Chapter 41
The Woodpecker King.
Adi had thought the title came simply from having vast territory and royal blood. They’d assumed the royal family’s silence about the name was also due to blood ties.
Even among noble families where siblings fought over titles without aspiring to the throne, Adi had been too naive. Not all siblings maintained good relationships like they had.
From the start, Adi hadn’t expected to inherit the Grimaldi lordship just because Adrian died, and Adrian likely felt the same. Being sickly, he’d anticipated not living long.
They were both twins who fell short of the Count’s expectations. Had nothing major happened to him, he would have disposed of both and taken another child under his wing to educate. He probably wanted someone similar to himself.
But these were all hypotheticals—in the end, only they remained.
Adi wrote down people’s names in their notebook.
Claude… surname must be Dalkatir. Middle names unknown.
Julius Woodpecker, Spencer Grimaldi, and the King whose face they didn’t even know. Was this somehow a continuation of the previous generation’s succession struggle? What had caused Spencer Grimaldi and the King to fall out?
If there was a chance to approach the King… but the King wouldn’t take their side or protect them from the Count. They had neither special use nor value to him.
The Crown Prince, even if currently friendly with Spencer Grimaldi, would choose Spencer between the two when considering utility.
Meanwhile, Woodpecker seemed to be at odds with the Grimaldi family. Though allowing them to stay at the residence suggested they weren’t enemies, among the three, Woodpecker would need them most.
Because of that curse.
Yes, it didn’t matter whether they kissed hand or lips. If only they could get close enough to find refuge for just a brief moment.
Adi toyed with their curly hair.
Better to tie it up rather than cut it. If they needed to flee, it would be better to escape as a woman than a man. They wouldn’t be thought of as the same person.
As a woman, huh.
It seemed ill-fitting no matter how they looked at it.
“First, I need to win the Duke’s favor.”
Winning the Duke’s favor was simple: breaking the curse. But they still didn’t believe the curse would be broken through them. However, if the Duke thought so, that could be used. Adi drew a circle above the Duke’s name.
❖ ❖ ❖
“You’re early.”
Adi bowed their head in greeting. Beside Yuls in the corridor were his attendant and Bert. The attendant opened a door alongside the corridor. They must have been about to change clothes. The clothes they’d brought originally must have been sent back to the territory—now only oversized clothes remained.
As the Duke unbuttoned his clothes, the attendant assisted. The Duke’s body, visible as he changed into nightclothes, was muscular. How he maintained that physique while sitting all day without training was a mystery.
“Go to the bedroom first, Adi.”
Now no one thought anything special of such words from the Duke. Neither did Adi. Standing by the window in the bedroom, Adi wondered about the Duke’s unexpected delay. Being told to go to the bedroom first probably meant they were having a conversation Adi shouldn’t hear.
They needed to get into their circle.
Gain trust, but without revealing their intentions.
Roy had legitimate reasons to be with them, but Adi had none. If anything, they might be suspected as a spy.
The fortunate thing was that for whatever reason, the Duke needed them now. But would he keep them around even if the curse couldn’t be broken at all? Adi couldn’t be certain if they were really the key to breaking the curse.
The Duke said he’d searched here for 13 years to break the curse. What he wanted was someone who could break the curse, not just someone with potential. How long would he want to keep them by his side?
Perhaps.
“Adrian.”
If they weren’t the key to breaking the curse, the Duke would surely cast them aside soon.
“Yes, Your Grace.”
“Come here.”
Adi approached. The Duke, with his towering height and young face, didn’t look twenty-six at all.
“You should do your duty.”
Though Adi’s duty was to guard the Duke, he seemed to consider the hand-kissing as Adi’s job.
Between the Count who would use them briefly before throwing them to Lev as prey, and the Duke who made them kiss him every night.
They were the same to Adi, but one side was at least open to negotiation. Raising their hand to kiss it, Adi studied the Duke’s face. He looked dissatisfied. There was no change in the Duke. Both Adi and Yuls knew this well.
“I hope I’ll at least have a beard tomorrow.”
“This appearance suits Your Grace best.”
“Uncharacteristic flattery.”
“…”
This wasn’t flattery. Adi had planned something different today. They couldn’t understand how this came across as flattery.
“Hurry and break the curse, Adi.”
“That…”
“It’s you.”
Yuls spoke firmly.
“That’s why I keep you by my side despite the rumors.”
Wasn’t the Duke the one who spread those rumors? The rumors were troublesome for Adi. They wouldn’t have cared about the rumors themselves if Spencer Grimaldi hadn’t come here.
But with Spencer present, those rumors could be interpreted differently. Not just by Spencer, but by Lev Jid too.
Yuls moved away from Adi. Sitting on the bed, Yuls was stretching his neck when he looked up, feeling Adi’s gaze. Perhaps due to the darkness, Adi Grimaldi’s eyes seemed particularly bright. The light brown eyes sometimes appeared yellow. Unlike the Count’s.
Adi approached Yuls. Yuls looked up at Adi with a puzzled expression. The gaze that had seemed high when they first met now seemed modest. Sliding their leg between Yuls’s legs as he sat, Adi said,
“Excuse me, Your Grace.”
The distance was close. Their hands moved quickly to hold Yuls’s face. If those hands had held a dagger, his throat would have been cut instantly. While Yuls debated whether to push away Adi’s hands, he froze as their face approached. Adi’s lips touched his forehead and withdrew.
“…”
This was bewildering. To suddenly receive an unauthorized kiss from a smaller, younger man. When he did it himself, he hadn’t thought much of it, but when someone else approached, it felt strange.
“We might try different locations from now on. Each spot might break a different part of the curse.”
Did this mean they were finally thinking about breaking the curse? It was a good sign that Adi Grimaldi had become more proactive. But it was also too sudden. After showing such dislike, what had caused this change of heart?
If it had changed at any other time it would be one thing, but doing this right after the Count arrived was suspicious. Of course, showing such suspicion would only make them run away again.
“The lips didn’t work.”
“It might be the final stage.”
“Next you’ll be kissing my feet.”
“If you command it.”
“You’re not a slave.”
Only slaves kiss their master’s feet. While some might prefer to dominate others, Yuls was not one of them. If they knew this, the territory wars that were said to have ended might start again.
Climbing onto the bed, Yuls said,
“You’ve heard? Claude will soon invite me and the Count. And you’ll accompany us. I hear Lev Jid will come as the Count’s guard.”
He glanced at Adi, but there was no change in their expression.
“Clothes have been prepared for you to wear then. Go find Joel tomorrow morning. He’ll give them to you.”
“Yes, understood.”
They didn’t even question it, though they knew their current knight’s attire would suffice. Yuls was curious how they would react when receiving the clothes tomorrow. Or would there be no reaction at all? Sometimes Adi Grimaldi seemed to have no emotions.
“Adrian.”
“Yes, Your Grace.”
“If the curse is broken, I’ll grant you one wish, regardless of the reason.”
For a moment, emotion flickered across Adi’s face. So they’re not emotionless after all, Yuls thought.
“…Even if it’s not broken because of me?”
“You lack confidence in yourself.”
It wasn’t lack of confidence but eliminating uncertainty. After all, if the curse was to be broken by true love’s kiss, how could it suddenly be them? Then if the Duke’s destined one was their dead sibling…
Wait.
“I need to return to my real age quickly.”
Adi looked at the Duke. Though living under Adrian’s name and status, they hadn’t completely forgotten who they were. So if the Duke’s destined one was…
“Only then.”
It couldn’t be.
“Can I remain as Duke.”
The words sounded like self-reassurance. His boyish face seemed uncharacteristically tired.
Adi thought this person must have his own circumstances. But that didn’t mean they wouldn’t use the Duke or feel sympathy for him.
Adi sneered at their own thoughts. No matter how much they disliked it, it seemed they too had Grimaldi blood flowing through their veins. Weren’t they similar to Spencer after all?
