I Think My Husband Might Be a Murderer - Chapter 9

“Pardon?”

It was an unexpected situation. Did the servants of the ducal household need to learn high society etiquette as well?

Hiding my unease, I responded calmly.

“No, not at all.”

Sir Fred furrowed his brows and stared at me silently. It seemed that learning noble etiquette was indeed a requirement.

I held my breath, waiting for him to speak. But his response was unexpected.

“I had assumed you had already learned it.”

“Excuse me? What do you mean by that…?”

I blinked in confusion. Sir Fred then handed me a contract bearing the ducal seal.

“Your gait, speech, and even your manners—where did you learn them?”

At that moment, I had no idea why he was asking such a question. Accepting the contract, I answered as if it were obvious.

“I learned from my father.”

Sir Fred’s brow furrowed even deeper.

His previously gentle demeanor shifted slightly, and I found it oddly surprising.

“Did your father have any connections to high society?”

“No, not at all.”

I shook my head slightly.

In fact, he had actively avoided any ties with nobles.

I struggled to recall faint memories, then continued speaking.

“Ah, when I was young, a noble lady would occasionally visit. But that was it. My father was just an ordinary man… Why do you ask?”

“Because your noble etiquette is remarkably flawless.”

“What…?”

I struggled to understand his meaning for a long moment before bursting into laughter, waving my hand dismissively.

“That’s impossible. I’ve never had any direct contact with nobles.”

Though, recently, I had been encountering his master quite frequently.

Adding a hint of playfulness, I continued.

“Is that so…”

Sir Fred tilted his head slightly and spoke again.

“Who knows? Perhaps your father was more familiar with high society than you realize.”

“That is possible.”

I humored his curiosity with a light response, and he soon softened his demeanor.

“Of course, it could just be my lack of experience leading me to that conclusion.”

He smiled and stepped aside, signaling the end of the conversation.

As I crossed the courtyard, surrounded by numerous buildings, I finally reached the main gate.

It was astonishingly vast.

After taking a moment to admire the castle, I subconsciously clicked my tongue in awe.

“By the way, do I have no reason to visit the other wings? Ah, I only ask because no one has guided me there.”

Seeing Sir Fred’s stare, I quickly added an explanation, worried that I had asked something inappropriate.

Fortunately, his response came swiftly.

“Most areas are accessible. However, aside from the main residence, it would be best to refrain from entering other buildings unless specifically instructed.”

“Understood. Then, I shall see you tomorrow, Sir Fred. Thank you for today.”

Just as I was about to step outside the gate, he called out to me.

“One last thing.”

His voice remained as gentle as ever, but there was a chilling undertone.

“I trust that someone as astute as you will heed my advice.”

I turned around with a questioning look.

“Under no circumstances should you set foot in the underground chamber of the western annex.”

It sounded like a warning.

***

A week had already passed since I started working at the Schultz Ducal Household.

The initial excitement that comes with a new job had long since faded.

“Hah…”

I sighed as I gazed out at the dull, frostbitten lawn from my office desk. Outside, the servants of the ducal estate bustled about, busy with their duties.

‘Perhaps I should have asked for a more physically demanding job.’

At least then, I wouldn’t feel this uneasy.

But when I had first accepted this job, I had been too overwhelmed to make any requests. I hadn’t the audacity to demand anything from Duke Schultz.

I had only resolved to do my best with whatever task was assigned to me.

‘I didn’t think it would be just sorting documents…’

I stared at the stacks of completed paperwork.

The neatly arranged piles at the edge of my desk swayed slightly whenever a breeze sneaked in through the window. It felt as though they were mocking me.

In other words, I was bored out of my mind.

My responsibilities at the ducal household were minimal.

I was simply assigned an office where I sorted documents by date. Despite Sir Fred’s initial explanation making it seem complicated, it was a menial task.

Compared to the vast amount of paperwork I had managed while studying pharmacology, this was nothing.

As a result, my reputation among the servants was abysmal.

On my first day, I had been sipping tea by the window when one of the servants made eye contact with me and muttered:

“Miss Prim seems just like a noble lady.”

In other words, I was living an easy life, unlike the other servants.

And that wasn’t all.

“She even has her own office.”

Among all the employees, I was the only one granted a private office. When I realized this, I had been utterly flustered.

I, too, felt extremely uncomfortable receiving such a high salary while doing so little work. There were several times I had attempted to help the other servants with their tasks.

However, the response was always the same.

“No, Miss Prim. We couldn’t possibly burden you with such strenuous labor. Of course not.”

Their voices were sharp, yet their demeanor was nothing but polite, making it difficult to discern whether their words were sincere or not at first.

It didn’t take long before I painfully realized that they had completely excluded me from their group.

“We servants could never dare to dine with Miss Prim. Please, allow us to step aside.”

Naturally, they never included me during meals or breaks.

I had hoped to foster some level of familiarity, even if not as close as those who shared living quarters.

My father had given me love and kindness, but he had never allowed me to grow close to others.

“Hah…”

My expression stiffened slightly as I watched the servants playfully carrying laundry baskets woven from reeds.

When they noticed me, their expressions turned cold in an instant.

I stood up and drew the curtain closed. The fabric felt particularly rough against my fingertips.

This was not simple hostility. It wasn’t that they were intentionally ostracizing me.

Even I would have found the situation unfair.

They must have felt uncomfortable.

After all, the difference in workload was staggering despite us receiving the same wages.

And to make matters worse, even Sir Fred continued treating me with excessive politeness…

I had asked him multiple times to be more informal with me, but his response was always the same.

“I’ve grown accustomed to it. I find this more comfortable.”

He would say this with his usual pleasant smile, making it impossible for me to argue further. Eventually, I gave up.

At this rate, there was only one way for me to work in this estate without discomfort.

I released my grip on the curtain.

I wasn’t sure if a mere servant was allowed to meet with the master at will, but for now, it seemed best to request an audience with Duke Schultz.

***

Meeting Duke Schultz was not particularly difficult. Sir Fred readily agreed to arrange the request for me.

As I walked down the long corridor and opened the door, the first thing that reached me was the same bitter scent of tobacco from my father’s funeral.

Tapestries hung intermittently along the arched walls.

“I hear you wanted to see me. Is there a problem?”

A soft voice flowed through the room, emanating from behind the large ashwood desk at the center.

I folded the newspaper in my hands and lifted my gaze to meet his.

It had been some time since I last saw Duke Schultz, and his features seemed even sharper than I had remembered.

Had it been because he had helped me before?

Back then, his expression had not seemed so cold.

His face bore the strict discipline characteristic of the Dochilia Navy—emotionless, yet tinged with a hint of ennui. It was oddly captivating.

As a result, I found myself unconsciously stiffening my posture in response. Now that he was my employer, it was only natural to show even greater deference.

Duke Schultz leaned back against his office chair, then slowly sat upright.

“I heard from Fred that you are doing your work well.”

Meeting his gaze directly, I felt my palms grow clammy. I straightened my back and tried to suppress my nerves as I replied.

“The problem is that there isn’t enough work.”

His forehead creased slightly. I nodded firmly.

“The workload is far too small for the wages I receive. I have an obligation to work harder than this. That is the problem.”

A faint crack appeared in Duke Schultz’s expression. His eyebrows lifted slightly.

“Obligation?”

He repeated my words, rolling them on his tongue as if testing their weight. I felt slightly intimidated, but I continued speaking.

“I was hired as a servant, was I not? To be honest, I find this situation rather uncomfortable. The other servants are not particularly welcoming, either.”

“……”

“To be frank, I spend my days wondering what kind of gossip will arise next. Even after returning home, I feel uneasy.”

That was the truth.

Even during lunch breaks, I constantly felt on edge, worried about the silent scrutiny from others. I had lost count of the times I had ended up with indigestion because of it, and it had only been a week since I started working here.

I let out a quiet sigh.

“Surely, the Duke of Müssen would not have gone to such lengths to bestow undue favor upon me simply out of sympathy for my grief.”

I added this last remark without even checking his expression.

“Moreover, even Sir Fred treats me with the utmost deference, as if I were his superior. It’s incredibly uncomfortable.”

A soft scoff escaped his lips, cutting off my words.

Only then did I finally look up at him.

Duke Schultz was resting his chin on his intertwined fingers, his expression unreadable.

His piercing blue eyes trailed down from my embroidered dark green dress, past my slate-gray silk stockings, and settled on the tips of my neatly polished shoes.

Finally, his lips parted to speak.