No Regression for the Victor - Chapter 14
“Ah, yes! S-Sorry!”
Like some street urchin who’d been caught by the city guards and was running away with his tail between his legs, Mikhail hurried out of the study, his heart pounding so hard it felt like it might leap out of his chest.
Why am I like this? It’s not as if I did anything that embarrassing… Is it because I feel guilty for deceiving him, or is there another reason?
Even though the man had long since disappeared from sight, Mikhail’s heart still wouldn’t settle down.
‘Why… W-Why…?’
The impression of him that was now so vividly etched into Mikhail’s mind was nothing like what people had said or what he’d seen in paintings.
There was a sense of serene composure in his gestures and demeanor, yet in that forlorn gaze, there was an undeniable strength that couldn’t be hidden, as though he were a wild beast subdued and bound into submission.
It was not the impression of a defeated man who had once enjoyed glory second only to the Emperor, only to lose everything. Mikhail had thought he would be left only with bitterness and defiance in his current situation. Instead, at this very moment, he seemed like an indescribably jaded ruler.
Perhaps that was why Mikhail couldn’t help but gaze at his face, as if mesmerized.
Of all the people Mikhail had ever met, the one who sat at the very top of power was, of course, the Emperor. Yet, if he judged by presence alone, the authority this man exuded felt even greater than the Emperor’s.
As if he had been born to rule.
Mikhail finally managed to calm his pounding chest, lay down on the creaking bed, and closed his eyes, but when Marcel returned from his inspection and saw Mikhail like that, he frowned.
“What are you doing, exactly?”
Mikhail couldn’t answer Marcel’s question. He just hiccuped quietly, like a child who’d been caught doing something wrong. All he could think was that he had to see the Duke again. That single thought filled his mind.
And the chance came sooner than expected. The manor, while simple by noble standards, wasn’t small—certainly not as small as a farmer’s barn. Counting the walking paths, gardens, and fields attached to the island, the area was quite broad and required a thorough investigation.
While Marcel was away, Mikhail, like a mouse sneaking into a storeroom, crept around the study door.
‘I wonder if he’s in there today…?’
Just as Mikhail was curious about what might be happening inside—
“What are you doing?”
A low voice called out from behind him.
“Ah, s-sorry!”
The moment he met that piercing, icy gaze, Mikhail instinctively bolted. In front of that man, he always turned into a blundering fool. He dashed down the stairs and retreated to the area he’d been assigned, where nothing happened.
He wanted to know more about him. But there was no way. He was just a servant assigned to a suspicious investigator, while the Duke was under suspicion himself. It was painfully obvious, even to Mikhail, that he must be a bothersome presence.
Yet, still—he wanted to know more! Even the next day, Mikhail found himself stupidly loitering near the study, unable to stop.
“……”
He decided to just listen for signs of life inside. Thinking he was well hidden, he pressed his ear to the door—
“Is it you again?”
A quiet voice from within called out to him. Crap. I’ve been caught. He’d made no sound, not even breathing, to avoid being noticed, so how did he figure it out?
Startled, Mikhail hurriedly stepped back, causing the old wooden floor to let out a loud creak.
“Whatever it is, just come in.”
Mikhail couldn’t refuse the man’s order. Ignoring his racing heart, he gripped the doorknob and opened the door, to find the man waiting for him with a calm but listless expression. Though his face was composed, it was set in a way that seemed deliberately severe.
“Did your master send you to spy on me?”
The question came like an accusation, and Mikhail quickly shook his head.
“No! It’s not like that…”
“……?”
Trailing off, Mikhail’s cheeks flushed red with embarrassment. The man’s lips twitched as he looked at Mikhail, as if wondering whether it was because it was hot or if climbing the stairs had been that exhausting.
“If not, then explain why you keep hovering around my study.”
