Chapter 21: Franz’s Situation (1)

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Side Story Chapter 3

Franz, aide to Alto Fortuna, had an unusual background compared to other noble aides.

Normally, such positions were filled by capable members of vassal families, but Franz was the son of a fallen house with no ties to the Fortuna Dukedom.

He had originally aspired to become a knight and entered the Fortuna household as a squire, but an accident left his arm injured, forcing him to give up that dream.

‘If it hadn’t been for the young master, I would have been at a complete loss after that.’

Feeling sympathy for Franz’s situation, Alto was the first to offer him the position of an aide. For Franz, who had nowhere else to go, it was something he could only be deeply grateful for.

From that moment, Franz sincerely wished for Alto’s happiness. A person who could arrange everything so meticulously and consider their subordinates had to be happy.

But Alto’s happiness did not seem as easy to attain as Franz had hoped.

"You’ve come back early, young master. Didn’t you plan to talk with Lady Viviana after dinner today?"

Franz’s greatest concern was that Alto didn’t have a very good relationship with his fiancée.

‘I wish they could talk a little more.’

From Franz’s perspective, Alto was far too reserved. While that might not be a flaw for someone of his rank, it was a problem that he didn’t speak a single word to his fiancée. They had been engaged for a long time and had lived under the same roof for three years, yet the two of them remained utterly distant.

‘For now, Lady Viviana is patient because of her gentle nature, but the moment she can’t hold back, the two of them would be headed for a complete breakup.'

Before that happened, Alto needed to change!

But no matter how much Franz nagged, Alto couldn’t bring himself to reach out to Viviana. It seemed that, ever since childhood, he had been overly restricted in forming relationships by Duke Fortuna.

Frustrated, Franz launched into a tirade at Alto.

"That’s why I told you to suggest a walk in the garden!"

And yet, this exasperating young master couldn’t even suggest something as simple as a walk in the garden to his fiancée.

Did it make any sense that a man and woman of marriageable age were living under the same roof yet couldn’t even take a walk together?

‘It’s doomed. It’s doomed.’ 

All that remained was to hope that Viviana could patiently endure Alto’s frustrating nature.

‘But at this rate, will they even be able to get married? I don’t think they’ll make it that far.’

While Franz fretted, the relationship between the two began to change slightly. The pair, who rarely held long conversations, even raised their voices at each other.

Seeing the young master return with a dejected look, Franz wore a sympathetic expression.

“So, in the end, Lady Viviana has decided to leave here.” 

It could only mean that. No other reason came to mind.

At Franz’s words, Alto flinched, as if struck at the heart of the matter.

And for the first time in years, Alto spoke the words Franz had longed to hear so desperately.

“…How can I get closer to my fiancée?”

Franz’s eyes lit up. Just the fact that Alto had resolved to get closer to Viviana gave him a glimmer of hope.

‘That's right! I can’t let this opportunity slip by!’

Franz quickly replied.

“A date is the best option.”

“Where do couples usually go?”

“Go somewhere where the two of you can actually have something to talk about! Like a bookstore or a clothing store.”

Franz threw out all the date ideas that came to mind. He didn’t have much experience with romance himself, so he couldn’t think of any others.

Fortunately, among those few suggestions, there was one that piqued Alto’s interest.

“Viviana really likes bookstores. She’s fond of reading.”

He handed Alto tickets to the play that was currently the most popular among the many performances sponsored by the family and sent him on his way.

Whether the outing had gone well or not, Alto and Viviana looked far closer than before when they returned from their date.

To be honest, they seemed to have grown much closer than Franz had expected.

‘Well, they’re both adults, and they’re getting married soon. It shouldn’t be a big deal.’

In a typical relationship, they might have to watch their boundaries, but in a situation where marriage was already certain, crossing the line just a little should be fine.

That was what he thought, until he found a book in Alto’s room with a small "19+" warning printed on it. 

Startled to find an erotic book left out in plain sight in Alto’s room, Franz immediately asked him about it.

“‘W-what kind of book is this?’”

‘Could it be that some foolish servant mistook the owner and put the book in the wrong place?’

That suspicion vanished immediately at Alto’s response.

“It’s a book she likes."

“…May I take a quick look?”

Even if a book was restricted to 19+, there were still some that had enough artistic value.

Thinking it might be that kind of book, Franz flipped through it, but barely got past ten pages before closing it.

“Oh, Lord.”

It was clearly an erotic novel. Franz squeezed his eyes shut.

‘If the Duke finds out, he won’t stay calm. He might even insist on throwing the lady out immediately.’

No one could really blame a grown-up for reading adult material, but Duke Fortuna was the sort of person who would make a fuss. The two of them were finally getting along, so there was no way he could let Duke Fortuna discover this and start demanding the engagement be called off.

‘This mustn’t be exposed. I suppose I must visit the young lady myself and speak with her.’

So Franz stood before Viviana’s door with a solemn expression. But when it came to actually knocking, he couldn’t bring himself to do it.

‘What on earth am I supposed to say?’

He only knew her face and had never actually spoken to her before. And now, the very first thing he would have to say to her was that he believed it would be best if she didn't read erotic novels?

‘There’s no way I can say that.’

Just as Franz hesitated, nervously biting his lips, the door opened. A woman with a sturdy build, her hair neatly braided into two plaits and pinned up skillfully, walked out carrying a bundle of laundry.

It was Viviana’s maid, Leta. She looked at Franz, who was standing at the door, with a wary gaze.

“What brings you here?”

“I’ve come to see Lady Viviana.”

“The young lady is resting right now. If you let me know what it’s about, I’ll pass the message on.”

“It’s a private matter, so I’d prefer to deliver it to her in person.”

At those words, Leta’s eyebrows shot up.

“A private matter, you say? All the more reason I can’t let you meet her. You are the aide to the young master, after all. Think about your position.”

“R-right, of course.”

Franz was flustered at being scolded out of the blue, but he quickly accepted Leta’s words.

‘That’s right. The maid’s got a point. If we meet alone, rumours might start spreading.’

And hadn’t he just been hesitating over how to bring up the matter of the erotic book with Viviana?

‘It would be smoother to have the message delivered through the maid.’

Franz pulled Leta over to a corner and whispered so that no one else could hear.

“It’s about the book the young lady has been reading—”

“Oh my gosh!”

Leta jumped in surprise, even though the title of the book hadn’t even been mentioned.

Her freckle-covered face flushed crimson as she looked at Franz.

“D-did you happen to read it?”

"Yes. I’m concerned about some aspects of its content…"

“No one else saw it, right? You didn’t report it to the Duke, did you?”

“I had planned to decide after speaking with the young lady.”

‘No, but why has this maid been constantly questioning me?’

Franz narrowed his eyes.

“But why are you so flustered? It’s as if the book belongs to you."

“Th-that’s…

Hesitant at first, Leta clutched the hem of her skirt tightly with both hands. Then, bending forward, she confessed loudly and honestly.

“I was the one who showed it to the young lady!"

Franz was taken aback, his eyes widening in surprise. Leta clung to him desperately.

“Could you please keep this a secret? If it reaches the Duke’s ears, I won’t even get a recommendation letter, and I’ll be kicked out!”

Franz had just blurted it out on impulse, but could it be that this small, average-looking young lady was truly the owner of that scandalous book?

Dumbfounded, Franz pressed for confirmation once more.

“…So you’re saying you recommended this indecent book to the young lady?”

“Indecent book? This is art!”

When her favourite book was attacked, Leta, like any devoted enthusiast, forgot what she had been saying and began defending it passionately.

“Since ancient times, not only men but women have had desires. It’s just that expressing them was considered taboo, which is why this exists in the shadows. Women also have the right to be honest about their own desires!”

“Exactly what do you mean by ‘desires’?”

“It’s love! Love!”

At Leta’s passionate reply, Franz flipped open the book he had brought. He opened it at random, and, as if guided by a ghost, the content landed precisely on the erotic passage.

—I gripped the edge of the bed and spread my legs apart. The crotch of my panties had a slit, so my intimate area was fully exposed.

I could feel his piercing gaze on my bare sex.

“It’s twitching.”

Overcome with shame, I tightly shut my eyes.

‘No, who looks down at someone’s genitals mid-act and says something like that?’

'Isn’t that line there purely to make the scene more provocative?'

Skimming over the following erotic scene with his eyes, Franz tilted his head in puzzlement.

“…It seems far too explicit to be called love, though.”

“Ahh! Why are you reading that again?!”

Leta hopped up, trying to snatch the book, but Franz, being much taller, held it high out of her reach, leaving her no way to grab it.

After a few futile jumps, her breathing grew heavy. Huffing as she caught her breath, Leta’s eyes flared in frustration, and she yelled as if she were about to explode.

“Alright! I’ll be honest. We ladies also want to have sex with young, handsome men! Is that enough now?"

It was the kind of remark a passerby could easily misinterpret. Franz instinctively scanned the hallway, relieved to see that it was empty except for the two of them.

Franz let out a deep sigh and wiped his face with his hand.

“You don’t need to be quite that honest.”

“Hey, you’re the one who kept prying!”

“Fine, fine, let’s just say it’s my fault.”

How on earth did their conversation end up turning to sex? He was pretty sure this wasn’t how it started.

After calming down the still-huffing Leta and gathering his own thoughts, Franz returned to the reason he had come here in the first place.

“I see, so the young lady suddenly changed because of this novel. After reading it, she must have found it strange that the young master wouldn’t even hold her hand.”

That speculation was confirmed by Leta herself. Arms crossed, she answered confidently.

“She’s just become a bit more honest. What’s wrong with that? She can’t live like that forever. Even a nun locked away in a convent probably doesn’t live as strictly as she does.”

“Well, I can agree with you to a certain degree.”

Franz also felt sympathy for Viviana, forced to wear stifling dresses unsuited to her age even in the sweltering summer.

“Still, this is being confiscated.”

“There’s no such thing! Give it back!”

Waving his hand halfheartedly, Franz returned, carrying just a single book — just like when he first came.

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