"My lord."
As Medea entered the office, he was already bowing his head with a timid expression – which was only fully possible because of the thick glasses blocking his eyes.
|Just officially give me the spot of my dummy's assistant. The heat from the last night still lingers in our bed, and she's eager to continue.|
...if Alexander Rotteloss could read minds, he would not be able to continue sitting by his desk with that aloof expression of his, that's for sure...
"My daughter is going to visit her fiance. There's about a month left to their wedding, and the royal family is insistent on checking her virginity. You will travel with her as her personal assistant and handle every single matter that might come up. Kenneth mentioned that you didn't want the position, but that doesn't matter. Prepare for the travel and between two to seven days stay in the royal palace, or pack your things and leave the mansion. You can go now."
The aristocrat didn't waste any time – none for the greeting and none for waiting for the black-haired man's response. He simply declared his order and waved his hand at the servant, sending him away.
"As you wish, my lord. I'll get ready right away. Oh, but just in case... If I may, how should I deal with...?"
"If you are as capable as Kenneth claims, then you will know what to do."
Medea bowed his head politely but didn't leave, appearing to want to clarify a few things – a hesitation that the earl didn't appreciate and responded to with an icy stare of the blue eyes colder and sharper than the sapphire eyes of his daughter.
"As you wish, my lord. I will do my best to meet your expectations."
Medea backed off from the room without raising his head and obediently closed the door before returning to his room... or rather going straight to Zorivia's room, as his new position allowed him to drop the games and stop scaling the wall to enter through the window each and every time.
The black-haired man knocked on the door politely and waited in silence as the young woman inside scrambled in a panic until she managed to make her way to the entrance.
"Y-yes...? Ah! Me...!"
As the blond-haired girl showed up timidly, not knowing who to expect, she gasped, and her sapphire eyes sparkled with happiness as the person waiting there was none other than Medea.
"Good morning, young Miss Zorivia. My name is Medea, and I have been a general servant in the mansion for two weeks. Since today, Earl Rotteloss appointed me as your personal assistant. It's a pleasure to meet you, and I hope to serve you well."
The black-haired man heard the footsteps of another servant walking through the hallway, which caused him to cut Zorivia mid-sentence, preventing her from saying his name in such an affectionate manner.
"I am to accompany you on the trip to the royal castle and would like to discuss a few matters beforehand. If you don't mind, of course."
"Eh...? Ah...! O-of course not, do come in."
Medea explained himself as the other servant passed behind his back which made Zorivia realize why the black-haired man was acting in such a way.
The servant didn't greet the young Miss and unknowingly earned himself a spot on Meadea's list, which was a shame for him, as he managed to get by just fine until that point.
"..."
Medea glanced over at the other servant, and his face lighted up with a friendly smile...
"Nnnngh...!"
...but then, for some reason, Zorivia let out a grumpy sound and grabbed Medea's arm, clinging to him as she pulled him inside.
"You have me, okay? Do you like short hair? I can cut mine!"
The blond-haired girl squeezed the black-haired man's arm while pouting and tugging on her long blond hair with her other hand.
"...~" *swoosh*
"Whoa...?!"
Medea's face turned serious, and he wrapped one arm around Zorivia's waist before swiping her legs and catching her into a princess carry as she let out a shocked cry.
*pomf*
He carried her over to the bed, where he actually dropped her rather unceremoniously on the sheets.
"Ehehe~"
Zorivia didn't get angry – quite the opposite, really – she giggled and loosened up the dress that she hurriedly put on to open the door.
"We have to start packing soon, but then again, a ride in the carriage sounds like an interesting experience."
The black-haired man unbuckled his belt and hummed in an amused voice.
Around two hours later – including the fifteen minutes required for packing – the young Miss and her assistant were boarding the carriage, embarking on the voyage to the royal castle.
The usual coachman – Benedict – who has been serving the Rotteloss family for the majority of his life, had been unfortunately badly kicked by one of the horses a few days earlier and was yet to regain consciousness, so a new hire took his place.
A young man, Mark - a caramel-blond-haired youth with lively brown eyes, was acting a bit overeager sometimes, but with his cheerful personality he was a rather well-liked individual.
"Young Miss, mister Medea, I will try my best so your experience will be as smooth as possible!"
"Y-yes, please do..."
"..."
Mark declared, earning himself a shaky nod from Zorivia and a soft smile from Medea.
"Umm... this might not be my place to ask, but is it alright for someone so important to travel without a proper escort?"
The youngster asked, rubbing the back of his head awkwardly.
"You're correct."
Medea, who helped Zorivia get in, nodded at Mark and confirmed his words.
"Then, what exactly is going o..."
"It really isn't your place to ask that or anything regarding that matter. Go."
Mark perked up and was going to ask for clarification, but the only clarification he got was Medea finishing his sentence and shutting him up before following the young Miss into the carriage.
The travel would take a few days, so the time Zorivia and Medea had to sneak in some alone time was rather long and they could take it slow...
*creak* *creak*
"...?"
...but the carriage started rocking even before leaving the main gate of the Rotteloss estate, confusing the young coachman as there shouldn't be any bumps large enough to cause it.