Chapter 2: Meeting the Duke

We passed through a long corridor and stopped in front of a large, dark wooden door. My uncle knocked twice, as if he were about to do something important…

"Come in," came a deep, echoing voice from inside.

As the door swung open, the heavy atmosphere of the room almost pulled me in. Behind a large desk, a man was working with a pen in hand. He had a short beard, black hair, and green eyes... but his eyes weren't ordinary, they were deep and captivating, like a forest. His dark blue suit looked flawless, as if it had just been pressed. The bookshelf next to him was filled with books that reached the ceiling. Being here, reading and writing, felt almost like a ritual, more than just a habit.

As I glanced at the wall behind the man, a painting caught my attention. The same young man was there again, but this time, he had a beard and was sitting in a chair next to the woman, compared to the previous painting. Standing beside him was a child with silver hair cascading over their shoulders. With green eyes full of curiosity, they added a certain cuteness to the scene.

The baby from the previous painting was a 5-6 years old child in this painting.

However, there was an important difference in this painting: the woman from the previous painting was not there. Instead, there was another woman with bright yellow hair braided to the side and adorned with various hairpins, smiling cheerfully. She posed with her arm linked to the man sitting beside her.

I think the man in the painting was none other than the count sitting in front of me now.

At that moment, my uncle, holding my shoulder, pushed me forward while stepping back a step.

"Sir, this is my nephew, Theodore," he said.

The man put down his pen on the table without raising his head and slowly looked at me. When I met those striking green eyes again, a shiver ran through me.

"Welcome, Theodore," he said in a calm voice.

"Thank you, sir," I managed to say, feeling a bit more at ease when I smiled faintly.

"Your uncle praised you a lot," he added. Then, he smiled slightly.

"I expect you to throw yourself into your work here. Winters Manor respects the effort of every employee. If you succeed, you will have a home here for many years. But if you fail…" He didn't finish his sentence. The determination in his eyes was explanation enough.

My words caught in my throat, but somehow I managed to pull myself together.

"I will do my best, sir."

"We'll see," he said, turning his gaze back to his desk.

"What are those gloves for, then?"

After looking at my worn-out gloves, I turned to the count, and when our eyes met, I found myself staring into his green eyes. He was looking at me curiously, one eyebrow raised.

"I use them because of my allergy, sir."

The Duke leaned back and began examining me. Then, he turned to my uncle and spoke.

"Lemi, after me, will be the new head of the family, you know that, don't you, Steward? I've hired your nephew trusting you, but I wouldn't want to hire someone who might affect my son's life."

My eyes landed on the painting behind the Duke again. I believe that silver-haired boy was Lemi, the young master. So, my job would be to take care of him, assuming I got the position.

"Don't worry, sir, my nephew's illness is not contagious. If you'd like, I can have him checked by the family doctor to confirm that it's not contagious."

Was I going to undergo a check-up because of a child? In the painting, he appeared delicate and frail. Maybe he was a fragile child. They might be right. But that didn't mean it didn't hurt my pride to be seen as some kind of diseased virus.

Although my pride was hurt, I could only remain silent and lower my head.

"I'll make my decision after the results. Though I trust you, Steward, my son will always come first. Have him see the doctor tomorrow, and we'll decide after that."

"Thank you, sir."

My uncle gave a slight bow to the Duke one last time as a sign of respect. I took a deep breath and left the room. As soon as the door closed, my uncle looked at me with a tired expression.

"Theo, you'll see the manor's general doctor tomorrow. After the treatment, the doctor will report the results to the count, and then we'll know if you can start the job or not."

"Okay, uncle."

"For now, you can stay in my room. There's an extra bed. If you get the job, we'll arrange a room for you tomorrow."

I had nothing else to do but quietly listen to what I was being told. I followed my uncle in silence as we made our way to his room.

... ... ...

I was placed in a fairly spacious but cozy room in the corridor allocated to the staff on the lower floor of the manor. The room was quite simple, but at least it was comfortable. Two beds, a table, a chair, and an old wardrobe... Compared to the places I had stayed before, this could even be considered luxurious. Instead of the smell of mold, a fresh scent of cleanliness filled the air. Thanks to the sunset light streaming through the small window, the room wasn't dark despite being on the lower floor.

Evening was approaching. I sat idly on the bed assigned to me until my uncle arrived. How many places had I worked, how many hardships had I faced... I wanted to close my eyes and rest for a bit to avoid thinking about these things, but just then, the door was gently knocked, and it opened. My uncle entered and looked at me with slightly raised eyebrows.

"How are you feeling? Have you gotten used to it?"

I changed my position and sat on the edge of the bed.

"It's a nice place, but isn't it a bit early to get used to it, uncle? The Duke may not hire me tomorrow"

My uncle shook his head while taking off his uniform vest.

"Don't worry about the Duke, I already explained the situation to him. He only said that to intimidate you."

I furrowed my brows and looked at him skeptically. "Intimidate?"

"The Young Master is the only thing left of the Duchess."

The only thing left of the Duchess… Could it be the silver-haired woman I saw in the corridor? What had happened to her? I decided to set aside my curiosity about that for now and instead ask the thing that truly surprised me.

"Uncle, so the Duke knew about my allergy?"

As he took off his vest and hung it over the back of the chair, he replied:

"Yes, I told him beforehand. But since some people wouldn't take kindly to this condition, the Duke specifically requested this examination. I don't think anything serious will come of it, but we need to have proof."

Even though I didn't actually have such an illness, the fact that it was causing trouble for me was another issue entirely. However, as long as I didn't take off my gloves, I wouldn't be forced to feel people's emotions when I touched them. At least here, they weren't against me wearing gloves. I had to quit many jobs before because they insisted I remove them. That's why it was best to follow my uncle's advice.

"Alright, Uncle."

My uncle gave me a faint smile, but his expression quickly changed. With a sigh, he sat down on the bed, his gaze lost in the distance.

"All this time, you kept saying in your letters that you were doing well, that you were eating good food… but now that I look at you, you've lost weight…" His voice gradually faded. "What have you been through? Have you ever gone hungry? You never told me any of this."

It was as if he was speaking to himself rather than to me. But I wasn't going to tell him what I had been through. What difference would it make? He was in one city, and I was in another. Besides, since he was my guardian, my employers would always inform him before I even had the chance when I left a job. So, there was no way for me to deceive him about my work situation.

I shrugged, trying to brush off the topic. "I just have a body that doesn't gain weight no matter how much I eat. That's why I look like this."

Seeing the dissatisfaction in my uncle's gaze, I continued. "It would be a lie to say I didn't struggle with anything. I did, but I got through it. And besides, I had plenty of people around me willing to help…"

That was a lie. No one helped without a reason. If you had money, you were fine. If you didn't… when you fell, you'd get kicked even further down. But what was the point of telling him that?

"You always say," I went on, "Surround yourself with good people, bring those into your life who won't abandon you… Well, that's exactly what I did! There was always someone to help me."

I averted my gaze as I spoke. The truth was, I was alone. No one wanted to be around someone who wore gloves all the time, someone who was 'sick.' They called me a freak. But telling my uncle wouldn't change anything.

My uncle silently stood up, walked over to me, and pulled me into a tight embrace. I closed my eyes and rested my head on his shoulder.

"Thank you… for not giving up until now." His voice trembled. "I'm sorry. I wish I had taken you in from the start. I wasn't there for you when you struggled, but I'll do everything I can to make up for it."

When I saw the small damp spots on his shoulder, my hands instinctively went to my eyes. When had I started crying? Had I been able to control my expressions while talking to him?

As he gently ruffled my hair, it was impossible not to feel his emotions. Regret, sorrow, grief, anger… He regretted not taking in the child of his only sibling. He was saddened by what I had gone through. Seeing me like this pained him.

But amidst all of that, there was something that warmed me from within: I was finally with someone who truly made me feel like I belonged.

Suddenly, my uncle sniffled lightly, and his voice returned to normal. "I actually came to call you for dinner, but look at us now!"

I laughed. "We should've saved the emotional scenes for later."

"Yes, that was a bit too much drama. Now wipe your face, or the food will get cold."

After wiping my eyes, we left the room together.

Although I had been fired from work and he had written me countless letters filled with scolding, he had always worried about me all this time. Under the weight of time, there were moments when regret filled me for not visiting him, but those days were long past now. It was no longer the time to dwell in the shadow of the past, but to take a step toward the future. From now on, I will strive for what lies ahead.