Red Tape

By the afternoon, the sky was covered in thick storm clouds that looked like flour dough mixed with ash.

“If there’s nothing else you need me to do, I’ll be heading out now.”

Liam, who had come down alone to the servants’ hall, stood beside Jeffrey, who was in the middle of his dinner.

He had been making mistake after mistake all day. At this point, he just wanted to hurry back to his hut and bury himself under the blankets.

“You’re not eating dinner?”

“I’m not really in the mood.”

“Now that the guests have left, there’s not much to do. Alright, go get some rest.”

Just as Jeffrey said that, a loud bang echoe from the ceiling. It’s the kind of sound one could easily mistake for thunder, but it comes from the duke’s office.

Boom.

Another deep rumbling followed, drawing uneasy glances toward the ceiling. Moments later, the sound of hurried footsteps approached, and a maid rushed into the servants’ hall.

“M-Master Jeffrey. The Duke has ordered that the portrait from his office be moved to the Young Master’s room.”

The portrait’s frame, crafted from rosewood and adorned with gemstones, is as heavy as its value suggests.

“Liam, can you help?”

“…Yes.”

Liam rose from his seat and followed Jeffrey upstairs with heavy steps.

Erwin is not present in the Duke’s Office. A maid, responsible for cleaning the room, crouched on the floor, gathering broken shards of a vase and scattered books. Beyond the overwhelming presence of the grand desk, the Duke sit languidly, smoking a cigarette.

Liam’s gaze immediately landed on the portrait in the middle of the office. The cloth that had been covering it has now gone.

Ah, she is a truly beautiful woman.

The red-haired lady in the painting has glossy, luxurious curls and eyes as green as glass. A lively blush adorned her cheeks, accompanied by faint freckles that only seemed to accentuate her beauty.

The large emerald necklace, set in a frame of diamonds, and the cream-colored dress that complemented her hair are as dazzling as a fully bloomed rose. But the most striking feature is her expression—her confident gaze and assured smile, as if staring straight through to the depths of one’s soul.

It’s the kind of confidence only possessed by those who have never experienced a moment of lacking, who had been born with everything in their hands.

“What are you doing, Liam?”

Liam, entranced by the portrait, only snapped back to reality when Jeffrey whispered and lightly nudged him with his elbow.

Shaking his head slightly, Liam lifted the portrait, while Jeffrey carried the sturdy rosewood pedestal that matched the frame.

They climbed two more floors and arrived at Erwin’s room on the fourth floor.

Jeffrey knocked, but no response came. Assuming Erwin was not inside, Jeffrey took the lead and opened the door.

Contrary to their expectations, Erwin is standing by the window, his back turned to them. The two men standing in the doorway are  reflected in the glass he is facing.

“Young Master, so you are here. We are ordered to move the portrait.”

“Just leave it anywhere.”

Without even glancing back, Erwin gave his instruction in a dry voice.

Jeffrey placed the pedestal beside the table where Erwin often has tea, and Liam carefully set the portrait atop it.

After meticulously ensuring that it was positioned properly, Jeffrey bowed slightly toward Erwin’s back.

Liam followed suit, ready to leave, when Erwin suddenly called out to him.

“Liam, stay.”

Liam froze and hesitantly glanced at Jeffrey for direction. As if anticipating the action, Erwin added,

“I have something for you to do.”

Jeffrey patted Liam’s back twice as if to say, Good luck, then left the room.

The door closed with a click sound. They stand still keeping a distance from each other. Only a silence filled the space.

“Master?”

Erwin turned around only after hearing a cautious voice call out to him. The moment their eyes met, Liam inhaled sharply in shock.

“omg…”

One side of Erwin’s face is swollen red, and the corner of his lips was split open. Just like five years ago.

“I said I’d rather go to war than get married, and he slapped me right across the face.”

“…”

A bitter smile tugged at Erwin’s wounded lips.

“It hurts. Get me some ointment.”

Erwin sank onto the couch after pulling a small jar of ointment from a drawer. His father’s harsh hand had left its mark, and all he wanted now is to lean on someone and complain.

“Let me… wash my hands first.”

As Liam made his way toward the attached bathroom, his gaze once again met the eyes of the woman in the portrait.

Even as he walked further, she seemed to keep staring at him.

It wasn’t until Erwin’s reprimanding voice rang out “You’ll peel your skin off at this rate.”that Liam finally stopped scrubbing his hands and returned.

He perched on the edge of the red velvet sofa. Erwin, as if waiting for this moment, approached and rested his head on Liam’s lap.

Erwin’s face is  in front of him, eyes closed in apparent comfort.

Liam took a small amount of ointment and gently applied it to Erwin’s lips. Erwin didn’t flinch, didn’t even blink, but Liam winced as if he are the one feeling the sting every time his fingers brush against the injury.

Even when the ointment was all applied and there was no longer any untouched skin left to tend to, Liam didn’t say It’s done, nor did Erwin open his eyes. They simply let time pass in this silent, peaceful moment.

Liam’s hand hovered over Erwin’s face, tracing the contours in the air. His delicate eyebrows, the gleam of his eyelashes, his straight nose, his lips soft as flower petals.

Young Master looks even more needlessly beautiful today and It made Liam’s chest feel unbearably heavy.

He wanted to have this beautiful person. To be noticed by him. To be touch by him.

They are both human with flesh and blood, but Erwin seem to shine like an untouchable existence. Whether his pride and his sharp edges, they are both so dazzling.

Liam had never coveted anything expensive or luxurious in his life, but he desperately wanted this one thing. Like a miser hoarding gold and jewels, Liam longed for Erwin.

He knew that if Erwin come to him, those spotless boots would be stained with mud, that his fine clothes would get dirty but he cannot stop himself from being drawn to him like a magnet.

Ah.

Didn’t this remind him of that novel he had read recently?

A common girl, fascinated by lace handkerchiefs, feathered fans, and the sweet perfume of aristocrats, indulging in vanity and luxury, only to lose everything and take her own life.

A foolish woman who desired something far beyond her reach and was destroyed by it.

If anything, I’m worse than her.At least she only ruined herself. Liam, on the other hand, has the power to drag Erwin down into the depths with him.

There is no room for him to interfere with the beautiful and brilliant future that the young master is painting in rosy hues.

Liam raised his eyes to the portrait at the center of the room.  It was as if the woman inside was shaking her head at him.

How pathetic and foolish I am. To only realize this now.

“Why? Do you think she’s pretty?”

At the sound of Erwin’s cold voice, Liam looked down to see him sitting up, gazing at him sharply.

“What are you staring at so hard? Do you think she’s beautiful?”

As soon as the words left his lips, Erwin’s brow furrowed slightly. His voice had come out sharp, as if laced with jealousy.

Just as he was about to cover it up with a casual remark,pretending as if nothing happened, Liam answered.

“Yes. She seems beautiful.”

“…What?”

Erwin shot to his feet. Liam, still seated on the sofa, continued gazing at the portrait as he spoke in his usual slow, measured tone.

“She’s very beautiful. And… she’s a princess, isn’t she? From a strong, prosperous nation.”

Erwin had the sudden urge to grab a paper knife he used to open envelop and slash that portrait into pieces. But he forced himself to suppress the ugly jealousy rising within him.

“Is this some kind of cheap novel scenario? Trying to make me jealous? If so, stop it. I don’t play those games. Not with you.”

By now, Liam was the only person in this world with whom such a thing was possible.

The one who had become the only refuge in his daily life spoke.

“I… I’m not smart enough to play mind games or anything like that.”

Liam’s voice was slightly lower than usual, carrying an ominous weight that made Erwin’s lips tremble involuntarily.

“What are you trying to say right now?”

“A marriage. I think you should…”

Slap.

Erwin’s hand, raised high, slapped hard on Liam’s cheek. Liam’s head snapped to the side from the impact.

Erwin stared at him, his face blank with shock, as if he had just been struck by an unforeseen disaster.

His blue eyes and voice trembled so much that it was almost pitiful. Clenching his teeth to keep them from chattering, he barely forced the words out.

“Say that again.”

“Please, get married, Young Master. You and her… make a perfect pair…”

Slap.

Liam’s head turned sharply again as Erwin struck him on the same cheek.

As he slowly turned his face back to the front, Erwin came into view.

Tears clung to his Aegean-blue eyes before spilling over, streaming down his cheeks.