I nodded, feeling apologetic about leaving the clean-up to her. I was a little tired, but it wasnāt to the point that I couldnāt do a simple task sheād ask me to do.
āYou already know about the mess that happened at dawn, right? The Young Masterās duvet got dirty and I had it washed. It must be dry by now, so go and put it back on the Young Masterās bed.ā
āAt this late hour? He must be resting. Maybe heās already asleep.ā
āThe Young Master said heād be at his study until late tonight. His room has been empty all day, and it should be like that until now.ā
āAlright then, Iāll do as you say.ā
It wasnāt so difficult as long as Adrianās not in the room. I rolled up the dried sheets that were laid out under the sun the whole afternoon, then went up to the fourth floor with the duvet in my arms.
As dinnertime approached, this was the busiest time of the day for the servants. The count, the countess and Adrian always ate separately, so the amount of food and the dishes prepared for each meal was a lot more compared to a single table setting where three people would eat together. Thatās why now was the time when each servant had things to do and had no interest in each otherās business.
I climbed the steps quietly as I heard the serving carts rattling and moving hastily. Adrian should be eating now, too, so I donāt think Iāll bump into him in his room. Oh, thank god. If he noticed how I wrenched away Leticia earlier in the day, I donāt want to imagine what heād do to me while weāre alone.
āYoung Master?ā
I glanced around the room, sticking my head through the slightly opened door. Fortunately, there were three candelabras lit, and none of them moved to indicate any movement.
Iāve entered this room a lot of times now, but I couldnāt get used to how dreary and gloomy it is. Itās strange how this room is supposedly the one thatās in the best spot for sunlight to come in.
Before Adrian returns, I gotta finish this quickly and make my escape.
Feeling a bit spooked, I glanced left and right at the corridor and turned back to look into the room. Finally, I tiptoed in. I changed the bedspread at the speed of light, pulled over the duvet I had set aside for a moment, then arranged the pieces one by one.
Just as I saw in a hotel before, I layered the pillows daintily against the headboard and spread out the duvet. Will I be paid for this too during the daily rewards?
āAh, stop thinking about idle things. Just run away before Adrian comes.ā
If I get caught, I might really die. With this thought in mind, I carried the bedspread that I had removed earlier in my arms. As I was about to turn around, something white and fluffy caught my eye. An invisible hand grabbed my chin and made me ālookā.
āā¦Pillowā¦ā¦ā
The word slipped out of my lips as though I was possessed. Of all the pillows Iād ever seen, this large, fluffy pillow looked so mesmerizing that I was salivating even though itās not something meant to be eaten.
Dropping the bedspread to the floor, I approached the bed. And, slowly,Ā I reached out one trembling hand towards the pillowābut then I recoiled in fear.
Can I touch it just once? Because it looks really soft.
Itās just one touch. Whatās wrong with that? Adrian must still be in the middle of his meal.
The hand that was recoiled earlier finally reached out fully and touched the pillow. My expression was instantly tinged with amazement.
āItās out of this worldā¦ā
It was so vastly different from my poor yellow pillow. Under my touch, it felt as gentle as an angelās feather, soft yet durable at the same time. With this kind of durability, I donāt think itāll ever break even after a few punches. I caressed it gently, as though it was a kitten. It was so soft that it felt like my palm would melt.
I gave into temptation and leaned my head against the pillow. Then, unable to resist the heavenly sense of satisfaction, I eventually lay down on the bed and covered myself with the duvet.
Oh, how comfortable, how warm. It felt like all the fatigue I had accumulated since last night vanished without a trace. If I die now, I will have no regretsā¦
As I let out a deeply satisfied sigh, the white letters that I hadnāt seen for a while blinked in front of me.
ć Your faā¦ tigueā¦ hasā¦ modeā¦ ć
What the. Whatāre you saying?
Grumbling inwardly, I squinted at the white letters that were no better than a bully. Why canāt I read the letters? I wasnāt even crying, but my vision was wavering as if there were tears over my eyes. Just to read those blurred letters, I had to really squint and make an effort to understand.
Fatigueā¦ and then what. The rest was like a watercolor painting, but with water spilled over it. What on earth was it trying to say?
I literally read it just now, but I couldnāt understand what it meantāas if my consciousness had been completely separated from reality and had gone to a faraway place.
Iām sleepy. Iām comfortable. With how sleepy I was, I yawned even in my thoughts. Like the shadow creeping across the wall as illuminated by the candles, my consciousness grew dim.