He stared at me quietly for a few seconds.
Then slowly—
"Come here."
My fingers tightened nervously behind my back but I obeyed and walked closer to him.
The guards around us stayed completely silent.
Even the dogs looked strangely calm around him.
I stopped a few steps away from him.
But then he spoke again.
"Closer."
My heart skipped slightly.
I slowly stepped closer again until I was standing directly in front of him.
The moonlight reflected softly against his grey eyes as he looked down at me quietly.
Then slowly—
He placed his gloved hand on top of my head.
Pat.
Pat.
The simple gesture instantly made my chest tighten.
"Were you worried?" He asked calmly.
I bit my lower lip and nodded slowly trying hard not to cry.
Why was he being this warm again...?
He had no idea how much I worried.
How scared I had been.
How empty the mansion felt without him.
His fingers slowly brushed through my hair softly.
"I'm okay." He assured quietly. "Work kept me away longer than expected."
His eyes stayed on mine.
"You shouldn't worry yourself too much over me."
That was the final straw.
Suddenly tears spilled down my cheeks before I could stop them.
"I-I was really worried..." I cried softly like a child. "I didn't know what to do..."
The moment the words left my mouth, more tears followed.
I felt stupid crying this much.
But I seriously thought something terrible had happened to him.
For a second he looked slightly surprised.
Then his expression softened completely.
Without another word, he pulled me into his arms.
Warm.
Safe.
Comforting.
The moment he hugged me, I cried even harder against his chest.
His arms wrapped around me securely while one hand gently rubbed my back slowly.
"Shhhhh..."
His deep voice sounded unusually soft above my head.
"It's okay."
I clenched his suit tightly while trying to calm down.
This man seriously had no idea what he was doing to my heart anymore.
As I cried against his chest, something caught my attention.
A dark stain.
My eyes slowly fell to his hand resting on my back.
Blood.
My heart skipped.
I quickly pulled away from the hug and looked up at him.
"Master... you're bleeding."
For the first time, something flashed across his face.
Not fear.
More like surprise.
Almost immediately he moved his hand behind his back.
"It's nothing."
My brows furrowed.
Nothing?
Then suddenly I remembered.
The blood.
The growling.
The room.
The thick red liquid covering the floor.
My stomach twisted.
My eyes remained fixed on him.
Something wasn't adding up.
Something definitely wasn't adding up.
But before I could ask anything, he opened the car door beside him.
"Get in."
His tone left little room for argument.
"The driver will take us back to the main house."
I hesitated for a second before nodding.
Maybe I was just overthinking.
Maybe.
I climbed into the car and sat quietly beside him.
The entire ride back, I couldn't stop glancing at him.
His face remained as unreadable as ever.
Seriously.
How was someone supposed to understand what he was thinking?
He sat there calmly looking outside the window while I sat beside him silently investigating his face every few minutes.
Nothing.
Not even a clue.
It was frustrating.
Eventually the car arrived at the mansion.
The driver stepped out and opened the door.
Master got out first.
I remained seated lost in thought.
"Lisa."
I blinked.
"Hm?"
"What are you thinking about?"
His voice sounded amused.
"Step out already."
I snapped out of it immediately.
"Oh."
I quickly stepped out of the car.
He held the door for me and waited until I got down before closing it.
The gesture was so natural that I almost didn't notice it.
Almost.
We entered the mansion together.
Everything was quiet.
It was already past midnight.
The maids had long gone to sleep in the outer house.
Only the head maid stayed inside the main mansion at night.
I turned toward him.
"You should freshen up."
He looked at me.
"If you're hungry, I can quickly make something for you."
A small smirk appeared on his lips.
The sight almost made me forget my own name.
"I've already had my fill."
His grey eyes lingered on me.
"So don't worry about me and go to bed."
I opened my mouth.
Then closed it again.
There were so many questions I wanted to ask.
About the blood.
About yesterday.
About the strange things happening around him.
But...
Who was I to ask?
No matter how kind he was.
No matter how gently he treated me.
I shouldn't forget my place.
Master was taking good care of me.
I shouldn't go poking my nose into his business.
I repeated those words to myself over and over.
Eventually I nodded.
"Okay."
I turned and headed upstairs.
"Lisa."
I stopped halfway up the staircase.
I looked back.
He was already walking toward the opposite hallway.
"Make sure you freshen up."
I blinked.
"You spent half the night hiding in bushes."
Heat rushed to my cheeks.
"I wasn't hiding!"
His shoulders shook slightly.
Was that...
A laugh?
Before I could confirm it, he disappeared around the corner.
I stood there pouting to myself before finally heading upstairs.
After taking a shower, I changed into a loose nightshirt.
My hair was still damp as I sat on the edge of the bed drying it with a towel.
The room felt strangely quiet.
Too quiet.
I laid down and stared at the ceiling.
Would Master come over tonight?
Lately he always somehow ended up here.
Whether it was to talk.
To rest.
Or simply because he felt like it.
The thought made my cheeks warm.
I buried half my face into my pillow.
Eventually my eyes grew heavy.
This time I fell asleep wearing my nightshirt.
Even my brain was too exhausted to remind me of my usual habit of sleeping naked.
The next morning, I woke up feeling exhausted.
I had stayed awake far too long last night.
The moment I opened my eyes, I felt too tired to even move.
I rolled over and buried my face back into the pillow going back to sleep.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
"Lisa?"
My eyes remained closed.
"Ahhhh, Mum..." I groaned, pulling the blanket over my head. "Just two more minutes."
"Nooo. Get up now."
I pouted beneath the blanket.
"But I don't have school today. Let me rest, Mum. Just a little longer."
I heard a soft sigh.
"I am not your mum."
My eyes snapped open.
I froze.
Standing beside the bed was the head maid.
Not Mum.
The smile on my face slowly disappeared.
The warmth I had felt moments ago vanished completely.
Reality came crashing back.
Mum was gone.
Dad was gone.
My little brothers and sisters were gone.
All of them.
Gone.
"Oh..."
I quickly sat up.
"I-I'm sorry."
The head maid smiled kindly.
"It's alright."
But for some reason the more she smiled, the harder it became to breathe.
That smile...
It reminded me of Mum.
The way she used to wake me up every morning.
The way she would scold me for oversleeping.
The way she always acted annoyed but still made my favourite breakfast anyway.
The way she laughed.
The way she hugged me.
The way she attended my prom and spent the entire evening fussing over my dress to make sure everything was perfect.
She was always there.
Always.
A tear slipped down my cheek.
Then another.
Then another.
The head maid's smile immediately faded.
"Miss Lisa?"
I lowered my head.
Memories of Dad appeared next.
His voice.
His laugh.
The way he always called me his princess.
No matter how old I got.
No matter how much I argued with him.
I would always be his princess.
Whenever I wanted something, he somehow found a way to give it to me.
Whenever I was scared, he made me feel safe.
Whenever I failed, he told me to try again.
Dad was my hero.
My superhero.
A sob escaped my lips.
Then I remembered my siblings.
My four little angels.
Always running around.
Always making noise.
Always fighting over who got to sit beside me.
They cried every single time I had to return to my hostel.
Even when I promised I would come back.
They never wanted me to leave.
My chest hurt.
God...
I missed them so much.
I covered my face as tears poured out uncontrollably.
"I miss them..."
The head maid immediately sat beside me and pulled me into a hug.
"It's okay."
"I miss them so much!" I cried harder.
My shoulders shook violently.
"They didn't deserve to die."
I buried my face against her shoulder.
"I just want to see them again."
The door suddenly opened.
Both of us looked up.
Master stood there.
Already dressed in a dark suit.
His tie hung loosely from one hand.
The moment I saw him, I quickly wiped my eyes and pulled away from the head maid.
How embarrassing.
He looked between us.
Then his eyes settled on me.
"Leave us."
The head maid immediately bowed.
"Yes, Master."
She quietly left the room and closed the door behind her.
Silence filled the room.
I kept wiping my eyes but the tears refused to stop.
Master watched me for several seconds.
Then he walked over and sat beside me on the bed.
I looked away.
Trying desperately to calm down.
Trying desperately to stop crying.
Failing miserably.
"You gonna tell me why you're crying?"
His voice was calm as always.
No expression.
No judgment.
Just a question.
"Or you don't want to talk about it?"
I slowly pulled my knees to my chest and hugged them.
For a moment I avoided looking at him.
"Don't you have work to go to?" I asked quietly.
His answer came immediately.
"It can wait."
I finally looked at him.
And for some reason...
That simple answer almost made me cry all over again.
