Blue Morning, Vol. 8

Downton Abbey meets Emma in this tale of tumultuous love between a butler and his young charge.

Akihito Kuze inherits the Kuze viscountship when he is a mere ten years old. His butler, Tomoyuki Katsuragi, becomes his caretaker and tutor. As he matures, Akihito finds himself relentlessly drawn to Katsuragi, frustrated by the distance the older man maintains and driven to discover the reasons why.

“I will serve you my entire life. In exchange, you bring the Kuze family the rank of count or higher.” The young viscount Akihito agrees to this condition laid out by his butler Katsuragi, who is thus forced into his arms. But no matter how deep their affair goes, Katsuragi’s attitude towards him remains cold. Akihito is plunged into a turmoil of fierce emotions, as frustrated by this unyielding distance as he is driven to violent passion by his butler’s cleverness and beauty. The situation reaches a breaking point when master and servant are invited to a party at the Marquise Moriyama’s.