Chapter 6 : Trusting the Savior’s Daughter
Chapter Six
The evening breeze gently tousled his golden hair, now tinged crimson by the setting sun.
Though he was currently the subject of public criticism, he remained the heir to the Duchy of Schultz. His honor would soon be restored—just as past embezzlement scandals had quickly faded from people’s minds.
Even if my father had once done him a favor, no one would fault him for disregarding someone like me.
But then… why?
I stared at him in confusion, searching his eyes as if hoping to find an answer in their depths. His eyes, as breathtakingly vivid as the ocean, revealed nothing. I couldn’t read a single thought behind them.
After a long moment of hesitation, I finally voiced what he had proposed to me.
“You’re saying… you wish to entrust me with the duties of the Schultz Duchy?”
“That’s correct.”
“Even though I might not be capable of fulfilling them?”
The young duke nodded without pause. His unwavering confidence only deepened my confusion. I gently curled my hand into a fist and asked again,
“May I ask why you’re offering me such help?”
He didn’t respond. Instead, he calmly pulled a cigarette case from his coat. With a motion as fluid as water, he placed one between his lips, tossed the rest onto my father’s coffin, and lit it with effortless grace.
When he noticed my furrowed brow, he spoke softly.
“Forgive me… We used to smoke together all the time.”
It didn’t sound like an excuse—yet the air of rudeness vanished with his words.
But… my father wasn’t a smoker. He must have been going through more than I realized. I sank into that thought, until his voice pulled me back.
“As I said earlier…”
He inhaled deeply from his cigarette, then exhaled in a long breath. After a pause, he continued,
“I couldn’t stand by and watch the daughter of a man I was once close with suffer. Sergeant Prim did a great deal for me. Since I can no longer repay him directly, I wish to return the favor through you.”
There was a certain cynicism in his tone.
As if to say: the man I owe is gone—so I must repay the debt to his daughter, if only to preserve my own dignity.
That seemed to be the true meaning behind it.
It was an offer born of a noble’s mindset—one that saw the world only from his own perspective. He may have believed he was being considerate, but his words dripped with arrogance.
I glanced at the side of his indifferent face, clutching the hem of my black dress tightly.
“Is there another reason behind this generosity? I may not be well-versed in military ranks, but I doubt my father could’ve helped someone of a fleet commander’s stature. Or is it merely pity?”
The young Duke of Schultz raised an eyebrow.
“No. The debt I owe your father is far greater than you assume, Miss Prim.”
His face, sculpted like a flawless statue, carried an air of sincerity. And someone of his position had no reason to lie or fabricate intentions toward me.
And yet…
This offer—it’s too heavy. Far too heavy.
To serve in a noble household, one required certified credentials—strict prerequisites for employment. And only those with discretion and spotless reputations were considered. In truth, entering such a position was incredibly difficult.
Put plainly, even attempting to earn those qualifications demanded a significant financial backing.
It was no surprise people would say, “To serve a noble family, three generations must live upright lives.”
Though the Russell Marquisate was an exception, due to its lack of staff.
I recalled a recruitment posting I’d once seen from the Duchy of Schultz:
“Fluency in foreign languages and possession of professional certifications preferred.”
While I was confident in keeping secrets, I wasn’t fluent in the foreign languages they required. And though I was currently studying to become a licensed pharmacist, I held no professional credentials yet.
So regardless of how much assistance I had supposedly earned, accepting this job would amount to nothing more than favoritism.
And I didn’t want to stoop to that.
I offered him a polite smile and said,
“In that case, I thank you for your offer, but I must decline. I assume I have the right to refuse, correct?”
A faint crease deepened across his smooth forehead.
“I thought it was an offer no one would reject. May I ask why you are declining?”
“Because, sir, I believe the help you’ve already given me is more than enough.”
“I disagree.”
He let out a soft breath of disbelief, as if my refusal were entirely unreasonable.
And I realized the truth of his sincerity in the words that followed:
“Miss Edith Prim,”
he said, inhaling another draw of his cigarette before continuing,
“I haven’t made any real effort for you yet.”
“…Pardon?”
“Even the job I offered—it’s simply fair compensation for your labor. It’s not a favor, nor a gift.”
I was at a loss for words.
Though he spoke with impeccable manners and courtesy, his words struck me as unbearably arrogant.
“But…”
Perhaps his words would have tempted me—if we weren’t standing in front of my father’s coffin.
But my father taught me to live with dignity. Never to accept kindness without cause. To live with a healthy dose of suspicion.
I gazed at the burning tip of his cigarette, then lifted my eyes to his perfectly composed yet cold face.
His upright posture, his restrained demeanor—it all reminded me that I was speaking to a nobleman.
I bit down on my lower lip, drew in a breath, and answered:
“Still… If I weren’t Sergeant Prim’s daughter, I doubt I would’ve received such an offer. And while I’m truly grateful, I don’t wish to accept it. I want to find my own way—without depending on anyone.”
His next question caught me completely off guard.
“And what if… it were a personal request?”
As though he had anticipated my refusal.
“…A request?”
“I have the means, the wealth, and the power to repay my debts. Yet I’m asking you this way, with respect, because…”
He paused briefly.
“…because you know full well what people in Müssen are saying about me these days, Miss Prim.”
He ran his fingers through his wind-blown hair. The crease between his brows deepened.
I knew it was irreverent to think such things in front of my father’s casket—but there was no denying it: Johannes Schultz possessed an almost divine beauty. Had his expressions not been so limited, he might have appeared warmer—more approachable.
“Just listening to the rumors people spread about me should be enough to tell you how far the prestige of House Schultz has fallen.”
He dropped the shortened cigarette onto the dry grass, crushing it beneath his boot. A faint scorch mark remained on the ground.
I watched his slightly unrefined gesture and replied slowly,
“Yes… I’m aware.”
Even someone as striking and noble-born as he was couldn’t escape public scrutiny. He was a noble among nobles—and reputation was everything.
I’d known it, but hearing it from him made it feel more real.
He tilted his head ever so slightly, his gaze scanning me quietly.
“That’s why I need a trustworthy attendant. And if that person is you, it would bring me great relief.”
“…And what makes you trust me?”
“Your father often spoke proudly of you. Said you were an honest, upright young woman—rare in this day and age.”
Despite those words, his voice remained completely flat.
“…Excuse me?”
“I trust Sergeant Prim’s word. So, Miss Prim—I ask you to trust your father. And the man your father trusted.”
With that, the young Duke Schultz took a single long stride forward, closing the distance between us.
From this undeniable proximity, he reached out a hand toward me.
As the veil I had half-lifted fell completely away, my vision sharpened.
Those deep, sapphire-blue eyes locked onto mine.
“I truly believe… you won’t disappoint me.”
