules, who had been frowning about something, suddenly stood up. When Gavin came to ask what was wrong, Duke held out his hand to show that everything was fine.
- Wait a little. I'll just check something.
Adi silently looked at the back of Yuls as he left the room, and then, feeling someone’s gaze on her, she turned her head.
- Gavin.
- Adrina.
Everyone else still called her Adi, but only Gavin addressed her by her full name, Adrina. The reason was unknown.
- You seem to be a little tanned.
- It must be because of the southern sun.
“Your service as a bodyguard knight rarely involves long periods of exposure to the open sun, so things will soon return to normal.”
- I'm not worried about the tan. I'm a knight.
At these words, Adi Gavin only smiled puzzledly. Adi asked:
“Will you come with us to Jonad this time?”
- No, Demetrius will go to Jonad.
It was uncomfortable with him. Adi felt this, and Dimitri probably felt something similar.
- Bert will go too.
— Bert always accompanies us.
- He is the most reliable person. It was not for nothing that he was entrusted with the post of Commander of the Knights-Bodyguards.
Adi nodded. He truly was a good man. Yes, she knew from herself: if Bert was nearby, her soul immediately became calmer.
“I envy him; to be able to build such trust with someone is worth a lot.”
Hearing Adi's words, Gavin looked down at her with some surprise.
It seemed to him that she herself had already earned enough trust. No matter how good-natured Bert may seem, he is first and foremost the Commander of the Knight Bodyguards. He won't keep just anyone with him. When it comes to checking people, he is extremely meticulous; Bert only looks like a nice guy on the outside, but in reality he is one of the most frightening people.
Of course, Gavin himself needed time to take a closer look at the person. Joel and Billy were quite careless, and Ivan, due to his past, was prone to exceptional suspicion, but even he did not show wariness towards Adi. She won their trust. And this despite the fact that she bears the name Grimaldi.
“However, Joel, Billy and Ivan will go to Jonad with you.”
- Well, that makes me happy.
“Dimitri is still wary of you, but when he finds out the whole truth, he will probably change his anger to mercy, so don’t worry too much about it,” Gavin said.
However, Adi was not at all worried about the fact that she could not win Dimitri’s favor. The problem was that she couldn't stand it herself.
“Right now he doesn’t know anything.”
-......
“If he knew exactly how Your Lordship’s Curse was lifted.”
Adi frowned at Gavin, who spoke as if Dimitri's attitude would change after this. Come to think of it, although she saw the Duke every day, there hasn't been much change recently.
“Is it really true that I lifted Your Lordship’s Curse?”
“There’s no one but you, Sir,” Gavin answered with a slight smile.
The Duke seemed to know about this. But he didn't tell others about it. Even to herself. The reason remained a mystery. She wanted to ask what he was thinking, but there was no guarantee that she would get an answer.
- I speak sincerely. He won't hate you, Sir.
“...It may be too late to say this, but I haven’t received the Title yet, so calling me ‘Sir’ isn’t entirely appropriate.”
“And this after she had already received the title from the Crown Prince...” Of course, formally that title belonged to Adrian, but in reality it was Adrina who led the life of a knight. Gavin felt bitter at the thought of how difficult the girl’s fate was. As a man who himself had a daughter, he did not understand the Count’s actions at all.
At that moment the door opened and the Duke came out. He must have changed his clothes - Jules appeared in homely, comfortable clothes. He looked at Adi sitting and Gavin standing next to him, and then walked over to the sofa.
Adi, with a strange expression on her face, stared at Juls who stopped in front of her. Yuls, who was thinking about something, frowned, simply sat down on the sofa.
When Adi tried to move to the side, Yuls's head fell on her shoulder.
“In that case, I’ll be gone for a while to get everything ready for bed,” Gavin said.
Gavin spoke. Adi tried to extend her hand, as if asking where he was going, but Gavin had already left the room at a brisk pace.
- Even if you don’t like it, be patient a little. I need something to lean on.
Jules said. His large body leaned against her, but didn't seem too heavy. It looked like he wasn't putting all his weight on him. The Duke smelled of grass. Maybe because he was constantly disappearing in the greenhouses or the Greenhouse?
His disheveled hair touched her shoulder, and a few strands brushed her cheek. This touch was ticklish. Steady breathing was heard nearby. Thinking if he had accidentally fallen asleep in this position, Adi turned her head, and at that moment Yuls also raised his face, causing their lips to touch.
- Oh, I beg your pardon.
Adi said before she knew it. Yuls, looking intently at her, laughed quietly.
- We kiss every day, why these apologies?
His look was quite... quite special. What should I call it? In any case, it was different from all the looks that Adi had seen before. It had been a long time since Adrian had looked at her in a similar way. Like someone very close. But still it was not quite the same look.
Juls reached out, hugged Adi's head and kissed her hair. When he first saw her, Adi seemed tall to him, but now she was so small that it was worrying.
— Your hair smells like sunshine.
After finishing her morning shift and training, she washed her face and spent a long time basking in the sun. Life here was more relaxed than in Pales. Some went into town for dinner, others continued training. Adi, without much to do, was reading a book. Perhaps due to low humidity the air has not yet become stuffy.
“It seems as if the sun itself was melted and pulled into threads.” Like expensive silk.
—…….
She didn't know how to react to this. One thing was certain: Jules was now completely relaxed. Leaning back with his whole body, he serenely closed his eyes. Perhaps he allowed himself to do this only because he was in his own domain.
While she was thinking about this, Juls raised Adi's hand. At this sudden gesture, Adi looked up at him.
“Your hands are smaller than I thought.”
- Your Lordship has big hands.
It seems they were large even before he grew up. Like a beast destined to become huge.
- Make a fist.
Not understanding his intentions, Adi obediently squeezed his hand.
“They say a fist is the size of a heart.”
Juls wrapped his hand around Adi’s clenched fist. She didn't expect it to fit so easily in one of his hands. Stroking her fist, Juls called quietly: “Adi.”
- Yes, Your Grace.
“It will be dangerous in Jonada.”
- I know.
She knows how. She doesn't know anything. But perhaps it’s even better this way. Helping her in her desperate struggle while she remains ignorant is much easier than if she consciously walked towards danger. However, this doesn’t look like the second option either.
Juls put his hand on Adi's shoulder and stroked her hair. She looked at him in response to this careful touch, but did not pull away or retreat. It seemed like she was already used to this.
If you take her with you not as a knight, but otherwise...
- Your Grace?
She won't want this. If he doesn’t want to, he’ll most likely just run away. Juls touched her hair with his lips. Adi, who was looking straight ahead, did not seem to notice anything, but Gavin, who had just finished business in the bedroom and was leaving the room, witnessed this scene. Juls removed his hand from Adi’s shoulder and said:
- Now you can go.
“...But I haven’t done anything yet.”
- It's okay, go ahead.
Jules turned away, and at that moment it seemed that the tips of his ears turned slightly red. When Adi rose to take her leave, he suddenly added:
- And one more thing: tomorrow they will take your measurements.
"For what?" - she wanted to ask, but Yuls immediately continued: “You have morning training, so I’ll let you go early,” and Adi, remaining silent, only nodded. Gavin also winked at her, silently urging her to leave quickly. Adi came out. Even after the door slammed, there was silence in the room for a while. But sometimes a look is much more eloquent than words. Feeling the gaze of someone close to him, Jules spoke.
- Do you want to say something?
- No way, Your Grace.
Gavin answered. Jules raised his hand and covered his face with it. He still felt distance from Adi. Adrina Grimaldi turned out to be much more difficult than he expected. Accustomed to seeing around him only those who showed him nothing but affection, he found communication with someone so distant to be truly exhausting.
- Why doesn't she notice?
-Are you talking about Adi?
Jules looked at Gavin silently, then clicked his tongue and said:
- Yes.
“It’s a shame that only I know about this.”