Chapter 10: The Royal Elite Knights (Part 1)

A good day starts with a hearty meal.

- Captain Rizzou

I’m at the Quick Silver clan’s guest house’s courtyard. As usual, I woke up before the sun rises and continued my morning routines as usual. By dedicatedly practising my sword skills.

I had spent the night here, sleeping in the guest house. Though the house was big; a double storied house with no less than 18 rooms, 2 living rooms and a big kitchen, it seemed to be empty, saved for the maid. She was there when I woke up this morning, cleaning the living room. She was quite shocked to see me went down the stairs with only my underwear on, but she seemed professional enough not to be fazed by the sudden appearance of the house’s guest.

“Good morning, sire.” The maid greeted me as soon as I came down the stairs. I was still in my boxer, but she seemed unfazed by me being half naked. Feeling a little groggy, I replied.

“Good morning.”

“How was your sleep, sire? Did you get a good rest?” The maid continued to ask.

“It was alright, I think. I’m not used to sleep in such a big bed with mattresses so soft that I nearly sank to the bottom.”

“I see. The bed was not to your liking then, sire? I shall ask the housekeepers to change the bed then, to the one more of your liking. I’ll get it replaced immediately after your breakfast, sire.”

Wow, this maid was very professional. She really went out of her way for the guest’s well-being.

“Hmmm… that won’t be necessary. I only stayed for the night.”

“Is that so?” The maid suddenly looked glum. Perhaps I should let her do her duty, after all. She would not like it if she was not able to do her job properly. A professional will always be a professional.

“But I have the key though. So, I might be coming here from time to time, you know. So, if you think it’s not worth of your hassle, please feel free to do whatever you want.”

“Yes sire, as you wish.” She seemed happy again.

“And, since I’ll be visiting perhaps as many times I could be allowed, let get to know each other. I’m Claude. And you?”

“Ohh! I’m so sorry sire.” She suddenly apologized to me profusely.

“I apologise for my unbecoming behaviour, sire. I’m Reena, the maid.”

“ I see. So, I’ll call you Reena then. Is that alright with you?”

The maid, who was called Reena, nodded.

“By the way, are there any others like you, working in this house Reena?”

“Others come occasionally, sire. Only I have been given the duty to come and serve in this house every day.”

Reena beamed with pride upon saying that. She seemed a very dutiful person. Serious in her job and a responsible one at that too. Wonder where did they found her anyway? My grogginess started to fade somewhat and now I’m have become more aware of my surroundings and the person I was talking to.

Reena seemed to be different. Perhaps a little different than any other girls or women I’ve seen. At first, I thought my eyes were playing tricks on me, being just woke up and all and not having enough sleep, but now after a while, I began to take notice of her peculiarity. I looked at Reena and I could see a cat-like ear from her head, but covered by her maid scarves and long hair and she has a tail that protrudes beneath her maid outfit.

A tail?

Perhaps Reena saw that I stared at her that she lost her usual composure. She became a little uncomfortable, trying to cover herself. Because of that movement, I became aware of my own lack of manners.

“Ahh, sorry if I stared at you. You seemed a little different Reena, from the rest of the girls and women I’ve ever met. Your ears…. And was that a tail that I just saw?”

Reena touched her ears. She looked down, trying to avoid my gaze as her hands tried to cover her ears and tail at the same time.

I think I asked too much. I shouldn’t intrude on someone’s else personal life while I’m still a guest at this house. I should not show my lack of tack and mannerism. Trying to rectify the awkward situation, I gave her a job to do.

“Reena, make me a breakfast, shall you?”

“A-Ah… Yes, sire!” Reena was jolted back to her usual composure.

“What do you want to have for your breakfast?”

“Give me your speciality, then. And make it a serving for three. I’m hungry.”

“For…. For… three. Are you sure, sire?”

I nodded.

“As you wish, sire. I’ll get to it immediately. Please wait a moment while I prepare your breakfast, sire. In the meantime, perhaps you would like to get dressed? It’s a cold morning today.”

Opps…

I forgot that I’m half naked. Feeling embarrassed, I hurriedly went to change.

-----

I was nearly at the end of my sword practice when I heard Reena called me from inside the house.

“Sire, your breakfast is ready. Please come in!”

About time. I was already feeling hungry. I did not have my dinner yesterday, so my stomach kept on grumbling the whole time I was practicing. Working out in the morning without having some sort of dinner was a little taxing on my stomach it seemed.

I quickly wiped my sweat and went straight away to kitchen. Reena had made a delicious looking stew and she put it in a plate on the dining table. I sat on the dining chair, while Reena stand a little further away from the dining table. As I start to take a sip of the stew, I heard Reena’s voice.

“Sire, don’t you think you should clean yourself first before you eat?”

I looked at Reena. Thinking I was pissed off, Reena apologized immediately.

“I’m so sorry sire. I have spoken out of turn. Please forgive me.”

I beckoned her towards me and told her to sit in front of me. She duly obliged, thinking I would reprimand her. As I walked to clean my hands at the sink while she walked to her seat, Reena bowed down her head. Her cat-like ears seemed to droop down. I could even see her trembling. I’m not a sadist, but she seems so cute and fragile at the moment. I could do with a little teasing. Hehehe.

But perhaps, I’ll save it for later. I wouldn’t know what time that brat, Ilvean, would come anyway. Her eventual arrival meant that I need to make a move towards my real destination for today.

I looked at the dining table and there’s only one plate of stew. I remembered I asked for three servings, but why’s was only one served to me? I saw the pot where Reena used to cook the stew on the stove and as I walked towards it, I noticed that there was some amount of stew left.

Suddenly, I don’t feel happy. I don’t like this feeling, at all.

“Reena, I told you, it’s a serving of three. Why do you give me just one?”

“But ...but… sire.”

“Is there anything about breakfast for three you don’t understand?”

“No, sire. No.” She trembled in fear.

I took another plate and filled it with stew. And as I take my seat opposite of Reena, I could see her tears welling up in her eyes. Again with tears in her eyes. Was she a crybaby? A professional but a crybaby of a maid? If I stay longer here, I could tease her to no end.

“Here, you forgot your breakfast.”

I placed the plate of stew that I just took right in front of Reena.

“Sire?” Reena looked at me, bewildered.

“Reena, on my table, everyone eats. That includes you too. So, don’t go and stand far from the table and stare at me eating. I don’t like that. And I won’t clean myself before I eat. Cleanings are for sissies. But I did that just one time, as thanks for making me breakfast. Next time, whether I am cleaned or not, if I’m hungry, I’ll eat first. “

Reena kept quiet.

“But maybe, just maybe, I’ll take a hot bath before breakfast if you prepared it well enough.”

Reena raised her head and as our eyes met, I wink at her.

“Time to eat! This stew looks delicious.”

I ignored Reena for a while and took the first sip of the stew. Whoa…

It was delicious! Really delicious. It’s creamy and thick with little chunks of mushrooms in it. The stew really warms my stomach.

“Reena, this is very delicious. What did you make for me?”

“Wild Mushroom Stew, sire.”

Wild mushroom stew, ehh. I thought wild mushrooms are poisonous. Ahh well, it’s delicious anyway, so it can’t be poison. I’ll dig this stew anytime. It was a perfect breakfast. I think I could have it every day. Yah, I think that would be a good idea. Someone to cook delicious food for me every day.

“Reena, eat yours before it gets cold.”

“B-B-But sire. Maids are not supposed to sit and eat at the same table as the houseguests!” Reena finally spoke out of her fear. Perhaps that was the reason that she did not prepare a plate for herself and just watch me eat instead.

I looked at her and asked her with a hint of displeasure,

“Whose rule was that? Who made that rule? You?!”

Reena bowed down.

“No one, sire. It’s just that… we… we are of low status…and… and”

I have listened enough. Low status-smatus nonsense. Everywhere I used to go with Blizzard Hawk or the old geezer, I used to get pretty upset when people talk about their statuses. It’s a pet peeve of mine. Nothing pissed me off more than someone who talked about their statuses and why couldn’t they do certain things, like eating for example, because of their statuses.

“To hell with statuses Reena!!”

I shouted at her. Reena seemed to be taken by surprised by my words. I could see tears forming in her eyes, yet again.

“Reena. I’ll say this just once. Only once. So, listen carefully to what I’m about to say!”

I wiped my mouth away and looked at Reena intently.

“As long as I’m the guest in this house here, you will sit and eat with me. I don’t care about who comes and stay here, but the keys are with me and I was told to use this house as how I see fit by the Chief. And I plan to do exactly just that.”

I continued after pausing for a while.

“I don’t care what your statuses are, whether you’re a maid or Crown Princess. If you are hungry, you eat. If you are sleepy, you sleep. If you need to take a poop, you take a poop. And your poop stinks as much as the others, even if you are of low status and the other was a princess’s.”

Reena chuckled at my analogy. Well, I have no better analogy to give to her to get directly into her brain. Perhaps with this crude analogy, she could understand better.

“So, there’s no difference between us. Perhaps one or two, but that’s all.”

I looked at her ears and tail.

“But…sire. We… I mean… the Beast people… We are just slave here. I’m... I’m fortunate enough for the Chief to take me as a maid. Others might be not so lucky.”

“And….?”

I looked straight into Reena’s eyes. Reena immediately bowed down, trying to avoid my intimidating gaze.

“Are you saying to me, that just because you are a whatchamacallit people, I need to treat you as how others treat you?”

“It’s Beast people sire.”

Reena corrected me. Heh, still trying to correct me even though she was the one who needed to be corrected in the first place. Weird but somehow funny.

“Yah, yah Beast people. But my point still stands though. Anyway, was that the reason why you tried to hide your ears and tail when I asked about it?”

Reena nodded. Perhaps she was afraid that because she was a Beast people, I would treat her as how others would treat her. And judging by her fears and trembling earlier, I’d bet that it was not a nice treatment at all.

Alright, time to set some rules in this house. Chief Bannen told I could do as I please and I think I would as well do as I please right now. Even though it’s for a day, or forever, I don’t care.

“Reena, as long as I hold the keys to this house, I’ll be the master of this guest house. And you will be my maid. And I think the Chief wouldn’t mind that arrangement at all.”

Reena looked at me. She seemed confused. However, I continued my words.

“You will stop wearing that ugly scarf that hides your beautiful cat-like ears and let your tails out. You seem to have a hard time walking and standing with your tail trapped inside that maid outfit of yours.”

“But sire…”

“You sure have lots of buts don’t you, Reena?”

I sighed.

“I thought you were a professional maid, proud and happy to serve her master, giving all her best. Like how you prepared this stew. Simple and yet delicious. But, now, you are just a stubborn girl who is reluctant to do as what she was told by her master. “

I made an exaggerated sigh.

“Sire… I’m not sure I can do everything as what you ordered me, sire…”

“I never told you to do everything in one go. Take your time. Maybe you can start first by eating up that stew before it gets cold.”

Reena took the spoon and take a sip from the stew. She sure takes her time. I could see tears welling in her eyes.

“That’s better. The rest, you can do as you see fit. I have lots of time anyway. So a little progress here and there would be enough.”

She nodded. I’m not sure she understood nor would she follow what I’d just said. But nonetheless, when I’m in the house, she better makes sure she didn’t do what I didn’t like.

“And one more thing, Reena.”

Reena looked at me as I smiled at her.

“From now onwards, call me Master instead of sire. Get that?”

“Y-Yes, si… M-M-Master”

“Good.”

I smiled at Reena and looked at her eating her stew. She acted so professional and were bound to her duties, but she was still a fragile girl. Perhaps she was also bound by the chain of her fate and of her race. I wished I could do something about it, but I’m just a pebble in the middle of a tornado. I would just be swept away like nothing. But my conscience was clear. Perhaps in due time Reena, that I’ll unchain you and the rest of your people, but for now, forgive me for being so incapable and helpless. Reena noticed my smiled and she blushed.

“Reena, one day, when you are ready, tell me everything about Beast people.”

“Master?”

“I’m still new here and I am a nobody in the grand scheme of thing. I don’t want to give promises that I cannot fulfil Reena, but my conscience and my Brotherhood ethos which I lived and die by, would not allow me to keep quiet about what I’m feeling right now. So, please allow me, as your Master, albeit for a little time that I might have, and payment for that delicious food you have made for me, to listen about the Beast people and your race’s plight.”

I could see Reena’s tears flowing down from her cheeks.

“I-I will… Master!!”

“In due time, Reena. In due time. Now, enjoy your breakfast. I have to get ready to greet our next guest. And do prepare her the breakfast when she comes alright. She might be an annoying brat, but nothing will be worse than an annoying and hungry brat. Made sure she’s full to the brim.”

I stood up, and as I turned my back away from Reena, I could hear her saying something under her breath.

“Th-Thank… you… M-Master”

I gave her my thumbs up. As usual, it was my standard victory pose. Reena gave out a chuckle. Man, I sure talked a lot today.