ORCA 103

Then does that make the young master his master?

The statement was correct, but the nuance felt completely bizarre.

In reality, all the servants served the young master as their master. However, for some reason, it felt as though Niah alone followed the young master as a master in a different sense of the word. A brief curiosity crossed his mind, wondering if Niah had perhaps decided to become the young master’s dog, but he shook his head before he could get any more curious.

No matter how much he pridefully considered himself the mansion’s informant, poking around the young master required immense courage, and he didn’t particularly want to be courageous anymore. Risking his life solely for the sake of pure curiosity was out of the question.

Suddenly thinking of the mistress of the house, Bailey let out a sigh of relief. He didn’t want to die leaving his “queen ant” behind. After waiting for a while, he stepped out of the room and hurried through the work on his own. He felt a bit awkward about his current predicament, where he had no choice but to blindly trust Niah’s promise to return quickly.

Niah pushed Orca into the room at the end of the hallway first. It was a guest bedroom located in the opposite direction of the room Bailey had entered. No one would come here for the time being, making it the perfect spot for the two of them to be alone. Moving complacently as his wrist was pulled along, Orca called out to Niah the moment the door closed.

“Niah.”

Turning around with a start at the gentle voice calling his name, Niah fumbled for the doorknob behind his back and locked it. A light clicking sound of metal brushing against metal rang out. Forgetting his hunger entirely, he lifted his eyelids with a beaming smile.

“Come here. I want to hold you.”

He slipped right into the outstretched arms and hugged him tightly. For some reason, the young master had begun speaking to him this way a few days ago, and he was now somewhat adapted to it. Hearing words that sounded closer to a request than a command made his heart feel all soft and fluffy. It also sounded like he was begging or throwing a tantrum, which was quite cute.

Sometimes he would flush red when difficult questions came his way, but he had learned to brush them off reasonably well. It was bashful and embarrassing, but it wasn’t that he disliked it. Rather, the problem, if there was one, was that he had to keep his wits about him so he wouldn’t start coaxing the man for more himself.

As if simply hugging wasn’t enough, Orca lifted Niah tightly by the waist and buried his face in his neck. Even though Niah giggled and said it tickled, Orca only muttered “Yeah” in response and showed no signs of letting go. On the contrary, he dug his nose deeper into his neck and pulled him in hard.

Struggling past the grip that refused to let go, Niah managed to pry his arms upward and wrapped them around Orca’s shoulders and the nape of his neck. Then, he lifted his heels slightly to make up for the vast height difference. Even if his young master bent his posture down, Niah still had to make himself taller if their entire bodies were to press flush against each other. When he did, their curved and straight lines interlocked perfectly without a single gap.

Patting and gently stroking Orca’s back, Niah asked in a bashful tone:

“Sir. Did something happen?”

“No. Why?”

“Just… because it felt like it…”

“Nothing happened.”

Niah didn’t press further and simply held Orca close for a while. Then, around the time standing on his tiptoes became painful, he tapped him lightly and asked to be let down. His legs flailed weakly. Instead of granting the request, Orca lifted his squirming body and set him down right on top of his own feet. Realizing he was stepping lightly on each of the neatly polished shoes, Niah pushed at his shoulders in a panic.

“Oh, oh, sir, your shoes—your shoes will get dirty.”

“It’s fine.”

His body had become comfortable, but his mind became twice as uncomfortable. Standing on top of his young master and not knowing what to do, Niah suddenly hit Orca repeatedly in a flurry as if he had just thought of something. The fluttering wrists made a loud sound but lacked any real substance. No matter how much he struck, the impact was less than Orca flicking a single finger. Nevertheless, Niah tapped him continuously in an enthusiastic flurry while trying to explain something.

“Sir. Not like this, please do it like this for me. Like this. Yes? Like this.”

Having no choice but to pull his body back, Orca watched Niah flail his arms around before reaching down to scoop him up by his thighs. Only then did Niah break into a satisfied smile. As their heights shifted by a span once more, this time Orca’s eyes were directed upward.

The sight of each other captured in their intersecting gazes was nothing short of familiar. The intimate, comfortable moment granted them peace. The boredom he used to despise had, at some point, begun to bring him comfort. Hiding his exhausted face against Orca’s chest, Niah slowly stroked the nape of his neck. Suddenly finding himself held against Niah’s chest, Orca took a deep breath.

“Yeah. Shower me with some affection.”

Niah bent his head close. The tiny whisper rolled over the shell of his ear and settled down softly. The intangible words sparkled like the shimmering water scales of a lake on a summer day.

“You’re always beautiful, sir.”

A soft laughter followed, like a flower bud bursting open. Sustaining his goldfish with just one arm, Orca grabbed his chin with an impatient touch. The moment their eyes met, he ruthlessly devoured Niah’s lips without saying a single word. His vow to make sure to ask if it was okay each time had been made a mere few days ago. Closing his eyes tightly, Niah hesitantly cupped Orca’s cheeks and opened his mouth. Orca’s habits were growing worse by the day.

A servant was assigned to each carriage as they passed through the mansion’s main gates and entered the start of the tree-lined avenue. The people stepping down from the carriages were one and all dressed in splendid gowns and dashing evening attire. With the assistance of the attendants they brought along, they set foot on the ground and tossed elegant smiles at the greetings offered by the servants of the Wair family. Bowing repeatedly in response, the Wair family servants checked the guest list and led the way ahead.

Except for the stable hands and the kitchen staff busy preparing food, all the servants were assigned tasks different from their usual routines. Dragged to the kitchen under the pretext of being short-handed, Niah and Bailey ended up sitting opposite each other doing the dishes. While Bailey grumbled quite a bit, Niah felt relieved, thinking this was much better than greeting the guests.

The attendants of the other families who had come to serve their masters followed behind carrying luggage, or moved the carriages they arrived in to a corner. The coachmen, who put their horses into the stalls one by one with the help of the stable hands, were the very first among the visiting attendants to be guided to their lodgings. A stable hand escorted the attendants, who were exhausted from the long journey, to the East Wing to assign them their rooms.

Meanwhile, the nobles leisurely toured the garden, making their presence known to the head of the Wair family, his wife, and their son who could be seen in the distance. Some waved their hands, while others stopped in their tracks and bowed their waists. Those who shared an acquaintance exchanged light pleasantries among themselves. Although they had just arrived, there were already several people introducing or being introduced to mutual acquaintances.

A refined clamor traversed the long stone path. Complimenting the well-manicured garden, they passed through the entrance hall. The nobles visiting the Wair family for the first time even marveled at the grandeur of the mansion’s interior. Excited voices drifted out from here and there.

The masters of the Wair family skillfully handled the nobles who approached to speak with them. Contentless conversations continued merrily with bright laughter. Since the purpose of hosting the party and the purpose of attending the party were both to generate personal profit, they had to pretend to enjoy themselves even if they weren’t.

Unless it was a banquet or a ball hosted by the Imperial Court, there were rarely opportunities to familiarize oneself with members of so many families and exchange opinions regarding business. Even if one wished to host a party themselves, it required an immensely large country house and a staggering amount of expenses, making it difficult to afford. It was virtually impossible for anyone other than the Wair family and a few select households.

Consequently, even those who were uninvited paid hefty sums of money to buy a spot and sneak in. Since they weren’t on the guest list, they were often blocked at the gates, but the families who brought them in exchange for money would successfully secure their entry. Of course, if an accident occurred during this process, there were many instances where they would pretend to know nothing about it.

The Wair family was inclined to reasonably overlook these kinds of loopholes. Despising nothing more than the clamor of a public commotion, they simply let it slide if there was no damage done.

Their temperament was such that they found the occurrence of a disturbance at a party they hosted far more objectionable than the trouble of finding a sharp-witted servant to station on surveillance. They were bothered by even the smallest, most trivial things. This was the reason why, despite possessing a desire for honor and ostentation, they never became the center of controversy.