Red Tape

“Don’t want.”

Crash–.

The candlestick on the duke’s desk narrowly missed Erwin’s face and crashed into the bookshelf.

The entire bookshelf shook as if it were about to topple over, and some books fell to the floor.

“What’s wrong?”

“You told me to watch the crown prince… Archibald.”

Archibald Rosenberg is the first son of the king and his first wife, Priscilla Rosenberg, and the crown prince in line for the throne. Priscilla Chatsworth Rosenberg was Damon’s sister.

However, Priscilla died of illness at a young age, and the king soon married again and had two more sons.

To consolidate their power, the Caliwells had to crown their confidant, Archibald, as King.

Erwin wanted to go to public school. However, the Duke forced his son to attend the Royal Academy in Slivek, claiming that he needed to observe and assist the Crown Prince.

It was a daily humiliation to laugh and chat with those who were competing against each other.

But this time, he was suddenly told to go to a boarding school in a foreign country, Grantaire.

Although the Royal Academy emphasized principles and discipline, the Saint-Bernoulli boarding school in Grantaire was known for being as harsh as a military school.

They didn’t hesitate to punish, so much so that there is a saying that if you could survive six years at Saint-Bernoulli, you could survive anywhere.

“Why Saint-Bernoulli?”

“I heard Prince Felix is going there. I heard that the King is especially fond of his second son these days.”

“Ha……….”

I laughed at my father for treating me like a chess piece. He had already attacked me as Archibald’s nanny, and now he wanted to plant me as a vassal near Prince Felix.

“I’m sorry.”

The duke raised his eyes at Erwin’s question, the corners of his lips twisting crookedly.

“What do you mean?”

“Why don’t you have two more children? Then you could have given one to each prince.

Slap–.

The duke slapped Erwin in the face with such force that his eyes went black for a moment. The crest ring on his finger scratched his delicate cheek and temple.

He turned his head to the side and saw Jeffrey, who was looking at him with a pitiful expression outside the slightly open door. Jeffrey shook his head slightly as if telling him not to provoke his father any longer. However, he could no longer hold back his boiling anger.

Erwin straightened his head and swiped his cold cheek with his hand, smiling bitterly.

“It’s not too late even now. How about making a younger sibling with Lady Motier?”

Thunk–.

A fist flew to the same side of his face this time. The inside of his cheek was torn, and a bitter liquid filled his mouth, and a stream of fresh blood flowed out from the corner of his mouth.

“You idiot….You just do what I say.”

“…Then me”

“What?”

“My life… ?”

“Your life? Ha, you don’t have the freedom to choose. Don’t you know that this is all for your future!”

The future. I don’t even want to live for tomorrow

“Get out and pack your bags right now! You’re such an insolent brat.

“…..”

There was no use in talking any further. He wouldn’t listen to me anyway.

Erwin left the duke’s office with a hollow laugh.

Suddenly, something seemed to be choking him, and he couldn’t breathe. Erwin opened his mouth and tried to breathe a little.

He had to get out of this mansion right away. Erwin walked down the stairs and barely managed to get out of the building.

Now he has reached his limit. His eyes were spinning and the ground was getting closer.

Ah, I’m going to fall again.

It was better. I wish my body would be shattered like this. Like the vase, that kid broke a while ago.

Erwin closed his eyes, anticipating the moment when his face would hit the floor. However, as time passed, the shock he had anticipated did not come.

A strong arm, like a tree, was wrapping itself around Erwin’s waist. The strength that lifted his body, which had lost balance and was falling, was incredible. It’s probably Ralph, the low-ranking butler.

Erwin leaned against him for a moment and caught his ragged breath.

It was much later that he felt something wrong. Ralph was over six feet tall and had a plump body.

On the other hand, the person I was relying on was short and had a very stiff and skinny body.

“Master…? Who on earth is… ”

Only then did Erwin raise his head, and his gaze caught a young face. The silvery eyes that could be seen under his drooping eyebrows seemed worried.

It was the boy who had lived a life like a journey. That child who lived like a bird untethered to anything.

A natural-looking eye with no malice.

You have everything I want, but you will never know how precious it is.

And yet you look at me with eyes filled with admiration.

My stomach twisted.

“Where are you touching?Dirty.”

***

The preparations for studying abroad proceeded at a rapid pace.

The luggage was packed and sent to the carriage first, and now Erwin had to leave.

Erwin went to his mother’s room for the last time and sat on the bed where she had given birth to him. The four-poster bed had a canopy decorated with ostrich feathers.

Erwin gently stroked the bed with his palm and looked out the window.

His mother must have remembered his name while looking at that very window.

Erwin got up from his seat and headed to his mother’s dressing table.

In the dresser drawer was his mother’s jewelry box. The silver jewel case decorated with pearls was something she had since she was a maiden. Compared to the other nobles, the small jewel case hinted at her modest nature.

Inside it were his mother’s most treasured jewels. The sapphire ring and earring that she had inherited from her mother, which she had brought from Senain, and the diamond set that her father had given her as an engagement gift.

Erwin left his mother’s room with the silver jewel box. He might not be able to stop her from tearing down the room, but he could not let the Viscountess Motier take his mother’s belongings. But if he lost them while trying to take them to Grantaire or was robbed along the way, that would be a big deal.

Fortunately, Erwin had a plan.

On the wall of the third-floor hallway, the master’s space hung a portrait of the first Duke of Calliwell. If you gently touch the bricks behind the huge picture frame with your hand, you will find something with a slightly different texture.

When you press that part until it makes a clicking sound, a portion of the wall will open. And there will be a secret space behind it.

Since ancient times, every castle has had one or two secret rooms where the owner can hide.

After carefully looking around and confirming that no one was there, Erwin put his hand behind the portrait and opened the door. Then he put the treasure chest in the secret space that the retired butler had secretly told him about and closed the door.

Erwin returned to his room with a lighter heart after solving the problem that had been bothering him.

The servant who was diligently packing his luggage in the trunk took something out of the closet.

“Should I take this too, my lord?”

In the servant’s hand was a brown hat sent from Madame Crissia’s costume shop.

There was one more thing left to solve.

“Give it to me.”

Erwin took the hat and went for a walk. After passing the pond and walking along the path, he arrived at a small cabin.

He knocked on the door, but there was no answer as if the owner was out for work. Erwin thought it was a good thing, opened the door, and stepped inside the cabin.

He had seen it in passing, but this was his first time inside. It was only natural that he had never been to the servants’ living quarters.

In a space less than half the size of Erwin’s room, there was a washing area, a cooking area, a sleeping area, and a leisure area.

The bed was neatly made, and although it was shabby, it looked like he had swept and cleaned it diligently.

Erwin sat on Liam’s bed, just as he had sat on his mother’s bed. As he looked around the small house, a familiar object on the desk caught his eye.

[Erwin S. Calliwell.]

It was a handkerchief with his name embroidered on it. He wondered how he had gotten his hands on it, and then remembered that he had abandoned it in the hunting grounds.

“Ha… ”

A snicker escaped Erwin’s lips without him knowing. It was so funny that he couldn’t even remember how long it had been since he had laughed so hard.

At a dinner party held at the Marquis’ house last fall, the nine-year-old Marquis Youngae spilled juice on the back of her hand and handed him a handkerchief.

Later, the Marquis laughed heartily and told him about his young daughter’s cute trick. She had spilled the juice in front of him on purpose because she wanted to give him a handkerchief with Erwin’s name on it.

The image of the young Youngae wearing a fluttering crinoline dress and the dark skinny servant girl like a tree branch crossed his mind.

Erwin’s smiling face slowly returned to his usual expressionless face.

What would it have been like if I had been you?

I wonder what it would have been like if I had lived with my mother like you did with your mother. I would have been happy.

Erwin continued to fantasize for a moment, even though he knew that making assumptions was useless and pointless.

After a while, Erwin left the cabin, placed his hat next to the handkerchief with his name on it, and returned to the mansion. A magnificent carriage with the family crest engraved on it was waiting for him.

Erwin took his time greeting the family members who had come out to see him off. He looked for the boy with anticipation, even though he knew that it was natural for a child who did chores not to come out to say hello. However, the boy named Liam was nowhere to be seen.

Now, he took one last look at Glassdale, where he would not return for quite some time. It was his hometown that he loved, even though it held many painful memories.

Erwin took a look at the elegant and magnificent mansion that befitted the name of Calliwell, and got into the carriage.

Just as the carriage was about to pull out of the driveway, Erwin noticed a charred face running beside the carriage.

“Stop.”

I have heard that pageboys who deliver letters can run as fast as carriages, but I always thought it was an exaggeration until today.

“Hat…Huh…Thank you.”

Did he run all this way just to say that? With all his might.

“Health. Health. Stay healthy.”

Erwin burst into laughter at the old man like toast. The lowly servant would have no idea that he made him laugh twice today.

“If you’re so worried, write a letter to me.”

Saying that was also part of his petty whim.

When I told him to write, he nodded as if about to fall, so I assumed he would send the letter right away.

However, it had been more than half a year since he had received his first letter.

Erwin, who had seen the crooked handwriting on the envelope, unfolded the paper, wondering if he had a young nephew he didn’t know about.

Dear Erwin.

 Hello? My name is Liam Jenner.

I’m sorry for writing to you so late.

Congratulations on your 19th birthday.

 Come back safely without getting hurt.

 Liam Jenner.