A rose to grind

-9-

It only came as a momentary discomfort to me. How Louise intense gaze seemed to be forcefully attempting to tear down my well constructed walls. How he expected me to shift my expressions so that he could nitpick at the slightest emotion. Children these days were perceptive and undeniably imposing. Hell, if anyone else were in my shoes as of the moment, I doubted whether they'd flee from terrible fright. Sighing, I rubbed my temples behind Etienne's chair.

More than a butler, it'd be fitting if they just appointed me as a bodyguard since the stance of standing behind a noble's chair was a knight's etiquette which I adapted to in my routine. I could see Etienne unanimously tuning out the conversation between the adults to turn his head back in my direction to show off a foolish grin. I kicked the wooden leg of his chair in warning. But alas, the boy was keen on ignoring me till the end of the day. But beyond his silly antics, I could feel genuine worry radiating from Etienne's awkward posture. Still, that didn't erase the fact that he was an asshole. A few crepes as bribery wouldn't earn him a spot on my good list.

Yet it seemed as though someone else were to be added to my naughty list. The old men were deep in conversation and from afar, they seemed as though they were dutiful fathers. My emphasis on 'seemed.' Though for Lucio Peggris, the more responsible one of the two, with silver tendrils coated with hair gel and slicked to the back, was a character I hadn't gone deep into familiarizing. I admit, because of my bias to the capture targets and the protagonist, I paid less attention to the side characters since I thought they were irrelevant to the plot like a waste of air and space. However, his prickly stare sent a trail of goosebumps up my spine. But I managed to keep my cool throughout the entire lunch.

"Kai Magaret, was it?" My ears perked up at the sonorous, warm voice that ripped me away from the intruding thoughts. I nodded hesitantly, eyes trained on the figure that sat next to Louise. At the mention of my name, everyone at the dinner table turned to inspect me with judgmental eyes. I held my breath, nails digging into my palm.

"Yes?" I answered firmly, raising my head in a disingenuous way.

Lucio gave a hearty laugh, causing me to contemplate whether any of my actions had been humorous. When I found out that all previous interactions were not meant to be perceived as amusing, I instinctively glanced warily at the old man with calculating eyes. Lucio, as mentioned before, was a character I wasn't familiar in any way and forsooth, if he were an obstacle that obstructed me from survival, I had no choice but to pulverize him. Unfortunately, as of the moment, I was nothing more than a mere butler working under the Karrinas. "Good, good."

Lucio turned his head in Antonio's direction, smiling cordially. "He's magnanimous. Antonio, you've got a gutsy fellow working under you. You wouldn't mind if I steal him away, right? After all," the man's eyes flitted towards him once again. My posture stiffened up almost immediately under his scrutiny. He was like a metal detector and it felt as though I were a thief of rubies. It was the kind of overbearing aura I had experienced from the stranger back at the company party. I didn't revel in being inferior to people in general since I had been at the top once. "He's just a servant like any other."

From the corners of my eyes, I noticed that Antonio tensed up nigh at once. He laughed the suggestive question off, waving his hand dismissively. I was sure everyone at the table could practically see the panic radiating from the sweat that lingered on his forehead. "No, no!" His voice grew high-pitched, as part of his lie. "He's...very special. Kai is my son's favorite Butler, as you can see very well. Etienne cannot go anywhere without his presence. So, old friend, I'm afraid he isn't for sale."

'For sale?' I snorted inwardly, eyes gaining a fervid light. 'Am I just a object to you, you scummy trash-bag? I'm your own son! If I hadn't had an ounce of your blood flowing through my veins, would you have given me away without a second thought or a moment of pity?'