6 Chapter 6: Tea

The carriage pulled up toward the gate. Rainier tipped the driver and helped Neo out of the carriage.

The two of them went back into the mansion and Rainier brought Neo back to his bedroom.

When they went inside, Neo took off his jacket and discarded it onto a chair before rolling up the white sleeves of his blouse. He stretched, looking quite absurd.

A few hours in that carriage had made his muscles tense. The discomfort was tripled when he was wearing the stiff--but expensive--jacket.

"Shall I bring you tea, Young Master?"

Rainier asked, pretending as if he truly wasn't capable of seeing despite the lack of a blindfold on his face. Neo had made him uncover his face and forgot to give the blindfold back to him.

Was the man upset about this? Did he dislike letting others see the mark? Should he give it back to him? Maybe if he keeps the ribbon the man will forget about it.

"Yes. Bring it to the pavilion on the..."

Which garden was closest to his side of the mansion, again?

"The western garden." He finally remembers, feeling rather foolish that he had forgotten. He killed a maid the last time he was there...

"The garden, Young Master?"

The surprise on Rainier's face was much more prominent without anything covering his eyes. Ah, those eyes are so pretty.

Neo opens his window and peers outside with a small smile on his face.

"It's very nice outside."

"As you say, Young Master. Will blue earl be fine?"

"Just bring me Ceylon. It's too late to drink so much caffeine." He also had a cup of coffee this morning and now that it was afternoon, it would be best if he refrains from drinking anything more caffeinated.

Rainier has no idea what caffeine means and feels very strange by the newfound personality change of the Young Master. The fact that the boy actually knows the name of another tea other than earl grey is astonishing enough. That boy could barely tell the difference between black and green tea! If you told him what he was drinking was earl grey, he would have believed you instantly without batting an eyelash.

"Oh, can you also add a few pieces of cake?" Neo says this naturally, but after a few moments, he became slightly flustered.

"Young Master..." Came the overly bewildered reply.

"Just a few pieces. Please, Rainier?"

Neo smiled pleadingly, looking somewhat awkward.

And the cake. Can you imagine Nazareth Odum eating cake? He doesn't even do tea time.

Strange. The Young Master has become very strange!

Not for the first time that day, Rainier felt his three world views collapsing.

"As you wish, Young Master."

"Thank you, Rainier."

He needs to report this to Young Master Aurelion immediately!

Rainier was halfway down the corridor when he realized he had forgotten something very important. Hurrying back to the Young Master's bedroom, he knocked on the door.

The Young Master opens the door and peers at him curiously.

"You're back. Do you need anything?"

"Apologies, Young Master, but I have forgotten my ribbon. Can you please return it to me?"

The boy's face turned a little strange, and for a moment, Rainier thought he wouldn't give it back.

However, after a moment, the boy brings out the familiar blindfold and hands it back to him.

He smiles. "It seems I have forgotten as well. You look better without it, though. "

The Young Master closes the door after saying this.

Rainier looks at the ribbon in his hand and then scoffs. He ties the cloth back onto his face and stepped away from the Young Master's door.

Neo heard Rainier's footsteps gradually disappear and finally drew out a breath.

What a shame.

He walked over to his bookshelf and drew out a particular book, worn and looking well-loved, with flowers on its cover. It was an herbal dictionary with instructions and uses of various plants, whether they are magical or ordinary. His mother had gifted the book to him on his fifth birthday, hoping he would eventually learn to read and gain some basic survival skills.

He did learn to read after returning to the Odum Household, and he did read the book many times, but the intent of the gift did not benefit him during the throes of his madness.

Neo turned to the last page, where familiar words written in familiar penmanship appeared.

It was this book that made him want to go into medical research in that modern world. Perhaps he might have had a chance to become an herbalist to the last time around, but we all know how that went.

Ayloise died of an illness that no one could cure. If the church had let the doctors of the country try a hand in finding a cure for that year's plague, his mummy could have been saved. Eventually, a cure was found three years later, but it did nothing to bring the dead back.

Feeling that he had fallen a little too deeply into nostalgia, Neo sighed and went to his dressing mirror. He brought out a red ribbon.

Although he had shortened his hair by a lot, it was still a little long and would get in the way of his reading. He tied the blacks locks back with the ribbon, and left for the pavilion.

It took some time to locate where the pavilion was. After several years, he has forgotten many things about the house.

After walking around for some time, he eventually found the western garden. He could tell it was the right place by the view of his balcony a few meters away.

In the past, he didn't often visit this garden. When he came back to the house, Gareth had given him the garden along with his side of the mansion along.

It wasn't to show favor, however. Aurelion and Guinivere also have their own personal section of the mansion, which he never entered.

The pavilion of the western garden sat in the very center of the field, with stone walkways extending from four different directions, parting the sea of larkspurs, which Gareth had ordered to be planted all over the garden when he first entered the household. There was a stone dome over the Pavillion, held up by large stone columns and surrounded by steps. Inside it, past the columns, laid a round table with two chairs.

Neo entered the pavilion and sat down one of the chairs. He brought with him the herbal book to pass time as he waited for Rainier. The sight of the familiar text made him quite happy. He truly thought he would never be able to see this book again.

Humming to himself, Neo relaxed against his chair and started reading.

Aurelion came back to the mansion in an irritable mood. The servants quickly fled his line of sight and gave him a wide berth as he stormed into the house.

The audacity of that damn ingrate!

Aurelion despised snakes the most, especially snakes that works for his brother.

Not only was that ingrate's attempt to humiliate him embarrassing, but he even dared to brag about the oppression of some lower families in the noble social circle. Such a taboo conversation and the lack of decorum nearly made him toss his calm away and sock the idiot in the face.

But, what really had him reeling was not just the idiot's behavior, but the fact that the crown prince, his own friend, didn't even do anything to stop him or kick him out of the party. That spineless coward!

Blinded by his fury, Aurelion did not pay any attention to where he was going.

The scent of larkspurs entered his nose and it snapped him right out of his frustration. He looked around. Where was he-

Ah, the western garden.

Aurelion came to a full stop. With a glance, he spotted the balcony of his oldest brother. Perhaps if he leaves now, he won't get caught? That scummy troublemaker might start something about private property if he sees him in his garden. God, he's too tired to start another argument.

"Ah, there you are."

Aurelion heard the oh-so-familiar voice of Nazareth and froze. Quickly, he took a few steps back and hid behind a bush of larkspurs.

He sneaked a peek and saw that the voice came from the pavilion.

His brother was talking to Rainier, who had a tea cart with him.

"Young Master." Rainier greeted.

As promised, he had brought him a few pieces of cake.

The servant swiftly poured him a cup of tea and set down a plate of cake in front of him.

Neo's eyes seemed to have sparkled for a moment.

"Thank you."

Aurelion stared at this scene and felt his eyes burn in disbelief. What the hell?

This was the first time Aurelion has ever seen this older brother of his in such a state of undress. Fair, he had on pants and was wearing a black vest over a white blouse with the sleeves rolled up, but Nazareth had always worn more than a couple of layers. More often than not, he bulked up his clothes to make up for the lack of muscles and his short height.

Aurelion has already determined that those seven years living away from the household had stunted his growth somewhat, but the more Nazareth tried to hide his insecurities, those features of his actually becomes more prominent.

His now short hair--and really, he either gained a conscious and chopped off that black mop, or became even more insane--was tied back by a red ribbon, exposing more of his pale white face and vermillion eyes than ever before.

But, the most curious thing was the tea and cakes. Has he ever seen his older brother spend his time in such a relax-like state with tea and cakes? Of course not. Nazareth never had any time for this. He was always plotting and obsessively scheming to make his life hell, for God's sake.

Neo held a fork in his hand and ate his chocolate cake. Having clearly skipped lunch, he was famished.

Rainier looked like he was staring at the unaware Young Master devouring his cake despite his blindfold and appeared dumbfounded.

He 'stared' at the black tuft of hair sticking out quite obviously from behind the larkspur bushes.

Young Master Aurelion, we can clearly see you from this distance!

"Aurelion?"

Ah, looks like Young Master Nazareth has also become aware.

Aurelion stiffens from his 'hiding spot', but he didn't come out.

Neo tilts his head in confusion.

Is that really his younger brother hiding behind the bushes? The cold and dignified Aurelian Odum?

What in the world was he doing here?

Just as Neo thought that this brother of his was going to run away, Aurelion finally came out from behind the flowers.

Short black hair and sapphire blue eyes. Neo was not mistaken. This is clearly his brother.

Despite being somewhat startled by his appearance, a small smile formed on Neo's face.

Huh, turns out he has this side of him as well.

How cute.