Chapter 13

The Closest Thing He Got

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All the servants in the Vale mansion owned by Madame Vicky woke at exactly 4:00 in the morning each day. By the time the bell rang, everyone was expected to be standing outside their doors, ready for the morning inspection conducted by one of the mansion's senior staff members. Their uniforms had to be clean and neatly pressed, and their appearance had to be tidy and presentable before they faced inspection by their head servant.

From the cooks all the way down to the gardeners, all must be present before heading to their respective posts. Everyone was required to report to the head servant for a brief greeting and instruction, which took place precisely at 4:30 a.m.

"Lord Robert will be staying in the mansion for the time being with his head butler, Mr. Weiss, to attend to Madame Victoria's health," the head servant announced. "Mr. Weiss is a guest of this mansion, so you are to treat him as such, not as a member of the household staff. Do you all understand?"

"Yes, ma'am!"

The servants replied in unison, except for one: the new scullery maid who had just joined them last week. Since the head of the servants had keen hearing to spot who was responding to her and who was not, she decided to approach the maid who did not respond to her and gave her a brief but pointed morning scolding.

"You..." she said, calling the maid's attention.

The maid didn't say anything but bowed slightly.

"Would you like to repeat what I said?" the head servant asked as her eyes fixed on the new maid without blinking. The maid's eyes darted calmly from side to side, glancing at the other servants before finally speaking.

"Lord Robert will be staying in the mansion for the time being with his head butler, Mr. Weiss, to attend to Madame Victoria's health."

"And...?"

It took a few seconds for the newbie to respond.

"We...have to treat Mr. Weiss as a guest and not as a member of the household staff."

The head servant didn't say anything at first. She just looked the new maid over from head to toe. After a moment, she noticed the messy ribbon on the girl's uniform and reached out to straighten it.

"When someone asks you a question—especially if it's me," she said at last, "you answer right away. Do you understand?"

"Yes, ma'am," the new maid replied.

The Head Servant finally left the maid and moved to the front, signaling that everyone could return to their respective posts. Meanwhile, the new maid was assigned to the kitchen. As the latest member of the staff, she was assigned most of the basic tasks and took orders from the senior kitchen staff, all the way up to the head cook, who supervised them. Whenever she was told, "Wipe this," or "Pick that up," she had to comply immediately. Every moment in the kitchen counted, and there was no time to waste.

That morning, she was among those preparing to serve Madame Victoria's breakfast. The old lady would be joined by her grandson, Lord Robert, and his head butler, Emil, who, for the duration of their stay, would be treated as a guest rather than a member of the household staff.

"Madame Vale will be coming down at exactly 7:30 a.m. Make sure the food is ready," the Head Servant reminded the cooks and staff.

Upon hearing the reminder, the stewards immediately doubled their efforts in the kitchen, even though preparing the meals would take extra time. The reason was apparent, of course: Madame Victoria had many dietary restrictions, and the in-house nutritionist inspected every ingredient before her food could be served. Robert's meal was handled with the same care; anything containing citrus was strictly forbidden due to his severe allergic reaction. Emil, on the other hand, had no special dietary restrictions, so his meal was much simpler to prepare.

It was exactly 7:30 a.m. when Madame Vicky came downstairs and took her seat at the table. Emil and Robert followed shortly after and were immediately attended to by the staff. Hot drinks were served immediately: fresh, warm milk for Madame Vicky, coffee without sugar for Robert, and hot chocolate for Emil.

The staff began placing the breakfast dishes on the table one by one. The warm scent of freshly cooked corn soup filled the air, mingling with the smell of bread pulled straight from the oven. Various fillings, such as cheese, honey, butter, and jams, were neatly arranged on the table, alongside sunny-side-up eggs, special home-cooked ham, and ripe fruit.

Soon, their aromas spread throughout the dining hall.

"Oh, before I forget." The old woman dabbed her mouth with a white napkin and then continued. "Please have the car prepared later. My grandson and his boyfriend, Emil, will be coming with me," Madame Vicky instructed the staff beside her.

Robert immediately choked on his coffee upon hearing his grandma. It wasn't the sudden plan to go out that shocked him—it was the way his grandmother so casually announced Emil as his lover in front of the staff, who were all doing their best not to look at one another because obviously, their shock and disbelief were all plainly written on their faces.

"Grandma!" Robert protested, barely keeping himself in check. "Do you really have to say that in front of the staff?"

"Which part?" she asked calmly, completely unbothered by her grandson's glare. "That you and Emil will be accompanying me on my trip?"

"No! The other one!" he said, carefully avoiding the reactions of the people around him.

"Oh! I'm sorry—would you rather make the announcement yourself?" Madame Vicky said brightly. "I think that's a wonderful idea! We could even throw a party and announce your relationship with Emil there, like an engagement or something!"

"That's not—! There's no need to—Ugh, Grandma!"

"What?" The old woman put down his cup and looked playfully at his grandson. "What's wrong with me announcing your relationship with Emil? I don't object to it, and none of our staff here objected, right?" she said as she glanced around the room. "Does anyone want to object to my grandson's relationship with Emil? Speak now—or forever hold your peace!"

Emil lowered his head slightly in secondhand embarrassment and to avoid seeing the stewards' reactions. He was sure they would be whispering about it later, once breakfast was over.

"See?" Madame Vicky proudly declared. "There's no one here who—"

But before Madame Vicky could even finish her sentence, a loud crash came from behind them. They all turned to see the maid—the same one scolded by the head steward that morning—already crouched on the floor and hurriedly trying to gather the broken pieces of the glass pitcher that slipped through her hand.

"Don't! Don't pick those up!" Emil quickly rose from his chair and stopped the maid from picking up the broken glass just in time. In the process, though, he ended up cutting himself while trying to prevent her from touching the glass.

"Sir Weiss!"

One of the servants rushed forward upon seeing Emil's injury. But Emil held up a hand to stop the servant and said, "No, I'm okay".

Then Emil glanced at the maid to make sure she wasn't hurt. But then he froze—he hadn't expected to be the one caught off guard as he finally recognized the woman in front of him.

"Wait... y-you? How—"

"—Emil!"

Emil barely registered that Robert was already behind him due to shock. The older man rushed forward and quickly pulled Emil away from the shards, while the attendants did the same with the maid, whose eyes never left Emil's.

"What the hell are you doing?!"

" I-I'm okay, Lord Robert..." Emil tried to hide the cut on his hand, but it was impossible when blood kept dripping onto the floor. Robert noticed the blood on the floor at once and shot a sharp glance at the maid who had broken the glass pitcher and caused Emil's injury.

"Get that person out of here, right now!" he ordered angrily. One of the senior staff quickly sprang into action and escorted the new maid out. Even as she left, her eyes stayed on Emil. Meanwhile, apprehension was written clearly on Emil's face as he watched the poor maid walk away.

"Shit, you're bleeding..." Emil's attention quickly went to Robert when he spoke. The older man promptly pulled a handkerchief from his pocket and firmly took Emil's hand, tying it tightly to the wound to stop the bleeding.

"You don't need to do this, my lord. The wound isn't that deep," Emil said.

But Robert didn't accept his apology so easily, especially not that excuse. It was apparent that the glass had cut Emil deeply, and the wound had barely stopped bleeding. So instead of calming down, Robert looked at Emil with apparent agitation and said, "I wouldn't have to if you hadn't rushed in like that! Look what happened to you!"

"M—my apologies, my lord," he whispered, barely able to meet Robert's angry gaze. At the same time, Emil felt a familiar warm swelling in his chest as Robert tended to his wound. He tried to focus on the pain, but he couldn't ignore the feel of Robert's hands. Slowly, he drew a deep breath as the heat started to creep from his cheeks to the top of his head, making him a little dizzy.

"You look pale," Robert said, frowning slightly as he noticed the color fading from the younger man's cheeks and lips. "Are you okay?"

Emil nodded, though he pressed a hand to the side of his head to steady himself.

"Yes, my lord. I'm just a little dizzy..."

"Then don't move too much."

A little later, Madame Vicky approached the two, clearly worried about Emil's condition, and asked, "Emil, my dear, are you okay?"

The younger man quickly reassured her. "Yes, Grandma. You don't need to worry. I'm fine."

"No, I'll have the servants call my doctor to check your wound. However, while we wait, please go to the infirmary first. There's a first aid kit there that could be used in the meantime to stop the bleeding and prevent infection."

"In that case," Robert said, helping Emil to his feet, "I'll go with him to the infirmary and treat his wound while we wait for the doctor to arrive."

"Okay," Madame Vicky said, her tone softening. "You take care of him."

Robert hooked his arms around Emil's waist as he held the younger man's injured hand. It was the first time Emil had ever been this close to Robert, and the first time the younger man touched the other in ways he had only ever imagined before.

Emil's thoughts are a bit of a mess right now. He wanted to close the distance between them, to inhale Robert's scent and feel the warmth that seemed to surround him.

Before he knew it, his cheeks were already warm. As they passed through a mirrored hallway, he caught sight of his own flushed reflection, something that Emil didn't want Robert to see.

Don't look at me...please... don't...

That's right. Emil didn't want Robert to see how happy he was. He liked the way Robert was taking care of him, and he wanted to savor the rare moment of being this close to the person he loved without being too obvious about it.

That's right.

For now, this quiet closeness between them was more than enough to leave his heart completely satisfied. However, a part of him felt suddenly unsettled when his thoughts drifted back to the new maid. She shouldn't have been there, so why was she? And why now?

Emil tightened his grip just enough to ground himself in the warmth of Robert's hands as they walked on. He knew what happened back there would become a serious problem, sooner or later...

But he chose to set it aside.

For now, this moment was enough.