i might have lapses in my understanding of the grooming phenomenon (though i hope not) so i will appreciate any corrections.
No no you might be the only sane and rational person in this comment section cause I'm literally seeing the people who are reading BL with the absolute most horrid Toxic tropes calling this one out for something it doesn't even do lmao bro they wasting time
he did since he realized he liked him since he was a kid
A kid could have a crush on an adult but if the kid is not actively chasing after an inappropriate relationship with the adult then nothing happens
The adult here had a crush on the kid but didn't pursue him even as an adult so idk why you blind about this but go off I guess
as what someone else said, the line here is so thin. the duke first saw alois as an adult, came back to find him as a child, loved him—yeah that was problematic as hell, loving a child and it's not even familial love—but he said himself that he didn't tell alois his feelings because he didn't want to "lock him up"
grooming rooted from the term's meaning itself. when you "groom" someone, you make them feel and think that whatever's going on between you is right when it's actually wrong, in other words you establish a connection to lower their guard and exploit their feelings.
from what i read, the duke himself avoided that by letting alois leave his side to experience the outside world and by not professing his problematic love. he saved the child not with the intention to "groom" him. alois himself grew to love the duke as he gets a little bit older—not as a child, for he didn't know it was the duke who saved him—but as he becomes the duke's servant, did he only have his feelings.
hence why i don't think there is grooming here. BUT the age gap is really something, and it's problematic in itself that a grown ass man developed romantic feelings for a fucking child. i'm analyzing it and writing this long ass comment because the story really, REALLY had the potential but it was conveyed so wrong. i especially liked the past and future butterfly (?) effect shit, but come on did it have to be a child... couldn't it have been someone older.... ugh i'm having mixed feelings about this like it's cute but so disgusting.
i love the art by the way, and i'll be eating the smut scenes because at least it wasn't as problematic as the plot itself.