Concern He Never Meant to Show

He remembered meeting the shaggy-bearded tavern owner, and also seeing someone with heavy makeup.
And then, it seemed like he talked to someone after that, but he couldn’t remember who it was for the life of him.
His memory was foggy, like a mist had settled in, and the more he tried to remember, the more his head hurt.

Amidst that, there was one memory that surfaced clearly.

‘Do I like His Grace?’

He was sure he had muttered that.
He also recalled thinking he might have feelings for Kazen.

He wanted to dismiss it as a foolish thought, born from being uncharacteristically drunk or shocked by the bewildering scene he’d witnessed.
But he couldn’t control the pounding of his heart.

How could he possibly face His Grace while harboring such thoughts?
It was so disgraceful, so shameful, that he couldn’t even speak of it to anyone.
This embarrassing truth had to be hidden where no one would ever discover it.

“Haah…”

Eren sighed deeply, inwardly lamenting.
His breath was heavy with the smell of alcohol, and he unconsciously grimaced.

“Don’t think about it.
Don’t think.”

More importantly, he needed to relay what he’d heard from Arnold to Kazen.
And he also wanted to ask if he truly meant for him to seduce Arnold.
Somehow, he felt a conviction that it wasn’t said with true intent.

Trying to organize his thoughts as he entered the kitchen, Eren was startled to see someone moving busily in the dark.

“Millie? What are you doing at this hour?”

He thought the lights would be off and no one would be there.
Contrary to his expectations, Millie, the kitchen maid, was standing by the hearth.
She was also startled, not expecting anyone, then rushed over frantically upon seeing him.

“Oh, Sir Eren! Are you alright?”

Millie’s loud voice made his head ring painfully.
Clutching his throbbing head, Eren looked at her with puzzled eyes.

“What do you mean, am I alright?”

She fidgeted on the spot, her eyes filled with worry and relief.
It was the look one gives a patient who has narrowly escaped death.

“His Grace skipped breakfast, and then a while ago he told me to prepare stew because you were sick.
Are you alright?”

What on earth was this now?

With a baffled expression, Eren stared at Millie, then raised an eyebrow sharply.

“His Grace gave that order?
I’m not feeling unwell…”

“Yes, exactly!
His Grace had an expression I’d never seen before, so I really thought you must have contracted some fatal illness!”

He couldn’t comprehend this bewildering situation.
Mulling over Millie’s words, Eren fell into a daze.

He couldn’t understand waking up in Kazen’s room, and on top of that, he’d told Millie to prepare food for a sick person?

Judging by the situation, it seemed someone had found Eren collapsed somewhere and brought him back to the estate.
Kazen must have thought he was ill.
Even so, many questions remained.

“You are sick, aren’t you?
You’re as pale as a ghost!”

Watching him closely, Millie pressed on, her face looking like she might burst into tears again.

“No, not to that extent…”

He was suffering from a hangover, but it wasn’t that severe.
But without even hearing his answer, Millie dragged over an old wooden chair from a corner of the kitchen.

“Just sit down for now.
I’ll finish preparing the stew for you.”

Then, with a face full of concern, she grabbed Eren’s shoulders and forced him into the chair.
Plunked down, Eren sniffed at the mouthwatering aroma.

Just moments ago, he thought he might vomit, but strangely, smelling food made him hungry.
Probably because he’d emptied his stomach completely yesterday.

“I boiled it clear with seafood.
I don’t know why, but His Grace specifically told me to do it that way.”

Without thinking, Eren accepted the bowl and spoon Millie handed him.
It was a clear broth soup with mussels.

Could it be… that he had told Millie to prepare this in advance, anticipating his hangover?
But why?

Since Kazen had no reason to do such a thing for him, Eren couldn’t bring himself to believe it.

“Eat up quickly.”

With a face mixing expectation and worry, Millie’s eyes sparkled, so Eren moved his spoon.
The cool broth, infused with seafood, filled his stomach, and he finally began to feel a bit alive.

“Millie, I knew you made good sandwiches, but it seems you’re good at this kind of cooking too.
It’s delicious.”

“Oh my, what are you saying.
You don’t have to flatter me; I’ll give you as much as you want.”

“I mean it sincerely.
You could be a cook.”

“Oh no, I could never…”

Blushing with embarrassment, Millie hurriedly placed a kettle over the fire.
Then, skillfully adding lemon and honey, she made a cup of tea.

“And His Grace told me to prepare this too.
Lemon honey tea.
It’s good for colds, hangovers, and relieving fatigue.”

Looking at the tea she prepared, Eren became convinced.
Kazen had ordered this to be made for his hangover.
But being certain of that only made his head more confused.

“Why would His Grace…”

“You’re wondering why he ordered this?”

Millie finished his sentence for him, watching him fiddle with the cup.
Eren looked up at her with wide eyes, as if seeking an answer.

“Why don’t you just ask him directly?”

However, since she didn’t know the answer either, Millie offered clear advice.
Her words were right, but he didn’t have the courage to do it.

“But… I think His Grace must be very angry with me after yesterday…”

He had disappeared without a word from the party Harold had personally invited him to.
And how pitiful he must have looked, returning to the estate drunk and collapsed.
Just imagining it made his face burn with shame.

But then Millie knelt down before him and thrust her face close.
Her innocent face was suddenly right before his eyes, startling Eren and making him lean back.

“You think His Grace is angry?”

“I acted quite irresponsibly yesterday.”

“Hmm, but when His Grace came to find me early this morning, he didn’t seem angry at all.”

That couldn’t be.
Given Kazen’s usual temperament, it was a serious enough offense that being dismissed wouldn’t have been an overreaction.

“On the contrary, it seemed like His Grace was worried about you.
That’s why I thought you must have a fatal illness.
It was the first time I’ve seen His Grace like that.”

Kazen was worried about me?
What utter nonsense.

Even as he thought that, a faint sense of hope welled up inside him.
Maybe Kazen was concerned about him too.
Such a foolish thought tried to surface.

But at that very moment, the image of Kazen and Harold kissing came to mind.
There was already someone else by his side anyway.
Suddenly, getting excited and hopeful over such a trivial matter felt utterly pathetic.
Hoping would only lead to disappointment.

Swallowing the bitterness, Eren thanked Millie.

“Still, thank you for worrying about me, Millie.”

“You don’t need to say that to me.
And I’ll take His Grace’s morning tea, so you sit and rest for a bit.”

“That’s not necessary.
I can do my own work.”

Eren hated postponing his work or leaving it to others the most.
But Millie, pushing down on his shoulders as he tried to get up, spoke firmly.

“His Grace already told me to bring it anyway.
So just finish the stew I gave you.”

Millie, having spoken quite decisively, picked up the tray with the morning tea and left the kitchen.
Eren looked at the steaming lemon honey tea and let out a deep sigh.

“My head hurts.”

His aching stomach had settled a bit, but his throbbing head remained the same.
He felt like he just wanted to sleep deeply without thinking about anything.

* * * *

Having recovered some energy with the stew and lemon honey tea, Eren began tackling his postponed work.
On top of the paperwork he hadn’t been able to do because of the party the previous evening, there was a backlog of ducal estate matters.

“I’ve checked all the mage-stones that were replaced yesterday.
Next week, we plan to replace all the garden lamps.
It will be a major job, so please adjust the servants’ duties to prioritize this.”

“Ah, yes.
I see…”

Brennen nodded as if it were someone else’s business, trailing off.

“And we need to change His Grace’s bed, so I contacted a company.
We probably won’t know the exact schedule until next week, but they’ll come before then to confirm the size and color.”

“I heard about that.”

The word ‘heard’ nearly made him snap.
Kazen’s nightmares had worsened starting about a month ago.
So Eren had been searching for various solutions.

He tried changing Kazen’s bed, bedding, and curtains to alter the sleep environment, changed his prescribed medication, and recommended various teas and foods known to aid sleep before bed.

While Eren struggled like this, Brennen sat back and did nothing.

It didn’t really matter that Brennen didn’t work.
He had been connected to this ducal estate longer than Eren had.
But ignoring Kazen’s issues was a bit infuriating.

“His Grace’s nightmares have worsened, and I’m looking for solutions.
If you think of any good ideas, Mr.
Brennen, please let me know.”

Unable to hold back, Eren said something.
In response, Brennen chuckled with a benevolent smile.

“As always, time is the cure for all things.”