It was clearly different from the usual Julian.
First, the Friday morning attendance. That was when the Young Master's attitude suddenly changed.
He didn't casually call her worthless or hit her.
'Worthless thing... Yeah, that's not wrong.'
Eirin suddenly recalled her own past. Once, her name had been Eirin Gloria, princess of the now-destroyed Kingdom of Gloria.
Instead of ascending the scaffold at the tender age of ten, Eirin had become a slave to Border Count Wilhelm.
Of course, she held no grudge against Wilhelm. No, she respected him. He was her lifesaver, after all.
And Border Count Wilhelm had swiftly restored her status to that of a commoner.
But Julian knew what she had been like when she first entered this mansion as a slave. So even if he called her worthless, it wasn't wrong.
Besides, Julian was the kind of wastrel who boldly declared even other nobles worthless trash.
'Still, Friday was different. Unlike his usual tyrannical tone, he spoke to me so kindly.'
He had even personally wiped the semen from her face during her attendance.
It was a gentleness no wastrel—or any ordinary noble—would ever show to a mere maid.
It was enough to shatter Eirin's composure completely.
But it could just be one of Julian's whims. What people called Julian's "play." The Young Master had always flipped his attitude overnight based on his mood.
So the sudden polite speech. And the embarrassment at being caught masturbating.
Even boldly caressing her most intimate places and finally becoming one with her.
It was reasonable to conclude it was just a whim.
'Of course, I gave my precious virginity to Young Master Julian too. I don't want to think it was just a one-night whim...'
And yesterday, he had invited her to dine together and even shared tea with her. In the barren northern territory of Essenmont, the Border Count family had a long-standing tradition.
Eating together and sharing precious tea that never grew in the north.
That was something only possible with family you'd give your life for, or comrades bound by deep, longstanding oaths.
'Especially for the prideful Young Master, something utterly impossible...'
Of course, one shouldn't think of a wastrel's mindset in normal terms. That too was probably a whim.
If she thought positively, maybe he saw her as a comrade at best.
A comrade who'd endured all his finicky tastes in play and attended him faithfully.
'Attendance... and night attendance...'
Eirin suddenly recalled Friday night's service anew. The massive presence still lingering in her secret places made them twitch at the memory.
Eirin had always maintained a calm, cold rationality. For someone whose clan was wiped out in a rebellion, it was her surefire survival strategy.
But the past few days had shattered her composure.
Just two days ago. She vividly remembered moaning like a woman—a female animal in heat—throughout the long night and dawn.
'Keep getting distracted... Calm down, Eirin.'
For now, chalking it all up to a whim simplified things. But there was one thing no whim could explain.
Julian had done several things utterly impossible for his former self.
'I heard from the head butler. The Young Master dined with the family head, offering proper morning greetings and etiquette.'
This couldn't be dismissed as a mere overnight whim.
The Julian at age ten hadn't been a full wastrel yet. But even then, he was an uncontrollable brat.
No tutor had ever succeeded in teaching him the basic refinement and manners befitting a noble.
So when Eirin heard from the head butler, she could hardly believe it. Mastering in one night what took a lifetime? Impossible.
She even felt annoyed, thinking the staff were pranking her.
But yesterday, Eirin had to change her mind. When she saw Julian writing a reply to Princess Lillia's letter.
She saw intelligence on his face such as she'd never witnessed before.
And it wasn't just that. The letter he penned was perfect for a cultured noble—in handwriting and style alike.
Above all, its contents shocked Eirin.
Julian perfectly grasped the subtle rivalry between the imperial family and the Border Count family.
Border Count Wilhelm's loyalty had never been doubted by the imperial family in his sixty-plus years.
But Julian's wastrel antics in the capital last year were enough to topple the tower of merit Wilhelm had built over a lifetime.
So despite Wilhelm's efforts, imperial discontent must have been mounting...
In yesterday's letter, Julian clearly stated it. He admitted his past rudeness and mistakes without a shred of excuse. An utterly unreasonable move.
'For a high noble like the Border Count family, admitting fault without any deflection is exceedingly rare. They usually try to shift blame somehow.'
But by so readily acknowledging his errors and apologizing, Julian allowed the imperial family to save face. And more.
He reaffirmed the Border Count family as the imperial family's foremost loyalists, emphasizing in noble prose that their amicable ties would endure.
Rhetoric impossible for a wastrel like Julian—or any ordinary noble boy his age.
It was as if a veteran court politician of decades had penned it, not that wastrel Young Master.
'What in the world happened...'
In any case, for Julian, it was the perfect, necessary strike he'd thrown at Princess Lillia.
Princess Lillia. Far smarter than her reputation as a flower-brained girl suggested. Eirin knew well, having observed her closely at the Pantheon.
She did show some favor to the wastrel Julian due to valuing their betrothal...
But that favor was undoubtedly for the Border Count family behind him.
Anyway, for a person to change overnight like that was astonishing.
'Maybe the family head's prayers really worked. Otherwise, it's inexplicable. Perhaps Lord Jedin blessed him, driving out the demon in his mind.'
As Eirin sank deep into thought, murmurs rippled through the surroundings.
"Young Master Julian has arrived!"
Eirin set her thoughts aside. The Young Master had clearly changed. If it was genuine, not mere whimsy.
She was prepared to throw herself into anything for him, using every means at her disposal.
Because she wanted to keep witnessing that "keen gaze" she'd seen in him yesterday.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
I wanted sex so badly.
I regretted it fiercely last night. I'd refused night service out of consideration for Eirin's condition.
But as night fell, memories of our first time flooded back, and I couldn't hold out.
Still, a man doesn't take back his word. Plus, flip-flopping like that might make Eirin misunderstand me again right away.
'She'd think it's just play or a whim.'
So I'd recalled our first night and jerked off to endure. Thanks to that intense memory, it wasn't hard. I came five times before sleeping.
Now it was Sunday morning.
Guided by a butler, I headed to where the carriage waited in the mansion grounds. The household staff had gathered there to greet me.
"Welcome, Young Master."
"Welcome, Young Master."
I gave them a simple greeting.
"You're working hard since morning."
Their faces instantly turned bizarre. Like they'd seen a ghost first thing in the morning.
'What's with them? Can't I even greet people?'
Soon a man approached and spoke. I knew who he was from Demon King's Son. Hans, Julian's personal coachman.
"Welcome, Young Master Julian. The carriage is perfectly prepared. The ride will be just as you like it—no, even better."
Hans bowed deeply and politely. I looked at the carriage.
'Insane. Is that even called a carriage?'
It was enormous, like a giant camper van. The exterior was as ornate as an antique from the Rococo era.
Eirin spoke from beside me.
"Then, let us board the carriage."
I entered with Eirin. The interior was even more lavish. It felt like a hotel suite transplanted wholesale.
A little time passed. I grew puzzled.
"Eirin. Why hasn't the carriage started moving? Do we need some procedure?"
"What do you mean, Young Master?"
"It's still sitting in place."
At my words, Eirin opened the carriage window. Surprisingly, we were already underway.
"This carriage incorporates the capital's magic engineering. And since you're so sensitive to ride quality... Hans won't go fast."
As Eirin said, it didn't feel speedy. The scenery outside moved at about bicycle pace.
"And it's specially soundproofed, so no outside noise will reach us."
"I see. Still, Hans must be an impressive coachman. Even in a fine carriage, there's zero shaking."
"He's been thoroughly scolded by you, after all."
"Scolded by me?"
"Whenever the ride displeased you, didn't you snatch his whip and beat him with it often?"
What a lunatic. No wonder the staff's eyes around the carriage looked off this morning. It was fear.
"Sigh. No more of that insane nonsense from now on."
"Really?"
"I have no hobby in tormenting people."
Eirin's cool face softened slightly. Understandable; she'd doubt it. Being misunderstood by a beauty like this hurt. I changed the subject.
"How long to reach Reinhime?"
"At normal speed, thirty minutes. But we're going slower now, so about an hour."
"I see..."
A brief silence followed. Come to think of it, I hadn't noticed, but Eirin was pressed right against me.
This carriage could seat five—no, ten easily—yet she'd sat right beside me.
The usual pleasant scent wafting from Eirin. Unlike the artificial, nose-stinging perfumes from women on subways or buses back home.
It was soft like a natural flower fragrance encountered on the street, yet captivating enough to draw anyone in instantly.
Suddenly, blood rushed to my groin. Truth be told, ever since hearing about "carriage service" from Eirin yesterday, I'd been wondering.
'What exactly is carriage service?'
A spacious but enclosed space. Narrower than my room in the mansion, for sure.
Being alone here with the territory's top beauty was driving me mad.
Sure, better than my old one-room in my past life, but a carriage is a carriage. The term "car sex" flashed in my mind.
Something that seemed eternally out of reach for a guy with no car or girlfriend. If carriage service meant what I thought...
'Just Eirin and me here. An hour until arrival. And perfect soundproofing...'
As my fantasies peaked, Eirin placed her porcelain-white, slender hand on my thigh.
"Then, Young Master. I shall begin the carriage service now."