As if he anticipated his reaction, Derrek smiled broadly and held out the silver platter.
Ludger picked up the plain white envelope resting on top of the elegantly decorated letters. Dismissing Derrek who offered him help, he opened it himself with a paper knife.
Ludger’s expression brightened slightly as he read the letter, trying to hide his excitement, but Derrek, who had served him for years, noticed it easily.
Just as Derrek wondered if the letter contained good news, Ludger neatly folded it and called out to him.
“Derrek.”
“Yes, Young Master?”
“I know you have been busy, but there’s something I need you to prepare.”
“Please, just order your wishes.”
A date? A gift? Derrek prided himself on preparing anything to perfection.
However, Ludger’s next words left even the seasoned butler in shock.
“An….. engagement ceremony.”
“….. I beg your pardon?”
“It’s urgent. We need to hold it within the next two months.”
Derrek stood frozen, trying to process what he had just heard. Ludger hadn’t mentioned Clara since returning home in a strangely subdued mood, so Derrek assumed nothing good had happened. Yet now they were skipping all the steps and talking about an engagement?
Though curious, Derek was a loyal butler first and foremost. So, instead of probing, he bowed his head.
“Yes, I understand. In order to ensure everything proceeds smoothly, I will meet with Captain Weyburn right away. After all, the preferences for the engagement ceremony should follow the wishes of the future fiancée…..”
“She’s extremely busy. It would be better to not overcomplicate things.”
“Please do not fret about that, My Lord. I will make sure to consider everything and proceed accordingly. However, we can’t just go ahead and do things our way, can we?”
“That would be best I suppose…”
Ludger tucked the letter into his jacket instead of placing it back on the tray. Derrek watched him with a warm smile.
“If I may ask, when did you propose? I assume My Lady must have been delighted to receive the ring?”
“… Ring?”
Derrek’s eyes widened in surprise.
“If you have proposed formally, surely you must have prepared a ring. You didn’t present her with something from the Duke’s collection, did you?”
“No, well… it wasn’t exactly a formal proposal. Things just moved rather quickly..…”
“Oh dear! You mean you proposed without a gift?”
“… I suppose I did?”
Derrek exclaimed as he stood up straighter.
“Remember this, Young Master! A proper proposal, and bringing whatever your pregnant wife wants to eat! If you just rush through these things, it’ll haunt you for the rest of your life!'”
“……”
“Phew, I’m so relieved to have learned this now, at least. I’ll take care of the preparations.”
“That…..”
Ludger’s expression became complicated. Derrek, who didn’t know that Ludger had already been heavily rejected by Clara and that this engagement wasn’t the result of a romantic relationship, seemed visibly excited.
Ludger eventually gave in with a sigh.
“… Fine. I’ll leave it to you.”
“Yes, we’ll sort it out immediately. Tomorrow, if possible!”
“Yes, and If Captain Clara’s….. schedule allows.”
“I’ll check into it.”
Ludger showed a weary smile, then nodded and turned away. As he watched Ludger’s back heading back to his resting quarters, Derrek was on the verge of tears.
His precious Young Master, whom he had been watching since he was a baby, is now about to be engaged!
Derrek made a firm vow to prepare a perfect engagement ceremony.
***
The next morning, I received a letter in response to mine.
Surprisingly, it was from Derrek, Ludger’s butler on behalf of him, requesting that I come to Kassen Household this evening to discuss the engagement.
And if tonight wasn’t possible, they asked for an alternative time.
I sent back a reply confirming tonight would be fine, though, I also mentioned I’d likely arrive late due to work.
Actually, even if it wasn’t ideal, meeting quickly was the best course of action. I needed to settle the engagement before Ludger changed his mind.
However, due to some tasks I needed to finish, it seemed like I wouldn’t be able to leave until late in the evening. So I included the estimated arrival time in my reply and prepared to post it.
“Sir Lan, why don’t you head back first? I need to stop by the post office to send a letter.”
“Ah, don’t worry about it! It won’t take long, so I’ll wait for a while.”
“Alright, then.”
I had lunch with Lan, who had accompanied me for the external duties in the morning.
I was concerned about sending her off alone, but strangely, she, who followed me so well like a puppy, seemed to want to go back together even if she had to wait.
Billy had a puppy-like side to him, in a different way from the others. Even his appearance, with those big, puppy-like eyes…..
‘Technically, I could use a communication stone to convey the message to the Duke.’
If it were just receiving an order, that would be one thing, but I was hesitant to use the communication stone for personal matters. Also, since it was sent politely by them through a letter, I felt like I should respond in the same manner.
I went to deliver the letter using a special courier service that operates on magic, so it would be delivered instantly, kind of like a fax.
As soon as I returned after sending the mail, Lan cheerfully asked.
“You have something important to send?”
“Yes, to the Duke of Kassen…”
I answered honestly without much thought, and as soon as she heard my response, Lan’s eyes sparkled with excitement.
“Oh, you two must have a special relationship!”
“….”
“Oh no! Captain said before it’s not like that, but I ended up saying something unnecessary. I’m sorry…..”
It seemed Lan, ever since the last incident, believed that Ludger and I were in some sort of secret romantic relationship.
Especially after I lost consciousness and ended up at Ludger’s house… that misunderstanding probably didn’t end; if anything, it only got worse.
Still, it seemed like she felt sorry for bringing it up, since we were keeping it a secret.
‘But… wait a minute. I’m supposed to get engaged soon.’
I couldn’t get engaged without letting my subordinates know, so I had to bring it up sooner rather than later. It would feel strange to not invite them to the engagement ceremony without any reason.
But I couldn’t just tell others my private matters either… So, the only reason I could come up with for Ludger and me getting engaged would be that the two of us were truly in a relationship.
If I denied my relationship now, then announced an engagement later…. wouldn’t that look odd?
My voice trembled as barely managed to speak.
“No… It’s not… Lan doesn’t have anything to apologize for…”
“Still…..”
“Actually… what you guessed… is… correct.”
“……!”
As soon as Lan heard my words, her eyes widened in shock. I forced myself to continue speaking, despite the knot in my stomach.
“That… for now…. could you…. please keep it a secret….”
“Of course! I won’t say a word! I’m so sorry for bringing it up!”
Even as she said that, Lan was grinning from ear to ear. Her eyes were filled with warmth, as if she was blessing a newly-formed couple. I felt like I was going to die from embarrassment.
‘How am I…. supposed to tell Lionel?’
Last time, I was rambling to him about how I wasn’t interested in getting married. And even advised him to stop reading romance novels.
And then, not even a few weeks later, without even a word of explanation, it’s suddenly ‘We’re in ♡ getting engaged’?
“Ugh…”
“Captain! Are you alright? Is your head hurting?”
“Yes, I just have a slight headache… Please don’t mind it…”
“At least take some medicine when you return home!”
“…..It’s fine.”
I would have to discuss this with Ludger later.
If we were going to lie and say that we got together because we liked each other, we’d need a convincing background story and a rough storyline.
The thought of bringing it up to Ludger like ‘Shall we come up with a proper setup that we’re dating?’ already made me want to die from embarrassment, but there was no helping it. It was all my fault.
***
After sending the subordinates off and finishing up my work, I looked at the clock, and it was around 8 o’clock. If I take the hired carriage from here, I should arrive at Kassen Household just after 9 o’clock, as I had mentioned in the letter.
But as soon as I descended to the first floor, I was surprised.
“… Butler?”
“Captain Weyburn, I’ve come to escort you.”
Since I had said I was going, he had sent a carriage to pick me up right on time.
I felt a bit overwhelmed by the courtesy, but then again, since I was going to be the Duke’s fiancée… I suppose maybe this level of treatment was to be expected.
‘It also means that Ludger is serious about this engagement. That’s a relief.’
As we climbed into the carriage, the butler gave me an apologetic smile.
“Are you disappointed?”
“Pardon?”
“That My Lord didn’t come in person.”
“No, no. Why would I be?”
“The Young Master is quite busy… It’s due to some urgent matters that can’t be postponed. However, he did say he would match the arrival time with the Captain, so please don’t worry.”
“I really don’t mind. Don’t worry about it.”
“You’re very considerate.”
‘I’m not sure if I deserve that compliment…’
As I awkwardly thought to myself that he was quite good at painting a golden picture, the butler continued speaking with a contented smile.
“To think that someone as wonderful as you and our Young Master are going to be united in love… I, Derrek, am truly overwhelmed with emotion.”
Wait, what?
‘United by love…?’
