My Lord! Chapter 28

“Do it for me.”  

 

It was such an unexpected statement that I froze, still holding the ointment.  

 

“What? You don’t want to?”  

 

“No, no. It’s not that.”  

 

I replied with an awkward laugh.  

 

“I’m just amazed. Our Young Master, who used to hate even holding hands, has changed so much. Do you really want me to do it? Alright, roll up your sleeve.”  

 

“Eek…!”  

 

For some reason, Sedian turned red and shrieked.  

 

“Forget it! I’ll do it myself!”  

 

“A real man doesn’t go back on his word. Come on, stay still. I’ll apply it for you.”  

 

Sedian hesitated for a moment but eventually rolled up his sleeve reluctantly. I sat beside him and took out another ointment from my bag.  

 

“This blue container is the one I made, and the yellow one was made by the servants. They said it’s good for itchiness, so use the yellow one when you feel itchy.”  

 

“…The servants?”  

 

Sedian muttered with a slightly surprised expression.  

 

“I thought they hated me. …It’s not poorly made, is it?”  

 

“If the servants heard you, they’d be thrilled by that comment.”  

 

I chuckled softly and began applying the ointment I made to Sedian’s arm, infusing a bit of my magic as I did so.  

 

“Well, there might be times when they dislike you. Like when you overturn food they worked hard to prepare or act irritably.”  

 

A mumble of I don’t do that anymore came from him, and I smiled again before continuing.  

 

“But I think there are more moments when they like you. Otherwise, they wouldn’t prepare a gift like this.”  

 

“…”  

 

Sedian said nothing. Since he had his head bowed, I couldn’t see his expression, but I could tell he wasn’t displeased.  

 

I hoped this would help Sedian open his heart to the servants more. With that thought, I diligently continued applying the ointment.  

 

“Then, what about you?”  

 

Sedian suddenly asked. I began rolling up the sleeve on his other arm as I replied.  

 

“I’ve never disliked you, Young Master.”  

 

This arm had more severe wounds. I thought to myself to apply the ointment as gently as possible, lightly touching his skin with my fingertips.  

 

“I’ve always liked you, from the very beginning.”  

 

Sedian suddenly jerked his arm away and exclaimed.  

 

“Stop saying weird things like that between men! It’s gross!”  

 

Looking at his face, I saw it had turned red again. He kept blushing today. I wondered if he had a fever and placed my hand on his forehead, but he wasn’t running a temperature.  

 

Once I confirmed nothing was wrong, I shrugged and answered.  

 

“Well… Just because I say I like you, does it always have to mean romantic feelings? There are many different types of affection. What I mean is that I like you for who you are, Young Master.”  

 

“Even so, it’s weird. It’s gross between men.”  

 

I frowned slightly.  

 

“What’s gross about liking someone of the same gender? I didn’t expect you to be a discriminator, Young Master.”  

 

Sedian’s face twisted at my words. He opened and closed his mouth several times before furrowing his brow and shaking his head.  

 

“It’s not about discrimination… It’s just that liking someone of the same gender is strange. Love is something between a man and a woman.”  

 

As he continued, his voice grew quieter. Perhaps he unconsciously realized his words sounded odd. Regardless, I replied calmly.  

 

“Love is something shared between people. It has nothing to do with gender, status, or anything else.”  

 

“…But.”  

 

Sedian still looked confused. Considering that same-sex relationships and marriage were prohibited by imperial law, my words must have seemed strange to him.  

 

“Then, could you…”  

 

After thinking for a while, Sedian asked with a slightly dissatisfied expression.  

 

“Could you like a man? I mean, in a romantic way.”  

 

Given my current disguise as a man, I understood this question as asking if I could love someone of the same gender.  

 

What if I fell for someone, and they happened to be a woman?  

 

I felt like it wouldn’t matter much. What mattered was the emotion itself, not the gender.  

 

After a brief moment of thought, I nodded.  

 

“It’s possible. Like I said, love is something between people.”  

 

Before I even finished my answer, Sedian took a deep breath.  

 

I wasn’t sure what he was thinking, but it seemed like he was listening intently to my words. I gazed silently at Sedian, who had bowed his head.  

 

“Never mind, just finish applying the ointment.”  

 

“Yes, sir.”  

 

“Thoroughly.”  

 

“Yes, sir!”  

 

I moved behind Sedian and began applying ointment to the back of his neck as well. His neck was flushed red, likely from the blush that had spread from his face.  

 

To cool his skin a bit, I mixed the ointment I made with the one from the servants and applied it carefully.  

 

“…Me too.”  

 

Suddenly, Sedian spoke.  

 

“Pardon?”  

 

When I asked, Sedian lowered his head even further and muttered softly.  

 

“I think it’d be okay if I liked someone.”  

 

Oh, I see.  

 

Without much thought, I nodded and focused on spreading the ointment. I didn’t get to see what kind of expression Sedian was making at that moment.  

 

***

 

After applying the ointment to Sedian’s arms, legs, and even his face, the container was nearly empty. I made a mental note to prepare a larger batch next time.  

 

It seems effective.  

 

I checked the skin on his left arm, where I had applied the ointment first, and saw that it had visibly calmed down. If we continued applying it regularly, the traces of the curse would likely fade much faster.  

 

The magic infused while applying it should also speed up the healing.  

 

It was an effective method in many ways.  

 

Sedian seems to like it too. 

 

I resolved to apply the ointment for him every morning and evening from now on.  

 

–S-stop saying weird things like that between men! It’s gross!  

 

Sedian’s earlier outburst suddenly came to mind, along with his reaction to the mention of affection between people of the same gender.  

 

Right, homosexuality is illegal in the empire.  

 

Given the laws, his attitude wasn’t entirely incomprehensible.  

 

But I knew the truth: laws were determined by those in power and could never be truly equitable for everyone. Moreover, Sedian was still young, probably never having experienced real feelings of love. He likely thought that what was legally defined must be correct.  

 

Still, I didn’t want to let him continue thinking that way. How could anyone legislate something as intangible as “love”?  

 

Now, as before—whether in my previous life or this one—I firmly believed that love should come without conditions.  

 

That belief hadn’t changed. It was why I could state with confidence:  

 

Nothing should obstruct love. Love must come without conditions.  

 

In any case, Sedian did say he thought it might not matter if he liked someone.  

 

He seemed to be reconsidering his perspective in his own way. It wasn’t a bad change.  

 

Of course, Sedian will fall in love with the female protagonist.

 

Thinking about this and that, I headed toward the hall. It was getting late, but I wanted to let Daisy know that the Young Master was pleased with the ointment.  

 

Something was odd, though.  

 

The hall was completely empty.  

 

Normally, at least one or two servants would still be around cleaning at this hour. What’s going on?  

 

I cast a detection spell to locate the others. It didn’t take long to sense a group of people gathered in one place—the kitchen.  

 

What’s happening?  

 

Tilting my head in curiosity, I headed straight for the kitchen.  

 

“What are you all doi—”  

 

“Ahhh!”  

 

“Kyaa!”  

 

The moment I opened the door, the gathered servants let out startled cries.  

 

Goodness, they startled me too. I instinctively stepped back, still holding the doorknob.  

 

“Oh, no. Why are you so surprised? Did I come in at a bad time? If so, I’ll leave…”  

 

“N-no! That’s not it!”  

 

Daisy, standing at the forefront, waved her hands frantically. At the same time, Ellen, who was beside her, cautiously peeked out. He’s always sticking close to Daisy.  

 

“Oh, you came… at the right time! We were just about to call for you, Butler!”  

 

I chuckled at Ellen’s awkwardly forced politeness, then closed the door and stepped into the kitchen.  

 

“So, what were you all doing gathered here?”