Chapter 5: The New Butler

I teleported into a dark alleyway, the shadows clinging to my touch. A raggedy shed stood in front of me and a burly man stood in front of there, wearing a dark, long robe and holding a flickering lamp.

"LINE UP!" He bellowed.

I swiftly squeezed in the front of the line and waited patiently.

"ID?!" He demanded, locking eyes with me.

As he inspected my ID, I inspected the trail of people behind me, all of them seemed to be wearing masks embedded with jewels, silk or lace, unlike my plain white mask. They must be nobles.

"Get in." The ID inspector demanded, shoving me in.

The interior of the shed was completely different from the outside. It was vast and spacious, with scarlet velvet seats lined in a circular shape, facing the wooden stage down below.

"Everyone…!" The host appeared on the stage, adorned with rubies and red silk, "Sit down and prepare yourself for the amazing prizes you'll possibly be buying!"

The lights dimmed and the audience's excited hushed to a velvety whisper.

"Ever seen someone slice stone like tofu?!" The host declared, "First coming up are… The Ice Elves!"

***

I checked the clock attached to the wall. Wow. I had been here for half an hour already, when were they going to sell him?

"And finally, we have a fallen noble's child!" The host declared with gusto.

An ordinary young boy shuffled onto the stage, festooned with only a single chain, inferior to the other slaves who had been drenched in chains or were incredibly attractive.

Nothing.

You could literally hear a pin drop because no one was auctioning, in fact, some people left their seats to collect their newly bought slaves.

Wait a moment-

That was the male lead I was hoping to buy!

Rei. Emilia's (The heroine) father bought Rei after feeling pity for him, and Rei became undeniably loyal towards their house. He became a butler who helped Emilia with lessons such as etiquette and academics, as he was a smart noble child, and was also a bodyguard. His martial skills made Kung Fu Panda look inferior.

"100 gold." I declared.

"H-huh?!" The host stuttered, "Really? Going once… twice… and three times! And sold to the lady in the white mask! And this concludes our auction!"

"Please follow me to collect your slave." A figure in a dark black robe requested.

I looked at him suspiciously, and unconsciously checked if the sword I had carefully hid under my grey robe was still there. Yes, it was.

"Lead the way." I commanded, following his heel.

***

The dark robed person presented me Rei in a large, steel cage, in a dark room.

"I'll wait outside the room so you can converse properly." The robed figure muttered respectfully and left the room.

I turned towards Rei; how should I approach him?

"I am your master who bought you for 100 gold." I stated expressionlessly, "Stay loyal to me, and you will be rewarded with a promising life and get revenge on those who betrayed your family, with my help."

Rei stood, in the middle of the cage, unmoving and silent.

"So, will you follow me, or will you live freely on the streets?" I asked, smiling, and tilting my head.

"You're rather scary." Rei answered, his voice surprisingly smooth and mellow. "I give my loyalty for you; my strength and intelligence will be at your disposal."

"Let him out." I gestured to the cage.

The dark robed figure unlocked the cage and Rei's chains with a large silver key.

"Let's go." I commanded, and Rei and I swept out of the room with synchronised footsteps.

***

When we finally exited the dark alleyway, I took off my ring and my ID card and ring formed into mist. My body shrunk and my clothes magically shrunk back to its former size to fit me.

"It's rather interesting how a little girl could manage to enter a slave auction without a guardian and without panicking." Rei smiled, revealing one pointed tooth in the right side of his mouth, "You're probably not much younger than me, yet you acted perfectly like an adult. You're a strange person."

"You don't have any room to say that." I smirked, "I know you're hiding something."

Rei just smiled mysteriously.

"Analyse." I murmured under my breathe.

__________________________________________________

· Baron's only child: (Rei: age 5)

· Intelligence: Rank C: 45/100

· Martial Arts: Rank C: 47/100

· Acting: Rank B: 62/100

· Persuasion: Rank C: 57/100

· Wind power- unlocked in two years

· ???

__________________________________________________

"Let's go." I sighed, "The carriage's probably here."

***

As the carriage bumped up and down, I surveyed Rei,

"What are you looking at?" Rei smirked,

"I'm just wondering, what you're hiding under the side bangs of yours." I retorted.

Rei automatically patted his dark auburn hair hiding his right eye. His cat-like grey eye twinkled with mirth and… some nervousness?

"Secret." He lifted one slender finger to his mouth, smirking.

"That's acceptable." I shrugged.

***

"Who… is this?!" Father wept, clinging to my skirt, kneeling on the floor, "Don't tell me you found a lover, and you're going to leave me!"

"May I ask who this is?" Mother questioned, rubbing her temple.

"IMMA KILL HIM!" Luke barked, unsheathing his sword as struggling as servants held him back from rushing at Rei, "I DON'T CARE! NO ONE CAN STOP ME!"

I turned to Rei, silently pleading him to help me.

"Ahem…" Rei politely coughed, his voice strangely serious and his eyes having a respectful look, "The Young Miss has offered me a position to be her personal butler, as I have the skills of an advanced noble, both in strength and intelligence. I will protect the Young Miss with my life and teach her many skills in life."

Mother was completely won over.

"What a fine gentleman!" Mother hummed, obviously pleased, "Our Ivory will learn a lot from him, and I can rest now that she'll be safe!"

"B-but… I can protect Ivory!" Luke whined pitiably, like a dejected puppy.

"We can just station a FEMALE knight." Father sobbed.

"Tch!" Mother huffed, "You have to become a better role-model for Ivory. Servants, give the newcomer some better clothes, bath and show him his new room, preferably the room next to Ivory's."

"Why do you trust that brat so much?!" Father demanded.

"Trust? Don't be silly." Mother giggled, "If he does one thing wrong to Ivory-"

Mother, Father and Luke whipped their heads towards, synchronised, their eyes widening, and sneers displayed on their face.

"-He'll die." Mother sneered, swiping the air in front of her neck horizontally.

The temperature dropped rapidly, and it seemed a lot darker. Rei stiffened.

"Don't w-worry about it." Rei smiled sombrely.

***

I rested on my bed, calmly reading a book.

*Knock knock*

"Come in." I stated.

A maid stepped inside with Rei following her.

"Tell any of the servants if the rascal does anything, alright?" The maid whispered in my ear, her doe eyes filled with concern, "All the servants are worried about you, so we'll always lend an ear if you need to complain about him."

The maid glanced over her shoulder one last time as she scurried out the room.

As soon as the maid left, Rei's respectable posture relaxed as he leaned on the wall.

His unruly dark auburn hair had been trimmed and he now wore a butler uniform as well as white gloves.

"What's with the glasses?" I asked.

Rei now wore slim rectangle glasses.

"I thought it would make me seem smarter." Rei grinned, his single, sharp tooth lined with his other teeth becoming more prominent.

"Let's go, it's dinner." I sighed.

***

I ate with my family in silence. Rei stood next to me with an abnormally serene expression.

"Honey…" Father stuttered, "I have something to confess."

"Hm?" Mother glanced up, "Don't tell me you broke something valuable… again."

"Uhhh… Well, the children will be having an older brother soon…" Father mumbled.

"Older brother?" Luke and I chorused.

"What?" Mother coughed, "Did you adopt a child?"

"Around a year and a half, before our children were born, and we hadn't met yet." Father coughed, "I went to an inn and became drunk. I met a waitress…"

Mother paled. She knew instantly what he did.

"What happened to the mother now?" She demanded.

"She died. So now, we should keep the child, before a noble keeps him to blackmail me." Father rubbed his forehead.

Mother sighed and abruptly pushed her chair back.

"I'm going to sleep." She announced coldly, "I'll never accept that child."

"Night." Luke sighed with disgust and left the dining room.

Father let out a sigh and flopped on the table.

"He's knocked out cold." Rei stated, flopping on a chair as soon as he realised Father was unconscious.

"He's probably fainted from the nerves." I shrugged, moving to continue eating.

"I'm surprised your mother didn't slap him." Rei smirked, "And why don't you look surprised?"

"Secret." I shrugged, smirking at his peeved expression. "I'm pretty sure he's going to arrive tomorrow."

"Who?" Rei asked, tilting his head. "Your older brother?"

"Yup." I sighed, getting ready to go to bed. "Lord Easton. The prodigy of fire."