Grim Reaper's Handmaiden [Grim Books:1]

Chapter 8

Chevel's POV

It's been hours since Gyth went out and I've never once felt bored.

Dicarius is surprisingly a cheerful crow despite his appearance.

His talkativeness infected me and I found myself flooding him with questions while we're seated on the window seat.

I've learned that there is a vast number of reapers in the underworld and Gyth is the one appointed in the city I lived in.

I also found out that I'm the first human, who declined reincarnation, but was still accepted in his castle and that humans who chose to retain their bodies are treated as slaves in the underworld.

And if you ever chose to defy the king, you'll be a lost soul forever seeking for a human body to take over.

He informed me that Gyth saw all of those things as cruel and uncanny.

Because of that, Gyth isolated himself from his fellow reapers and demons and lived in this abandoned castle.

He doesn't want to deal with humans in our own forms because that would make us slaves in accordance with the king's rules. He never once told me about the slave thing.

That's why he was so keen on getting me reincarnated.

"Master is really kind despite his looks. He really cares about all of us here." Dicarius said before disappearing through the closet and coming back with unfolded dark-colored clothes.

"Let me help you!" I offered, sprinting towards him. We dropped the clothes on the rectangular table and settled ourselves on the couch.

I started folding the clothes, shifting towards Dicarius constantly copying how he does it. When I mastered how it should be, I focused on the garment on my hands perfectly folding each of them.

"We don't get old don't we?" I asked Dicarius.

"No. I'm almost two centuries of existence." He said, my eyes widened in surprise. If he's that old, then Gyth might be older in terms of existence, I thought to myself.

I shifted towards Dicarius' chest and stared at the badge pinned to his feather. I've been seeing it for a while but I wasn't sure what it was.

It's silver and has a black scythe symbol in the center.

"Dicarius, what's that badge for?" I asked and he grinned.

"Oh this? This symbolizes my loyalty to master. He also uses this to detect and locate us when we're in danger." He explained and my eyes lit with amusement.

"Wow. That's amazing." I gaped and Dicarius nodded proudly. I wondered if I'll ever be deserving to have one someday.

It wasn't long till I noticed something similar in most of the clothes.

I squinted my eyes on the back part of the garment noticing something odd, the dark color of the clothes making it hard to actually figure out.

I focused mainly on the back part of the garments, comparing it with the other ones.

I was right.

There were holes on the back part of the clothes, two to be exact and almost all of the shirts have it.

I raised a brow and wondered why in the world are there two perfectly equal sized holes at the back of each clothes.

"Dicarius? Did you screw up your laundry?" I asked, waving the shirts left unfolded.

"Not to be rude milady, but Dicarius does his duties perfectly." He said flapping his wings.

"And those holes are there for an important reason. Those are where sir Gyth's magnificent wings go through." He added. My mouth dropped open, unable to sink everything in.

Gyth has wings?

"You see, every time he takes out his wings, it rips his shirt all the time and I'm the one who came up with this Idea." He said proudly.

Like a traffic light going red, my conversation with Dicarius came to an end as if it sensed my inability to take more information than I already had.

"Dicarius!" Gyth yelled storming into the room as Dicarius and I jumped from shock.

My eyes widened as he stomped his way towards his desk.

He's back.

He dropped his body on the chair, causing a creaking sound that echoed through the room.

He's in a very bad mood that's clearly written all over his face.

I suddenly felt my hands shaking. I've never seen him mad and I don't know what he's like when he gets mad.

"Fetch me the finest wine." He commanded and Dicarius quickly obliged.

"Don't you worry, one wine will turn his mood upside down." Dicarius whispered in my ear before sprinting out of the room.

And that pretty much leaves me in the room with a very displeased reaper.

I crouched down nervously, scared of making a move and uttering a word.

"Chevel.." He called, causing me to flinch. I swallowed the lump in my throat as I prepare myself for what's going to happen.

I slowly walked towards him, my head facing the ground. My feet just feels heavier each time I take a step forward.

When I finally reach his desk, he stood up making me close my eyes in fear. My fists balled as I gathered myself to what's going to happen.

A short squeal escaped my throat as I felt his hand resting on top of my head.

My eyes opened in confusion. I tensed as I looked up to see his eyes. They were dark with no hint of emotion.

I froze in place as he slowly walked away towards the couch.

He leaned his back and rested his head, his eyes planted on the ceiling before closing them out.

I let out a sigh that I've been holding for quite a while. I'm just relieved that he didn't harm me in any way.

My gaze darted to the door as it creaked open.

Dicarius is back, bringing a glass and a bottle of wine. I watched him as he settled them on the table and poured Gyth a drink.

"Thank you Dicarius. You can go now." Gyth said before Dicarius disappeared through the door.

Gyth caught my frozen state after sipping from his glass, his eyes a lot calmer now.

"Come here Chevel." He ordered, my feet obediently walking towards him.

He patted the space next to him, as a signal for me to sit down.

He set the glass down the table as I sat beside him. I seated straight, my back not touching the couch as I gripped my hands together preventing them from shaking in front of him.

"I'm fine now." He said. A long sigh left his mouth as he leaned against the couch.

"Okay.." I answered softly. He looked tired given all the work he's been doing from the past few days.

"How's your day?" He asked. I gulped, feeling guilty that I actually had a fun day.

"It was fine.." I said, leaning back on the couch letting go of the tense position I've been holding on.

"Good." He mumbled.

He suddenly leaned towards me, his body dangerously close to mine.

The next thing I knew, his head is resting on my lap.

He turned his body sideways, causing me to blush instantly as I felt his cheek against my thighs.

I can't figure out where to put my hands that are currently raised in the air as my heart pounds so hard against my chest.

Before my breathing could even get heavier, I heard his soft snore.

And as if they've got their own mind, my hands gently brushed his hair.

I looked at his sleeping state in appreciation.

He looked so serene, so peaceful.

"Thank you for asking Dicarius to keep me company." I whispered, as a smile started to form on my lips.