Chapter 11

The Place that Holds Memories

------

Ah...first love.

Just as Grandma Vicky always said, the memory of a first love is always special—especially when it turns out to be the very person you've always been waiting for.

But for Emil...well, that part still needed a little time.

"How are you and my grandson, Robert?" Madame Vicky asked as she waited for Emil to serve the jasmine tea she had requested. The young man, on the other hand, was slightly taken aback by the old lady's question. Still, he quickly recovered and continued pouring tea into her cup.

"We're doing fine, Grandma," he replied calmly.

"Is my grandson flirting with you now?" she asked next.

Emil froze for just a second. Luckily, he was holding the teapot firmly, or he might have spilled it in surprise. The question itself caught him entirely off guard. What was he supposed to say to that?

"Well..." he hesitated, then chose his words carefully. "We're...dating?"

It wasn't entirely a lie. After all, Emil's relationship with Robert—fake as it was—had been formally agreed upon. They had even gone on a dinner date, even if it hadn't truly been official in the romantic sense. Given that, saying yes felt like the safest answer, even if the truth was that it wasn't quite what Grandma Vicky probably imagined.

"Oh! That's wonderful!" the old lady said happily as her face lit up at once. Then she lifted the cup and savored the warm tea Emil had prepared for her, adding, "Now I can die in peace knowing my grandson is in your good hands."

She paused, then added again with a thoughtful hum, "Perhaps we should celebrate—"

"There's no need, Grandma!" Emil's quick reply surprised not only Madame Vicky but even Emil himself. "I mean...you know Robert doesn't really like parties like that, right?"

"You know," Madame Vicky said while taking another sip of her tea, "as my grandson's husband, you shouldn't spoil him too much by giving him all his demands. Go ahead, you too—you'll grow old faster than him."

Emil froze for a moment at the word husband. Part of him wanted to protest—after all, that was a very distant possibility, probably in another universe entirely. And yet another part knew the truth: they were only pretending. He couldn't let himself get his hopes up...even though, deep down, his heart couldn't help but swell a little at being called Robert's husband.

Soon, Emil's attention drifted outside, where he saw Robert standing and speaking on the phone. It was probably one of his business partners with something urgent. It was inevitable, given his role as CEO. Still, their visit to Madame Vicky's mansion offered him a rare chance to step away from the stress and...perhaps, to relax a little.

"I'll tell him later to rest, and I'll take care of the rest of his work", Emil said to himself. Now that he thought about it, that very spot where Robert stood was the same place where Emil's heart had first started beating for him. Now that he remembered it, it was the kind of backstory that everyone would probably find in storybooks—sweet, innocent, and just a little bit cliché.

However, the difference was that it all began with a small boy standing before a vast mansion.

Emil Weiss was only nine years old when he first stepped into the Vale mansion. He still remembered how hesitant he had been, overwhelmed by its size and luxury. Newly orphaned and unsure how to behave around strangers, Emil struggled to find his place as the adopted son of an elderly widow who had once been a dear friend of his late parents.

"Don't be afraid. Come in," Madame Vicky said gently as she took Emil's small hand and led him into the mansion. The young boy barely lifted his head as he stepped into the grand, spacious hall. On both sides, the stewards stood in orderly lines, welcoming their Madame and the newest member of the household—Emil Weiss.

That same day, Emil's path first crossed with Robert Vale, who was twenty-two at the time and temporarily stayed at his grandmother's mansion for the holidays when he witnessed Emil's arrival. When their eyes met for the first time, young Emil felt a sudden wave of nervousness. He wasn't sure if it was fear—perhaps it was. After all, who wouldn't feel unsettled by the way Robert stared at him, as if the man was examining him from head to toe, silently judging him to be just a fragile, timid child who would soon cry and hide behind his grandmother's skirt?

Madame Vicky immediately noticed that Emil was staring at her grandson with a hint of fear. That's when she decided to call Robert's attention, who was standing by the top newel post of the stairs and quietly observing everything below.

"Why don't you come down here, Robert?" the old lady asked. "I'll introduce you to Emil,"

"No need, Grandma. I'm busy," Robert replied flatly while crossing his arms. It was apparent he wasn't interested and had no plans of coming down just to greet a child—something young Emil seemed to sense. So, what he did was straighten his posture, face Robert's direction, and give a small, polite bow.

"My name is Emil Weiss. Nice to meet you, sir," he said.

Robert raised his eyebrows slightly when young Emil greeted him. He had always expected children to react like most did—hiding behind their parents or guardians when faced with a stern, imposing figure such as himself. But this child? Not only was he polite, but he also seemed to understand his place in the household, without needing to be told or reminded.

Still, that alone wasn't enough to impress Robert. So with a faint shrug, he simply turned and returned to his office to continue his work.

"That child..." Madame Vicky shook her head in mild disappointment as she watched her grandson walk away without a word. Then she turned back to Emil and said gently, "Please be patient with my grandson. He's just like that, but he's kind. Don't be afraid, okay? Treat this mansion as your home from now on."

"Thank you, Madame Vale..."

"No, no. Call me Grandma Vicky. I like that better than 'Madame.'"

Emil nodded softly. "Yes, Grandma Vicky."

"That's better," she said with a gentle smile.

Since then, Emil had become part of the grand and luxurious world of the Vale family, something he was not used to. Although Madame Vicky wanted him to feel at home in the mansion, Emil couldn't help but feel a little embarrassed whenever the servants treated him as someone special. Wanting to be helpful in some way, he made it a habit to wake up early and make his own bed. He never allowed the servants to do things for him, not even washing his clothes or preparing his meals. Instead, he always looked for ways to help around the mansion, whether it was cleaning, working in the garden, assisting in the kitchen, or handling other small tasks.

Madame Vicky noticed this and once called Emil aside, insisting that what he was doing wasn't really necessary. But Emil politely explained that he wanted to do these things because that's how his parents had raised him, and at the same time, he wished to repay Grandma Vicky for her kindness.

For context, Emil's parents had been long-time stewards of the Vale family. They had shared a particularly close bond with Victoria and her late husband. Tragically, both of Emil's parents died in an accident while returning home from the mansion in the north, leaving nine-year-old Emil an orphan. Perhaps out of pity (and because Emil had no relatives who were willing to take him in), Madame Vicky decided to adopt him.

However, Madame Vicky hadn't expected the child she adopted to be so mature. At times, it felt as if she were speaking to an adult rather than a child. As she came to understand his intentions, the old lady ultimately allowed Emil to follow his own wishes to serve as a helper, on the condition that Emil would accept payment from her, so he would have his own money to use whenever he wished. Emil received the offer, and at the age of ten, he became the youngest servant of the Vales, trained by none other than Madame Vicky herself.

Madame Vicky's approach to training a servant was strict, and she had no intention of treating Emil differently just because she liked him. Fortunately, Emil understood this and took his responsibilities seriously. Over time, he gradually took on nearly all the tasks in the mansion, even those usually handled by long-serving staff. Time passed quickly, and Emil reached the age of fifteen. By then, his skills were on par with the long-time servants. The staff had nothing to complain about Emil. On the contrary, they often praised him for being easy to get along with, as well as for his seriousness and attentiveness at work. Whenever anyone approached him, he responded immediately and took action.

In other words, everyone notices Emil...

Except for one.

Robert, who was now twenty-eight and engaged to Margarette Greenwood, was the only one who didn't even bother to notice Emil, let alone recognize how skilled and capable the young man had become. If he thinks about it carefully, Emil has nothing to prove to him. Yet whenever Robert visited the mansion, he seemed to notice everyone except Emil—as if the boy weren't even there, like a passing breeze. This had been happening ever since Emil first set foot in the Vale household, and it puzzled him greatly.

"Is he mad at me? Does he not like me?" Emil wondered. They had met several times, and each time he greeted Robert politely, even trying to initiate a small conversation; however, Robert simply never responded. He was there, present in Emil's space, yet it often felt as if Robert didn't even see him.

And somehow...that frustrated Emil.

Still, Emil said nothing.

But for that moment, all he could do was work harder, unaware that this silent distance between him and his master was only the beginning of a story that had yet to truly unfold.