Red Tape

Liam chose an ivory linen shirt, a thick-weave vest with lots of pockets, and loose trousers.

Considering his budget, he ended up choosing the cheapest ones they had, but he looked pretty good in the mirror.

The shop’s owner must have thought the same thing, as he suggested.

“Why don’t you buy it? It looks nice.”

Liam nodded, his tanned cheeks slightly flushed.

“I have a coat that would go perfectly with this outfit.”

Liam shook his head firmly at the suggestion. He has already overspent enough with the clothes he is wearing, and he couldn’t buy anything with the remaining money anyway.

The shopkeeper wrapped the clothes Liam had worn in muslin cloth. Liam accepted them, paid the owner, and took the change.

And just as he was about to leave the clothes shop.

Liam’s steps came to a halt when he noticed something on a stand near the entrance.

At the end of his gaze is a round hat with a short brim that adults often wear while hunting.

That hat is nice, right? If you are interested, I will give you a special discount of two ribs.”

The shopkeeper spoke generously, remembering that the change he had given was two ribs.

Liam looks very serious and thoughtful.

“I will give it a try…”

“Okay. Come here and try it.”

The brown hat on his head matched the vest he was wearing. Liam stared at himself in the mirror, looking much more mature, and finally emptied his pockets of money.

“Please come back again!”

The shop owner, who had made a fortune in an instant, personally opened the door and escorted Liam out. Liam nodded slightly and left the clothes shop.

He spent all his weekly wages on clothes and hats.

It took less than 30 minutes to spend money that had taken a week to earn.

Liam felt dazed for a moment, but soon shook off the disappointment and took off his hat and held it carefully in his hand. He will be in trouble if he puts it on and gets hit by a bird dropping.

His first shopping experience wasn’t so bad. Liam felt proud on the inside and walked lightly to the place where he had agreed to meet Mary.

As Liam walked down Bartholomew Avenue humming a tune, he saw a store sign that said ‘Jones General Store’ at the end of his gaze. Suddenly, he thought of the middle-aged man he had met in the carriage and looked inside the store.

In front of the counter, there are large glass bottles lined up filled with colorful candies. Behind it are ink and quills, as well as glass, metal, and leather products.

This is most likely a Brody’s General Store. He didn’t even have enough money to buy a single piece of candy today, so he decided to come back next time.

As he was turning around after looking around, Liam bumped into a newsboy running down the street. The hat he was holding flew off and landed on the road where the carriages were coming and going.

There was a large puddle right next to it, and it was a stroke of luck that it did not fall in.

Liam approached with a heavy heart and bent down to pick up the hat.

“Over there! Get out of the way!”

Liam quickly stepped back at the fierce shout. A fancy carriage quickly approached him and stopped on his spot.

Thanks to his extraordinary reflexes, he avoided being hit by the carriage, but he couldn’t avoid the puddle of sewage that suddenly hit him.

Liam’s face froze as he came to his senses a few seconds later. The carriage’s rear wheel, which had sprayed him with puddle water, is crushing his new hat.

Without thinking, Liam crouched down on the ground to pull out his hat that had been stuck under the wheel.

At that moment, the carriage door opens with a click. When he turned his head, he saw a pair of spotless white boots extending out of the carriage.

No way.

Liam’s anxious gaze moved from the tip of the boot, which had not a single speck of dust, to Erwin, who was getting off the carriage in a black overcoat.

His blond hair shines brightly in the sunlight, and his skin looks even whiter against his black clothes.

His delicate but sharp face tilted slightly as he looked down at Liam who was sitting on the floor with his hands underneath the carriage, attempting to lift the carriage wheel.

His blue eyes shifted from Liam to his hat stuck on the carriage, then back to him.

Soon, Erwin passed Liam with an unimpressed expression. As if he had encountered a bug that could not harm him while walking down the street.

That moment felt like an eternity to Liam.

He seemed to hear something that he hadn’t even said.

“How shabby.”

Only after the carriage had passed did Liam manage to pick up his hat. The hat, which had been shaped round like a loaf of bread, is now flattened.

Liam shook off his soaked hat, holding it in his hand, and walked past the location where he had agreed to meet Mary.

He told the duke’s coachman, who had stopped the carriage and was talking to his colleagues, that he would not take the carriage and just started walking.

Liam arrived in the cabin late at night.

As soon as he got there, he went into the bathroom in his underwear and washed his new clothes. The stains on his clothes were gone, but the hat, which had a torn seam, was no longer usable.

Only then did he feel sad.

The hat was tattered, but he felt like he had become a rag.

                        ***

His eyes opened wide before the rooster even crows.

Liam went straight to the fireplace and touched the clothes he had hung yesterday.

The thick vest and trousers are still damp, but thankfully the shirt is completely dry. Even if it wouldn’t, he has no choice but to wear it.

Liam entered the bathroom, thoroughly cleansed his face, and shaved the beard that was beginning to grow around his chin. Then he took a deep breath as if to brace himself and walked to the mansion in his damp clothes.

While he was waiting in front of the mansion after eating breakfast in the servants’ hall, two middle-aged men in fancy hunting attire with guns on their shoulders appeared.

One has brown hair and a cold expression, and the other has red hair, a large nose, and a handsome appearance.

That brown-haired man is the Duke of Calliwell.

Liam recognized him right away. The hair color and eye color are different, but his pale skin and slender figure are exactly like the young master’s.

Then Erwin walked out a few steps behind them.

Liam immediately understood why Mary wanted to see Erwin dressed in hunting clothes.

Erwin dressed in a red jacket with a turquoise collar, white trousers, and black long boots with a luxurious sheen.

His skin, wrapped in dark and gorgeous clothes, looked even paler in the bluish morning sunlight.

Liam approached them with his eyes downcast, remembering Mary’s words that he should not make eye contact with his master. Then he bowed politely and greeted the Duke.

“Good morning, Duke.”

“Are you the new gamekeeper?”

“Yes.”

“You’re young.”

That was all Liam had to say to Duke Damon Calliwell.

Liam approached Erwin, who was standing quietly behind them, holding the gun handed to him by the Duke and the man known as the Marquess of Essex on his shoulder.

Today, Erwin, who has an expressionless face like a statue, casually handed over his gun. Erwin’s hand, wearing a leather glove, brushed Liam’s bare hand and then fell away.

While speaking with the Marquis of Essex, the duke walked ahead into the forest, followed by Erwin two steps behind them, and Liam following Erwin.

The conversation between the duke and the marquis reached Liam’s ears.

“Did you hear that too, Duke? It seems there will be another conflict in Aberda.”

“It seems Grantaire can’t stay still.”

“But now that Count Fitzherbert is here, it will soon be quiet.”

“Hmm…. Fitzherbert. Is he really that great? He’s not even a knight.”

“He has not been knighted because he has a title, but his skills are incomparable to other knights.”

“I see.”

The conversation, which had continued until they reached the depths of the forest, came to an end, and the hunt began.

In the forest of Glassdale, where winter is coming to an end and spring is on its way, there are quite a lot of games, such as pheasants, rabbits, and martens.

The duke, who only visited the forest once or twice a year, is not particularly interested in hunting.

Liam handed the three nobles guns filled with gunpowder, and the duke was the first to fire.

Bang-.

The birds sitting on the branches flew away, followed by another bang. A large pheasant, about to fly up, fell down with a thud.

Liam ran quickly and brought the dead pheasant. The one the duke caught is a large pheasant with long feathers.

Liam held the pheasant by its tail feathers and lifted it upside down so that the duke could see it clearly.

The Marquis gave an exaggerated compliment.

“You caught a big one. You said you didn’t like hunting, but you’re amazing.”

Liam filled the empty gun the duke handed him with gunpowder and handed it back to him.

There was almost no gunpowder spilled, and his actions were swift and precise, with no unnecessary details. The duke, who had been watching Liam, nodded his head in satisfaction.

“I was worried because you looked young. But you’re quite nimble.”

He is already receiving compliments from the duke, the young master’s father.

Liam’s eyes naturally turned to Erwinas as he was overwhelmed with emotion. He wondered how he would look at him as Duke praised him.

However, Erwin’s face, which he briefly examined, is pale. His crimson lips also lost their color.

Is he in any pain?

Liam immediately became worried.

Meanwhile, the duke spotted a rabbit hiding in the bushes.

“There, there is a rabbit.”

“Erwin, you saw that rabbit; show us your skill.”

.He doesn’t show any until the last moment of holding the gun aiming and fairing.

The Duke spoke to Erwin, and Erwin, with a pale face, stepped forward. He didn’t show any signs of confusion until the last moment of holding the gun, aiming, and firing.

Bang-.

A single gunshot shook the forest and the rabbit fell down with a thud.

A pleased smile appeared on the duke’s face.

“That’s pretty good.”

Liam quickly ran and brought a rabbit by the hind leg that Erwin had caught. It hit the middle of the body, it seems that the young master has a talent for hunting.

Liam, who had put the game he had caught in a sack on his shoulder, was about to follow them stopped.

Erwin, who had been walking ahead with a straight posture, staggered slightly and began to vomit by grabbing a tree trunk.

“Ugh…Ugh…”

It was a short thought, but somehow it seemed like Erwin did not want to show his appearance to others.

Liam ran quickly and stood in the middle of Erwin and the duke’s party. Even if the duke looked back, he would be blocked by him so that Erwin’s figure would not be seen.

He is worried on the inside. Did he come to hunt while he was sick?

Liam turned around only after the duke and the marquis had gone deep into the forest. Erwin, whose eyes are bright red, wipes his mouth with a handkerchief.

“Are you…Are you okay?”

“Get out of the way.”

Erwin threw the handkerchief on the fallen leaves as if venting his anger. Then he pushed Liam, who was blocking his way, and walked toward the party.

They will probably return from this way…

Liam, who had been thinking for a moment while watching Erwin walk away in a dignified manner as if nothing had happened, returned to the location where he had vomited. He then dug up the dirt and fallen leaves with his bare hands and covered them thoroughly so that no trace of the vomit could be seen.

Liam, who is about to run back to the duke’s party after shaking off his hands, saw the handkerchief Erwin had thrown away.

Liam looked around as if he was stealing, quietly picked up the handkerchief, and stuffed it into his vest pocket.