Chapter 004: Good Morning and Hello

From the master bedroom on the 3rd floor of the manor all the way to the kitchen and dining hall located on the first, the full trip took up almost five minutes of time.

When they finally got to their destination, Nest’s hunger had grown exponentially.

The dining hall was another spacious area designed much in the same way that the rest of the manor was designed. Expensive looking paintings decorated the walls, while a glass chandelier could be seen dangling from the ceiling. At the center of the room was an exaggeratedly long dining table. Crafted from aged agar wood, it was an expensive piece of furniture that Nest’s father had purchased during an auction.

The dining hall was the sort of place meant for hosting large-scale banquets, not intimate family dinners.

Marching on ahead, Nest quickly entered the kitchen, which was located behind a set of double doors situated near the back of the hall. Almost instantly, the faint aroma of breakfast intensified.

He quietly scanned the room.

As expected of such a luxurious expensive manor, the kitchen was overly spacious and its design took to mind both functionality and extravagance. Raised dark-wood cabinets lined one side of the room, while directly underneath it was a stainless-steel sink whose size dwarfed even that of a bathtub’s. It was wide enough and deep enough to fit a fully-grown farm pig, or maybe an adult human.

On the other side of the kitchen was a line of ovens, all of different make and each with a varied number of uses. The stovetops were separate, located just a few feet away from the ovens.

At the center of the room was a single marble island. It was designed as a prep table, and above it was a heavy industrial exhaust hood. Underneath the table were storage units designed specifically to house the kitchen supplies. To the back of the kitchen, there were two stainless-steel heavy-duty refrigerators and matching freezers. Right next to that was a wooden door that led to a walk-in pantry.

Altogether, the amenities within this room cost more than $200,000 combined, but Nest didn’t really care. In his eyes, that amount almost negligible. His gaze drifted towards the stovetops.

He caught sight of a familiar silhouette. She stood near the back of the kitchen with her figure hunched over a sizzling frying pan. Beads of sweat ran down the back of her neck. A slight flush colored what little skin he could see.

She was a woman in the prime of her life. Her every action exuded out a sense of rare maturity. From the way she flicked her wrist and rolled her shoulders, all of it screamed ‘adult’. Nest felt a certain unease as he watched her work. In his eyes, she was the sort of archetype adult that he knew he needed to become.

Unfortunately, that necessity did not translate into action. Even if it was a concept that he sorely needed, it still felt so very far away.

“…”

Nest stood there for a while, lost in thought, his foggy gaze constantly fixed onto her busy silhouette. The woman was so focused on her cooking, that she had not even noticed their arrival.

Eventually, Anya sneakily peered up at her Young Master’s dazed expression. She immediately curled her lips, seemingly finding something unpleasant within his gaze. She jabbed her elbow ruthlessly into Nest’s exposed ribcage.

He instantly snapped out of his self-induced reverie. Nest winced. He glared reproachfully at the person who had just injured him. Anya simply glared back.

Nest shook his head. He took a moment to recompose himself, before he let out an exaggerated cough.

The woman by the stovetop finally reacted. Her shoulders jittered in surprise. She slightly turned her head. What greeted him was an oval-shaped face with slightly narrow, cat-like eyes. Her sky-blue irises contrasted greatly with the slight flush that colored her cheeks.

Normally, her ash brown hair fell all the way down to her collar bone, but today, she had it styled into a short ponytail. A white ruffled headband decorated the crown of her head, while a black laced choker wrapped itself around her slender neck.

Just like the girl with the unpleasant expression beside him, this lady was also a beauty whose looks rivaled that of a supermodel’s. Although unlike a certain someone, she was dressed in an actual maid outfit, with the addition of a white apron draped over the front of her body.

The moment she met eyes with him, a soft smile floated to her lips.

“Nest, you’re up.” She spoke in a melodious voice.

He simply nodded in response.

This lady who looked to be somewhere between her late twenties and early thirties was actually the head maid in charge of Wisteria Manor. Her name was Hildegarde Rosen, or Hilda for short.

Hilda was part of the scant few that had chosen to remain with the family. Of course, there was only one reason why she willingly stayed with such a sinking ship; loyalty.

The head maid only became the head maid shortly after the accident. Prior to that, she worked as the family’s personal secretary. It was a position that she unofficially ‘inherited’ from her now deceased mother. Even as a child, she had a fairly close relationship with the Coys.

Her status was one that combined both friend and employee, and even bridged into the realm of family.

She first worked for the Coys as an unpaid intern in one of their subsidiary companies. This was all the way back during her middle-school years. In order to apply for the position, she had even lied about her age. She officially became a secretary working under Grandpa Coy back during her first year in college. Of course, while some of her achievements were due in part to her mother, most of it had come from her own hard work.

In all, she spent more than a decade of her admittedly short life under the employ of the Coys.

After the accident, she quit her position as secretary and instead, took up the role of maid. Under normal circumstances, a person of her talents and qualifications would never willingly demote themselves into such a position, but Hilda had her reasons, or rather, she had one reason; Nest.

Nest had always been a constant element in her life. Hilda’s oldest memories of her young master dated as far back as when she was a child, back to a time when her mother was still alive.

Back then, Hilda’s mother routinely brought her over to the manor and while the adults did their adult things, Hilda would interact with the young scion of the family. When she was in elementary school, he was a mere toddler just learning to walk. Maybe it was the age gap between the two, but rather than that of a friend-to-friend relationship, they developed into something resembling siblings.

In the end, she grew up under the protective wing of the Coys and she watched as Nest grew right alongside her.

When his entire family died, Hilda felt compelled to do… something. She did not know what that something was, but at the very least, she needed to be there for him. Even if it was a pointless gesture, nevertheless, she needed to try, as much for his sake as it was for hers.

Of course, Hilda spoke nothing of her true intentions. When questioned, she merely stated that she still hadn’t saved up enough money for retirement and being a maid was a far easier job than being a secretary to a multi-billion-dollar global conglomerate.

As a maid with no actual maid training, she wasn’t a very good maid. Still, she wasn’t a complete lost cause. In fact, if there was one thing to praise about her, then it would be her cooking skills.

She was good. Like, seriously good. The aroma that wafted through the room was a testament to that.

“Good morning, Hilda.” Nest lightly greeted.

“Good morning to you too, Nest.” She greeted back with a smile.

Hilda was a person who directly called him by name. Nest did not mind. While he had grown up with many people calling him ‘Young Master’, Hilda was special. She was someone that he had known for a very long time. He would have just felt awkward had she suddenly started to change the way she addressed him.

In fact, he already felt that way regarding Anya’s situation. Back then, she was the one who had given him the nickname ‘Nest’. Now, she was the one calling him young master.

Compared to Hilda, this particular maid was vastly different.

Nest felt that Hilda was a lot kinder. Maybe it was the fact that she was almost ten years his senior, but she often treated him not as an equal acquaintance, but rather like a little brother. Nest didn’t really mind all that much. He liked the pampering. Of course, he wouldn’t just let himself be pampered by just anyone.

Hilda gave off this sort of motherly vibe. She had this mystical way of disarming people and putting them at ease. Nest attributed her ability to the fact that she was nearing her thirties. After all, older women tended to be a bit more motherly, right?

Still, he would never ever ever mention this sort of thing to her. If there was one thing that Hilda hated the most in the world, then it would be those who brought up her age.

“Old hag, get the food out! The young master is starving.” Of course, there was always that one person who simply did not care.

For a moment, Hilda’s shoulders trembled. Her face remained stiff and frozen.

After a second or two of silence, Hilda spat out through gritted teeth, “… Alright then, some French toast coming right up.”

Hilda moved into action. She prepared a plate of thick-sliced French toast, and garnished it with a combination of ingredients ranging from powdered sugar to diced strawberries. It was a simple task, but her hands moved like lightning. In the past, Hilda was known for being a very meticulous and all-around perfect person.

Rumor had it that she could write five times faster than a normal human being. Now, those paper-trained fingers were being skillfully used to prepare his breakfast.

Seemingly unimpressed by this display, Anya simply curled her lips. Her eyes shifted to the plate in Hilda’s hands. “What’s this?” she furrowed her brow. “Didn’t I tell you before that the Young Master wanted eggs and pancakes today?”

Hilda rolled her eyes and scoffed. “Please, Nest’s favorite food is French toast, not pancakes and eggs.”

“Young master Nest wanted to try something new for a change. Eating your stale bread day in and day out is bad for his health.”

“I don’t need you lecturing me on Nest’s health.” She bitingly responded. “Don’t try to add in your own personal bias. I’m not cooking for you, but for Nest.”

Hilda then turned towards him. With a soft smile on her face, she gently asked, “This is fine, right Nest? If you really don’t like it, then I can cook something else for you.”

“No, this is fine. Thanks as always.” He lightly responded. Without reservation, he pulled up a chair and sat down by the counter. Nest did not bother going back to the dining hall for his meal. That place was simply far too lonesome for his tastes. He much rather preferred the atmosphere of the busy kitchen, where the smell of butter drifted through the air and the sight of a beautiful lady at work greeted his eyes.

He did not wait any longer. Nest began eating.

Standing right beside him, Anya’s expression soured. She glared reproachfully at Hilda.

“Useless number-crunching old lady… you can’t even cook breakfast properly…” she started muttering something underneath her breath. Of course, her words weren’t very quiet. They echoed clearly through the kitchen

“Hah?” Hilda’s brow furrowed.

“Do you see the bread?” Anya suddenly pointed, as she raised her head up high. “They look so soggy that they’re practically sweating milk. Do you know how to use a frying pan or did you forget to turn on the stove this morning?”

“You… are you seriously lecturing me on how to cook?”

“What’s wrong? Can’t bear to admit your mistakes?”

“Y-you…”

As the two spat out biting remarks at one another, Nest swallowed down a mouthful of food and breathed out a sigh. It’s already starting…

Anya’s earlier scheme failed. Truth be told, Anya hated French toast. He did not know the reason why, but she did.

After spitting out a few more lines, Anya bitterly glared at the stovetop. With a glance, he could immediately tell what sort of thoughts were currently running through that head of hers. She was probably debating whether or not she should cook her own food, but Nest knew better than that. Anya was simply terrible at cooking. It was one of her many weaknesses. Even she did not dare to taste her own creations.

Underneath the scrutiny of Hilda’s red-faced glare, Anya shifted her eyes and suddenly leaned over towards Nest.

She whispered in a not so quiet voice, “Listen, young master. You need to be careful. There’s a particularly dangerous individual quite close to you.”

“…” After glancing over at Hilda’s fuming face, Nest did not dare answer.

Unperturbed, Anya continued, “This is just a secret between us, but… someone here is seriously ‘pent up.’”

Pent up? Nest raised a brow in curiosity.

“You, what sort of nonsense are you telling him!?” Hilda suddenly shouted.

Anya turned towards her and sneered. “I’m just informing the Young Master. He needs to know of the particular dangers present around him at all times. After all, there’s somebody right here that poses a serious threat to Young Master’s precious chastity.”

“…”

“…”

Now, it wasn’t only Hilda glaring at Anya.

“What are you talking about?” Despite his desire to stay out of this situation, Nest still couldn’t help but ask.

“Ah, well… this is just a secret between the two of us, but there’s someone in here who has wasted the best years of their life.” Anya explained. “Because said someone was so zealous in their work, they completely missed out on the joys of youthful indiscretion.”

In a very not-so-subtle way, she motioned towards Hilda. “Can you believe it, Young Master? Already so old yet still unmarried. In fact, its common knowledge that she hasn’t even gone out with anyone before. Young Master, you be careful now. I heard that ladies like her have a tendency to go after younger men. You might be in danger as we speak. It’s best to lock your doors at night.”

“What right do you have to say all that?! Aren’t you in the same situation as me?” Hilda shouted in opposition.

“The same? Me?” She scoffed, a look of derision twisted her lips. “The difference between us lies in our age. I am still very much in the prime of my youth, while you’re already on the decline. Our situations are completely different! It’s like comparing apples and oranges.”

“Y-y-you…” Hilda’s entire face flushed. Her glaring eyes looked as if they might just spit out fire. Still, she could not say anything back. Anya’s blatant words had stunned her into silence.

Anya met eyes with her. For a moment, silence, before she exaggeratedly gasped in surprise. “Oops, I’m sorry. Did you hear all that? Those monkey-sized ears of yours aren’t so useless after all.”

“M-my ears are normal sized!”

Actually, they were slightly larger than average, but not by much. Apparently, Hilda had quite a complex regarding the size of her ears. It was the reason why her ears were usually covered by hair. Of course, it only took Anya less than two days to discover this weakness. She was like that. A venomous girl who was not afraid to bite.

“Alright, whatever you say, Miss elephant.”

“Y-you… what are you, a grade schooler?! Resorting to something as childish as name calling!”

Ignoring her, Anya said, “Oh, do you prefer Mouse Ears?”

“Y-you’re an idiot!”

Nest, the ever-silent young scion, continued his meal. He easily accepted their bickering without much excitement. For some odd reason, these two were prone to fighting whenever they were around one another. It was like that back during his childhood, and it was like that now.

On a side note, Hilda was very weak to verbal disputes. In addition, she was not as sinister or as sharp-tongued as Anya. So, during these confrontations, it was always Hilda on the losing end.

Amidst everything, the angel that he had all but forgotten, suddenly shouted.

“I got it!”

Nest almost fell out of his seat from the surprise. Looking around, he quickly noticed that the two were so busy glaring daggers at each other that they had not noticed his little commotion. He breathed out a sigh of relief, before discreetly turning to the angel.

Niphilili had moved away from his head and now floated directly in front of him. Her glowing halo just barely touched the kitchen’s exhaust hood.

“What are you talking about?” He quietly whispered.

“I found a way to convince you.” She excitedly declared.

“Oh? How?”

The little angel smugly smiled. “Stupid human! I’ll show you the art that has long since been lost to the mortal realm! Ancient and mystical, wonderous and fantastical… magic!”