A Tale of Unexpected Turns

In the evening, I took two books from the bookshelf and walked back to the baron's room. 

The room was warmed by the glowing fireplace, and three white candles on the bedside candlestick emitted a dim, cold light. Baron Oscar lay quietly against the soft deep blue pillow, squinting his eyes as if he were in a deep sleep. 

I quietly approached, intending to cover him with a blanket. But he suddenly opened his eyes, staring at my hand resting on his chest, then glanced at me thoughtfully and said in an irritated tone, "What are you doing?" 

"I thought you were asleep; you might catch a chill without a blanket," I replied. 

The baron said, "No need, I'm not planning to sleep yet." 

I placed the books on the bedside table and asked, "Would you like me to read to you? These are new." 

"I told my uncle that during my time at Momen Manor, you would take care of me," the baron suddenly said. 

"Yes, the viscount has given me orders," I acknowledged. 

The baron scrutinized my face for a moment, frowning as he asked, "What's wrong? Aren't you happy to serve as my personal attendant?" 

"Of course! I'm very happy." 

"Yet your expression tells me you're not excited. I've given you an opportunity, but you don't seem grateful," the baron's tone grew increasingly cold. "If you have any complaints, feel free to voice them." 

I felt extremely awkward; did he really expect others to be overly enthusiastic? In my previous life, he had forced me to be his personal attendant, and I had walked around with a sour face every day without hearing him complain once. 

"It's an honor to serve you, my lord; I just… as a servant, I must maintain a serious demeanor," I quickly came up with an excuse. 

The baron nodded, seemingly satisfied. "I'm feeling bored; let's find something to do." 

"Then I'll read to you." 

"Reading at night is bad for your eyes; your eyes are so beautiful, if…" The baron paused, as if realizing he had said something inappropriate, and suddenly fell silent, pressing his lips together. 

I hurriedly lowered my head, my gaze falling at the foot of the bed, wondering why he would suddenly say something like "your eyes are so beautiful." Did he take an interest in me now? I remembered in my past life, he clearly showed interest only much later at a banquet; he had gotten drunk, pinned me against a dark hallway, and mumbled about liking me. I was so shocked at the time, thinking he had mistaken me for a woman… 

"The eyes of us humans are a precious gift from God; regardless of wealth or poverty, everyone's eyes should be cherished," the baron awkwardly stated. 

"Yes, my lord, you're absolutely right," I nodded obediently. 

The room fell into an eerie silence, the only sound being the crackling of the fire in the fireplace. 

I decided to break the awkwardness and suggested, "How about I play chess with you?" 

"You know how to play chess?" he asked arrogantly. "I didn't expect that a mere lower servant not only knows how to read but also plays chess. What else can you do?" 

"I've only learned to play chess." 

"Well then, it's not like we have anything else to do," the baron replied. 

I fetched the chessboard, placed it on the baron's bedside, and sat in a chair by the bed to play. This distance from the board made it somewhat inconvenient; I had to bend down for every move, which felt quite tiring. 

"It's inconvenient to play chess like this; you can come sit on my bed," the baron suggested. 

"That wouldn't be proper; it's very rude to lose our manners," I quickly declined. 

"You still care about being rude?" the baron mocked. "Who was it that climbed onto my bed on the first day of serving me?" 

My face flushed instantly; to say "I climbed onto his bed" was quite outrageous—it's typically used to imply an inappropriate relationship. How could he impose that on me? That day, he had complained of being cold, and I had felt pity for him… 

"So stop hesitating and come sit," the baron gestured toward the bed. 

Reluctantly, I sat across from him. We played chess while chatting. He seemed very interested in me, continuously asking about my life. 

"So your father left home and never returned?" he inquired. 

"Yes, we tried to find him through others, but the capital is so vast, it's hard to locate one person. Moreover, he might have… after all these years, we have no hope left." 

The baron made no comments and asked, "Have you been to school? Where did you learn to read?" 

"I haven't attended school; I bought books and taught myself." 

"It seems you have strong convictions. What are your thoughts about the future?" 

"What could a person like me possibly think? My mother thinks it's already quite an achievement for me to become a senior servant." 

The chess game progressed, and I gradually focused all my thoughts on the board. By the time I realized it, I had already beaten the baron. 

He raised an eyebrow, narrowing his eyes at me. "How interesting; you're quite a bold little one, daring to win against your master." 

I was slightly taken aback and awkwardly said, "I'm sorry." 

I was skilled at chess; in my previous life, I always won against the baron, and he never expressed any dissatisfaction. In fact, he seemed to enjoy playing against me more the more I won, but this situation felt different… 

The baron tossed the pieces aside. "I'm done; I want to rest." 

I hurriedly packed away the chessboard, bowed respectfully, and said, "Goodnight, my lord; I will take my leave." 

"Who permitted you to leave?" the baron responded irritably. 

"Please, give me your command," I quickly bowed again. 

The baron looked somewhat frustrated, gazing silently at me. 

I had no idea what had annoyed him. Was it really just because I won the chess game? 

"What a foolish guy," after a long silence, the baron turned over, facing away from me, and said, "Read to me; once I fall asleep, you can leave." 

I was utterly bemused. Just a moment ago, he had mentioned protecting his eyes, and now he wanted me to read to him. Was this lord's temperament really so fickle? 

Helpless, I sat down and began to read under the flickering candlelight. 

This time, I chose two poetry collections, casually opened one, and began to read softly. By now, I was quite tired and felt drowsy, especially under the dim candlelight, hardly caring about the content of my reading. 

"My soul and everything I have, I willingly give to you, only asking that you leave me a pair of eyes so that I can see you. On my body, there is nothing that has not been conquered by you… You took its life, and thus carried away its death; if I must lose anything else, may you take me along, only asking that you leave me a pair of eyes so that I can see you." This was a long poem, and I only realized halfway through that it was a love poem. I forced myself to finish it, feeling awkward, then searched for another poem about longing for home: "I love the wind more than anything in the world. The wind howls loudly, the wind moans loudly; how profound are the wind's howls and moans, the wind exerts itself to maintain itself…" 

After the clock chimed twelve times, I could no longer hold on. 

"My lord, are you asleep?" I softly called out but received no response; the person on the bed was already fast asleep. 

I yawned, quietly blew out the candles, covered the baron with a blanket, and then left his room. 

As I closed the door, the man in bed turned over, and in the darkness, Baron Oscar touched his hot, flushed cheek. 

…

"The work of a personal attendant is completely different from your usual tasks," the butler Aaron said, pacing around me with his hands behind his back. "Since you'll be serving the baron, you must change the bad habits you had as a lower servant." 

His gaze focused on my worn-out sheepskin shoes, shaking his head disapprovingly. "Look at you; even the beggars outside are better dressed. Fix your shoes today." 

"Yes, sir," I replied, feeling embarrassed. 

"The master wants me to train you a bit, but since you've already started serving the baron, it's too late for training; just remember your responsibilities." 

"First, you are responsible for the baron's attire; everything he wears must be prepared by you. Helping the baron present himself decently when going out is your primary responsibility. Second, being a personal attendant means that whenever the baron goes out, you must follow him and cater to all his needs, carrying his luggage and belongings. Third, you will take care of all the baron's daily details, such as bathing, dressing, sleeping, waking up, reading the newspaper, having coffee, and snacks; everything must be handled by you personally." 

The butler concluded, "These tasks are very important and shouldn't be assigned to a novice like you, but it's also your opportunity. If you do well, I will

 remind…"

"But this is also your opportunity; if you do well, I will remind the master to give you a bonus," Aaron said.

He patted my shoulder. "Serve the baron well; perhaps he will become the master of Momen Manor. If you truly become his personal attendant, you'll rise to great heights."

I could only nod vaguely, unable to deny it.

Continue as the baron's personal attendant? Of course not. I intended to stay at Momen Manor; I still had things I needed to accomplish. Staying by the baron's side worried me, as I feared it might bring him misfortune...

The baron had fully recovered; after his illness, he didn't rush to leave the manor as he had before. Instead, he settled in comfortably, often gathering with guests and sometimes visiting the local gentry.

The ones most pleased by this were none other than the Viscount and Viscountess Bruce. The Viscountess privately discussed with her husband, "We took care of him when he was sick, so he is grateful to us. Catherine visited him every day despite the risk of infection; he must have been moved by our little daughter, which is why he decided to stay."

Viscount Bruce wasn't as optimistic as his wife. He furrowed his brow and said, "Let's hope so, but Catherine says he hasn't shown much interest in her."

"Perhaps it's because he's too serious. Your nephew is always so cold. Maybe we should hold a ball."