Jean accepted Kyon"s grat.i.tude with no enthusiasm and, shaking him finally off, continued with his walk in hope that the sc.u.m would try and keep his promise. And then, who knows... fortune favors fools. If the proverb is wrong and the boy has only wasted his time, he will surely punch the boy in such a way that he will forget his own name. Yet, one handkerchief from the lady is to die for.An idea flashed through Kyon"s mind to try and purify Jean"s keys in order to turn the tide in his favor in the eyes of the family but then he remembered how Synergy penetrated Martha"s wrist, realized that the master was way more developed and gave up on the silly and unrealistic idea. He would run out of Synergy within the reach of inner tissue, anyway.
So, the guy was on his own. Thanks to the miraculous salve, his body almost stopped hurting, what a pity there was nothing left in the tube. It meant the next "combat" like that could be fatal...
Losing time at a moment like that was suicide, so Kyon got down to exploring the park. He wiped all the dirt off his face with a black sock, ruffled his already s.h.a.ggy hair, combed it as far as possible over his forehead to cover the slave mark, and left to explore.
The territory of the park was not too big - about two football fields, however, because of the thick maze of tall thick bushes, the servants were practically invisible. Most of them crouched down and cut, trimmed, watered, swept something using the wind element, they were secured behind the green thicket.
But at the same time the park was far from deserted: dozens of servants were rus.h.i.+ng around in all directions.
Kyon wished with all his heart that his evil lady had security guards. He could easily pretend to be someone of her immediate circle and dispose of her... The answer was actually there, but he wouldn"t know about it.
The servants were staring at the guy all the way, wondering, why the gentleman was so battered? Thanks to the hairstyle that hid the mark, and black clothes that were not typical to the slave"s usual wardrobe, they took him for someone he really wasn"t at the moment. And meeting accidentally his eyes, they bowed respectfully - just in case.
Kyon enjoyed every moment: their respectful att.i.tude towards him was like an echo of his past life. But it wasn"t the time or place to indulge in sweet memories – he had to complete Jean"s task somehow. Alright, enough distractions, it was time to continue exploring the area.
It should be noted that Kyon didn"t forget for a moment if he met Dinah or Anna, they would never bow to him – rather he, himself, would have to bend his back, and in case the dark-haired was ill-humored, his teeth would touch the hard soil.
Should he meet Juno... It would be bad. He had to move in short bursts, carefully inspecting the territory beforehand.
Well, the garden was beautiful in its own way... Style, composition and architectonics, benches and ponds ... Every touch spoke of the painstaking work and good designer taste. Yet, the guy wasn"t up to admiring it - he was interested in other aspects: where and how to find a short-cut, where are many / few servants, where you can hide, etc.
The initial exploration took half an hour. He finally approached the main entrance to the mansion, large and s.p.a.cious, with servants walking through it every second, no guards or doors.
Adjusting his hair over the forehead, the guy moved forward, trying to blend in with the servants. It was much more important to learn the internal structure of the mansion than stupidly wandering around in the maze of the park. It was a sure risk but he had no other choice. What if he got caught... well, he would improvise.
The territory included streams, a training ground, a park, and was surrounded by a high wall with an impenetrable barrier. The main entrance to the mansion was the only way to enter or exit, and there was one more single exit to leave the mansion, which was under close guard. If someone came in, but never came out till the end of the working day (according to the register), the loiterer would definitely be found and the guards would let them have it to the eyeb.a.l.l.s and beyond. Therefore, when Kyon came along with Flitz and they put him in the register, he was then a subject to a restricted residence, but he could walk inside the mansion all he wanted, until he was caught, of course.
Kyon studied the corridor of the mansion, looked into a couple of unlocked rooms, even found the living room, when suddenly, at another corner, he ran into blonde Anna. He could hardly restrain himself from cursing out loud - she walked too quietly!
«What are you doing? You can"t be here.» - said the girl with ice in her voice.
A ton of thoughts flashed through his mind. Anna, Dinah"s sister, was also the highest maid. He"d never taken any liberties with her, so their relations were still neutral. Now it was out of question to show his character. He had to live the part of a slave wholeheartedly - not to look her in the eye for more than a couple of seconds, no firmness in his voice, to be respectful... It was time to show off his acting skills. She was not aware that Juno had said mum"s the word, so he had to seize the moment.
«Excuse me…» - the guy took a bow and really looked respectful. - «I really need to use the restroom but I don"t know where it is… There"s no restroom at the training ground and I really need to…» - he theatrically crossed his legs.
The ice between them started to melt. The maid was sensible and rather lenient by nature.
«The second door down the hall. Don"t take too long… Stay out of my sister"s sight. Next time come only if you have Lady Juno"s permission.» - emphasized the girl in a softer voice.
Kyon bowed gratefully, holding his hand to his heart as if he owed his life to her:
«Thank you Lady Anna… You"re so nice and kind…»
The girl skeptically rolled her eyes and went about her business, not bothering to answer him. This slave is n.o.body and means nothing to her but he is undoubtedly a cutie. Flitz definitely knew who he was choosing, and dressed up the boy well, black suits him.
Kyon locked himself in the restroom, sat on the lid of the toilet and got lost in thought. {What if I had lied to her about getting the order, would she have believed me?} - he remembered the moment when Juno pressed her wrist and two servants came on command. It means she sent somehow the order at a distance, right? He didn"t want to take risks of testing the theory, no one likes liars.
On second thought, this question is not that pressing now, there are more urgent things to think about. He needs to get the baseline of the elements, and for this he has to find some clothes for Jean, preferably female, better smaller than XXL size, desirably with pleasant smile more or less like Juno"s or the pervert will smell a rat. Ideally, he needs to find the Lady"s own things.
For the first time in his life, Kyon racked his brains how to steal lingerie. He used to sort out where to invest a trillion of credits, which direction to guide the development of mankind, how to save the planet Earth from an asteroid, and then suddenly it"s all like the painting "We"ve hit rock-bottom"…Moreover, the importance of this question is, personally for him, greater than of all the previous ones!
{Could I fall any further?} – concluded the guy with a smile of self-mockery. Some brainstorm ideas needed… Suddenly he had one. It was frail, weak and almost hopeless – he even thought for a while if his b.a.l.l.s would be safe after that. But he had no other idea.
Kyon left the restroom and carefully, on tiptoes, continued to explore the house, this time less leisurely. Some rooms were locked, for example, a strange storeroom, while others, obviously important ones, had a lock which could be opened with a formation on the wrist, as he could notice at a glance. Usual service or guest rooms were not locked at all.
He did not dare to go to the second floor, fearing lest he be caught, they would tear off his arms and other vital organs.
The walk through the mansion dragged on but he managed to get some useful information. And, above all, he found what he"d been looking for! All he needed was to find the kitchen ... It is important to know where the kitchen in any house is, h.e.l.l yes…
However, as looked around the corner (he wasn"t having much luck with that d.a.m.n element of architecture!) he b.u.mped into a little dark-haired maid. Nice meeting.
«What are you sneaking here?» - snarled the girl sternly, piercing the slave with an icy look.
Kyon"s life flashed before his eyes: he was busted. Surely, the girl spotted him as a crouching thief, no less. A s.h.i.+ver ran down his spine. He lowered his eyes and said, toying with her sense of pity:
«I am hungry…»
Dinah clenched her fists till her knuckles turned white. This slave was looking at her as if he owned this place in the morning and now he is acting the victim of unfortunate circ.u.mstances. These innocent eyes downcast, plaintive voice ... What a disappointment! She"d been deceived ... All her expectations down the drain, you can"t do that to girls! Her mind was instantly filled with rage, she wanted to beat the boy to death, but she, unrivalled a.s.sa.s.sin, would never lower herself like that.
The girl looked at Kyon with an unfriendly look.
«Really?» - and squeezed his shoulder.
The guy collapsed on his knee, uttering a painful moan - the girl with her thin fingers. .h.i.t the sore point in the shoulder, how cruel!
Crocodile tears glittered in his eyes, but it didn"t have any effect on the merciless Dinah, rather, she was even angrier because he wasn"t the man he was pretending to be.
In addition to acute pain, Kyon felt a chill spreading all over his body and a weird pressure, as if he had been chained to the bottom of a deep river. His reason was filled with an oppressive sense of danger.
«It seems to me you want to die, once you dare leave the training ground, enter the mansion and get close to the kitchen, where you are completely off limits. What do you think, what punishment do you deserve? Mm?» - Dinah was increasingly irritated by how the guy diligently averts his eyes, so she grabbed his chin with two fingers and tugged at it roughly: - «Look in the eyes when the elders are talking to you.»
Kyon squeezed out a maximum of charm. The girl is too cold and dangerous. What did he do to fall in such disgrace? Sneaked into the mansion, so what? It"s not the point.
He mumbled:
«Forgive me, a fool. My hunger almost killed me. My stomach is a traitor, that seeks my death... Don"t punish me, please…»
Dinah felt a rush of anger. Such an emotional outburst surprised even her – how could that punk get under her skin? What a humiliation for the highest servant of the patriarch!
The girl was determined that such snot deserved neither her attention nor emotions, and therefore pushed him into the stomach with all her might, and when the guy went limp, she lifted him calmly by the scruff of the neck and threw him out of the mansion.
«Bring him to the training ground and lock him there.» - she ordered to the servants.
Kyon had trouble breathing, she almost broke his ribs! Anna was just an angel compared to Dinah. Yeah, so much for being sisters. How he would love to see ... Marina!
Two servants pulled the guy to the training ground, without much piety, dragging his feet on the ground, threw him on the floor and locked the gates.
Kyon sighed with relief. The meeting with Dinah was not as terrible as it could have been. It would better for him to stay away from her.