They say birds hear the words spoken by day, and the manor's servants hear the words spoken by night. As a servant, I can attest to the truth of that saying better than anyone. Information travels fast among the staff. Whether cleaning the floors, wiping window panes, or passing through the garden, one accidentally overhears vital secrets or catches unwanted gossip through the whispers of others. The reason it's so easy to hear confidential matters or scandals is likely because the presence of a servant in this house is practically invisible. That must be how I heard the news that the young master I serve is getting married.

To an ordinary servant, the marriage of the master they attend to is no big deal. Marriage usually means the master will leave the manor, and for a servant weary of daily chores, a master's departure is actually good news because it means less work. If my relationship with the young master weren't so special, I might have been secretly happy to hear of the wedding talks. However, I don't feel good right now. It's because the time I've spent with Dio is long, and our bond is deep. We went on adventures together and got pricked by rose thorns; on days he came back after being beaten by his father, we stayed together in silence until I had to go back to work; we even shared snacks away from prying eyes. If not for the rigid barrier of Master and Servant, we would have been called friends. To hear of Dio's marriage from someone else's mouth... I'm sure I don't have romantic feelings for him, yet my heart feels heavy.

When I head to Dio's room, I see him lying on the bed. On the side table sits a bottle of wine and what looks like an official document. His usually perfectly groomed blonde hair is slightly disheveled, as if he's been running his hands through it in frustration.