Red Tape

“It’s a beautiful place.”

“I think so,too.”

The mansion, made mostly of wood, is neither grandiose nor overwhelming, but it had a simple and quiet beauty.

In particular, the lush rose garden in front of the mansion caught my eye the most.

Erwin’s picky eyes, who had seen the splendid gardens of all kinds of noble families, found it to be more than adequate. It’s comparable to the rose garden of the palace, which is decorated with rare imported plants.

Unlike the garden of the Duke of Calliwell, which is maintained without a single error, the garden of the Viscount Hervey’s family is filled with a variety of plants, giving it a free-spirited feel. The pergola, covered in roses from the pillars to the roof, heightens its beauty.

An annex with a dome-shaped roof at the far end of the mansion serves as a banquet hall.

In the banquet hall, where soft light leaked through the cracks in the windows even late at night, a maid was tidying up, possibly because she had finally finished sweeping and mopping.

She was carrying cleaning supplies in a copper bucket and about to leave when she noticed the two people who had just entered through the entrance and quickly bowed to show her respect.

Her head tilted a little more toward Liam as she greeted him. Erwin is dressed rather casually, wearing only a shirt, while Liam is wearing noble clothes.

Erwin lightly glanced around and asked,

“Can I take a look around?”

“Yes. Of course.”

She quickly left the room, leaving the two of them alone in the empty banquet hall.

Erwin looked around and swept the floor with his toes. It is well-maintained, without any snags. The corner of Erwin’s mouth slightly curled up as if saying, “It’s pretty good”.

“Let’s try.”

“Huh? Wha-what?”

“What could it be?”

Erwin extended his hand, and Liam only then realized what he meant, scratching the back of his head as if embarrassed.

His gaze, which had been looking at Erwin’s lips, quickly shifted to another place. Soon, a large, rough hand grabbed a white, delicate hand as if supporting something precious.

Liam placed his palm on Erwin’s slender back and moved smoothly, taking the first step precisely.

They dance gracefully as if they are one, as if there is a musical performance that only they can hear.

They held each other close enough that their hearts almost touched, then moved away, holding only one hand tip like lovers parting.Liam pulled his hand again and held Erwin’s back to his chest, and stood facing the same place.

Erwin glanced behind him as he slowly moved his body left and right to the rhythm.

“How is it? Do you like being a master?”

“Honestly…. not at all.”

Erwin trembled slightly as Liam’s low, resonant voice sounded right next to his ear. Liam noticed the trembling as his hands wrapped around his waist.

“Are you cold?”

“… A little.”

“Should I take off my coat for you?”

“Not to that point.”

He dressed him in nice clothes, let him sleep in a nice place, and treated him like a precious person for a moment. And yet he said he doesn’t like it. Erwin couldn’t understand Liam at all.

“You don’t like it?”

“It’s just… uncomfortable and these clothes. I do not think it is suitable for my place.”

“Your place?”

“Yes.”

It’s a world where pedigrees of breeds give each person a place to belong, just like livestock.

They both have places in the world that are too far apart to touch.

And tomorrow, this game would end and they would have to return to their original places. To their narrow and harsh places, shackled by bondage and coercion.

As soon as Erwin realized that fact, his expression darkened.

How nice it would be. If only I could continue this journey with you.

“If I were you, my lord.”

“I would have run away.”

Archibald’s words flashed through his mind again.

Erwin unconsciously lowered his eyes and looked at Liam’s hand holding his own. The hands, covered in calluses, looked strong.

He was a child who had come to the North alone at the age of fifteen. He said that he had done all kinds of hard work since he was young.

I, who only knew how to read and understand the world of the aristocrat ,and the man standing behind me are completely different.

Liam had a strong desire to survive, and had no debts or family to care for, so he could go anywhere. And he could settle down successfully wherever he wanted.

if I ask you to run away with me.

If I tell you not to go back but instead go somewhere.

“Do you… like your life now?”

“Yes?”

Liam grabbed Erwin’s hand again and pulled him into a face-to-face position. His large, warm hand covered his entire lower back.

Erwin try to speak calmly as he takes a step back.

“Do you like living in a hut and being a gamekeeper? Working in Glassdale… Isn’t it hard?”

Liam was a child who lived freely, and the Duke of Calliwell has more rules and regulations than other places. I wonder if he feels suffocated after living in such a space for five years.

For a brief moment, Erwin wishes Liam had wanderlust.

“You said you’ve never lived anywhere for long. Aren’t you bored? Don’t you want to leave?”

If you say you’re a little bored and want to leave… Then if I tell you to take me with you.

Erwin held his breath for a moment, looking at Liam, who was deep in thought with his eyelids down.

“No.”

“….”

“I like Glassdale. I don’t want to leave.”

Glassdale is where the young master was born.

The young master had been skating on the pond in Glassdale since he was young, and had first learned how to ride a horse in the open field behind the mansion. Just the fact that his traces remained in every corner of the garden where the master walked meant that Glassdale had a special meaning to Liam.

“…Really? That’s…Thank goodness.”

Erwin turned around again and leaned his back against Liam’s chest. Because they are facing the same direction, his face, which Liam cannot see, sank into an infinitely deep gloom.

I only wish time would stop like this.

but even at that moment, the moon is waning.

***

“Master.”

A low, soft voice tickled his ear. It is also thick, like whipped cream.

“Master. It’s time for you to get up now.

“Umm…·”

The light shone into his narrowed eyes.

The morning sunlight that penetrated deep through the window drew the shape of a window frame on the carpeted floor. Erwin raised his hand to block the halo of light that flickered over his face.

Liam quickly went to the window, closed the curtain, and approached the bed.

“You must be very tired.”

As a noble who rarely walks, Master must have been exhausted from walking around the market and the riverbank without stopping for even a moment yesterday.

“I want to let you sleep more, but I don’t think I can.”

Erwin blinked his drowsy eyes. Liam had washed up and changed into the clothes he bought yesterday, not knowing when he woke up.

“The butler came by a little while ago.”

Liam sat on the edge of the bed and gently took Erwin’s wrist, which was lying on the sheets.

With one hand, he held the knot and the other grabbed the string; as he pulled, the knot came undone, and Erwin’s hand slipped out through the loose loop.

Hiding the string deep in the bag is also one of Liam’s jobs.

Erwin lifted his strangely cold wrist. There are red scratches and nail marks, as if he had been pulling and scratching it. The implication is clear. He had awoken from his sleep and done something crazy again yesterday.

A resigned sigh escaped his lips.

“I think you should get up, get dressed, and get ready to go down. The butler who just came said that the Viscount and his wife wanted to greet the young master… .”

“…What?”

Erwin’s hand, which had been comfortably resting, gripped the blanket tightly. There is a moment of silence.

“You know Liam, you are Erwin. Introduce yourself to Viscount’s family like that.”

“Yes?”

“We decided to change. You’re the young master.”

Liam’s expression became very troubled.

I thought the young master’s suggestion was just a little game to make me feel awkward and tease me, but acting like the young master in front of the Viscount and his wife is far beyond Liam’s common sense.

“No matter what, how could I lie like that in front of the Viscount and his wife…”

“You’re Erwin. Tell me that I’m a friend who came from abroad for a short vacation.”

Erwin has the face of a stubborn child, and his blue eyes tremble with anxiety.

He looks scared, as if he is about to witness something scary.

Liam wondered if it be related to the fact that his symptoms at night had gotten worse since he came here.

But Liam has only one choice.

For the sake of the young master who seemed like he would cry if he said no, he can only continue playing the noble game that didn’t suit him.

“… I’ll try.”

Erwin, who had just regained his motivation, sat up straight from his seat and explained everything to Liam in detail. He pretended to listen quietly and nodded slightly, and even politely declined when he was offered a meal.

In this situation, it would have been easier not to play or anything, but for some reason, Erwin did not want to.

When they were guided by the butler who had been waiting at the entrance of the stairs to the reception room on the first floor of the mansion, they are greeted by a bustling crowd of people. Their ages ranged from middle-aged to young children. They are the Viscount and his wife and their children.

Everyone’s eyes are on the two people who had just opened the door and entered, and Erwin felt a strong urge to turn around and run away.

When Liam, who was acting as Erwin’s stand-in, opened his mouth to say hello.

“Erwin!”

A little girl came running and grabbed Erwin’s hand, as if she already knew who Erwin is.