ORCA 17

Niah lifted his hand and carefully touched his forehead. The wound, hidden by his hair, had scabbed over in a day and felt bumpy. It was still sore and painful, but if it hadn’t been for the Young Master, it might not have ended this way. He might have truly died.

Thinking about it again, it seemed the Young Master had said he wouldn’t punish him. Because of this, courage welled up in Niah for some reason. He moved the hand that had been touching his wound near the door and curled it into a fist. He took one last small, deep breath before knocking.

However, before Niah could even attempt to knock, the door swung open wide. The person who opened the door and stepped out was, naturally, Orca. With one hand thrust into his trouser pocket, he tilted his head and looked down at Niah. He had come out himself because the restless noise from beyond the door had been tickling his ears, and he couldn’t stand it any longer.

“What are you doing, standing in front of the door?”

Niah was so startled he nearly collapsed. He hurriedly pulled down the hand that had been dangling in mid-air and hid it behind his back. He then chewed on his lips, picking his words as he tried to figure out what excuse to make. He was just about to say he was just getting ready to enter, but Orca had already turned around and disappeared inside.

“Oh, oh?”

Niah pulled the trolley and hurried inside, not forgetting to close the door tightly behind him.

It was his first time entering such a large room. The luxurious, thick carpet covering the floor swallowed all sound in the room, making it silent. He couldn’t even hear the trolley’s wheels.

Inside the room, there were several doors leading to who knows where. The ceiling was incredibly high, and there was plenty of furniture. Along the walls were rows of long windows with clean curtains hanging from them. Sunlight settled warmly through the well-polished glass.

A large bed and sofa that looked soft also caught his eye. The bed had pillars at all four corners to hang curtains that shimmered with a subtle sheen.

Coming into the Young Master’s room, which seemed like it would take all day to look around, made his own room feel very slightly—truly, just slightly—shabby.

Orca walked straight to the tea table placed by the window. He sat down, picking up the book he had been reading until just moments ago. Leaning against the back of the chair and crossing his legs, he took a comfortable posture. Niah was still standing at the entrance, his gaze darting around. Orca cast a fleeting glance at Niah before returning his eyes to his book, his movements slow.

Niah, who had been gaping at the room, thankfully came to his senses before long. Fearing he might be scolded, he hurriedly moved to the tea table and locked the wheels of the trolley. After that, he laid out the tea tools he had brought on the top tier of the trolley and placed the water he had boiled in advance on it as well.

Orca’s eyes narrowed as he looked at the kettle, which was steaming vigorously.

Niah moved his hands carefully, desperately trying to recall the order Bailey had taught him. His hands, dusty like powdered sugar, wavered as they moved across the trolley. He began to brew the tea as best he could remember, but he lacked confidence.

Even so, he somehow succeeded in brewing the tea and poured it into the cup with confidence. To Niah’s own eyes, it looked like he had done quite well for a first attempt. He had only managed to use one of the two teapots and had forgotten to warm the cup, but it was the best result he could muster.

With a proud face, Niah brought it over and placed it in front of Orca as if to show it off. Because he had filled the cup with too much tea, it had spilled down the sides of the cup and onto the saucer, but he didn’t notice. Instead, he didn’t forget to pack the 3-tier tray, creamer, and sugar bowl.

Thanks to having thought about what to eat while coming here, he remembered the names Harriet had taught him perfectly. Although he secretly hoped he would be asked, Orca simply lifted the cup without saying a word.

He willingly took a sip of the tea, which looked crude even at a glance. Since he didn’t know how much tea leaf to add, it tasted nothing but bitter. He wondered if he had ever drunk tea this bad in his life. Even the color was dark and murky.

Thanks to having observed how to do it by watching from the moment Orca put down his book, he had expected it might be like this, but this was still a bit much. However, the goldfish seemed relieved to see him drink it and let out a small sigh of relief. It wasn’t the time to be relieved, and Orca found it baffling.

“Young Master. Then, I… um… I’ll go outside… and wait.”

He had created poison and was even offering to go outside.

“Where are you going? Stay there.”

Niah stopped mid-retreat and obediently listened, behaving well. He just stood there neatly, waiting for Orca.

Do I just take it away when he finishes? Does Bailey do it like this?

He was curious, but he didn’t ask. He just decided to finish looking around the room. He needed to do garden work to make up for resting yesterday, go to the greenhouse, and check if there was any work left in the vegetable garden, but strangely, his heart felt at ease. It must have been because the Young Master told him to stay here. The Young Master’s room was large and wonderful, and it even had a fresh, green scent.

Niah, who had been secretly sniffing the scent, suddenly held his breath. It wasn’t just the pleasant scent; the delicious smell of the tea treats had caught in his nose. The hunger that had been pushed to the background while brewing tea returned. Saliva pooled in his mouth.

Niah pressed his tongue against the roof of his mouth and rolled his eyes around. He deliberately held his breath and only exhaled occasionally. To avoid being caught being hungry, he thought about all sorts of other things. He randomly thought about the carp in the greenhouse pond that would leap to the surface the moment they saw him, or the cute appearance of tulips that had just started to bud.

Despite these efforts, a growling sound soon came from his thoroughly shrunken stomach. It was a loud sound that loudly boasted of his fasting.

“Uh, ah… um…”

Niah’s pupils trembled as he meaninglessly dragged out the end of his words in his embarrassment. Orca, who had been alternating between reading his book and looking at Niah without even touching his teacup after the first sip, now fixed his gaze entirely on Niah. He closed the book he had barely been reading and set it aside. His expression was strangely displeased.

“Niah. Come here and sit.”

Niah, who had been fiddling with his fingers near his navel, trembled in shock. The face that had been filled with pride was soon shadowed by a gloomy air. His stomach growled again in the middle of it all. All the good feelings vanished, replaced by the worry that he might be scolded for eating food while being a useless creature.

Suppresses the urge to run away, he took small steps forward. His movements were sluggish as he endured the gaze piercing through him.

Niah stopped at Orca’s feet. He placed his knees on the floor, knelt down obediently, and slightly pulled up his eyelids. The hands that had been fiddling were settled on his thighs. He hadn’t done anything wrong, yet he felt cowed. As if punishing himself, he chewed on the soft flesh inside his mouth and just watched for his reactions. Because of this, his gaze wavered, repeatedly touching and falling away from Orca.

Meanwhile, Orca looked straight at the goldfish that had approached him from his diagonal direction. As they stayed like that for a while, the goldfish pressed his knees close to one of his shoes on the carpet. It seemed like his nature to hang on and look once he decided to. Orca stared at Niah, who looked like he would cling to his legs any moment like the day before if he stayed just a little longer, and contemplated leisurely.

Various scenarios crossed his mind: whether he should pick up the creature, who was crouched in fear all by itself, and place it in the chair opposite him, or whether it would be more fun to just ignore him like this, open his book again, and continue to make him feel uneasy. Watching him kneeling on the floor, he also felt like making him beg for no reason at all.

However, he couldn’t put any of these into action.

“Young Master…”

Niah, growing anxious about what might happen if he were truly scolded, couldn’t endure it and reached out his arms. He pinched the hem of Orca’s trousers ever so slightly with his thumb and index finger and called him. The small voice was swallowed by the thick carpet the moment it flowed past his lips. Instead, the hungry growl from his stomach filled the void even louder.

Niah, who had been looking up at Orca, lowered his head completely. His chest cringed. The expression hidden underneath was one of misery.