A Maid Only for You (1)
“When are you getting married, Rian.”
“....”
Pffft-!!
Corelline unnie sprayed the water she’d been drinking violently.
“Kuhk! Kuhk! H-Huh? F-Father? What’s with the sudden question?”
“It’s not sudden. I should’ve asked long ago.”
“....”
The fact that a proper sentence came out of Father’s mouth instead of just a “hm” meant he was dead serious.
Marriage, huh.
Of course he’d get married eventually.
He didn’t hate the idea of marriage itself.
He’d definitely marry Lapis unnie, and Topaz too. Amethyst as well, unless she strongly objected.
Kidian...
His relationship with Kidian was still full of complications.
It wasn’t that he felt nothing for her...
But just because his heart leaned toward her didn’t mean he could give it away freely—he hadn’t settled on a conclusion yet.
...And marriage requires some leeway anyway.
He had plenty of financial breathing room now, thanks to Nakadashi’s success.
But everything else was the problem.
Swoosh—
Two faces flashed through his mind.
Necroport, Asbestos.
Honestly, just surviving between those two great families was overwhelming enough right now.
Ruuuumble—
“I wasn’t thrilled about your independence, but I allowed it. Still, having used the Ludwig name and enjoyed the family’s grace, continuing the bloodline is a natural duty.”
Father’s voice brooked no argument.
“I know, Father. But I haven’t given marriage much deep thought yet.”
“Hm...”
This “hm” was definitely one of dissatisfaction.
“You really have no prospects at all? Corelline already has a list of candidates, and Ishtvan does too.”
“Ahahang! Father! I haven’t picked one yet? Omnomnom!”
Nom— Nom—
Corelline unnie protested with her mouth stuffed full of steak.
“Not having chosen one is different from not even having candidates.”
“W-Well, that’s true, but...”
Glance—
Corelline unnie met his eyes and gave him an apologetic look. She seemed to think he was under this pressure because of her.
Well... it’s not entirely unrelated.
Ishtvan hyung and Corelline unnie.
As long as they were competing for family head, they wouldn’t marry easily.
Marriage was the simplest, quickest, and most reliable way to expand one’s power base, after all.
To find the best possible match, to seize the most advantageous timing—they kept putting off marriage, only entertaining proposals.
Swoosh—
And the other siblings seem to be playing it safe too.
You could tell just from who wasn’t at today’s dinner.
They all planned to side with the clear winner before tying the knot.
Why? Because whether they backed the winner or the loser would determine the caliber of their marriage partners.
In this situation, with all the sons and daughters still unmarried while vying for family head...
Father, who was getting on in years, must want to secure the Ludwig bloodline quickly.
So the independent youngest son is the easiest target, huh.
That’s why he was demanding it from him, who’d distanced himself from the succession entirely, yet still carried the Ludwig blood.
“...The Glacia banquet is right around the corner. Have you chosen a partner?”
Clink!
At that moment, Topaz’s silverware clinked sharply against her plate.
“...Ah! S-Sorry...”
“It’s fine.”
Father brushed it off without batting an eye.
“Ahahang! Right? I’m curious too—has Rian found a partner?”
Leeean—!
Corelline unnie leaned over the table as she asked.
“...Yes, I have.”
“Oho? Who? Tell your unnie! Which family’s lady? Personality? Looks? Boobs?!”
“...Unnie, why are you asking about boobs?”
They were pretty big, though.
“Obviously it matters! Unnie likes ’em big!”
“Corelline.”
“Ahahang! Yes! I’ll be quiet, Mother!”
One word from Mother, and Corelline unnie shut her mouth immediately.
Swoosh—
He knew dodging or glossing over it here would turn Father’s “hm” into one of displeasure...
“Yes, I’ve chosen a partner. It’s not officially confirmed yet, so I’ll let you know once it is.”
He answered as politely as possible, without lying.
“Hm...”
An “hm” somewhere between dissatisfaction and acceptance.
Subtle, but no immediate grilling.
“Dear? Rian’s here after so long. Don’t push him right away.”
“...Hm.”
Swoosh—
At Mother’s mediation, Father grudgingly picked up his silverware again...
“Ahahang! Yeah! If it doesn’t work out, just marry your unnie!”
“...Hm.”
“Corelline!”
It might sound insane in front of their parents, but surprisingly, in this world—especially the North—sibling marriage was legal.
Thanks to the Wailing Wall.
Damn... it’s you again, huh. JOAT. Not missing you.
Long ago, when the Wailing Wall was breached and the North nearly fell...
A surviving brother and sister had a ton of kids and rebuilt it—or so the dubious legend went.
It was more myth than fact, and actual sibling marriages were rare...
But legally, it was allowed.
“Ahahang! I’m serious! I’m serious! Rian could totally get married, no problem!”
Corelline unnie laughed it off boisterously, but Mother’s eyes were still narrowed.
“Hm... If no suitable match...”
Thud!
Father set down his silverware and spoke again.
“There’s already one proposal.”
“....”
The timing suggested it wasn’t for just any Ludwig—it was for him.
...Who? Why me, the youngest?
Hard to guess, but...
If Father was bringing it up himself, it had to be from a decent family.
“Thank you, Father. But I’ll think about marriage a bit more.”
“Hm.”
His eyes said he wouldn’t give much time. Rian nodded...
Slice—
...and slipped a piece of steak into his mouth.
****
Step— Step—
“Hoo...”
He sighed as he walked the corridor.
The food was great, but it felt heavy.
“Young master Rian.”
“Yeah, Topaz. Good work.”
“N-No... You’re the one who worked hard...”
Topaz’s voice was more cautious than usual.
She had something to say but didn’t know where to start.
“Why so down?”
“No... Just... thinking...”
Step! Step! Clank!
He arrived at his old room from before independence and opened the door.
Swoosh—
As Corelline unnie said, it was spotless.
The servants had already moved his luggage, and fresh bedding lay on the bed.
“Come in first. Let’s talk inside.”
“...No, young master. I’ll use the servants’ quarters—”
“Come in. That’s an order.”
Topaz bit her lip and stepped inside...
Clank—
He closed the door.
“....”
“....”
“...Young master. Can I ask one thing?”
Still by the door, fiddling with her skirt, Topaz spoke carefully.
“Of course. What is it?”
“Well... On the way here, you wrote two drafts in the carriage.”
“Yeah. 100 Days Until the Gloomy Lady Falls and Swordsmanship First-Class but Pussy Third-Class!?”
“Yes... You said they’re both candidates for your next work...”
Swoosh—
Topaz’s eyes trembled slightly as she looked at him.
“I’m not the protagonist, am I?”
“...Right? You told me not to use you.”
“Haa... Yeah.”
Topaz let out a long sigh.
“Young master, I know it’s weird of me... Honestly, when you first used me as a model, I was so embarrassed I wanted to die. But now that it’s another woman... it feels... like...”
“....”
Twitch—!
“...A-Aaah!! F-Forget it! I don’t even know what I’m saying! Just forget it!”
Topaz covered her face and spun away.
Haa... she’s adorable.
She’d said “don’t write about me!!” when it was her as the model, but now she didn’t like another woman being the model either.
Step! Squeeze—!
He wrapped his arms around her waist from behind.
“—Hngut?!♥”
Topaz’s body jolted, but she didn’t push him away.
“Y-Young master...? Th-This is the main estate. Corelline’s room is right next door...”
“I know.”
“You know and you’re still—?!”
“Don’t worry. You know this room’s soundproofed well, right? Well, we still got caught eventually...”
“D-Don’t bring that up!!”
Topaz yelled, plugging her ears.
There were plenty of memories in this room, but...
The first that came to mind was from when Topaz was still “just a maid.”
Sneaking in late at night for their first time.
Hoo...
Smack—!
He lightly kissed the nape of her neck.
“Haah...?!♥...Y-Young master... for real... you’re gonna...?”
“You told me not to in the carriage, so I held back. Can’t anymore.”
“...Ugh!! Y-You’re really... haa!”
As he reached for her maid uniform...
“W-Wait... I’ll... take it off myself.”
Snap—
At the unexpected words, he paused, and Topaz slowly turned.
“Young master. To be honest... back at dinner, when the family head brought it up... my chest felt so tight. And then the banquet partner came up too... I started wondering what makes me better than other women.”
“....”
Click— Click—
Topaz spoke calmly, unbuttoning her uniform.
“...Sounds all jumbled, right? Sorry. My head’s so noisy... thoughts keep overflowing, but I can’t sort them. If I don’t say it like this, it feels like my head’ll burst.”
Slither— Thud!
The last button came undone, and her maid uniform pooled on the floor.
“Hah, I know. No matter how well you treat me... no matter how hard I try... I can’t be the match your family wants, right?”
“....”
“I thought I’d gotten over feeling sad or hurt about it long ago... but facing reality head-on isn’t easy.”
“...Topaz.”
“Wait. Almost done. Hoo... Oh, don’t worry. I’m not giving up or anything. It’s not like I could even if I wanted to.”
Nude now, Topaz looked up at him.
“Young master. No matter who you marry, who you bring as a partner, who you make the protagonist of your novels... I’m your maid. That won’t change. I’ll always be by your side. But... I’m human too. Sometimes my heart gets weak. And... today seems to be one of those days.”
Step—
Topaz took a step closer—
“So please... Young master. Just for today, be solely my... Topaz’s master.”
She reached out to him tentatively.