░15░ Damon's Part-Time Job as El

Early morning at the Maxwell Duchy

As the rays of the sun touched Damon's face from his room, he immediately crumpled and sat from his bed rubbing his eyes with a groan from waking up. He yawned afterward as he tried to remove himself from the bed. He was trying to get up but he stumbled again because of the blanket that was tugged to his feet. Now it was making him crouch on the bed as his back ached from the sudden pain when he fell

Damon, being clumsy sometimes, yelled out of pain but immediately covered his mouth. He knew that servants will easily come rushing towards his room upon hearing him yell. Currently he was reminding himself that he has something important to do. With that, he fixed himself and stood up yawning again

"Ugh!" he exclaimed as he stretched his body trying to button his loosened clothes. Then, his pale skin appeared in the view illuminating the gorgeous body and shape he has. If anyone saw his appearance, they'll easily drool at the sight but because he is Damon, he can be dense sometimes about love. He was not minding other's gazes after all

After doing so, he immediately sighed smiled afterward. He thought about the commoner friend that he made yesterday

'Iris'

He thought and remembered the gorgeous face Iris had when her hair fell to her neck having pair of locks on each sides. Upon thinking of her, he can't stop the building smile he had. Then suddenly his heart beats faster than before. That moment made him hold his chest and look at it confusingly

'Why did my heart suddenly beats faster? Did I have some kind of illness now? This is not good'

He thought as he started to get nervous because of it. But he immediately calmed himself when someone had knocked on his door. There, it made his face looked serious breathing a long sigh

'I can't concentrate if it's the only thing I'll have to think. For now, calm yourself down Damon if you want to still sneak out of the household towards the Loughes bakeshop'

He thought sighing and going back to his bed as he pretended to sit on the back of it. There he was covering his lower body with his blanket.

"Come in" he authoritatively said. Then, one of the butlers in their duchy walked into his room bowing in front of him after closing the door

"Young master, Duke Maxwell wanted to inform you and the rest of the family as well as the servants about the sudden related-business meeting he had for the neighboring empire. He'll probably be gone for a month," the butler said while still bowing respectfully at the young master in front of him

'What? I'm so lucky today! This has been one of the luckiest news I've ever received on my entire living in this hell duchy! Well, I could just sneak out of my sword training whenever I want! Besides, Sir Luke will have no choice because he can’t report to the duke'

He thought as he silently rejoice in his mind. Though, his rejoicing moment was suddenly cut off by the next words that the butler had said

"Young Master, the duke also wanted to notify you and the rest of the family that if the sudden meeting was resolved earlier than expected. Then, he'll immediately be back in no time probably less than a week," upon hearing such words he became gloomy of the sudden reality slapping him by the butler's words

'Just when I was about to rejoice was the time that my hope for working together inside the Loughes bakeshop got ruined. Way to ruin my mood'

He thought sighing inwardly while portraying a serious look at the butler

"Did my sisters and mother know of it? How about Lucius?" Damon asked curiously if the butler already told them about the duke

"I've already told duchess Emerlize, young master, but not yet with young lady Thesia and young lady Hera. With regarding that child, I'm afraid I will never inform him of this young master. I was instructed by the duke not to," the butler said still bowing respectfully

Upon hearing the word 'That child' instead of the name of Lucius, it made Damon gripped tightly at the blanket. He seriously looked at the butler even though he wanted to correct the way how the butler said about Lucius, he knew very well that he had little power and authority to say or correct something that the Duke had instructed.

About knowing that he was currently powerless in his state, he continued to grip tightly at the blanket while wearing a smiling mask at the butler

"Alright, I understand. Inform my sisters now," Damon said faking his smile at the butler who bowed seriously

"Understood young master," the butler respectfully said while walking away from his room

Upon seeing the butler’s back fading as he was walking away from his room. He finally let go of his tight hands gripping the blanket only seeing how red it was. Realizing how he forced himself to grip the blanket because of how the servants - the duke as well as his other family members - treat Lucius.

He knew on himself that he cared for Lucius because he's still a part of their family. But he can't deny the truth that he was taught about him being an illegitimate child of the duke - from a prostitute mother.

'Status plays an important role in the noble society'

He thought as he massaged his hands and sighed afterward moving his sight towards the window of his room. He decided to stand from his bed and walked towards the window to see the outside view. Upon walking, he saw how the rays of the sun strikes his whole figure until he was already in front of the large window

There, he paused and saw how nostalgic the outside view bring him. It made him reminisced the past where he and Lucius silently sneaked out of the duchy and went outside to play with the falling cherry blossoms' leaves

'I hope he's fine even now. It's already been years that we're prohibited to see each other. Our father instructed us to do that. Ever since I never saw him again until yesterday in the market and the forest'

He sadly smiled at the past that he's trying to reminisce every single day to remind him that Lucius was still alive and doing well even if they were both inside the duchy. Afterward, he sighed and turned towards his closet to find clothes to in order to disguise himself again. He'll try to sneak out of the duchy for the second time of the year. Upon finding the clothes, he immediately went into his bathtub on the other side of his room to take a private bath taking with him his robe and towel

After taking a bath, he immediately took his towel to wiping his wet body and wore the bathrobe. After then, he went to his room not being suspicious enough of what he was about to do next. He entered his room and closed the curtain that was opened in his window. There, he started undressing the robe and grabbed the disguised clothes he had and another spare brown coat he had after he already used the one yesterday

He wanted to preserve Iris' scent inside the coat so he put it inside an empty closet and hanged there. That way, he showed how her scent was very special to him. That's already the sign that he's deeply falling for the young woman. Though, he still can't process what he's feeling because he's very dense when it comes to love except for Princess Monique's obvious pestering on him

When he thought that he was already prepared, he looked at himself on the big mirror in his room and beamed. He beamed upon thinking that he would meet Iris again for the day. Not minding about the lessons he'll learn for the day because at the age of 15 he'll eventually re-learn all of those in the academy

Once 15 years old and above, the academy only accepts nobles with the required age requirements. So he was never nervous about not learning on the day. More probably he's nervous not to work at the bakeshop for some unknown reasons. With that, he immediately uncovered the window and looked outside to see that no one was on the spot. There, he immediately know that the knights were probably training at the training ground. With such observation, he opened the window, and without having a second thought he easily jump from his room to a tree nearby

Pretending to be a cat, he even mimicked a cat's voice. There, he easily went at the back of the duchy without having any problems with the knights currently training. Little did he know that the shadow knights of the duke that was following him yesterday were all dead - killed by Lucius

After escaping the duchy successfully, he immediately ran towards the market and into the Loughes bakeshop

"Good morning, boss!" he immediately greeted Selby upon entering the bakeshop and in response, Selby only raised an eyebrow at him being strict as usual

"Morning," he said in his usual monotone voice. Then, he proceeded to the counter and the kitchen afterward

Damon, on the other, hand looked around for a person's familiar figure but what he saw was no one at all. Thinking he was just early enough to enter the bakeshop not minding how Iris was late. Though, he was minding that she should probably come for the day. So without further hesitation, he proceeded to the kitchen and found the material he'll be using upon Selby's instruction - on baking cakes and pies

"Here are the ingredients and the directions. You should probably start by now, unfortunately, the other baker that was supposed to teach you more baking skills had quit his job. So suddenly that’s why making you the only baker here. So do your job properly if you want to get paid, understood?" Selby said strictly making Damon laugh inwardly at such an attitude

'I wonder if he could do such strictness with the crown prince, I wonder about it'

That thought made him chuckle as he faced Selby making an indescribable face upon hearing such expression when he's serious enough for him to do his job. There, he was already raising his other eyebrows again but Damon easily explained

"Yes boss, I apologize because I suddenly choke a little comparing like a laughter, boss!"

"Hmmph. Do your job properly, understood?"

"One hundred percent understood, boss"

With that, Selby already left the shop for some errands about his family's other businesses. He left him inside the shop as Damon wait for Iris patiently

'I've already learned that she's gorgeous. What I've other things learned from the time I was with her? She's a little boyish, a kind and careful person, and a righteous one. I hope she never changes that attitude of hers. From the second day, I learned from her? She's a little tardy'

That thought made him unconsciously smile again

'But all in all, whenever I'm with her, I feel like myself again'