Chapter 288 - Ignored By A Horse

Demon sneered at the little etcher as he raised his head and walked to the lake which was just a few steps away.

Everyone watched in silence as the proud beast strode away from them and moved towards the lake where he stood watching the window, the one that belonged to his Master.

Remembering Fryght's earlier guarded expression made the horse snort once again.

He had his own Master so why would he be bothered to curry favor with another etcher's master?

However, it was also him who had stepped closer to Rutherford when he had arrived with his fellow horse.

There was a reason for his strange and contradicting actions.

The smart etcher had his own motives for venturing close to the Earl and that motive was the scent he had sensed coming from his Master's father.

A scent he was familiar with as it had left a strong impression in his mind.

This scent he had also observed before from the maid who had been scared senseless after seeing him.

On the day when he had gone out to receive his Master when she returned home from her trip to the Commercial District, he had sensed this scent from the maid.

Surprisingly, that scent was also on the Earl's clothes which had gotten him further curious about the source of the scent.

Therefore, today when Demon caught a whiff of that same scent, he stepped closer to the Earl in an attempt to figure out its source.

Much to his surprise, today the scent was stronger and soon he understood why this was so.

The source of the scent had revealed himself as he blocked the path between Demon and Rutherford.

When the two etchers stood in silent confrontation, Demon could discern that this beast was the owner of the scent that he had caught from both Rutherford and the maid.

The reason why the two people smelled the same was because of this beast.

Rutherford was Fryght's Master so he was reeking of the etcher's scent whenever they met.

Whereas, for the maid, it was because she had been kept imprisoned for self-reflection over the mistakes she had made.

During Paula's stay in the Lower Hall, though she was oblivious to this, she had come in close contact with the mysterious beast who guarded the dungeon created to punish the insolent and disobedient servants.

This caused the two people to smell similar which had thrown the horse off track.

He had found the smell to be unusual but he couldn't figure out what it was.

However, now Demon realized that there was another beast in the mansion along with him.

The people went back to their casual conversation as they waited for the evening tea time to arrive.

Taylor kept shooting envious glances at the boy who was playing with the puppy and the two older boys conversed about matters which others did not know about.

Damien's eyes darted towards the etcher who looked lonely without his Master as he kept staring at the window ahead of them.

'Is that the girl's window?' He wondered while nodding absentmindedly to whatever it was that Topher had just said.

He could sense that the beast was waiting for his etched and felt a strange feeling of pity for the beast whom he had seen for the first time today.

The longer he watched the horse, the more he felt the need to get closer to it.

His rational mind forbade him from doing so as an etcher only allowed his Master to get close to it without restraint.

Only the Master or someone close to the Master would be given a chance to get in close proximity to them.

If not, they would react strongly like how Fryght had done for Taylor who tried to pat him.

However, acting against what his mind was asking him to do, Damien stepped in the direction of the horse.

Only Topher noticed this as his conversation was cut short abruptly due to the other person's escape.

The Young Master of the Tanner family did not stop him and stood on the sidelines as he watched what his friend was trying to do.

Demon looked down when he found that someone had come closer to his position.

His crimson eyes gazed at the green eyes and they stayed there for a few seconds before he turned his attention back to his Master's window as he waited for her.

'He is majestic…' Damien remarked in awe as he examined the sturdy and muscular body of the horse.

He had seen many etchers in the past but only a few could compete with his level of valor and might.

It could be said that Demon was one of the best etchers he had ever come across.

To say that the little girl had hit the jackpot would be an understatement in his eyes.

If this had been someone else then there might be envy in their eyes at seeing the good fortune that was bestowed on the girl but nothing of that sort was present in Damien's eyes.

His clear, genuine, and envy-free eyes was what Demon had observed before he looked away.

This was also why he did not act vigilant and guarded against this boy.

Coming from the far corner of the mansion, soft and muffled notes of the piano could be heard amidst the silence that enveloped the two.

This made Demon and Damien turn in that direction of the music.

Damien frowned while the etcher nodded his head while stomping his feet in praise for his Master's skills.

The beast had been thinking that his Master was in her room but as it turns out she was in the Piano Room.

With this new information, he did not waste his time here and strode towards the place where he could hear her music better.

Damien stood in the same place and watched as the beast disregarded him and strolled away.

'You do match her better.' He thought as the huge horse turned around the corner and disappeared from his sight.

"Pfft…" A chortle distracted his thoughts, making him turn around.

Topher Tanner, his best friend stood with a smirk on his face which he hid and formed a sympathetic smile.

"Did the Young Master get ignored by a horse?" He mocked his friend who did not dignify it with an answer.

But this did not stop the Tanner boy from exploiting this rare chance of teasing his friend.

Damien was an aloof boy who did not care about many things, therefore, it was surprising for Topher to see that he had made the first move to get closer to someone else's etcher.

'Even if it blew up in his face, he did attempt to do it!' He snickered and patted his friend's shoulder which was immediately swatted away.

Not taking any offense to his actions, Topher patted him again and then the two boys walked back to join the younger boys.

From where they stood, the three men had the perfect view to witness what had just happened.

This unknown boy whose family they were not yet aware of had managed to get close to the fierce etcher and had not even faced any objection by the beast.

'Damien…' Rutherford muttered his name and decided to be extra wary of this one.