Red Tape

Late at night, when darkness obscures any presence, Liam sitting in the middle of the right-hand maze garden, looking at the master’s room window.

After a few weeks of waltz lessons, Erwin had not called Liam since praising him for his skill.

If I had known, I would have pretended not to be able to do it.

I deeply regretted practicing over and over again in the cabin, wanting to look good somehow.

Erwin’s room window, which had been softly lit by candlelight, soon darkened.

“Not today either… . ”

Liam sighed in regret as he rested his forehead on his knees. It seems that the happy waltz lessons are really over.

Liam realized once again. Everything depended entirely on Erwin’s favor. He is in a position where he can not help but be swayed by Erwin’s whims, and this is his fate.

After a long time, I stood up after gathering my regrets.

The door to the mansion opened slowly, and someone came out through the crack in the door.

I remembered Mary’s exciting story about Julia and the gardener’s assistant seeing the ghost.

I don’t believe in ghosts, but the other person is acting enough to make me mistake him for one.

The white dress that reached his ankles fluttered in the eerie night wind. On top of that, his skin is as pale as if he has been covered in flour, and his hair is so bright that it sparkles white in the moonlight.

“….Young Master?”

What I thought was a white dress was actually a tunic that noblemen wore as sleepwear. From a distance, the one-piece sleepwear, which reached below the knees and mid-calf, resembled a dress.

But why is he out at this hour? Even the candles in his room are turned off. He must have been drunk from drinking wine late at night.

Suddenly, he thinks that he shouldn’t hide his presence and watch him secretly like this.

Liam gets up and leaves the garden.

Erwin is not surprised by the sudden appearance of a person in the maze garden.

Erwin was clearly looking in this direction. However, he turned his head as if he didn’t see Liam, and started walking toward the forest.

Liam tilts his head as he feels something strange. He sees Erwin walking barefoot toward the gravel path. If he steps on it barefoot, the sharp stones may tear his feet.

His body moved before he could think about it. Liam runs toward Erwin, quickly picks him up from behind, turns around, and places him in a safe place.

There was no time to ask for permission, and he had nothing to say even if he would be punished

He thought he might get slapped. However, Erwin started walking again in the direction Liam had put him down. He is like a wind-up doll that only knows how to move forward.

Liam’s eyes narrowed in doubt.

“Master…?”

“…. .”

“Master.”

He called out several times but Erwin did not respond. He just walked forward barefoot, without shoes.

After a long time, Liam realized that Erwin was still sleeping.

It is the moment when the full story of the ghost incident is revealed.

Perhaps some of the servants had seen Erwin wandering around like this in the night. They thought it was a ghost because they could barely see his silhouette in the darkness.

Looking at Erwin now, it was only natural for them to have such a delusion.

Liam can not stop his master, but he can not leave him alone either, so he follows him a few steps away. If he goes to a dangerous place and gets hurt, it would be a big deal.

Erwin circled the fountain. He will continue to do this all night if no one stops him.

While he was chasing after him, wondering what to do, a light came on in one of the windows on the top floor of the mansion.

For security reasons, the top floor of a noble’s mansion often has servants, especially male servants. The same is true for Calliwell.

Perhaps Ralph or Jeffrey are coming down to look around the mansion.

Wouldn’t it be difficult for the young master if he is caught like this?

Liam doesn’t hesitate.

“Excuse me, young master.”

He quickly approaches Erwin, wraps his hand around his neck and knees, and lifts him into a hug. He then enters the maze garden, sits on the floor, and places Erwin on his thighs.

Fortunately, Erwin is sitting quietly on Liam’s lap, staring into space.

“Are you okay?”

Liam whispered. Only then did Erwin’s gaze shift to Liam’s face.

“I’m sorry.”

I thought he was talking to me, but he wasn’t. Erwin’s eyes are subtly dazed. He is still dreaming and not awake yet.

“… It’s okay.”

“I hate myself so much… .”

There is nothing Liam can do. All he can do is rub Erwin’s back in his arms and give him an answer he can’t hear.

“No. I do not hate you.”

“Forgive me. I had a hard time too.”

Liam cannot imagine what kind of life he had during the five years he had been away; something inside him felt as if it had snapped like a dry tree branch.

“I’m sorry… I should have listened to you.”

Erwin’s eyes looked desperate. They seem to be desperately hoping that someone will tell him that he is not at fault.

Liam wanted to give him the answer he wanted. Even though the words of a guy like him would have no power or weight.

“It’s okay.”

“But… .”

“Everything is okay.”

Erwin’s gaze seems to touch Liam for a moment. Liam whispered into his ear as if to engrave it.

“It’s okay.”

As if under a spell to fall asleep, Erwin slowly closed his eyes. His neck and arms, which had been stretched out here and there, suddenly relaxed and fell into Liam’s arms.

Liam stares blankly at the sky while holding Erwin, who is asleep. In the dark sky, he is faced with a full moon.

A thin band of light is faintly spread around the edge of the moon.

Liam admired the halo spread across the clouds for a moment, then imitated his mother who used to tell him stories while he lay in bed.

“You know, my lord? If you see a halo like that around the moon, it will rain the next day.”

That is something I learned during my days of working as a stone mover at a construction site, where the weather of each day was more important than anything else.

“Will you go for a walk tomorrow too? I will prepare a raincoat for you, an umbrella, and rain boots too.”

He hoped the young master would be safe from the rain and all of the world’s storms.

He has no talent for words, so he quickly runs out of things to say, and Liam looks up at the night sky again.

Just like that beautiful moon halo that is very rare to see, it seems that the noble young master has a pain that is not easily revealed to others.

Liam carefully tugged the hem of the young master’s tunic so that the dirt would not get on his white pajamas. Only after the lights in the room on the top floor of the mansion had gone out, he got up, holding Erwin, who was deeply asleep.

Liam quietly entered Erwin’s room like a thief. He laid him down on the bed where he had previously laid and brought a wet cloth to gently wipe his feet.

He doesn’t know exactly what the symptoms Erwin is experiencing are called. However, he had heard that such people existed.

Some people think it is just a sleeping habit, but there are those who believe in superstitions. Some people even send them to a mental hospital because they think they are possessed by ghosts.

But the young master will be fine. No one will know.

The young master will take a secret night walk without anyone knowing.

***

Only three people are seated at the long table, which could easily accommodate thirty people.

The Duke and Viscountess Eloise Motier, who had returned from their townhouse in the capital city of Silveck, sat side by side at right angles to each other, while Erwin sat at the other end of the table, quite far away.

“They say ghost stories are going around among the servants these days.”

At Eloise’s words, the duke snickered as if he was listening to the nonsense, and Erwin’s hand holding the knife flinched for a moment.

Eloise still resented Erwin. Since his return, she can no longer act as the mistress of this house as before.

That thorn in her eye had been waiting for the day when he would return to the dormitory after his vacation, so it was heartbreaking for her that he had submitted his resignation.

Eloise continued to talk. It is mostly about balls, dinners, and gossip about society.

Erwin put down his fork and knife, unable to continue eating, because of the sharp pain that felt like a very thin and long needle was being passed from one ear to the other.

This tinnitus, which sounded like the highest notes of an out-of-tune violin squeaking, is a symptom he had since he was in Saint-Bernoulli.

The Duke glanced down at Erwin’s barely empty plate and snorted.

“You seem to have no talent at finishing something. You can’t even finish one plate properly.”

“…I’ll get up first.”

He is now used to the Duke’s criticism. Eloise put a napkin to her mouth as if trying to hide her laughter.

Erwin returned to his room, read a book, took a bath with a lot of perfume, and got ready.

He put on a soft cotton tunic over his naked body and lay down on the bed. He closed his eyes, hoping that he would not have nightmares today.

***

Unfortunately, Erwin’s night walks are becoming more frequent.

Liam now knew the times he often came out, and he even waited for him with his coat.

It was spring, but the northern weather was very cold at night, and Erwin looked even colder in his light tunic.

Now he can’t tell whether he is hoping Erwin will not come out or waiting for him to come out.

He feels sorry for Erwin, who is wandering around the garden, but he also feels a little happy at the fact that the master is right there and that only he knew about it.

After midnight, the front door of the mansion opens and Erwin comes out. Liam approaches Erwin quietly, who is walking as if on water, and wraps his coat around his cold-looking shoulders.

Erwin obediently accepted Liam’s dressing of him, like a doll. As soon as his hand is lifted, he starts walking again, and Liam follows Erwin, always keeping the same distance of two feet behind them.

At that moment, the sound of the window opening with a creaking sound announced the end of this secret walk.

Liam turned his head to check the mansion.

The light in the room where Eloise is staying is on.