ORCA 20

“…Young Master… It, it hurts…”

Orca arched his brow at the sudden mention of pain. He didn’t understand at first. He wondered if the boy had a cut inside his mouth, but since there was no blood on the tissue, that wasn’t it. Was it his throat, or perhaps the raw skin of his lips? Since the goldfish didn’t elaborate, he had no way of knowing.

If it wasn’t that, he wondered if the cold had flared up again. He was about to ask where it hurt, but the goldfish began to stammer a plea first.

“Here, it hurts… I’m sorry. Please let go…”

Niah wiggled the wrists that were being held. Where there had been blue bruises, red marks had formed, and they throbbed when touched. Even if it was less than before, the pain was still sharp enough that he had to rub very gently when washing, so he had no choice but to beg him to let go. Even trying to endure it by force didn’t work. If he ended up crying again, he would just get scolded all the same.

Orca narrowed his eyes. He realized where it hurt, but he still couldn’t understand it. He placed Niah’s two hands on his own palm and pushed back his sleeves. It seemed faster to see for himself than to listen.

“…”

There were dark, bloody bruises on both wrists. Before he could even ask how this happened, the events at the lake crossed his mind. Even then, the goldfish had been crying and begging to be let go because it hurt, and now he was begging to be let go again. To think he had gripped him so hard to leave him in this state—he didn’t even feel like mocking the fragile, pathetic body anymore. He wasn’t amused; he was angry.

After the wrists, he pushed back the hair to examine the forehead. As he brushed over the scab, the goldfish winced and clutched Orca’s palm tightly with both hands. He couldn’t bring himself to say “stop,” so he only wiggled.

“I get it, so stop crying.”

“I’m not crying, Young Master. I’m not crying.”

Orca pulled Niah’s hands, which he had been holding, onto his lap. Then, instead of the wound on his forehead, he stroked the area around his eyes and swept down his cheeks. He blew a soft “hoo” onto the skin that had been made raw by tears and murmured, “There, there.”

Niah loved the Young Master for taking such gentle care of him. He simply forgot his fear, clutched the large hand tightly, and hung on. He felt that if the Young Master treated him like this every time, he could endure even the painful and difficult things.

Other people only made him feel hurt and burdened, but the Young Master was not like them. In the end, he even gave him a gentle, reward-like caress. Niah leaned against the palm cupping his cheek and let out even, soft breaths. The warm body heat gave him peace of mind.

After being stroked softly for a while, the goldfish started to look sleepy, blinking his eyes. He was in a state where he looked like he might collapse and fall asleep at any moment. Before that happened, Orca picked up a sandwich and offered it to him. The eyes that had been drooping open wide.

Niah looked confused, as all the warmth had disappeared and only the sandwich remained. He wanted to devour it, lured by the delicious smell, but he didn’t. Instead, he just looked up at Orca.

“What are you just staring at?”

Even at Orca’s words, he couldn’t bring himself to take a bite. It was true that he had been extremely looking forward to what he would eat on his way out of the distillery, but for some reason, he felt like he shouldn’t eat it now. ‘She’ had said he could eat the leftovers, but she hadn’t said to eat something new. This was clearly not a leftover. The Young Master hadn’t taken a single bite, nor had he sent it back on the trolley.

“You have to eat, Young Master…”

Niah held out the sandwich toward Orca. Orca had a stubborn expression that showed he had no intention of listening even if Niah told him it was okay. If he told him to eat, the boy would do as he was told, but he would surely end up with indigestion and get sick again. With no choice, Orca took a small bite from the edge of the sandwich. It would be troublesome if the boy lay sick again as soon as he had recovered.

“There, happy now?”

When Niah still held the sandwich and hesitated, Orca took it and personally fed it to Niah’s mouth. Despite his earlier thoughts, Niah moved his jaw busily. He couldn’t help it; the ecstasy of the flavor was entirely different from the sweetness of the honey.

The tangy sauce, cheese, and roast beef danced on his tongue. It was a blissful taste. Moreover, every time he chewed and swallowed, a new piece of the sandwich appeared in his mouth before he even had time to feel regret. Thanks to that, Niah didn’t have to lift a finger while eating the entire piece.

Orca picked up his teacup after handing Niah the second sandwich to eat on his own. Just as Niah, who had been watching him without eating, began to nibble little by little, Orca gulped down the “poison.” The tea had gone lukewarm, so it wasn’t difficult to drink. Of course, it was definitely not a flavor worth savoring slowly. With about half of the bitter tea left, he poured cream into it to fill the cup.

“Here, have this too.”

Niah received the milk tea. He had only ever managed to drink thin tea that was basically water, so this was his first time having anything like this. Niah swallowed it drop by drop, overwhelmed with emotion. He alternated between the sandwich and the milk tea, not forgetting to offer words of thanks.

Before he knew it, one hand was empty. He regretted not savoring it more, but a tart filled the spot where the sandwich had been. With no reason to worry now, he put it in his mouth bit by bit. The crispy pastry and soft peaches were so delicious he wanted to scream. A giggle escaped him.

After the tart, there was even a scone split in half and spread with clotted cream. The Young Master let him eat all kinds of tea treats without a hint of reluctance. It was his first time feeling so full that he couldn’t eat anymore. Finally, he even drank the rest of the milk tea.

Then, the Young Master, who had taken away the empty teacup, approached and reached out to brush back his hair. Niah didn’t know what he had done to deserve such kindness, but he wanted to do whatever the Young Master wanted even better. He thought it would be wonderful if he could be stroked as much as he was now.

“Young Master.”

Niah, in high spirits, tilted his head back and grinned. At his bright expression, as if he had forgotten all about crying just moments ago, Orca brought his other hand to him as well. As he brushed off the scone crumbs from his mouth and cupped his cheeks, the goldfish immediately pressed himself against him, leaving no space between them.

“Young Master.”

Then he grinned again. Hanging on and crying was a fine sight, but this wasn’t bad either. Anyway, watching him, there was never a dull moment.

From the following day, Niah’s routine included not only garden and greenhouse maintenance but also waiting on Orca. Every task Bailey had been doing was handed over to Niah. Bailey, out of spite, taught him the tasks with an even worse attitude than when he had taught him how to brew tea.

His main duties were bed-making, bathing assistance, running errands, cleaning, laundry management, and preparing teatime. In truth, these weren’t particularly difficult tasks. It was just exhausting to do them all alone, but the work itself was simple.

For Niah, it might have actually been for the better. He still had to do as much garden and greenhouse work as before, but the other chores were significantly reduced.

Sometimes, servants who used to drag him away as soon as they spotted him would ignore him entirely. Of course, they didn’t just walk away; they would pass by, whispering curses that the idiot would soon be devoured by the Young Master. Hearing such things would make him feel a bit scared and bring a few tears to his eyes, but he would feel fine before long.

Niah would hope that even if the Young Master truly intended to eat him, he might let him off if he clung to him and begged. It had been about a week since he began serving Orca.

Niah, who was sitting in a corner of the greenhouse repotting the plump Sansevieria plants, pricked up his ears. His movements slowed as he focused on the servants gossiping nearby.

“Did you hear? The Young Master is staying at the mansion for the time being.”

“What? Is that true? Who told you that?”

“Julie. She said she heard it while talking to the mistress yesterday.”

Niah, who had been gently brushing away the soil so the short, thin roots wouldn’t be damaged, bit his lower lip and gritted his teeth. If he didn’t, he felt he would burst into laughter and get scolded.

It was the first time he had heard that the Young Master would be staying at the mansion. Everyone had only shared the sad news that he would be leaving soon, so the news he had just learned was very welcome.