As the day began to break, my uncle came to me with a young boy by his side. The boy was a little shorter than my uncle but taller than me. He had no scars on his face, and his eyes were hazel. His curly brown hair, matching his tan skin, was even curlier in the front. When he noticed me examining him, he gave me a mischievous grin. As I shifted my gaze to his hand, I saw that he was holding a tray. On the tray was a bowl of water. The scent of rose petals coming from the water was faint but noticeable.
When my uncle pushed the boy a step forward, the boy extended the tray to me.
"Take the tray from Eric. From now on, you'll be responsible for the young master's water. Make sure the water is 37 degrees. Now, take the tray."
I carefully listened to my uncle's instructions and took the tray. Eric, relieved of his burden, took a deep breath and smiled at me.
"Be careful with the water, it's a bit heavy."
Unintentionally, I gripped the tray a bit more firmly. It was indeed heavy. The weight of the water, combined with the embroidered towels, instantly put my arm muscles to the test.
The saying "The house you were born in is your destiny" seemed to be true. When I remembered how I had just washed my face with cold water, I couldn't help but feel a bit envious of a small child.
My uncle walked ahead, while Eric and I followed behind him.
"We didn't get a chance to introduce ourselves earlier, but I'm Eric. And yes, I'm cool."
When I glanced at Eric, he tossed his hair back with his hand, making his nose rise even higher. What a conceited thing— we're all servants here, what's with the attitude? Trying to force a professional smile on my face, I turned to Eric.
"I'm Theodore. And yes, I have no doubt about that."
Eric chuckled. Though I didn't pay much attention to his face, his dimples were noticeable. Eric wasn't like Mary or Slays; he was much more mischievous.
"Nice to meet you, Theodore. Let's get along while we take care of the young master. By the way, you're shivering, are you okay?"
Eric's casual demeanor helped me loosen up a bit.
"Nice to meet you too, Eric. I'm fine, no problem, thanks."
Though I tried not to show it, the tray really was heavy. Carrying it was one thing, but walking without spilling it was another challenge. While we spoke quietly, my uncle suddenly turned around, furrowing his brows sharply.
"Enough talking. Continue after work. We've arrived at the young master's room."
The door was white with yellow embroidery, like the other doors in the mansion. Despite being at the end of the corridor, the sunlight pouring through the large windows made it feel peaceful. The silver-haired child from the family portrait I had seen in the count's room was behind this door.
When my uncle looked at his watch, Eric also took out his watch. I looked at mine and saw it was 7:50. When my uncle turned to us, he looked at Eric first, then at me.
"The young master will wake up in 10 minutes. I'll go in now, you two enter in 10 minutes."
Eric nodded quickly after receiving the command. I did the same. As my uncle entered, we started waiting outside. Eric leaned against the door and turned his head toward me.
"Are you scared?"
"No, why would I be scared?"
Eric grinned and nodded toward the tray. "I'm talking about the water, you're shaking. I thought you were scared."
Even though he knew that the shaking was due to the tray's weight and not my fear, he was teasing me.
"Come, share in my fear, give me a hand with this."
When I challenged him with a smirk, he raised his hands in the air as if surrendering.
"Thank you, I can't go against the Steward's orders. So, I can't join you in your fear."
He smiled at me with a fake grin, while my arms started to numb from the weight of the tray I was holding. How much longer did I have to wait?
"Wait for 4 more minutes, we'll go in soon."
Although he said the time as if reading my mind, I still thought I could endure the 4 more minutes, but my arms were really hurting. What would happen if I put the tray down for just two seconds? Anyway, I should forget about the weight with other thoughts.
Just then, my uncle's voice was heard from behind the door.
"Come in."