Chapter 8: The Personal Maid: Luna
Daemon coughed. He could not say that she was the most wanted assassin in the district. He quickly thought of a name.
" Uh... Luna. Yes, Luna. " he said as he approached. " She is my personal maid. You can release her. I had asked her to sell some useless trinkets to make space. "
The guard nodded and untied the bonds. " In that case, we will take our leave, Lord Dagon. "
The newly named Luna murmured to herself: " Dagon... " She had finally understood the identity of this insolent young master. The fallen heir of the Sword Clan. The nephew of the Patriarch who had injured her.
Daemon approached Luna with a slight smile. He leaned in and whispered in her ear, low enough for Mallory not to hear anything. " Master, I didn’t know you had stolen your own disciple. Selling stolen goods, really? "
Luna gritted her teeth. " If I had known you were a Dagon last night, I would have slit your throat while you slept. " she whispered back.
Daemon smiled. He pinched her cheek and pulled it gently. " I have trouble taking you seriously with this cute face. " He burst out laughing.
" Let me go! "
" Young master, a little decorum! " Mallory approached, frowning.
Daemon immediately released Luna’s cheek. " Hum, I apologize. "
Mallory nodded, then she examined Luna from head to toe. " Luna, right? The young master seems to like you. " She made a small doubtful pout. " First, let’s remove these rags. Then I will give you a tour of our domain so you can familiarize yourself with it. "
Luna looked at Daemon with a sharp gaze. Then she turned on her heels and followed Mallory without saying a word.
Daemon watched them leave, an amused smile on his lips. " Stewardess, don’t be too hard on her! " he shouted.
...
After Luna had taken a bath and changed her clothes, Stewardess Mallory gave her a detailed tour of the domain. They walked through the long corridors, passed by the kitchens where the maids were already preparing dinner, then climbed the stairs to the private chambers.
" You will be responsible for the young master’s bath. " Mallory listed while counting on her fingers. " You must ensure the water is at the right temperature, neither too hot nor too cold. You will also have to prepare his meals and make sure he eats properly. Then you will look after his general well-being: his clothes, his bedsheets, the order in his office. "
Luna rolled her eyes behind Mallory’s back, but she pretended to listen attentively. She nodded at the right moments and added a " yes, madam " from time to time.
Strangely, she did not know why Daemon had helped her. She was a criminal wanted by the entire Sword Clan. The choice he had made to cover for her and give her a fake identity could even put him in danger. If anyone discovered that the heir of the Winter House was harboring Blood Moon, his head would roll as surely as hers.
She wondered why he was putting himself in such a risky position. There was no logical reason for this behavior. Except maybe...
’ Maybe he’s just an idiot?’ she thought.
" The young master may have taken pity on you because of your pretty face. " Mallory said while looking her over. " But I expect results. I hope you are competent in domestic tasks. "
Luna bowed politely. " I will do my best, madam. "
" Your best is not enough. " Mallory shook her head. " Don’t you see how thin the young master is? He needs someone to take care of him. Help me put a little weight on him. "
Luna raised an eyebrow. " Thin? "
" Haven’t you noticed already? " Mallory sighed. " Ah... The young master is as superficial as his father was. And look where that led Lloyd: he married that viper Persephone. " She gave Luna a dark look. " And his son is no better. Daemon should have let me select his personal maid. "
Mallory looked Luna up and down. With her frail appearance and slender hands that had strangled dozens of people, she seriously wondered if this maid would not faint after a day of work. A young master as demanding as Daemon would run her ragged.
Luna frowned. " I apologize, but I don’t really understand what you mean. "
" Pay no attention. " Mallory raised a hand. " I was thinking out loud. Anyway, go see if Daemon needs anything. "
Luna nodded.
She did not like Daemon. After all, he was from the Dagon family, more precisely an influential member of the Sword Clan, the same clan that had caused the death of her parents. But for now, as Stewardess Mallory had suggested, Daemon seemed like a superficial person.
’ He probably fell for me at first sight.’ she thought while walking. " That must be why he helped me. Hmph, what a naive mentality. "
She shook her head.
" Anyway, I’m not going to complain. " she murmured to herself. " I’ll play the maid game. In the meantime, I’ll look for a way to regain my powers. It shouldn’t be too hard to satisfy this idiot, right? "
She knocked on the office door.
" It’s me, young master. " she said with a forced smile. " If you need anything, don’t hesitate to ask me. "
Daemon did not even look up. He was leaning over a scroll, pen in hand. " It’s you. Bring me something to snack on. "
Luna went back to the kitchen, took a plate of biscuits, and returned. She placed the plate on the desk.
Daemon grabbed one, stuffed it in his mouth, then started coughing. " Ah... I’m choking. Bring me some tea. "
Luna gritted her teeth, went back to the kitchen, prepared a teapot, and returned. She poured the steaming liquid into a porcelain cup.
Daemon took a sip, made a face, and set the cup down. " This tea is quite bland. Did you add medicinal herbs? "
" Yes. " Luna replied in a neutral voice. " As the Stewardess recommended. "
" That explains the taste. " Daemon pushed the cup toward her. " Make another one and add a bit more sugar. "
Luna felt her jaw clench. She took the cup, went back to the kitchen, prepared a new tea with three spoonfuls of sugar, and returned. Daemon took a sip and went back to his scrolls without saying thank you.
Then he asked her to clean his room. Luna dusted the shelves, put away the dirty clothes, washed the windows, and scrubbed the floor on her knees. She spent almost the entire afternoon on this task. She was out of breath and cursing every second.
" I am a Master of the Fourth Sense. I have killed hundreds of men. And here I am scrubbing the floor like a servant. "
Around four o’clock in the afternoon, just as she had finally finished cleaning and was about to take a breather, Mallory poked her head through the door.
" Luna, the young master needs his bath. Go get some water. "
Luna closed her eyes and counted to ten.
" That bastard! " she muttered between her teeth as she headed to the laundry room. " He’s doing it on purpose to push me to my limits! "
She filled a large cauldron with water, carried it to the bathroom, and poured the water into the wooden basin. She repeated the operation four times until the basin was half full.
" Don’t forget to add medicinal essences. " Daemon said from the hallway. " My skin is quite delicate. "
Luna grabbed a bottle of essential oil and poured a generous amount into the water.
Daemon entered, dipped a finger in the water, and immediately pulled his hand back. " The water is way too cold. Do you want your young master to die of a cold? "
Luna clenched her fists. She went back to the laundry room, heated another cauldron, and brought it back.
" Why do I have to do this kind of thing? " she fumed under her breath. " There are plenty of other servants in this manor. Why me? "
Daemon dipped his finger again. " It’s too hot! Do you want me to get burned to death? "
Luna could not take it anymore. " I can burn you to death if that’s what you want. " she retorted.