Chapter 8: The Fox

Will looked at Renara with curiosity, who appeared before him. His hair was orange-yellow, and his eyes were yellow, like gold. He was about 20 centimetres taller than Will, and dressed in a green shirt with a belt and trousers of the same shade.

When he looked at Renara, Will remembered that he was telling him about his past life as a count. After a brief reflection, watching Renar holding the expensive necklace in his hands, Will stepped forward and asked:

- Mr Renard, can you help me?

Renar, looking away from the pendant, looked at Will with curiosity, waiting for a more detailed explanation.

- I need to get to the fourth prince somehow, and I thought it best if I became his servant.

Renar, exhausted, began to ponder Will's request. Looking at the pendant, he understood that he owed it to him. Finally, having decided to answer, he looked at Will again.

- The first thing you need to do is hide your identity.

- But how do I do it? I can't recolor my hair, said Will.

At that moment, Renard took the bag out of his pocket and, showing it to Will, said:

- That's my hair in this bag. It'll help hide your scent so they think you're a family of foils. 

Will, not quite understanding what it was about, asked:

- Why would I hide the smell? And what is this family of foxes?

Renar, seeing that Will didn't get the message, gave him a sack of wool.

- You probably don't know that the royal family is a cat family that carefully hides its true identity. Because of the Church of "Stars" all animals must hide their identity and belonging to the family to avoid execution. This became a necessity after we lost the Great War. The Laro Empire imposed on us the religion of "stars" and expanded the sphere of influence of the church.

After hearing all this information about the Royal Family and the world at large, Will realizes that this bag not only protects him from revealing his identity to the Royal Family, but also poses a threat from the Church. Will took a close look at the bag. It was small, dark brown, with a cord to wear around his neck. Upon opening it, he found yellow-orange wool inside. Looking at Renar, who was smiling slightly, Will decided to put on the bag, hiding it under his clothes so no one would notice.

Looking at Will, Renard held out his hand for a handshake:

- I agree to help you.

Will gladly accepted his offer and, shaking hands, they continued the conversation. Renar looked at the room in the inn, thought about his words and turned to Will:

- We can go to my house. There you will be taught to be a servant, which will increase your chances of success.

Will considered the proposal and nodded in agreement.

Renard, having said goodbye, left the room, promising to wait outside. Will, immersed in thought, was packing his things.

 "Am I the son of a former count? And is the royal family beasts?".

At last, Will breathed out and, with his thoughts gathered, left the room. Thanking the innkeeper, he found himself on the street. At the wall of the building, leaning on his shoulder, stood Renard, looking up at the sky. As he approached him, Will asked.

- Where is your home?

- He's here, not far away, it's a normal one-story house. Are you ready to go?

Will nodded in agreement, and together they headed for Renar's house.

***

When Will came to Renar's house, he was pleasantly surprised. The house was surrounded by a fence, looked neat and spacious, it was immediately obvious that there were more than one person living here. As he looked around the house, Will decided to ask a question about learning.

- Who's gonna teach me?

Renar, looking at his words, answered with a slight grin.

- Well, of course not me, you will be trained by my servant, who serves me loyally despite the fact that I am not a count or have any title. He is a very good person, though strict, but I can say with confidence that he will do his best to teach you.

And answering the question, he went into the gate; and a man came to him at once, dressed in strict clothing, which he gave to the chief servant. He had short, light brown hair and facial hair, and his eyes were yellow-white, indicating his old age.

The servant reverently bowed to Renar, then turned his gaze to Will, taking a close look at him. His gaze was expressing a question, and Renard, noticing it, held up his hand slowly and presented the young man:

- This young man is Will Grace, he's from the Grace family and will be training with you to be a servant in the royal court. Teach him the basics of service and basic weapons skills. Get to know each other.

Introducing Will, Renard walked to the small garden in front of the house, watching with interest the well-tended flowers and plants. The servant, watching his master's departure, stepped forward and, bowing again, presented himself:

- Young Master Will Grace, my name is Goldfrey Mannix, and I am the chief servant in Mr Renar's house. I will gladly teach you the basics of servant work. Let's get started immediately.

With these words, Goldfrey turned around and headed for the house; his steps were fast and elegant at the same time. Will tried to keep up as he walked into the house behind him. Two other servants were standing in front of Goldfrey waiting for his orders. Seeing them, Goldfrey waved his hand to the right and began giving instructions. Listening to his conversation with the servant, Will realized why Renard had mentioned his strict nature.

Giving instructions to the servants, Goldfrey looked at Will and headed down the hall. Will followed him. As they approached the door, Goldfrey stopped, turned and turned to Will:

- First of all, you need to get yourself cleaned up. Go into your room, I'll bring you some clothes and tools.

Telling Will to go, Harry went the other way from the door. Will, looking after him, thought about his long hair and said: 

"You have to cut your hair, or it's uncomfortable to walk with this hairstyle".

He spread out the hair that was gathered in the tail, and it fell freely on the shoulders. Entering the room, he saw that it was much bigger than the one in which he lived in the forest. Thanks to the large windows, the room was light. The furniture here was a single bed, table, chair and bookcase filled with many books.

When he looked back, Will sat down on the chair and waited for Goldfrey to appear. Soon the door opened, and Goldfrey and a young servant entered the room. In the hand of the servant was a garment like that which he had on him; in the hand of Goldfrey were scissors and a broom.

- Sit still, I'll trim you, the servant must be groomed.

Will sat down obediently on the chair. He watched as Goldfrey and the servant prepared, and then closed his eyes when Goldfrey began to cut his hair. After a while, Will realized that Goldfrey had finished his haircut and began to shake off his cut hair.

-That's it, you can open your eyes, he said.

When he opened his eyes, Will saw a mirror in front of him, held by a young servant. Taking it, he took a close look at himself and found that he had been trimmed short. Will always liked short hair because it was practical and easy to wash.

- Well, thank you, Goldfrey, he said with a sense.

- Young Master Will, don't thank me, it's one of our common tasks. Now go and have a bath. said Goldfrey with a light smile.

Goldfrey took the clothes off his chair and handed them to Will. Will took the clothes and noticed that Goldfrey had another pair, more luxurious. Goldfrey waved his hand, calling to follow him, and Will did not hesitate. 

As they approached the door, Goldfrey entered, leaving Will with his clothes in his hands. Will was leaning against the wall and wondered how to make a prince king. However, lacking sufficient information, he could not come to any decision and simply waited for Goldfrey to call him.

Will heard the door open, and turned his head to prepare for Goldfrey's arrival. However, to his surprise, Renar appeared on the doorstep with wet hair, indicating that he had just taken a bath.

- Oh, I see you're very well-cut. Are you going to take a bath too? asked Renar.

Will nodded in agreement, and saw Goldfrey come out of the room. They exchanged a few words, and Goldfrey, looking at Will, asked:

- Young Master Will, the bath is ready. I'll be outside if you need anything.

As he thanked him, Will went into the room and closed the door behind him. Inside was a big bowl filled with hot water. Putting clean clothes on the chair and dirty ones on the floor, Will went into the water. Hot water burned, but at the same time relaxed his tired body.

After Will took a hot bath, he put on the clothes that Goldfrey gave him. This garment was intended for the servants, and looking at himself in the mirror he thought it was made for him.

As he left the room, he saw that Goldfrey was waiting for him. As he approached him, Goldfrey said:

- We're going to lunch now, and then we'll start our training.

With these words he went to the kitchen, pointing Will to the dining room. After following his departure, Will headed for the designated place. As he entered the dining room, he saw a large table with space for ten people, covered in a white tablecloth. This luxury caused him some anxiety: in the huge house, it seemed, lived only Renar and his servants.

As he looked, Will heard the door open behind him. Turning around, he saw Renara, who with a light smile pushed him to the table. 

- Well, you stand, sit down, food will be brought soon,' he said.

Will sat down opposite Renar, and at that moment the servants came into the dining room with a tray of food. Having laid the table, they sat down next to each other and began to eat. Will sipped a tea that was both bitter and sweet. When the meal was over, the servants rose up from the table and began quickly to remove the dishes.

When the servants had finished cleaning the dishes, Goldfrey approached Will.

- Now I will teach you the skills of wielding a sword, which is an important element for a royal servant.

Turning around, Goldfrey headed outside, and Will followed him.