Before I knew it, the warmth of the sun was already touching my face. I was on a soft mattress, having resolved yesterday to become the best personal servant.
I blinked a few times before my eyes fully opened. I sat up in bed, stretching my arms, before finally shifting my body off the mattress, using my feet.
My feet slowly touched the patterned brown wooden floor below. The piercing cold was still there. My body tensed for a moment before I raised myself from the soft mattress.
I started walking from the bed, my body hunched over as I wiped the corners of my eyes. I walked slowly towards a place not far away to grab a towel—before finally heading to the bathroom.
Now, I was in front of the brown bathroom door. My hand reached for the round, gold-colored doorknob. Then I turned it to the right until it made its characteristic click—then I pulled. A short creak followed. I opened it only halfway, and without further ado, went inside with a white towel draped over my right shoulder.
As soon as I entered, hot water was already available in the wooden tub. Hot steam rose slowly, gradually taking over the room. My eyes narrowed slightly. The memory of dawn came back to fill my head. At that time, I was half-awake because I heard someone coming in. None of the rooms inside were meant to be locked—except for the main door. Several times I rubbed the corners of my eyes, before I realized that there was a regular servant—a man—bringing hot water in a wooden bucket, going back and forth to the bathroom several times.
My eyes widened at that moment, because I had just gotten the answer to my question when reading the novel. Why the water could appear to fill itself—because someone had filled it beforehand.
Currently, my body was already immersed in warm water. Steam above my head billowed, forming clouds on the ceiling. It looked beautiful for a moment, before my body came out of there, walking slowly towards the brown door while taking a towel not far from there—before finally turning the round knob and exiting with a long creaking hinge.
As soon as I came out, I immediately wiped my hair while walking. The white towel moved quickly over my head, before I threw it on the bed. For a moment I was silent there, my mind wandering everywhere and almost all of it leading to one thing—planning today's activities.
A few moments later, I woke up from my reverie. I walked towards the two-door wardrobe, pulled it open, and saw many servant clothes of the same size already hanging there.
My brow furrowed. …Are they telling me to keep wearing the same clothes? Don't they have any casual clothes at all?
I sighed deeply. …Oh well, just accept it.
I took one of the clothes inside, and without further ado, I immediately put it on. A few moments after I put it on, a knock was heard from outside the door, three times. My gaze was momentarily locked on the brown door. I didn't know who was coming. Therefore, I would check it directly.
"Yes. I'm coming!"
I hurriedly went to the oval mirror, quickly fixing my bangs. I tightened the black tie a little, before walking quickly towards the door in front. Arriving at the door, I pulled it open. My eyes faced forward, then slowly moved up—adjusting to the height of the person standing there. My eyes widened for a moment.
It turned out that the person who knocked on the door earlier was the Head Butler.
His hands were now folded behind his back. His eyes were as flat as usual, slightly lowered to adjust his gaze to the height of a ten-year-old child.
My eyebrow raised. "...Didn't you say that I had to come to My Lady's place myself, sir?"
He was silent for a moment. "At the same time. We're going the same way. I have to take care of the Duke too."
I blinked a few times, both of my shoulders rose simultaneously. "Alright."
My hand, which was still hanging on the inside doorknob, began to release. I changed its position to the outside handle, while closing the door. The door hinge sounded short, before the door closed completely.
I turned around, the Head Butler glanced at me for a moment before directing his body to the right—towards the road we would take.
"Let's go."
Immediately after those words came out of him, his steps immediately moved. I, who saw him, immediately followed to the usual position—beside him. We began passing several teenage servants along the way. They all greeted the Head Butler, including me who was beside him. After examining it for a longer time, there were no servants my age.
So, I'm the only young one here.
My eyes narrowed. Well, only here though.
I just remembered something. When I dueled with those ten people, the average of them was almost my age.
Although there are some of them who might be one to two years older than me though.
Our steps continued to move. I noticed that the servants' attire was slightly different from mine and the Head Butler's—they wore short-sleeved black jackets.
"…"
We approached the staircase, covered in thick carpet. It was wide and split into two sides—one near my room, the other near the hallway at the end. We took the left side, the one closer to my room. At the top was a broad landing that connected both sides, and beyond it stood a single staircase leading up to the second-floor room.
Arriving at the top, the Head Butler suddenly stopped his steps. He looked at me on his left side, then said,
"We're here."
After saying that sentence, he immediately walked to the right. While I moved in the opposite direction. My steps echoed again on the floor covered with red carpet. For a moment, I looked back. From one of the rooms on the right side, I saw the Head Butler knock before finally entering. From the position of the room, it looked different from the room where I usually met the Duke—it was right in front of the stairs.
…Yesterday's room seems to be the Duke's workplace.
That was the speculation, before my gaze returned to the front. Not far from there, "My Lady's" room began to appear. I quickened my pace, because the room was at the end. A few minutes passed, and now I had arrived at the room that looked a little small from afar.
I took a short breath. The sound of my heart could be heard in my ears. My hand slowly rose. I brought it closer to one of the two door leaves. I swallowed my saliva, confidence grew stronger in my heart. Without further ado, I immediately knocked, three times.
I waited for a few moments and as a result, no one answered from inside.
I swallowed my saliva again. I remembered what the servant did earlier. Knock three times, then enter. I took a short breath. I began to convince myself. My hand touched one of the cold doorknobs, pushed it, and it opened.
I didn't open the door too wide, only creating a gap for my head to enter. When my head entered slowly, I saw her.
She was sleeping on a large white four-post bed. The two posts in front were draped with a thin white curtain, and from where I stood, her mattress was turned sideways. Her body seemed to sink slightly on the mattress, with her body curled up. Her eyes were closed, her short black hair covering part of her face—in the dark room.
My eyes widened for a moment, before heading to the curtains that were closed in front. Slowly I entered the room, not forgetting to say excuse me—but a little softly. I walked slowly, until I was at the curtain that was far from me earlier. My hand entered the gap between them, and without warning—I pulled it. Light slowly entered the room. From dim, to bright shining. The light that had been slowly rising, began to touch My Lady's face who was wearing a white nightgown. She squeezed her eyes shut against the sudden light, blinking a few times before fully waking up. She sat up, wiping the corners of her eyes several times. A few moments later, she yawned.
"Whaa… Uncle Razoru, why are you—"
Her eyes widened instantly, the drowsiness vanishing the moment she saw me standing near the window. I gave an awkward smile, slowly raising my hand in greeting.
"G-good morning, My Lady?"
We stared at each other, looking at each other with strange feelings.
I changed the wave of my hand earlier, into stroking the back of my neck. "Hahaha…"
I could only let out an awkward laugh in the quiet room.
For a moment she stared at me, her lips parting as if to say something. My laughter slowly stopped when her silence finally exploded.
She gritted her teeth, then scoffed. "GET OUT OF MY ROOM!"