For a moment, she was so startled that she forgot to breathe. His elegant upper body filled her vision. Perhaps it was his broad shoulders that made the uniform suit him so well. His shoulders fell at a precise right angle, like it was measured with a ruler.

Whether it was due to his slim waist compared to his thick chest, or because of his long limbs, despite his robust physique, he looked quite neat and trim.

“You’re here.”

Only upon hearing his voice did Vivianne realize she had been staring blankly. Vivianne’s face turned bright red.

Kian casually put on a shower robe and patted his wet hair with a towel. Unlike herself, who didn’t know where to look, he didn’t seem flustered at all.

He walked over with long strides but suddenly stopped. As his gaze fell to her bare feet, Vivianne became self-conscious about being barefoot. Her toes curled in embarrassment.

“Sit down.”

“Pardon?”

“I said sit here.”

Kian gestured toward the single-seater sofa. She followed the master’s order without any resistance. He took off his bedroom slippers and suddenly crouched down in front of her knees. Her blue eyes widened slightly.

Kian carefully took in the sight of the trembling woman sitting before him. He grasped her slender ankles and snow-white feet one after another. His slow movements made him look like a predator gauging where to sink its teeth.

Her feet must be dirty from walking barefoot. But he didn’t seem to care about such things at all, though she was too embarrassed to meet his eyes.

He brushed off the dust from her feet and helped her put on the slippers one by one. Perhaps because they were men’s slippers, they were much bigger than Vivianne’s dainty feet. Her small feet looked comical, as if swallowed up by the slippers.

Why is he giving me these? Is it because he felt sorry seeing me barefoot?

Her face kept burning with an odd mixture of shame and flutter.

“Why are you trembling so much? No one’s going to eat you.”

“……”

“The tea will get cold.”

It was a prompt to serve the tea quickly. As he stood up, Vivianne also rose unsteadily. Perhaps because of the large size, unlike her usual shoes, the slippers dragged on the floor. She carefully stood next to the side table where the tea set was placed, making sure not to fall. He lounged on the sofa where Vivianne had been sitting and opened a newspaper.

Don’t tremble. I can’t make mistakes by being nervous.

Vivianne carefully lifted the teapot while mentally reviewing what she had practiced.

Splash—

The water sound accompanied the rising tea level in the cup. A fragrant tea leaf aroma tickled her nose, making her wonder if it had steeped well.

After carefully setting down the teapot, Kian picked up the teacup with one hand and moistened his lips with the tea.

Did I do anything wrong? Vivianne felt her blood running dry as she watched for his reaction.

He showed no particular reaction.

He just took occasional sips while keeping his eyes fixed on the newspaper.

Vivianne went over everything in her mind to check if she had made any mistakes.

She hadn’t poured too little or too much, and no tea leaves had escaped to make the tea cloudy.

Though she was somewhat concerned that the tea color was darker than when she learned yesterday, there was nothing she could do about that now.

So she had done everything she could. Only after calming down a bit could she observe Kian more comfortably.

The water drops in his hair sparkled in the sunlight. Has his eyelashes always been that long? They cast small shadows beneath his downward gaze as he read the newspaper.

I didn’t know he had a tiny mole under his left eye. It was silly how even that tiny imperfection looked perfect. She liked those intense eyes that seemed to be either concentrating or fixating on something.

Could he really be that good? Even after being treated like that that day?

Though she felt pathetic, her heart had developed an inertia from longing for him for so long. It was also difficult to give up easily.

Looking at the large slippers he had put on her feet made her feel even more so.

Clank. Kian put down his teacup and folded the newspaper. Only then did she quickly avert her sneaking glances.

There was still enough tea left in the cup to cover the bottom. Eliza had said that the master only drinks tea while reading the newspaper. When he folds the newspaper and puts down the teacup, that’s the sign to clear away the tea set and leave.

She carefully approached to clean up the tea set, but-

“I’m not finished yet.”

“Pardon?”

“Prepare another cup.”

Kian left this brief instruction and strode off somewhere barefoot.

He asks for another cup but… where is he going?

Though her mind went blank at this unexpected variable, it wasn’t particularly difficult. She carefully poured the remaining tea into the cup and waited again.

Then she heard the sound of a bell pull being drawn. Shortly after, when he returned to his seat as if nothing had happened, he picked up the teacup. Right away, a maid entered and gave a deep bow.

“Did you call for me, Master?”

“Have you done your roll call?”

“Pardon? The roll call is not yet…”

The maid mumbled with a bewildered expression.

“Perfect. Tell all the maids from the main house to gather here.”

“Here?”

“Is it your habit to make people repeat themselves?”

When Kian showed a sharp reaction, the maid bowed her head in panic.

“I-I’m sorry. I’ll relay the message.”

“You may go.”

She thought she had done well, but the atmosphere was clearly not right. Could she have made a mistake?

Vivianne fidgeted with her fingertips as she grew increasingly anxious.

Shortly after, maids gathered in Kian’s bedroom.

They all lowered their gazes with their hands neatly folded as if they had done something wrong.

It was strange enough that he suddenly called the maids to his room, but there was another reason.

The master in his shower robe and bare feet, and Vivianne wearing his ill-fitting slippers.

The scene before them was truly unbelievable.

Kian stood up from the sofa. Of course, still barefoot.

“M-Master, shall I bring your slippers back?”

One maid carefully asked.

“Oh, is this really such a cause for panic?”

When he raised his eyebrows, everyone became as quiet as mice.

Kian walked leisurely among the lined-up maids as if inspecting them, then stopped abruptly at one spot.

“Eliza, was it? Your name?”

It was in front of Eliza, the previous tea server.

“…Yes, Master.”

“Why did you give Vivi the wrong time?”

He went straight to the point without any preamble. Eliza answered with a slightly stiff face, clearly tense.

“Wh-what do you mean? I told her exactly eight o’clock sharp. I gave her the correct time.”

“Then why did this happen?”

Kian let out a scoff as though he were dumbfounded.

“I told her that entry wasn’t allowed before then. I suppose she was just too eager to do well.”

“Vivi. Is what Eliza says true?”

Instead of answering, Vivianne shook her head.

She had heard about eight in the morning. But she was told it would be good to arrive early and prepare, so she hurried by about 30 minutes.

She had never been told not to enter before then.

Everyone’s eyes were on Vivianne. Gazes revealing clear hostility. She wanted to protest more but her muscles tensed under the pressure. She felt wronged. She wanted to run away even though she hadn’t done anything wrong.

“Your stories differ. I see.”

Kian nodded without pursuing the matter further.

“Then who hid the shoes?”

The atmosphere instantly sank at his next words.

Of course, it was a question no one would answer. Despite the number of people present, it was so quiet you could hear a pin drop. Kian let out a small laugh as if he had expected this.

In times like these, randomly picking someone was the answer.

“What do you think?”

When Kian stopped in front of her, the maid’s face turned pale.

“Su-surely no one would hide them. Perhaps she lost them herself in her confusion.”

“Well, that could be possible.”

He didn’t deny it and acknowledged the possibility.

“But for both these things to happen to one person at the same time doesn’t seem like coincidence to me. Or is it just my feeling?”

This wasn’t a question. It was a certainty that bullying was occurring among the Larson maids.

“I’m well aware that there are ranks and hierarchies among you. But if it’s just because of that… if I can’t even drink my tea as I please and have to mind the maids’ feelings.”

He stopped in front of Eliza again and lowered his head to meet her eyes.

“Should the maid leave, or should the master leave?”