Chapter 16 (2/2)

“However, when I went to the interview, there were already many people waiting there.”

“Was being a gatekeeper really such a desirable job?”

“Well… All you had to do was stand around and look intimidating, and that was enough.”

The man gave a wry smile.

“I waited for my turn in that room packed full of people. At that time, I heard someone talking. They said that the palace was also searching for a manservant for the crown prince’s bathing chamber.”

Just when did this story happen? Ernst couldn’t remember at all when his manservant had changed.

“…They said that to closely serve the crown prince was bleak, so there weren’t any candidates. With all due respect, I had also thought this way.”

So Ernst really had been such a bleak, depressing existence.

“I had gotten tired of waiting, so was looking at the palace garden from the window. It was a perfectly-maintained and vast garden. Unexpectedly, while I was looking out, I saw many people off in the distance. At that time, someone next to me said, ‘It’s the Crown Prince.’”

The man slowly folded his hands and gazed into the fireplace.

“The people of Rintz Kingdom around me couldn’t make them out, but as a Dunbertian, my eyes could clearly view those figures. What was strange was that… I didn’t see any of the surrounding retainers. Lord Ernst was the only person who stood out to my eyes.”

Ernst looked at the man’s face.

“In that moment, everything changed. My pride as a Dunbertian, my way of life up until now, everything in the world faded away… Only one thing remained. That was, my desire to be by that figure’s side.”

Those reddish-brown eyes captured Ernst. They held a powerful light that he couldn’t turn away from.

“My heart has not changed at all since that day. Even now, I am still bound by you.”