Before He Asked About Love

Returning to the estate without even having a proper lunch, Eren had to tackle his postponed work.
The paperwork alone took nearly four hours, and afterward, he busied himself with chores around the estate until evening.

‘I’m dying of sleepiness.
I just want to sleep for one hour.’

Not eating properly and not sleeping well had left him with no energy whatsoever.
He was on his way to the kitchen to ask Millie for something to put in his stomach so he could muster some strength.

“Finally caught you, Sir Eren.”

Walking down the first-floor corridor, someone blocked his path and spoke.
It was the new footman, Jerry, with a sullen look on his face as if something displeased him.

“Jerry, what are you doing here?”

Already swamped with work, Eren, having his path blocked, frowned without realizing it.
At this hour, there were no external guests, and the duke’s dinner was over, so it was past time for him to be off work.

Even if there were evening tasks, it was now mealtime.
He didn’t seem the type who liked working much, so it was puzzling to see him lingering around the estate.

“Are your duties not over yet?
Why are you wandering the estate?”

“I was waiting to talk to you, Sir Eren.”

“Talk?
Is it urgent?”

He was too hungry and tired right now and wanted to postpone it.
But then he remembered something.

“Did you deliver the letter?
The one for Lady Aila.
I heard from Mr.
Brennen that he entrusted it to you.”

Though he had specifically asked Brennen with earnest instructions, Brennen, busy with sorting the mail, had passed it on to Jerry.
Having already made one mistake, Eren grew anxious and asked to confirm.

“I already sent it and came back.
More importantly, I have something to discuss regarding this week’s schedule.”

Eren was so exhausted he wanted to ignore him and walk past, but since he had handled the entrusted task well, he forced himself to remain calm and nodded.

“Go ahead.
I’m listening.”

“I told you I wanted this weekend off, didn’t you hear it from Mr.
Brennen?”

Actually, Brennen had come by yesterday afternoon to relay the request.
Since the schedule is made on a monthly basis, Eren had replied that changes for this week weren’t possible.

“I heard, and I said no.
This weekend, while His Grace and I attend the party, there’s a major cleaning of the estate.
Schedule changes are difficult, so you’ll need to work.”

“But I really need the time off!
I apologize for the late notice, but there are circumstances, so please allow it just this once.”

At Jerry’s pleading tone, Eren’s face gradually contorted.
Of course, he could understand wanting time off due to circumstances.
But for that, he needed to give notice at least a week in advance.

With other staff’s work schedules already set, demanding it like this at the last minute was simply unacceptable.

“What circumstances are those?”

Still, wondering if there was an unavoidable reason like a family emergency, Eren asked.
But Jerry’s response was beyond imagination.

“Well, a friend from my hometown is coming tomorrow.
I promised to show them around the capital, but I forgot to mention it earlier.”

So, he was saying he had made plans to hang out with a friend and forgot to mention it in advance.
Eren, utterly exasperated, sighed deeply to himself.

“That reason is not acceptable.”

When Eren coldly cut him off, Jerry’s face instantly twisted.

“But I already made the promise, so I can’t work that day!
Derrick said he could cover the shift for me!”

Disliking Jerry’s argumentative tone, Eren almost reacted aggressively himself, but he didn’t want to waste precious energy on something pointless.
So he answered in a weary voice.

“I said I cannot permit it.
If you skip work arbitrarily, I will inform His Grace and have your wages deducted.”

“You can’t do that!”

Jerry shouted back in an enraged voice.
His voice trembled with a sense of betrayal.

“This is really too much.
Mr.
Brennen said it’s okay to take time off if you ask someone else to cover.”

Though Jerry grumbled and complained of unfairness, Eren had no intention of changing his mind whatsoever.

“I said no.”

“You’ll regret this later.”

At the cold answer, Jerry, visibly upset, brushed past Eren with a parting remark.
If he thought such a threat would scare Eren, he was sorely mistaken.
Eren dealt with someone several times more terrifying than him every day.

The thought of having to start the hiring process again was utterly draining for Eren.
This time, he really needed to find someone reliable with proper references.
He resolved not to heed any ‘advice’ from Brennen.

“And I’m already tired enough…”

He wished personnel matters like this could be resolved at the level of butler Brennen.
Because Brennen was soft-hearted and tended to give in when the servants ganged up, Eren often ended up playing the bad cop.

Frankly, Eren couldn’t understand why Kazen kept Brennen as butler.
But he was hired by Kazen’s father and had worked at this capital estate for a very long time.
So Eren couldn’t easily dismiss him or reprimand him for negligence.

“Phew, let me just do my own work.”

Pressing his forehead where fatigue was surging again, Eren moved on.
As if he didn’t have enough on his plate to worry about already.

“Ah, I should prepare the tea.
I almost forgot.”

Afraid he might forget, Eren hurried to the kitchen and prepared chamomile tea for Kazen.
It was a tea he had specially procured for Kazen, known to be good for alleviating insomnia.

He added a bit of honey and a slice of lemon for a refreshing, sweet taste.
Carrying the carefully prepared tea, he headed to Kazen’s bedroom.

Knock knock.
After knocking, he entered without waiting for a reply.
He expected to see Kazen lying in bed, but instead, he was sitting by the window opposite the door.

“Your Grace, I’ve brought chamomile tea.”

Eren quietly placed the tray on the table and spoke respectfully.
It was no different from usual, yet a somber aura seemed to linger.
Kazen, tormented by nightmares daily, often slumped like this when evening came.

“It’s said to help relieve tension and aid sleep, so I prepared it for you to drink before bed.”

Kazen, who had been sitting sideways looking out the window, only turned his head to look at Eren.
He took the ceramic pipe he was holding in his mouth with his hand and smirked.

“I know.
There’s some in here too.”

He was referring to the tobacco in the pipe.
Perhaps he had been waiting for Eren, as it wasn’t lit.
Kazen wasn’t a heavy smoker, but he occasionally smoked when stressed.

“Let me light it for you.”

As Eren approached with a candle, Kazen put the pipe back in his mouth.
The tightly packed tobacco caught fire, emitting pungent smoke.
A subtle scent was noticeable, as the tobacco leaves were mixed with mint and chamomile.

Kazen drew a long drag from the pipe and exhaled.

“Come closer.
Let’s smoke together.”

Kazen grabbed Eren’s collar and pulled him toward himself.
It was an action he often did when smoking, so Eren offered no resistance and was pulled along obediently.

Drawn right in front of Kazen, Eren knelt as if it were natural.
Holding the pipe in his mouth, Kazen gripped the back of Eren’s neck and slowly bowed his head.

Right above Eren’s lips, which were so close they almost touched, Kazen slowly blew out the smoke.
Then, Eren closed his eyes, parted his lips slightly, and inhaled the breath he exhaled.

The pungent yet subtly fragrant smoke trickled teasingly into Eren’s chest.
Familiar yet strange, Eren closed his eyes and shivered quietly.

It was clear that this tickling sensation wasn’t solely due to the smoke.
More than anything, Eren wondered if Kazen was feeling the same thing he was right now.

“Don’t forget who your master is, Eren.”

As if holding a leash, Kazen grabbed his collar and muttered lowly.
Slowly opening his eyes, Eren looked up at him and answered.

“I will remember, Your Grace.”

Eren had never once thought of doubting or betraying Kazen.
Ever since the day he saved his life, Kazen had been his one and only master.

“Good, that’s a good boy.
That’s my Eren.”

Kazen, as if handling an obedient dog, placed his hand on top of Eren’s head and murmured.

The loyal dog of the ducal house who would do anything for the Duke of Clifford.
In a way, one could say that nickname fit the situation perfectly.

“There’s one thing I’m curious about.
Can you answer me honestly?”

Kazen, who was always straightforward about what he wanted, rarely prefaced his questions like this.
As there was no reason for him to be cautious around Eren, it was all the more puzzling.

“Yes, I have nothing to hide from you, Your Grace.
Please feel free to ask.”

“Have you ever been in love?”