Red Tape

“Liam….You are the most wonderful, kind, and good person I have ever seen. I have liked you for a long time… .”

It’s a confession scene that I encountered unexpectedly.

Erwin stopped walking and pressed his back against the wall.

It is very common for servants to fall in love and start a family.

Although some employers forbade it, the Calliwells did not prevent their servants from dating each other. Rather, they encouraged them to marry.

When servants marry each other, they are given a generous honeymoon and even a house on the private estate of Glassdale. So that they would feel grateful for the favors their master has given them and work harder.

When servants’ children grew up and became servants themselves serving the same family for generations, their loyalty increased greatly, so it could be seen as an investment.

The father of Arthur Jeffrey, the current butler, the previous butler Thomas Jeffrey, also married a maid and worked together for an estate.

Erwin could still vividly remember the old couple walking side by side toward the mansion and greeting him politely when he was a child. Maybe it was because they were so impressive.

They looked more loving and happier than the portraits of his mother and father on the wall, or any other noble couple he had ever seen.

Young Erwin tilted his head and wondered. What could be so good about them, just commoners, smiling like that?

Will that kid named Liam be like that too? Will he also get a lover?

They often meet at work, make shy eye contact, and have secret meetings while avoiding people’s attention. They might date like this and eventually get married.

Then, like the previous butler couple, will they get a house in Glassdale and go to work together every morning, holding hands?

Liam’s low voice broke the endless chain of thoughts.

“I am… .”

He did not even think twice before responding right away.

A sudden, uncontrollable anger burst out from within Erwin.

“Ahem.”

Erwin faked a cough.

Then a startled gasp was heard, followed by a sound of running. It was probably the sound of the maid who confessed and ran away after sensing someone else’s presence.

It is like sprinkling a ton of pepper on the confession scene.

I can not understand why I suddenly became so playful, like a mischievous child throwing a rock at a mating frog.

What is certain is that Erwin found the situation very amusing and delightful. It is to the point where I can not understand my own mischief.

I was holding my fist in front of my mouth, trying to suppress the laughter that was about to burst out, when Liam appeared from around the corner.

Erwin quickly fixed his expression. He is an expert at putting a mask over his face, so he is able to return to his usual dignified expression, pretending that he had no idea about the confessional conversation.

Liam bowed his head hurriedly and made a polite gesture.

“Master.”

Instead of answering, Erwin crossed his arms and slightly lifted his chin. Then he quietly looked at Liam.

If he is not a commoner, how do girls look at him?

He has the kind of looks that women find attractive. What commoners? Even the nobles would dream of having an affair with him.

He is a foot taller than me, with threateningly broad shoulders and a solid body built from hard work. Leaving that aside, his face had a strangely aristocratic feel. He has an air of dignity that doesn’t match his status at all.

“How old are you now?”

“Twenty.”

It is the face of a fully grown man. The facial features that drew a deep outline are harmonious and composed of restrained lines.

His silver-gray eyes highlight his appearance. The eyes, which can be seen through his thick hair, are a light gray with silver-gold lines drawn in small details.

He suddenly became curious about how he would look if he straightened his messy hair and dressed up in neat clothes.

On the other hand, Liam didn’t know what to do with himself under Erwin’s gaze, who was looking at him as if observing him.

Even his reaction of not knowing what to do is too obvious, if I’m his master, this seems a bit excessive.

It was like that from the beginning. From the first time I saw him, this kid had been looking at me as if he was worshipping me.

“What were you doing? Did I interrupt something?”

Erwin is surprised at his own foolishness.

“Oh, no. I was just cleaning

I felt strange when I realized that the same kid who admired me could be admired by others.

“Ha, if you have something to say…or something to ask… .”

Liam felt embarrassed for holding him when he had nothing to do or say, so he began to find fault with him for no reason.

“You must wear your uniform properly.”

Liam’s shirt sleeves are unbuttoned and fold over the middle of his forearm. Erwin reached out and pulled Liam’s sleeve down to his wrist and buttoned it up.

Erwin’s fingers briefly touched Liam’s upper arm.

It didn’t even feel like he was properly touching. But in an instance Liam’s breathing became unstable.

The upper arm where his knuckles had brushed against felt hot as if boiling oil had been splattered on it.

Thump, Thump. The sound of his heart beating, like an angry bull, is audible to Liam’s own ears.

“Well then, good work.”

Erwin passed Liam. The breeze wafted the scent of lavender. It smelled similar to when he took a bath with lavender oil yesterday.

Liam sniffed the young master’s scent until his ribs ached, just like a stray eating a piece of bread that had fallen to the floor.

***

As the sun set, noble carriages from all over the empire gathered at the grand Duke of Calliwell’s mansion, whose stonewall is covered by grapes like lilacs.

The carriages lined up at the end of the driveway, circling the huge fountain in front of the entrance, and stopped one by one in front of the mansion’s entrance.

Beautiful young ladies and gentlemen wearing hats and canes got out, escorted by servants.

The eyes of the young ladies who had finished their debutantes sparkled. Their eyes were filled with awe and desire as they faced the grandeur of the Duke’s mansion, one of the most beautiful mansions in the empire.

Erwin Calliwell, the leader of the noble faction and the only heir of the Duke of Caliwell, is a beautiful man of marriageable age, and there are many who imagined falling in love with Erwin while dancing.

The ball proceeded smoothly, like flowing water.

The Duke, who returned from the townhouse yesterday, leads the high-ranking nobleman to the smoking room, and Viscountess Motier stands on the steps of the front stairs and greets the guests as if she is the real mistress of this house.

Many noblewomen hid behind their fans and cursed the viscountess for her shamelessness, but the viscountess didn’t seem to care. She believes without a doubt that she is the real mistress of this house, even though she doesn’t have the title of duchess.

The most talked-about person was Erwin, who had returned to the Empire after five years away.

He is dressed in striped trousers and a banquet coat with gold decorations and diamond buttons.

With smooth and white skin, brown unblemished blond hair, and unblemished blue eyes. It would not be an exaggeration to say that it is an appearance that symbolizes nobility.

The moment he comes down the stairs, the sound of the young ladies gasping for breath upon seeing Erwin for the first time can be heard here and there.

Erwin greeted each guest one by one before speaking with Countess Helenstein and the young lady in the purple dress who accompanied her.

The Countess said, unable to hide her regretful expression.

“You will be returning to Saint-Bernoulli after the vacation is over, right? What a pity. By the way, have you met our Selina?”

“Hello, my name is Selina Helenstein.”

“ Nice to meet you, young lady.”

Erwin took her outstretched hand and bowed.

“By the way, did you know that? Our daughter Selina is really good in Grantaire?”

I can tell what the Countess is thinking without even having to hear it. She probably thought it would be nice to get me and her daughter engaged during my vacation and send them to Langter together.

“Hey, Selina? “Would you like to say something to the little Duke of Glassdale?”

Her foreign language is flawless and fluent. Erwin smiled brightly and answered in the same language.

Selina’s face turned red in an instant.

As soon as the duke returned to the mansion last night, he threatened Erwin. Ask Selina Helenstein to dance for him at the ball tomorrow.

Erwin is now tired of asking why. He didn’t want to know what kind of scheme the duke was plotting to use him as a tool. It also is a kind of avoidance.

“Can I ask the beautiful young lady to dance for me?”

Selina turned around to ask her mother, her chaperone, for permission. The countess nodded, hiding her joyous laughter behind a restrained smile, and Erwin gently grabbed Youngae’s hand and led her to the center of the stage.

And with the slow music played by the musicians, the dance began.

Erwin’s hair sparkled under the chandelier that scattered vivid rainbow colors.

While all the other young ladies looked at her enviously from behind their fans, Selina held hands with the fairytale prince she had dreamed of her whole life and danced t

he waltz.

Liam, dressed as a servant and standing near the banquet hall’s wall, watched breathlessly as the couple danced so gracefully that they seemed to walk on water.