Today, when I went to the Young Master's room, only Eric was with me. My uncle had taken care of me yesterday, so today Eric had prepared the water, and all I had to do was take it to the room. When we reached the door, we checked the time; there were ten more minutes left.
"How was the first day?" Eric asked, glancing at me.
"It was fine," I answered briefly.
Eric smiled lightly, then glanced at the time again and leaned against the wall. "I'm glad for you. A few people had given up on the first day. I'm happy you didn't turn out like them."
"Well, thank you for the compliment, but how much time is left?"
"Haha, just four minutes left."
Time seemed to drag on. Even though I didn't accept it, the sound coming from inside the room was what freed me from the unmoving time.
"Come in."
With this brief command from inside, Eric opened the door. When I stepped inside, I found the Young Master looking out the balcony window. He was holding a few papers, and the morning light falling on his face reflected off his thin-framed glasses. The white robe he wore over his black pajamas added an elegant looseness to his appearance.
"Good morning, Young Master Lemi, there's a letter for you from Lady Livia."
Eric, greeting the Young Master lightly, extended the jasmine-scented envelope he was holding. Until the envelope came out, I had thought Eric was using perfume, but the scent grew stronger when the envelope was revealed.
The Young Master took a quick look. "Alright, leave it on the table." Then he extended the papers in his hand towards Eric. "Take these to the Duke."
Eric took the documents, bowed respectfully, and left the room. With his departure, we were alone in the room. The Young Master silently made his way to the bed.
"Theodore..."
When the Young Master called my name, my dream involuntarily came to mind. What does this man want from me now? I'm afraid he's going to pull a sword from somewhere and cut me.
"Haven't your arms gotten tired?"
With those words, I realized I was still holding the tray. I immediately followed behind and placed the tray on the dresser. I also took off his glasses and put them on the bed.
I removed my gloves and soaked one of the towels in rose water. Gently squeezing out the excess water, I touched the Young Master's face. He closed his eyes and followed my movements.
As I wiped his face, I felt a strange numbness when my hands brushed against his skin. It was the same as yesterday. There was a gap...
After wiping his face and hands, I turned toward the wardrobe to dress the Young Master, but I flinched at a voice coming from behind me.
"Theodore..."
When he said my name, a bad feeling spread inside me. Ah, here we go again. He was definitely going to ask something strange from me. A test?
"Bring me the letter."
The letter? Ah, the one Eric had brought earlier... I took a deep breath, grabbed it from the table, and handed it to him. The Young Master opened the letter and read it, his eyebrows raising slightly, but he didn't react much. Well, at least there was nothing he would test me on this time. Then...
The Young Master stood up and headed toward the wardrobe. This was not a good sign. He reached for a delicately embroidered beige dress and extended it toward me.
"I will wear this today for my guest."
Alright, this was a completely normal request. But as I was about to change him, the dream I had seen the night before came to mind... The naked scenes of the dream... Get a grip, Theodore! Focus on your work! But my brain, God help me, was determined to betray me. My hands instinctively tried to pull back, but... No, no, no! This man is my source of income. He's the reason I get my meals. I need to dress him!
Losing the internal battle, I dressed him in a lightly embroidered white outfit. Fortunately, it didn't take too long.
Then, the Young Master opened another section of the wardrobe and pulled out a series of walking canes. I say canes, but these were works of art; floral, animal-shaped, simple, and delicately crafted... The man literally had a cane collection.
"Which cane do you think would go with this outfit?"
What is this now? Do nobles really care about aesthetics in everything? Do they think, 'Which cane should I use to spend my day'? I glanced at the options and picked the most sensible one: the simple yet elegant one with ivy patterns.
"This one will suit you better than the other."
The Young Master smiled slightly. "Good choice, Theodore."
Uh... so... did I just pick a cane? What did I do to deserve a compliment? Then...
The Young Master grasped the cane's handle and, with a single motion, pulled out a thin sword from inside.
My life. Sparkling. Before me. My eyes.
Are you mocking me?!
Instinctively, I took a step back. The scenes from my dream quickly returned. Now? Here? Am I really going to die by my own hands?!
The Young Master raised his eyebrows slightly. "Don't worry, Theodore. I won't hurt you."
Ha-ha, yes, I absolutely trust you(!) Because here, a completely logical situation is unfolding: A man pulls a sword from a cane and then tells me not to worry. Very reassuring(!)
When I noticed he was looking at me with that fear in my eyes, I took a deep breath and tried to save the situation. "I just... didn't expect a sword to come out, sir."
After checking the sharpness of the sword, the Young Master carefully put it back into the cane and returned it to normal.
"Get used to these kinds of situations, Theodore. Most nobles have canes like this."
Excuse me, but WHY?! Do you use it to attack someone? Do you suddenly start a duel when you go to buy grapes? 'Ah, my friend, you put too much butter on your bread this morning, let's duel!'?
But of course, I couldn't say what was going through my mind. I just lightly nodded and said, "Yes, sir."
When everything was ready and I was about to leave the room, two female attendants entered to clean the room. Meanwhile, in my mind, the question 'WHY DOES A SWORD COME OUT OF A CANE?' echoed as I tried to continue with my day...