Volume 1 - CH 3.4

“We’re done here, right? Let’s leave.”

Rosenice’s earlier cheer evaporated on the spot, and she frigidly turned around and left the room.

Boris had never been very interested in books to begin with. Still, he could not help but think that the library, so jam-packed with books, was better suited for someone like Lanziee, who snuck inside to read every volume he could get his hands on one by one, than someone like the count, who only picked out whenever information he needed at the time.

“This boy here Boris da Bellnor, whom I adopted as my son seven years ago. He’ll be living with us in the castle from now on, so be sure to treat him as you do Rosenice.”

“Understood, Master,” Marcu, the old butler, replied on all the servants’ behalf. Boris was wary of the old man because he had learned that Marcu hailed from Travachess, but it didn’t seem like Marcu paid him any particular mind.

All the servants, who had been gathered in the second biggest hall of the castle, turned to stare at Boris. The count had placed his hand affectionately on Boris’ shoulder. They really did look like father and son. The count had black hair, a stark contrast to his wife and daughter’s brilliant blonde, so he actually did look rather similar to Boris, whose hair was gunmetal blue. Some of the servants even mistakenly thought that Boris was not actually an adoptive son but rather the count’s bastard, born to another woman.

It made Boris a bit uncomfortable to be stared at by so many people—who knew what they were thinking?—, but he also knew that it wasn’t really that big of a deal. Especially not compared to the fine tightrope that he would have to walk from now on. He couldn’t afford to feel intimidated already. He needed to be composed, bold, and cautious.

“Now the, Boris. Why don’t you pick out an attendant of your liking from the people here? Or, if you’d prefer, you can tell me what kind of person you’re looking for and I can pick someone out for you.”

Boris didn’t want to have to tiptoe around an older attendant. He was more likely to be able to get away with any mistakes if his attendant was someone his age.

“I’d like to have someone my age,” Boris said as he scanned the crowd. Then, his gaze suddenly landed on Lanziee.

He didn’t feel any strong need to choose Lanziee in particular. Lanziee seemed smart, and Boris would likely have an easier time deceiving someone who was a little dumber anyway. But he couldn’t help but wonder what kind of person Lanziee was. It wasn’t out of goodwill—it was more akin to pure curiosity. Lanziee was different from the people of Anomarad, but he was also different from Boris. The distinction intrigued him.

The count seemed a little troubled. Despite that, he asked, “The boy at the end over there is Lanziee. Would you like to make him your attendant?”

“Yes,” Boris replied.

Lanziee didn’t pay any particular heed to Boris even as Boris made his decision. All he did was step forward and sketch a bow when the count gestured at him.

“I am Lanziee Rosenkranz, Young Master.”

Boris fully understood why Rosenice felt the way she did about Lanziee as soon as he heard Lanziee’s voice. After all, he felt it too. Lanziee was going through the motions of servility, but he did not actually have an ounce of respect for Boris at all.

“You will be attending to Boris from now on. Be sure to serve him well. Looking after Boris will be your first and foremost priority moving forward. You may quit all your other duties.”

“Yes, Master.”

Lanziee’s attitude didn’t change even when he was addressing the count. But the count was an adult, so he turned a blind eye to the young attendant’s trivial attitude. The other servants eventually started to disperse, and the count gestured at Boris and Lanziee to take their leave as well. He apparently had something to discuss with Marcu, his butler.

Boris and Lanziee made their way into the corridor together. Then, Lanziee said, “Why don’t we head to your chambers, Young Master? I’ll tell you everything you need to know to have a comfortable stay in the castle.”

This time, his voice was borderline icy. All Boris could do was nod back.

Tap, tap, tap, tap.

They coincidentally ended up walking at the same pace as they made their way to Boris’ room. Lanziee purposefully slowed down a moment later. Boris noticed and intentionally matched Lanziee’s pace again, only for Lanziee to slow down even more when their footsteps overlapped yet again.

They repeated this several times over before Boris finally blurted out, “I can go first if I’m making you uncomfortable.”

Boris took the lead and opened the doors before Lanziee had the chance to answer. Then, he turned around and watched as Lanziee entered behind him. Lanziee walked to the center of the gorgeous sitting room after closing the doors behind him, and then he looked directly back at Boris and said, “Please, take a seat.”

Boris sat down, and Lanziee also took a seat opposite of him. The two of them stared at each other without a word for a bit.

Finally, Boris broke the ice and said, “I’m a little thirsty.”

Lanziee stood up. He poured a glass of water from the silver kettle on the tea table and brought it back on a tray. The water splashed a little as he set the glass down in front of Boris.

“Please have this.”

It almost felt like they were putting on a puppet show in a toy theater. Neither Boris nor Lanziee could afford to run afoul of the script, so they made the kind of exchange that any master should be having with his servant. Boris raised the glass to his lips with perfectly disciplined movements a took a sip of water.

Then, he said, “What were you going to tell me?”

“First, I’d like to tell you about the master and the rest of his family.”

It made Boris feel strange to look into Lanziee’s ruby eyes.

“The master goes to inspect his territory about once every ten days, and he goes travelling about every other month,” Lanziee continued with poise. “He most frequently goes to Keltica, but he also sometimes visits neighboring lands with which the county trades with for specialty products. The duration of his travels ranges from about five days on the shorter end to over a month on the longer end.”

Evidently, the count travelled away from his estate quite often.

“When he’s at the castle, the master typically stays in the library during the morning and either spends time with the madam or goes on walks with Young Miss Rosenice in the afternoon. He enjoys hunting, so he sometimes goes away on hunting trips, which can last a couple of days, with some of his knights too. The master is generally a very magnanimous person, but he can also be rather unforgiving if you happen to go against him.”

The utter lack of emotion in Lanziee’s explanation struck Boris as a little odd. It almost sounded like Lanziee was reciting lines that he had memorized from a script. Boris didn’t particularly react and waited for Lanziee to continue.

“The madam, on the other hand, rarely leaves the castle. She spends most of her time doing needlework in the salon or writing letters outside if the weather is nice. She’s early to bed and early to rise. The madam is also not in the best health and is prone to falling ill when she’s upset, so you must always be very mindful of her mood.”

Boris understood what Lanziee was indirectly getting at. In other words, the countess was very strict with the servants. Surely, she would be just as strict with Boris, who was pretending for be her son for a while.

“And lastly, as for Young Miss Rosenice…” Lanziee’s voice trailed off. Boris recalled what that happened earlier in the morning and grew curious about what Lanziee had to say. Eventually, Lanziee continued, “I’m sure you already know what kind of person she is.”

Evidently, Lanziee had a knack for getting out of troublesome situations.

Lanziee continued his explanation. He told Boris about which of the castle’s many rooms he was likely to frequent most, what each hall was used for, how to use correctly use the things in his own chambers, the characteristics and dispositions of the other servants, the layout of the county, and any special events that were coming up.

“…There will be many visitors from all over the kingdom, including the capital, next month for the madam’s birthday. The most important among them will be the friends and family of House Cressanne, because the madam is the daughter of the marquis. The party is scheduled to last for two days, and there will also be a ball in the evening. Do you know how to dance, Young Master?”

Boris dithered. He hadn’t been expecting the question. Still, not only was there technically no actual noble class in Travachess, but all the lords and their houses were wary of each other and constantly at each other’s throats. There were no such things as fun gatherings meant to strengthen friendly ties in Travachess. Moreover, there had been no lady of the house in House Jinneman for quite some time. In other words, Boris had never had the chance to learn how to dance.

That being said, he didn’t want to outright say that he didn’t know how to dance either. As he continued hesitating, Lanziee decided, “I’ll take it that you aren’t very skilled at it. I can teach you if you’d like.”

Boris was so surprised by that statement that he wasn’t sure how to react. Lanziee simply continued his explanation in the meanwhile and informed Boris about a couple more things. Eventually, he finished his explanation, and the two boys suddenly had nothing else to say to each other.

Boris felt like it would be for the best to start talking about something, but he had no idea what to say. What if he accidentally revealed himself while talking to Lanziee recklessly? He considered one topic after another until he suddenly realized that he could simply ask Lanziee about himself.

“What kind of work were you doing here before?”

“Most of my duties involved attending to the count.”

“When did you start working at the castle?”

“I first came here last year. I’ve been working for about a year now.”

“Where were you before?”

“I used to live in Keltica.”

Boris was a little surprised. He had never been to Keltica before, but he knew that it was incredibly far away. Keltica was the capital of Anomarad, but it was located very far to the north. What had brought Lanziee all the way here from Keltica? Then, Boris remembered that poorer houses sometimes sold their children to work as servants for wealthier houses.

“Are your parents still alive?”

Lanziee had no right to refuse to answer Boris’ questions. After all, Boris was his master now. However, Boris only needed to take one look at Lanziee’s face to realize that Lanziee would have refused to answer had anyone else been asking.

“I’m not sure. They were alive when we parted ways, but I don’t know if they’re still alive today.”

Boris intuited that continuing this particular topic probably wouldn’t be very fun for Lanziee. That’s why he fully intended the next question to be his last.

“So, you’re alone now?”

Red, the color of Lanziee’s eyes, was supposed to be a warm color, but the boy’s eyes were ever so frigid. The tone of his voice was a notch quieter as he replied, “I have a younger sister. The master has graciously permitted her to live with me here in the castle.”

Boris stopped asking any more questions after that because he felt like it would lead to a rather emotional confrontation between them if he continued. Besides, it was also time for lunch.

Four days had passed. Boris slowly adjusted to life in the castle. He was learning rather quickly too, especially because he was putting his mind to it. He could more or less avoid getting lost in the castle now, and he was also getting more natural at interacting with the servants.

He was also managing to get along with Rosenice, for the most part. Her mood tended to swing at the slightest whim, and she was as haughty as a baby peacock, but she wasn’t necessarily a bad child at heart. It was easy enough to keep from sparking her ire as long as you stayed in line. Boris had realized early on that his surroundings would get uselessly noisy if he accidentally did something to set her off. Rosenice, for her part, was actually rather affectionate with Boris, much to the shock and surprise of the maids. Perhaps it was because she understood that he was here for her sake. And, most fortunately, Boris rarely had any reason to see the countess because she spent most of her time in her chambers.

Boris spent his free time picking through the books in his sitting room. None of them were very entertaining. He was rather nervous. He wanted to start practicing swordplay as quickly as possible because the responsibility of the promise he had made was weighing down on him. Unfortunately, he hadn’t been able to start just yet because the count had yet to find him a suitable teacher.

Winterer was wrapped up in a piece of black cloth and safe under his bed. Boris tried drawing it once in the middle of the night, but the sword was still too heavy for him. He remembered how easy his brother had made it look. Yevgnen seemed so distant now, in more ways than one. Boris put the sword back under his bed and did not take it back out again.

“Young Master Boris?” Lanziee approached him one day after lunch while he was perusing a rather insipid book. He continued, “May I be permitted to visit my little sister for a moment?”

Boris was not the type of person who needed an attendant to be stuck to his hip 24/7. This was also Lanziee’s first time making this kind of request from him. Boris was about to nod back and freely give his approval, but then something piqued his interest.

“Can I come with you?”

It was fun to watch Lanziee’s face be dyed with emotion. He hesitated for an uncharacteristically long time. He almost looked like Boris had asked him if he could see the precious treasure that he had been hiding away. He probably would have declined the request if he could. Boris wasn’t the kind of person to snitch, but what if, just if, Boris happened to tell the count or countess that a mere servant had declined his request? What would happen to him then?

Lanziee continued dithering even though he had probably already run the scenario in his head and come to a conclusion. Eventually, however, he finally replied, “…Very well.”

The two boys began walking to the room where Lanziee’s little sister was staying when he suddenly stopped and asked, “Would you consider yourself a gentleman, Young Master?”

“What?” Boris asked back. He had no idea what the other boy was getting at.

Lanziee went ahead and answered his own question.

“I will trust that you do.”

The small room they entered was neat and tidy. It was barely half the size of Boris’ bedroom in his chambers. There was a small bed off to the side, a desk, and two chairs inside. That was it. One of the chairs had been pulled by the window. There was a little girl sitting in it.

“Lanzmi.”

The little girl responded when she heard her big brother’s voice. Her tiny shoulders flinched, and she made the strenuous effort to turn around toward him. Lanziee walked over to her and stroked her hair.

Boris was shocked when he saw the little girl’s face. He had thought he was prepared for what he might see. After all, she was Lanziee’s little sister. She was slender, pale, and delicate, like a fragile tulip bud that was yet to bloom. Yet, none of this was why Boris was so shocked.

There was no emotion on her face. At all. She looked like a soulless wax doll. The faint lines of her eyes and eyelashes seemed to have been sketched onto her, and none of her facial features moved even in the slightest. Moreover, her eyes were unfocused. He couldn’t even tell whether or not she was actually looking at her brother.

“Please take a seat over there, Young Master.”

Boris had no choice but to pull the empty chair closer and take a seat. He felt like he had witnessed something that he should not have seen, but it was far too late to say that he wanted to leave. He was sitting about three steps away from the siblings. Lanziee crouched down, took his little sister’s hand, and slowly and articulately began talking to her.

It was difficult to interrupt them. Boris felt like they were so far away, too far away to touch, even though they were right there in front of them. Lanziee continued caressing his little sister’s hand as he told her about all sorts of things—about the weather, about what had happened in the castle today, about what he had eaten and how he had entertained himself, and how his day had been. He also told her all about the beautiful things he had seen today. He threw in a couple of questions here and there, but his little sister never responded to them. Lanziee seemed to have expected this, however, as he only paused briefly each time before moving on.

Boris sat there awkwardly. He felt like he was peering into someone else’s private life. Lanziee quietly continued speaking about everything he had seen, heard, and felt today. It was possible that he was exaggerating parts of his tale, but Boris was surprised nevertheless. He had always thought that Lanziee was cold and uncaring. He had never imagined that the other boy was constantly seeing beauty in the world around him. Lanziee even spoke about Boris too, from time to time.

He only told his Lanzmi about good things. He did not tell her about anything that was bad or sad.

“You look like you’re in a good mood today, Lanzmi. Your hair’s been growing out too. It’ll be long again in no time at all at this rate. Anyway, why don’t you take a nap now? It’s not good for your health to be sitting out in the sun for too long. Get some sleep and dream about collecting the rest of the millo azchenas. You said that you found Irene and Christina last time, right? Then, I guess it’s Gillian’s turn today.”

Millo… what…? Boris had no clue what on earth Lanziee was talking about. It was probably some sort of secret that only Lanziee and Lanzmi could understand. The kind of secret that a young girl like Lanzmi would delight in.

Boris felt like he saw Lanzmi nodding back ever so slightly. Then, Lanziee stood up, picked up his little sister, and carried her to the bed. It probably was no easy feat because Lanziee wasn’t that much older than her, but he was able to do it nevertheless because Lanzmi was so frail and lightweight. Lanziee tucked his little sister into bed and closed the canopy around her.

Finally, he turned to Boris and said, “Let’s be on our way, Young Master.”

Boris flinched like he had abruptly awoken from a dream before he jumped up and left the room.

Lanzmi was two years younger than Lanziee. Lanziee worked in the castle, but Lanzmi was only taken care of. Not only was she lame after having contracted polio when she was younger, but she was also autistic. She would never be able to survive without another’s assistance, which was nothing to say about actually working as a maid.

Lanziee had asked the count to take care of his little sister instead of paying him wages when the count had taken the siblings under his wing. That was how Lanziee had ended up attending to the count and how he had been able to secure a room for his little sister. The maids helped him take care of Lanzmi.

Lanziee cherished his little sister dearly. He was eternally patient with her even though she never responded no matter what he said to her. He was actually the very reason why Rosenice had decided that she wanted an older brother in the first place.

“Have you seen her? Ugh, I hate her. She gets on my nerves.”

Rosenice was in a poor mood after studying with her private tutor. She had barged into her older brother’s chambers with Camia in tow as soon as her lesson was over, and she started complaining without restraint as soon as she realized that Lanziee was away on an errand for her father. Boris felt terrible for having brought up the topic in the first place because he didn’t have anything else to say to her.

“Why don’t you like her?”

“She’s so dumb! She stared blankly out the window all day long, and she leeches off of everyone else like some kind of retard—”

Rosenice suddenly clamped her mouth shut. Evidently, she had suddenly reminded herself that she might end up having to marry someone who was mentally retarded too if things went poorly. She shook her head and scowled something fierce as she made her displeasure known.

She continued, “I can’t stand people like her. I mean, how come she never says anything? It’s not like she doesn’t know how to. It makes me want to slap her whenever I see that blank stare of hers.”

Boris was a tad surprised. He had assumed that Lanzmi was mute.

“Is she sick? She didn’t look very well.”

“Of course she’s sick! She’s sick with laziness! She’s only really ill in her legs. There’s nothing else that’s wrong with her. And yet, she sits in her room and does nothing all day! It’s not like she’s learning or anything either. She doesn’t read or sew. And that older brother of hers hides her away and hates it whenever anyone tries to see her. He treats her like she’s a lump of gold or something!”

Said older brother knocked on the door and came in just then. Boris grew nervous. Would Rosenice continue badmouthing the siblings? To his surprise, however, Rosenice immediately dropped the conversation.

Then, she purposefully changed the topic and said, “Oh, right. Daddy said he’s finally found a swordsmanship instructor for you. He told me when I went to see him after breakfast.”

“Oh yeah?”

This was good news.

Before Boris could get in another word, Rosenice continued, “I think he’s supposed to get here sometime in the morning tomorrow! Daddy said he’s a bit of an odd man, though, so you might end up having a bit of a hard time with him. His skills are top-notch, but he’s pretty foul-tempered, or something like that.”

“I see…”

While there was probably some truth in Rosenice’s evaluation, Boris did not want to make any judgments before actually meeting his new teacher in person. He remembered what his older brother had said to him once about his two swordsmanship teachers. The master-disciple relationship was a funny thing. Someone could be the very best teacher ever to one student while also being the absolute worst teacher ever to another, and vice versa.

Yevgnen’s first teacher had been the absolute worst. The teacher had been a renowned man whom their father can taken great care in selecting, but his personality had clashed horribly with Yevgnen’s, and Yevgnen’s skills had never improved because he was too busy squabbling with his teacher all the time. His second teacher had not been nearly as famous, but he had gotten along remarkably well with his student. It was all thanks to Yevgnen’s second teacher that he had advanced so quickly in his swordsmanship skills.

It hadn’t taken Yevgnen very long before he had surpassed his teacher in terms of skill, as preposterous as it was. And yet, the two of them had remained as master and disciple for a very long time even still. Yevgnen had needed no more teachers after parting ways with his second teacher.

Out of the blue, Rosenice said, “I’m going to ask Daddy to let me learn swordplay too!”

Boris didn’t respond. He knew that there was no talking Rosenice out of this. That being said, he couldn’t help but wonder just how long she would last, especially with that personality of hers.