Red Tape

Erwin Sey Chatsworth Hope Calliwell.

He was a glorious being born in the midst of widespread admiration and blessings.

When the first sound of a baby in the duke’s family, who had not had a child in five years after their marriage, shook not only the duke’s estate, Glassdale, but also the lower village Wickersfield, and the entire Freita Empire.

Duke Damon Frederick Chatsworth Calliwell declared his son’s birthday a holiday for the land, opened the gates of his castle, and held a festival for the entire town.

Beer and wine flowed like water throughout the castle all week, and the sound of champagne popping sounded like fireworks; no one in town went hungry.

Everyone praised him. The duke and duchess’ love story, which had always been the talk of the town, had borne beautiful fruit.

The duke fell in love at first sight with the fourteenth princess of Senain, an island nation, who was on vacation.

His mother Meredith Sey De Ciaran.

She was a country princess, but all she had was a pitiful title.

Senain was a country that allowed polygamy, and the princess was the daughter of an unknown queen, whose number was also unknown.

The Duke of Caliwell married the princess of Senain after an unusually short engagement period of only one month. He must have been so desperate that he hurriedly brought her to his territory without receiving a single dowry.

The King of Senain simply married off his daughter, whose name he could barely remember, to one of the most prestigious and wealthy families in the Freita Empire.

However, this romantic and beautiful love story that everyone cheered for ended in tragedy.

Meredith Ciaran, who gave birth to Erwin, Duke of Caliwell’s first son and only heir, died of postpartum fever ten days after giving birth.

She had come to a foreign land without a single dowry and had given birth to a child, and all she had left behind was one thing.

The child who inherited her appearance and the child’s name.

As is the case with most first births, it was a difficult birth. She screamed as if she was going to die and then sobbed loudly, and when she looked out the window completely exhausted, white snow was falling softly outside.

It was a mysterious landscape she had never seen in her hometown, which boasted mild temperatures all year round. Even though she had been here for five years, she still found the snow fascinating.

“Erwin… .”

“Yes? Madam?”

“I think the child’s name would be Erwin.”

And that became her will.

Perhaps she had a premonition of her death. Perhaps she wanted to leave some trace of herself in the duke’s family, where she had arrived empty-handed.

Erwin, who was born that way, grew up to be a noble being like a jewel. He received a perfect education under strict discipline.

Even his appearance was stunning, with his honey-like blond hair, slender stature, and blue eyes that made all the young ladies’ hearts flutter.

However, even at the age of eighteen, she was always lacking and immature in the eyes of one person.

His father, Duke Damon Calliwell.

Standing in front of the duke’s office door, Erwin heard a woman’s sobbing coming out through the crack in the door.

It was Viscountess Eloise Motier.

She married Viscount Edmund Motier, who was nearly thirty years older than her when she was in her twenties. People criticized her marriage for being based on money and title. There were many people.

The Viscount Motier was a relative of Damon’s, and soon after marrying, he went to war with Grantaire and died. The Viscountess, who had been left alone, came to Glassdale as soon as she removed her mourning clothes.

As someone who had suffered a similar pain from losing her husband, she had a plausible excuse to comfort the Duke who had lost his wife and take care of the castle without a master.However, everyone who worked in this house knew that she had dark intentions toward the Duke.

At first, the Duke treated her as a guest and was polite, but at some point, he began to visit the western wing where she was staying.

She had been yelling at Mrs. Friedman, the mansion’s head maid and highest-ranking female servant, and was already starting to act like the mistress of the house. And all of that was possible because of the Duke’s tolerance to some extent.

“Sob sob… .”

Erwin’s hand gripped the doorknob tightly as the sobbing sound continued. It would probably be difficult to let this pass quietly.

This morning, Erwin, who was about to go out for a walk, saw a maid loitering in front of his mother’s room. It was a maid that Eloise had brought from the Viscount’s house.

Erwin passed the flustered maid and opened the door to his mother’s room right away. Since the owner of the room had long since passed away, there was no need to knock.

Eloise, sitting in front of her mother’s dressing table, was talking to another maid without even noticing Erwin’s appearance.

“The jewelry is fine, but they’re all tacky. When it’s mine, I’ll set it right away and make it into a brooch.”

Erwin’s gaze lowered a little further. She took a ring from her mother’s chest and placed it on her finger.

It was a sapphire ring that her mother had inherited from her mother.

The molars clenched so tightly that her entire jaw ached.

“What are you doing in my mother’s room, Viscountess Motier?”

Erwin emphasized the titles ‘My Mother’ and ‘Viscountess Motier.’ She had asked him to call her ‘Lady Motier’ several times, but Erwin had never done so.

Eloise removed the ring with a puzzled expression and placed it in the chest.

“You didn’t think I was going to steal it, did you? I was just taking a quick look.”

“… . .”

Anger welled up from deep in her chest. Blood rushed to her eyes and she felt hot.

Passing by Erwin, Eloise said“I told the Duke to fix this room. I think the west wing is too far away, so I’ll stay in this room.”

“What did you say…?”

Eloise smiled at Erwin, who was glaring fiercely.

“Oh my, it’s so cold. It’s going to snow.”

She gave a soft smile and left the room, giving instructions to her maid as if to listen to him.

“Find out who the most famous interior decorator in Slivek is. I’ll have to tear everything down and fix it.”

Erwin, unable to hold back, quietly blurted out.

“…Courtesan.”

Courtesan. It meant a prostitute who served the upper class in exchange for financial support such as money or jewels.

“What did you just say?”

She asked, her face red with anger. Erwin smiled even more smoothly than the smile she had just given him.

“I didn’t say anything. You must be hallucinating.”

Eloise trembled, turned around, and left. She must have gone straight to her father’s office, given her personality.

An hour later, Erwin received a call from his father. It is nothing new or surprising.

Erwin opened the door only after his body temperature had warmed the cool doorknob.

The hem of Eloise’s skirt rustled as she hurriedly stood up from her seat near the duke.

“Would you like to go to the annex for a moment?”

“Yes, Damon.”

The corners of Eloise’s mouth tilted slightly as she passed Erwin.

Erwin, standing behind a velvet chair adorned with ornate gold, stared blankly at his father as he unbuttoned his sleeves.

On one side of his office bookshelf was a rolled-up bundle of red leather cords. They were originally used to tie up documents.

Damon wrapped the ends of the cords around the back of his hand.

“Do you know what you did wrong?”

“I don’t know.”

Every time this happened, the butler, Jeffrey, told him to pretend to be quiet. He told him not to make a big deal about his thoughts by telling the truth. He felt sorry for him, saying that even if he did, the only person who would be hurt was himself.

Yes, maybe it was because of his petty pride.

Thud—.

A leather strap made of tough cowhide hit Erwin on the back.

“Lady Motier is a kind person who came to help us.”

No, the Viscount’s lands were barren and worthless. She came because she wanted to become a duchess. Maybe she had instigated the Viscount’s death in the war.

“How dare you insult such a lady? How dare you put such a dirty word in Calliwell’s mouth?”

Thud—.

The leather strap clung to Erwin’s back and arms as if it were wrapping around them before falling off. The pain that felt like his skin was being torn to shreds made his teeth clench and his body tremble.

“Go to the annex right now and apologize to Lady Moteir.”

“….”

“No answer.”

Thud–.

Erwin hated being a mere human being so much that he couldn’t stand it. How nice it would have been if he had been a transcendent being, unshackled by pain.

But he was just a helpless human being, kneeling in the face of violence. After about ten slaps with a leather strap used as a whip, the duke got the answer he wanted.

“…Yes.”

At this moment, he felt like he was becoming worse than an insect.

“The Marquis of Essex will be here next week. He is planning to go hunting, so be aware.”

Erwin grits his teeth and goes outside. His back hurt like it was about to tear apart, but his soul was hurt more than his body.

He has to follow the duke’s orders. He has to endure the woman who had been touching his mother’s ring with a greedy face, the woman who considered him a thorn in his eye, he has to bow his head and apologize.

He came down to the first floor to go to the annex.

A boy with a beggarly appearance blocked his way.

The vase shattered with a loud, ear-piercing sound, and the daffodils, the family symbol, rolled on the floor alongside the broken glass.

The boy looked at Erwin as if he had found a god to serve. With eyes full of awe and admiration.

The silver-gray eyes that met his gaze for a fleeting moment scratched at his insides.

There was an innocence in those silver eyes that knew nothing of my darkness and pain.

“Clean it up.”

I couldn’t bear it without running away.