Taking her place beside him as commanded, May glanced at Aiden’s unkempt silver hair. When he was at the ducal household, he always kept it half-tied back.

‘Something feels strange.’

As strange as him not questioning her offense. It wasn’t simply that the calm hairstyle didn’t suit him.

Rather, her former master was not someone who showed an unkempt appearance in front of others. Though his temperament wasn’t exactly what you’d call ‘refined nobility’…. Setting aside his fierce personality, he was someone who always maintained an arrogant posture with his back straight and chin raised. Even in front of family.

Of course, May, who handled small tasks around Aiden, often saw him suffering from hangovers or sprawled on the couch irritably after sword training….

‘Well, that’s because he thinks of employees as objects….’

Moreover, such incidents always occurred in his room. Even if he showed some relaxed behavior, the moment he crossed the doorway, Aiden would straighten his back as if nothing had happened.

Yet here he maintained an inappropriately comfortable demeanor despite this not being his space. It was natural that it felt awkward.

As mentioned before, he didn’t particularly snap at her unless it was about Johan. Though she had expected to be severely scolded, the opposite situation kept unfolding instead.

Aiden read the books piled in the mansion, swung his sword every morning, and maintained it in the afternoons.

Her worries about whether she should buy luxury bedding or pomade seemed foolish now. Her master, who extremely hated environmental changes, unexpectedly blended into the mansion without being picky. And in such a short time that it could hardly be called adaptation.

May fidgeted with her hands and looked at him again.

‘……And it’s strange how he keeps me sitting here with nothing to do.’

At the ducal household, there had been a stream of meaningful orders, so she was kept quite busy serving him, but here her main task was just blankly staying by his side.

‘I don’t understand why he keeps telling me to come quickly if this is all.’

Though it was likely to keep away Johan whom he disliked, it still seemed excessive and puzzling. May continued stealing glances at her inscrutable master. As if doing so might somehow yield answers.

And just then, a breeze blew through the slightly open window. The thread-like warm wind scattered the silver hair covering his neat forehead. The hair, not fixed with oil, easily revealed his forehead. May unconsciously raised her hand to fix it. It was a natural action since she had been staring at him so intently.

“……”

Feeling the touch on his hair, Aiden slowly raised his downcast gaze.

Meeting those blue eyes up close, May couldn’t help but wonder again.

‘……It’s really strange.’

Though she was always intimidated by his gaze, fixing his appearance was still habitual. It meant that May touching Aiden like this was very natural for them.

But May unconsciously swallowed dry when their gazes met. Not because she was scared, but because something unprecedented was wavering in those blue eyes fixed on her.

“……Did you do this for that bastard too?”

At the following question, May blinked and shook her head. ‘That bastard’ must refer to Johan. She had never fixed his hair.

“Johan is my servant……”

As she added the timid response trailing off, Aiden smirked. Then came a mutter close to talking to himself. I see. You receive service from servants.

“Then he must have done this to you.”

It was quite an irritated voice. At the same time, his hand reached out.

When May flinched, his touch landed lightly on her forehead with a tap, as if scolding her surprise. Aiden stayed frozen like that for a moment with furrowed brows. He looked like he didn’t know what action to take next. He almost looked like he was contemplating which card to play in a card game.

May stared at the man with a slightly stupid expression. While serving him, this kind of distance had been so natural…. She suddenly realized how very close she was to Aiden.

And when their gazes met again, Aiden’s frozen hand moved. Careful fingers touched the disheveled hair on May’s forehead. It was a very gentle touch, like handling dandelion seeds. Enough to unconsciously hold her breath….

Such behavior didn’t suit the fierce master. May stared at the man’s characteristically arrogant face with round eyes. He avoided that gaze obliquely. With unreadable eyes, while keeping his gaze fixed on May’s hair.

He touched her finely curling baby hairs for quite a while. For so long it made his habitual complaints about her curly hair being an eyesore seem meaningless.

Then when May urgently released her held breath, he lightly flicked her forehead again.

“You really suit being my maid best.”

“……Pardon?”

“Just look at how inexperienced you are at receiving others’ touch.”

“No, that’s……”

It’s because it’s you, Aiden…. Actually, she had stayed quite still when Johan fixed her hair too. May inwardly mumbled those words she couldn’t bring herself to say. What maid would easily receive their master’s touch?

……And what master would fix their maid’s hair like just now?

* * *

Aiden has definitely become strange.

This was the conclusion May reached after being forced to stay by his side these past few days.

“You know, Aiden is a bit strange……”

Having returned to her room after finishing her duties, May muttered with quite a serious face. As had been usual lately, the bouncing compass sat before her. May continued speaking while occasionally showing it her embroidery work, though it had no eyes.

“Should I say he’s become gentle? But that can’t be……”

Recalling how he was busy growling in front of Johan, saying Aiden had become gentle was nonsensical. Yet May couldn’t shake the feeling that her former master had become oddly relaxed.

And because of that, she often hesitated in doing things that had been natural. Like this morning, when she fumbled while buttoning his shirt….

“P-please wait a moment.”

Seeing May struggling with the tight buttonholes of the new shirt, Aiden furrowed his brows, apparently finding it absurd. Yet the corners of his mouth were raised quite pleasantly.

“It’s already been more than a moment.”

Then saying that, he grabbed May’s hands as she floundered. Her fingers stiffened with a start as they were placed on the button with its delicate raised pattern. Aiden proceeded to explain seriously, like he’s teaching a child how to button.

“Look, May. What you’re touching now is called a button.”

No, that’s not even the method…. At such basic explanation that seemed to not even treat her as an intelligent being, May answered feeling a bit wronged.

“I do know that much……”

“It doesn’t look like it to me.”

Hearing the clear mockery, May’s face turned bright red. The sad thing was that her fingertips, numbed from nervousness, made buttoning even more difficult. Not to mention, the movement of Aiden’s chest whenever he snickered was quite a good distraction.

Even though she had been buttoning his shirts for several years…. In the situation that just wouldn’t go as intended, cold sweat naturally started flowing.

“If you could stay still a bit… that would be nice.”

When the passive complaint that finally escaped, Aiden let out a snicker.

“That doesn’t seem to be the problem.”

He then manipulated May’s hand as if controlling it. Her hand was completely hidden in his large one.

“Put that thing I taught you earlier called a button in there.”

“……”

At the continued teasing, May’s cheeks heated up even more. There was no way buttoning would be easy in that state.

In the end, she spent far more time than usual just helping him put on one shirt. Moreover, the fabric was wretchedly wrinkled from all the fumbling. To the point where it would be strange if Aiden didn’t change it immediately.

Glancing at her master’s clothes that clearly needed ironing, May fidgeted with her hands.

“I think the clothes must be defective……”

When she mumbled the excuse in a small voice, he sneered and asked.

“Are you saying we should shut down the boutique that sold this clothes?”

No way! May, who had suddenly become someone demanding to close down a perfectly good store, shook her head.

“N-no, absolutely not! They’re the only ones who deliver all the way here……”

Aiden lightly flicked her forehead.

“Then you practice more. I’m a generous master, so I’ll endure your inexperience.”

No matter how long it takes.