Red Tape

“Mr. Brody! Mr. Brody!”

“Hey, you punk! Do you know what time it is!”

The window on the second floor of the butcher shop across the street swung open, accompanied by loud swearing.

But Liam cannot stop.

Brody’s general store has everything, and Brody, with his extensive knowledge, would most likely know how to treat Erwin’s wound.

“Mr. Brody! Please! Mr. Brody!”

Soon, the lights appear on the second floor of Jones’ General Store, and Brody is seen coming down with a lit lantern.

Brody, who is wearing pajamas and a coat, opened his eyes wide in surprise when he saw Liam standing at the door, and quickly approached and opened the door lock.

Liam rushed in through the open door.

“Wait, Liam! What are you doing at this hour… .”

“I need medicine!”

“Where does it hurt? Are you injured? Then you should go to the doctor. Why did you come to me?”

At first, Liam also thought about going to Mr. Gregory, his attending physician. However, Erwin didn’t seem to want anyone to know about his wounds.

Liam shakes his head as if he has no choice.

“It looks like a whip wound. Some of them have burst and are bleeding.”

Brody nodded and listened before going behind the counter and taking out a small glass bottle.

“It’s a very precious ointment made from pine oil and herbs. You should apply it to the clean wound and wait until it swells.”

Liam fiddled with the ointment. Just looking at the glass bottle with elaborate decorations and a gold lid, you can tell it is a very valuable item.

“When you wash the wound, you must use water that has been boiled and cooled. Wash your hands with soap several times before cleaning the wound. The towel you will use to clean the wound should also be very clean.

Liam nodded intently as if he was memorizing every word.

“Did one of the servants get beaten?”

Brody asked again, but this time Liam didn’t answer. He looked down at the bottle with a serious expression and then poured the money out of his pocket onto the counter.

“That’s enough. Put it away. There is no money between us.

Liam shook his head quietly. He felt like he owed Brody a thousand dollars for letting him into the store and giving him medicine this late at night.

“Liam, tell me. What the hell happened? Who got whipped… .”

“Thank you. I’ll come back and say hello again.”

There is no time to talk to Brody here. Liam left Brody’s store after a brief goodbye. He hears a voice calling him from behind, but he doesn’t have time to look back.

“Take the money! Hey, Liam!”

Liam picked up the bicycle that had fallen to the floor and started paddling again with all of his might.

By the time he arrives at the cabin, Liam’s whole body is drenched in sweat.

Erwin is lying face down on the bed, just as he left it earlier. He looks so exhausted and on the verge of collapse.

When he was doing odd jobs, Liam had been whipped once or twice. After the shock of being hit by a red-hot whip passed, his whole body would tense up until another shock came.

Erwin, who is a noble being, could not have been used to such pain.

Recalling Brody’s words, Liam boils clean water in the brazier until it is lukewarm before carefully cleaning Erwin’s wound.

He also rolled up his few clothes and placed them next to him, worried that Erwin might feel uncomfortable lying on the wet bed.

“Ugh… .”

Even in his sleep, Erwin groaned every time the water touched the newly formed wound.

After using up all of the water in the kettle and thoroughly cleaning the wound, he gently wiped away the moisture in areas that were not too close to the injury.

Then he scooped up a generous amount of the golden ointment from the medicine bottle and applied it to the wound as if covering it. Erwin whined in his sleep.

“Ugh… It hurts… .”

“I’m sorry…. I’m sorry… .”

Liam used half a bottle of ointment with a painful expression and meticulously applied medicine to the red area on the back of his arm.

When he finishes all the treatment, it is already dawn outside the window.

Erwin seems to have fallen into a deep sleep, and instead of groaning, he begins to breathe regularly.

Only then did Liam let out a sigh of relief and his gaze fell on the shirt Erwin had taken off.

Liam took the shirt to his bathroom and washed the bloody area with soap. After patting it dry, he hung it in front of the fireplace to dry well.

When dawn broke, the air suddenly became cold, and Erwin was unable to cover himself with a blanket. Liam added a few more logs to the fireplace and turned on the water on the stove. The humid air became a little warmer.

After finishing all of his work, he sits on the floor next to the bed like a dog guarding its owner.

Liam, who sat with his back against the bed and knees up to his chest, slowly tilted his head on the knee, and before he knew it, he was fast asleep with his forehead resting on his knees.

His eyes opened wide at the sound of the first rooster. When he turned quickly, his gaze met Erwin’s.

Since when has he been watching me? Liam touched the area around his mouth with the back of his hand, wondering if he had shown him any ugly behavior. Fortunately, he didn’t seem to be drooling while sleeping.

Erwin blinked slowly.

“What did you do to me?”

“I didn’t do anything. I applied some ointment… I didn’t touch anywhere else!”

Liam protested as if the thief had lost his footing. Erwin snickered.

“Who said it? And what’s wrong with guys touching each other?”

It doesn’t look like it at first, but it seems he was laughing. Looking closely, the color returned to his pale face and lips. Liam is very happy that his physical condition seems to have improved.

“I can’t get up. Help me get up.”

His muscles have stiffened after lying face down for hours.

Liam quickly approached him and carefully lifted him, placing his hands under his armpits. His strength in lifting a grown man, like pulling out a root stuck in the ground, was incredible.

While Erwin turned his head here and there to relax his sore muscles, Liam brought his crispy, dry shirt over and handed it to him. He tried not to look at Erwin’s exposed upper body.

Erwin looks at Liam, who is standing awkwardly with his head bowed, as he buttoned up his shirt and tied the ribbon around his collar.

“What do you need?”

“…Huh?”

“Money? Vacation?”

“What do you mean… .”

“Did I seem so insignificant enough to not return such kindness?”

“Oh, no! That’s not what I meant… .”

“Then tell me. How much?”

“Then… .”

Erwin tries to suppress his laughter as he watches Liam, who is lost in deep thought. After all, teasing this kid is fun. No matter what he says, he always reacts greatly.

Erwin is excited to see how much this innocent man will ask for. Somehow, he doesn’t think it would be such an ambitious amount.

Liam raises his head and looks at Erwin as if he has made up his mind. Then, he opened his mouth with an extremely serious expression.

“Waltz… .”

“…What”

“I don’t need money. Instead…teach me how to waltz like last time.”

“…. .”

For the first time, Liam noticed confusion on Erwin’s Face. It is a reaction to hearing something he had never expected.

“Waltz?”

Liam nodded. Erwin let out a breath he had been holding back.

“Oh my. I tried to give you a piece of the pie.

It’s just a waltz…?”

“…Yes.”

“You’re stupid. You don’t even know how to take advantage of an opportunity.”

Erwin walked toward the cabin door with his usual upright gait. Liam thought quietly as he watched Erwin’s back.

The master was wrong.

I am smart and I made full use of the opportunity.

***

“Liam, the master is looking for you.”

Clang-.

In an instant, the strength in his hand gave out and the fork he was holding fell past the table and onto the floor. The ripple effect of the young master is that great to him.

“M-master.”

“Yes, I guess there is some work to be done. Go to the room.”

“As Liam abruptly sat up, the chair he was sitting fell backward with a loud thud.”

His plate is barely half empty, but he has no time to waste. He put a content into a bucket for leftover food, threw a bowl into a dishwashing tub, and headed straight for Erwin’s room.

In a mansion, the owner and wife live on the third floor, while their children live on the fourth.

I was climbing the stairs absentmindedly, wondering if my back injury had gotten worse, and in the blink of an eye, I was on the fourth floor.

I carefully knocked on the door, and a second letter voice rang out: “Come in.”

Liam took a deep breath and turned the doorknob. A sweet scent of fresh lily wafted through the open door.

“Are you looking for me… .”

Erwin, who was reading a book on a purple velvet chair on one side of the room, leisurely put the book down on the table and stood up. Then he bowed slightly, bending his knees.

“It’s been a while. Sir Liam Jenners.”

Erwin raised his eyes as if to encourage an answer.

“Uh, Miss Erwen Calliwell… .”

Erwin’s teaching begins.

A couple dancing a waltz late into the night loomed in front of Erwin’s room window.