Jean accepted Kyon's gratitude with no enthusiasm. He shook him finally off and continued with his walk in hope that the scum would try and keep his promise. Who knows... fortune favors fools. If the proverb was wrong and the boy had only wasted his time, he would surely punch the boy so much that he would forget his own name. Yet, one handkerchief from the lady was to die for.

Suddenly, Kyon had an idea. What if he offered Jean to purify his keys. It could turn the tide in his favor. The family might consider him a valuable asset. Then he remembered Synergy penetrating Martha’s wrist. The master was way more developed than her. Kyon had to give up on that silly and unrealistic idea. He would run out of Synergy within the reach of Jean’s inner tissue, anyway.

So, Kyon was on his own. Thanks to the miraculous salve, his body almost stopped hurting. It was too bad there was nothing left in the tube. It meant the next "combat" could be fatal...

Losing time at a moment like that was suicide, so Kyon got down to exploring the park. He wiped all the dirt off his face with a black sock, ruffled his already shaggy hair, combed it as far as possible over his forehead to cover the slave mark, and left to explore.

The territory of the park was not too big - about two football fields - however, the thick maze of tall thick bushes made the servants practically invisible. Most of them crouched down and cut, trimmed, watered, swept something with the help of the wind element. They were secured behind the green thicket.

But at the same time, the park was far from deserted: dozens of servants scurried around in all directions.

Kyon wished his evil lady had security guards. He could easily pretend to be someone of her immediate circle and dispose of her... The answer was actually there, but he wouldn't know about it.

The servants stared at the boy and wondered why the gentleman was so battered? Thanks to his hairstyle that was hiding the mark, and black clothes that were not typical to the slave’s usual wardrobe, they took him for someone he really wasn’t at the moment. Whenever they meet accidentally his eyes, they bowed respectfully - just in case.

Kyon enjoyed every moment: their respectful attitude towards him was like an echo of his past life. But it wasn't the time or place to indulge in sweet memories – he had to find a way to complete Jean's task. Alright, enough distractions, it was time to continue exploring the area.

Kyon didn’t forget for a moment Dinah and Anna. If he met them, they would never bow to him. It would be he who would bend his back, and in case the dark-haired was ill-humored, his teeth would touch the hard ground.

Should he meet Juno... It would be bad, too bad. He had to move in short bursts, carefully inspecting the territory beforehand.

Well, the garden was beautiful in its own way... Style, composition and architectonics, benches and ponds ... Every touch spoke of the painstaking work and good designer taste. But Kyon didn’t have time to admire it. He had some other burning issues to solve: where and how to find a short-cut, where he could find many / few servants, where he could hide, etc.

The initial exploration took half an hour. He finally approached the main entrance to the mansion. It was large and spacious. Servants were walking in and out every moment. There were no guards or doors.

Kyon adjusted his hair over the forehead and moved forward, trying to blend in with the servants. It was more important to learn the internal structure of the mansion than stupidly wandering around in the maze of the park. It was a sure risk but he had no other choice. If he got caught... well, he would improvise.

The territory included streams, a training ground, a park. It was surrounded by a high wall with an impenetrable barrier. The main entrance to the mansion was the only way to come inside or leave. There was another exit which was under close guard. If someone came in but never came out till the end of the working day (according to the register), the loiterer would definitely be found and the guards would let them have it to the eyeballs and beyond. Therefore, when Kyon came with Flitz and they put him in the register, he became a subject to a restricted residence. However, he could walk inside the mansion all he wanted, until he was caught, of course.

Kyon studied the corridor, looked into a couple of unlocked rooms, even found the living room, when suddenly, at another corner, he ran into blonde Anna. He could hold back cursing out loud - she walked too quietly!

«What are you doing here? You can’t be here.» - The girl said with ice in her voice.

A ton of thoughts flashed through his mind. Anna, Dinah's sister, was a superior maid, too. He had never taken any liberties with her, so their relations were still neutral. It was out of question to show his character. He had to live the part of a slave wholeheartedly - never look her in the eye for more than a couple of seconds, no firmness in his voice, be respectful... It was time to show off his acting skills. She was not aware of Juno’s order to keep his mouth shut, so he had to seize the moment.

«Excuse me…» - Kyon took a bow and really looked respectful. - «I need to use the bathroom urgently but I don’t know where it is… There’s no bathroom on the training ground and I really need to…» - He theatrically crossed his legs.

The ice between them started to melt. The maid was sensible and rather lenient by her nature.

«The second door down the hall. Don’t take too long… Stay out of my sister’s sight. Next time come only if you have Lady Juno’s permission.» - The girl emphasized in a softer voice.

Kyon bowed gratefully, holding his hand to his heart as if he owed his life to her:

«Thank you Lady Anna… You’re so nice and kind…»

The girl skeptically rolled her eyes and went about her business not bothering to answer him. The slave was nobody and meant nothing to her but he was a cutie. Flitz definitely knew the kid to pick. He had dressed the boy well, black suits him.

Kyon locked himself in the bathroom, sat on the lid of the toilet and got lost in his thoughts. {What if I had lied to her about the order, would she have believed me?} - He remembered the moment when Juno pressed her wrist and two servants came on command. It means she sent the order at a distance, right? He didn't want to take risks of testing the theory, no one likes liars.

On second thought, it wasn’t a pressing question at the moment. There were more urgent things to think about. He needed to get the basic grade of the elements, and for this, he had to find some clothes for Jean, preferably female, better smaller than XXL size, desirably with pleasant smile more or less like Juno’s, or the pervert would smell a rat. Ideally, he needed to find Juno’s things.

For the first time in his life, Kyon had racked his brains how to steal lingerie. He used to sort out where to invest a trillion of credits, which direction to guide the development of mankind, how to save the planet from an asteroid. Now, all of a sudden it was like the painting ”We’ve hit rock-bottom”… The importance of the question was, personally for him, greater than any of the previous ones!

{I’ve reached a new low today?} – Kyon concluded with a smile of self-mockery. Some brainstorm ideas needed… Suddenly he had one. It was frail, weak and almost hopeless. He wasn’t sure his balls would be safe afterwards. But he had no other idea.

Kyon left the bathroom and continued to explore the house, carefully, on tiptoes, less leisurely this time. Some rooms were locked like that weird storeroom. The others, obviously important ones, could be opened only with a formation. Usual service or guest rooms were not locked at all.

He did not dare to go to the next floor. If they caught him he would be left without arms and other vital organs.

The walk through the mansion dragged on but he got some useful information. Above all, he found what he’d been looking for! All he needed was to find the kitchen... It’s always important to know where the kitchen in any house is, hell yes…

However, as soon as he looked around the corner (that damn element of architecture was really bad luck!) he bumped into the dark-haired maid. Nice meeting.

«What are you sneaking here?» - The girl snarled sternly, piercing the slave with her icy look.

Kyon’s life flashed before his eyes. He was busted. The girl must have spotted him as a crouching thief, no less. A shiver ran down his spine. He lowered his eyes and said toying with her sense of pity:

«I am hungry…»

Dinah clenched her fists till her knuckles turned white. The slave was looking at her as if he owned this place in the morning and now he was acting the victim of unfortunate circumstances. The innocent eyes downcast, plaintive voice... What a disappointment! She’d been deceived... All her expectations down the drain, you can't do that to girls! Her mind was instantly filled with rage, she wanted to beat the boy to death, but she, unrivalled assassin, would never lower herself like that.

The girl looked at Kyon with an evil look.

«Seriously?» - She squeezed his shoulder.

Kyon collapsed on his knee with a painful moan. The girl hit a sore point in his shoulder with her thin fingers. How cruel of her!

Crocodile tears glittered in his eyes, but they didn’t have any effect on the merciless Dinah. She was even angrier: he wasn’t the one he had pretended to be.

A chill spread all over his body, as well as weird pressure. It was as if he had been chained to the bottom of a deep river. His mind was filled with an oppressive sense of danger.

«I think you want to die if you dared to leave the training ground, entered the mansion and got close to the kitchen where you are completely off limits. What punishment do you deserve? Hmm?» - Dinah was getting more and more irritated because the boy kept averting his eyes. She grabbed his chin with two fingers and tugged at it roughly: - «Look in the eyes when the adults are talking to you.»

Kyon squeezed out a maximum of charm. The girl was too cold and dangerous. What did he do to fall in such disgrace? He sneaked into the mansion, so what? It was not the point.

He mumbled:

«Forgive me. I am a fool. I am starving. My stomach is a traitor seeking my death... Don’t punish me, please…»

Dinah felt a rush of anger. However, her emotional outburst was surprising. How could that little brat get under her skin? What a humiliation for the patriarch’s superior maid!

The girl decided that he wasn’t worth neither her attention nor emotions. She pushed him into guts with all her might. The boy went limp. She picked him up by the scruff of his neck and threw him out of the mansion.

«Take him to the training ground and lock him up.» - She ordered to the servants.

Kyon had trouble breathing. She had almost broken his ribs! Anna was an angel compared to Dinah. Yeah, so much for being sisters. How much he wished to see... Marina!

Two servants dragged him to the training ground, threw him on the floor and locked the gates.

Kyon sighed with relief. Meeting Dinah was not as terrible as it could have been. It would better for him to steer clear from her.