“Haha, pudding, it’s pudding. Pudding. Delicious pudding. Yorkshire’s finest rice pudding.”

Noel hummed as he closed the lid of the ink bottle.

Soon, a young servant entered carrying a tray. Gleaming silverware without a single fingerprint, steaming hot scones, fragrant tea leaves, and a large raspberry tart placed on a cake stand.

“Hm? Why is there no pudding?”

Noel, sitting on the study sofa with Ian Dalton, watching the table being set, asked.

The young servant, wearing white gloves, replied.

“The butler gave it all to the stablehands as a snack.”

“…”

Noel’s face turned sour. The servant, having completed his task, bowed and left.

While brewing Ian’s tea, Noel muttered.

“If he didn’t want to share, he could’ve just said so…”

Ian, seated across from Noel and observing the scene, silently raised the corner of his mouth.

Rams wick and Noel had been on bad terms ever since Noel was hired. Rams wick distrusted Noel, who had been hastily employed by the master, while Noel found Rams wick’s constant suspicious glances and hovering presence irritating, despite doing his job properly.

Even after time proved Noel to be a competent employee, their relationship remained strained. Rams wick despised Noel, calling him a vulgar rogue for constantly singing and smoking cigars during the servants’ meals.

Noel, for his part, was annoyed by Rams wick’s nagging about his large appetite, feeling aggrieved that he was being scolded for simply eating his fill.

It was a clash of temperaments. Rams wick was a refined, quiet conservative. Ascetic like a monk, he wanted the servants to move orderly according to their roles and live uprightly to avoid bringing shame to the Dalton family.

Noel, on the other hand, loved to revel and carouse outside of work hours. He enjoyed food, cigars, liquor, and jests. Wherever he was, people gathered, and laughter never ceased. The servants would stop their work and chatter whenever he appeared.

The order Rams wick had built in the servants’ world was cracking because of Noel.

But such a level of conflict wouldn’t have made Rams wick dislike Noel to the point of the master noticing. The purpose of servants was to ensure the comfort of the master and mistress. Any conflicts among them should be resolved internally.

However, Rams wick’s steadfast principles shattered when he heard that Noel had seduced Betty, a laundry maid, and they had become lovers.

The first rule of Whitefield Hall’s servant world was a strict prohibition on romantic relationships among servants.

Upon learning the truth, Rams wick, with veins bulging on his forehead, went to Laura Pendleton. The authority over household matters rested with the young mistress of the Dalton family.

“Oh, really?”

Laura, sitting in a chair in the study and listening to the story, smiled gently.

“Betty is such a lovely girl, isn’t she? Plump and adorable, with skin as fair as a newborn baby. I heard some of the gardeners were lovesick over her, but for Noel to woo such a girl—quite the unexpected charm.”

“M-My lady, this is a serious matter. They are both employees, after all.”

Laura continued to smile brightly.

“Of course, I know that romantic relationships between servants are forbidden in our manor. It’s a principle upheld in every English manor, and Whitefield Hall is no exception. But I wonder if there’s even a single manor where that rule is truly enforced. Most servants are in their teens and twenties. When young men and women work together in the same space, it’s only natural for feelings to develop.”

“You’re right, my lady. Absolutely right. But this is a workplace. If romance is permitted, the servants will lose focus on their duties and become consumed with flirting.”

“I’m not suggesting we openly encourage romance among the servants. Rules are important, of course. But Rams wick, sometimes a bit of flexibility is needed. Forcing abstinence on young people in their prime just because they’re servants is harsh. They work without weekends, except for one day a month to visit their hometowns. If they can’t fall in love here, when will they ever have the chance to love or start a family?”

“…With all due respect, my lady, Noel is well past his prime.”

“Especially with Noel, we need to show some leniency. He’s a valuable asset to the head of this household.”

Rams wick’s small shoulders slumped. Laura patted him on the shoulder.

“I’ll have Ian speak to Noel and ask them to keep their relationship discreet so it doesn’t catch the other servants’ eyes. That way, things won’t get messy.”

With the mistress taking such a stance, what more could a butler like him do? He bowed and left her study.

After that, Rams wick no longer openly complained about Noel’s relationship. Instead, he resorted to petty acts of spite—skipping Noel’s bedding laundry or grumbling at meals that Noel’s appetite was draining Whitefield’s budget, spoiling his appetite.

The news that the rice pudding was gone was clearly Rams wick’s attempt to get under Noel’s skin. Rice pudding was Noel’s favorite food, after all.

It was a somewhat petty move, but those who are strict with themselves often become endlessly spiteful when faced with someone indulgent. It’s as if they believe the weight of their self-imposed cross should be compensated by those who live freely.

Ian, stirring his teacup, chuckled.

“Why on earth did you seduce the laundry maid and earn Rams wick’s wrath?”

“She’s a woman worth enduring the scorn of a gray-haired bachelor, sir.”

Noel sliced a large piece of tart with a cake knife.

“At my age, even a dishcloth of a woman might look like silk, but I haven’t lost my eye for beauty. She’s truly a woman blessed by divine grace. Even Aphrodite, born from sea foam, couldn’t compare to her.”

“Are you going to marry her?”

“There’s no marriage in my life.”

Noel answered firmly. Ian couldn’t understand.

“If you’re not going to marry, why bother with romance?”

“Sir, I’ve tried marriage before. That experience only confirmed that God created Noel Pinch solely for romance. A gift for women, so to speak.”

“A gift for women?”

Ian looked at him skeptically. With his mouth stuffed with tart, Noel seemed more like a gift for bakers than for women.

But it wasn’t mere bravado. Betty Rosy, whom the cooks, stablehands, and footmen of Whitefield Hall drooled over, was already his lover.

His track record was illustrious. Rams wick had secretly written to Noel’s previous employer to investigate his reputation. According to the reply, while working as a secretary at another manor, Noel had simultaneously wooed a twenty-one-year-old, deer-like errand maid and a twenty-eight-year-old, sensual kitchen maid. This comedic love triangle ended with the women fighting over him with knives, resulting in all three being sacked.

“What do women see in you that makes them fall so easily? Honestly, you don’t exactly look like a handsome man.”

Noel wiped the jam from his mouth with a napkin.

“Seduction is about charm, sir. Charm doesn’t come from looks.”

“Then what?”

“It’s about becoming the man a woman desires.”

“Oh?”

Ian’s interest was piqued. Though he was already one woman’s man, his desire to completely capture her heart remained strong even after marriage.

He wanted to be the perfect man for Laura. He wanted her to look only at him, to worship him, to feel she couldn’t breathe without him.

Just as he felt about her.

“Tell me more.”

Noel took a sip of tea and began.

“A woman’s heart holds conflicting feelings about love. The desire to be a man’s queen. And yet, the desire to be a slave to that love. When you balance these two emotions just right, a woman becomes utterly captivated by the man before her.”

Slave? Queen? Ian was utterly confused.

“Women are naturally guarded. It’s unavoidable. To them, the world is a jungle filled with wolves in heat 365 days a year. You must appear completely harmless to a woman. To do that, you need to understand her disposition and weaken her defenses with humor or tears.”

‘Tears, huh.’

Memories from their courtship to their recent married life flashed through his mind like a panorama. He felt a sudden pang of embarrassment. He had shed tears in front of her more than once.

‘Could it be that Laura opened her heart because of my tears?’

“Once you’ve softened a woman’s heart, you build a connection with her. Share affection, exchange emotions, show small and large acts of care. Then, slowly, you reveal your heart. Tell her you love her, that your heart is becoming her slave. Every woman has a desire to have a devoted servant. And when a man shows he’s devoted to her, a woman can’t help but be intrigued, thinking about him often.”

“Ah, I get it. Once you’ve got her attention, you launch a full-on courtship, right?”

Noel shook his head.

“Not yet. That won’t satisfy the other desire in a woman’s heart.”

“What desire?”

“The desire to be a slave to love. I mentioned earlier—women have conflicting emotions.”

Ian didn’t fully understand but stayed quiet, willing to hear more.

“If you care for her delicately and court her gently, a woman’s heart will lean toward you. Her emotions ripen, and she feels something akin to love. But if you stop there, her feelings stop too—with the pride of having gained a loyal subject. Now, here’s the key. You must become indifferent to her.”