A Fun Time

The sound of the butler's heartbeat was so prominent he could have sworn everyone in the same space had heard it, but the culprit of his terror was as calm as could be— haplessly teasing and having a fun banter with the wheat-skinned male whose face was thinner than paper.

Just how many times had he blushed?

The butler had once suspected that he might have already developed a crush on Sylvester, but now he wasn't so sure anymore.

Perhaps the male was simply a blusher?

One thing was for sure, though—despite his thin face, he was rather bold in his approach, already responding to Sylvester with ease despite it being only a day since his arrival.

But even more fascinating was Sylvester. Instead of going for a more polite approach, which was usually him distancing himself from the rattlebox without seeming too blatant, he genuinely enjoyed interacting with the male!

Mr. Butler didn't care anymore. He simply wanted to deliver the time bomb of a phone that had brought him here and leave as quickly as he could.

He couldn't be bothered whether the male could operate the phone or not—he just wanted out.

***

"It's a sad thing, Vale, but I truly have no other choice but to push back your socialization for a while," Sylvester paused, then furrowed his brows, "at least until I've handled Olivia, to prevent her from aiming for you."

Sylvester sighed before taking a sip of his soup. "She's quite the scary woman."

Vale chuckled. "All women are scary to some extent."

"You think so? And what strengthened this stereotype of yours?"

"You," Vale replied shamelessly. "Anyone who can leave you this restless is definitely something."

"But it's just one woman," Sylvester said with a charming wink.

A certain person blushed—the butler. Talk more of a thin-faced Vale, who turned into a beet.

"Well, the doctors talked about them all the time, so I know a thing or two," Vale mumbled in reply before focusing on his meal, feeling a bit embarrassed.

Deciding to spare the young male, Sylvester moved to a different discussion.

"Any place you'd like to visit once we begin?" Sylvester bit into the pair of thinly sliced chicken. He liked this texture. That reminded him—

"I don't know anywhere yet, so maybe after I do my research. But I'm honestly fine with wherever, as long as it's with you," Vale responded.

How smooth. He said it with such calmness, the daring words seemed to have become more of a casual thing.

"You haven't gotten your phone?" Sylvester asked, causing the troubled butler beside them to flinch aggressively.

"Yeah, we weren't done with our tour, and then you returned, so—"

"Let me teach you." Sylvester reached out, placing his hand on Vale's, leaving him staring with an aghast gaze.

"...How to operate the phone, that is."

He removed his hand right after with a small smile leaving Vale befuddled.

The butler was even more shocked but wanted nothing more than to disappear from this romantic nonsense!

Vale nodded madly like a henpecked chick, eliciting laughter from Sylvester, who returned to his meal.

"I can tell you'll be bored during the time it takes to begin your socialization plan, so I recommend using that time to familiarize yourself with the internet. That's another method of socialization, you see." Sylvester paused, as if to let the male take in all he had said. "And you can also try out a lot of other things to pass the time."

"Thank you."

"Haha, this must seem quite nosy of me—"

"Oh no, it's…"

"...But all I want is for you to enjoy every second of your stay here. After all, I am the one who brought you in."

Vale's lips parted, but no words came out. His dark eyes met Sylvester's humored honey-brown ones, and with a shy cough, he brought his gaze down once more into his food.

"You're a very kind person."

Sylvester froze. Then a cheerless smile graced his face. "It's nothing."

Silence returned—only for a while—before Sylvester finally recalled what he had forgotten for a brief moment.

"How is the food?"

"It's good!"

"Really? You know, as a Fork, they tend to focus more on the texture of the meal rather than the taste, so I was a bit worried…"

Vale shook his head before responding with aggressive eagerness burning in his eyes. "It's perfect! Your cooks are very good at what they do… They're excellent workers!"

The butler felt a bit proud at the young man's words, feeling a little more pleased with the male—but soon, a pair of beautiful eyes snapped him out of his daze.

"You should go, and don't forget to drop off the phone."

The butler roared with joy within but made sure to keep a neutral look of gratefulness, and after a single bow, he vanished like the wind.

***

The rest of the dinner had been spent familiarizing Vale with his new phone. Luckily, he seemed to have already been exposed to the necessary technologies for daily use and only had to familiarize himself with the model of the phone.

Sylvester had taken a picture with him in celebration and watched with glee as an excited Vale changed his background to the recent photo.

He leaned on the railing of his terrace, enjoying the cool air that fluttered through his hair, turning it into a slight mess—but he couldn't care less.

His mind wandered to a certain place, and he frowned. Olivia was no longer a joking matter. He had thought that with time she'd cool off and learn to respect herself, but oh, how wrong he had been!

It had been fun watching her writhe, but now the worm had become an eyesore, and he had to get rid of it somehow—especially now that it was becoming a threat to him.

Sylvester reached into his pocket, bringing out a piece of lollipop, which left him chuckling.

He wasn't sure where the male had gotten the candy from, but he was grateful for the little show of appreciation.

His mind wandered to those deceitful obsidian pupils, which showed their true color—dark brown—only when reflected from certain angles.

Sure, he wasn't an avid fan of people swooning over him like fools, but something about his approach was a bit different.

Perhaps it was the free-spirited nature of his manner, or the innocent clarity behind it, but he didn't find such adoration sickening.

It was a bit fun. He'd enjoy it a little more before it soured… by then, he was confident his job would be completed.