76: Damn Pretty Boy

Damn Pretty Boy

"Your list of responsibilities will be explained to you shortly, but in general, you have to stick to the Young Master like a shadow, attending to his needs," the butler continued to speak as they walked and Oriana did her best to match his long strides, keeping a distance of two steps between them.  2

When they reached Rafal's bedchamber, they spotted the man standing in front of the full-length mirror in his pants and the only other male servant was bringing a shirt to him. 

Oriana had her head lowered when Smith greeted Rafal, but she could not help but peek at the appearance of Rafal's well toned upper body. Muscular and broad-shouldered, with a number of battle scars all over his arms.

'How manly! No wonder his clothes are so big. No wonder he always points out how weak my body looks. Damn, this is like the definition of a manly body. Look at those rippling muscles. One punch from him might send me straight to heaven. Epitome of a strong man!'

"...Orian!" The call from Butler Smith brought her back to her senses while Rafal looked at her through the mirror, clearly not happy about her presence. 

"Yes, Butler Smith?"

"Your first work as a valet." The butler signaled her to walk towards Rafal who was still staring at her through the reflection of the mirror. The manservant covered his upper body in a white shirt and was doing his buttons.

"Bring the jacket to the Young Master," the butler instructed. 

Oriana hurriedly got the luxurious-looking maroon jacket folded on the side and went to stand behind Rafal who had his arms raised out to his sides.

She quietly put the sleeves of the jacket through his arms and she fixed the creases on the back. 

"You can button it now," the butler said and the other servants moved away to give space. Oriana moved to stand in front of Rafal with her head lowered, praying that he wont recognize her. 

She calmed herself and her small hands nimbly moved to button him up. 

Rafal lowered his gaze and found her delicate features too close for comfort. He had taken note of her pretty boy face back in Jerusha, but this herbalist appeared to be more beautiful up close. 

Her large hazel eyes were framed by long, thick lashes, her small face exquisite. Her nose was adorable, giving one the urge to pinch it, and her skin was without a single blemish. There was a faint scent coming from her body. 

His heart skipped a beat. 

'This damn pretty boy!' Rafal stepped back as he glared at her. 'No wonder His Highness...'

Oriana was shocked by his reaction. It was as if she had stabbed him. She looked at him in confusion, only to meet his glare, and remembering the house rules, she immediately lowered her gaze.

"Anything the matter, Young Master?" the butler asked. 

Rafal turned to face the mirror as he fixed his own jacket and said, "Everyone leave. Only Butler Smith stays."

Oriana and the other servant left as fast as they could. 

She slowly walked along the hallway, immersed in her own thoughts. 

'What was that? Why did he look at me as if he wanted to kill me? It is only my second day at work and I never committed a grave mistake. Does he really hate how skinny I look?' Then, her eyes widened as realization hit her. 'Am I caught? Did he recognize me and thought I followed him to the capital because of some evil scheme? Oh, no! I cannot let him have that kind of misunderstanding.'

After a while, the butler came out and saw Oriana who was waiting outside for her next orders.

"Orian!"

She slowly, ever-so-slowly turned around to face the butler, frightened that she would be sent to the dungeon.

She mustered up a bright smile despite her inner fears. "Y-Yes, Butler Smith."

"We have guests in the second guest mansion. You will be serving there for the meantime."

She looked at the butler, feeling relieved and worried at the same time. Relieved that she was not caught and worried that her workplace was being changed. 

'Are all noble households this disorganized?' she could not help but wonder. 

Did she by any chance offended the young master who was her sole means to enter the royal palace? 

"Guest?"

The butler nodded. "We have a very important guest and we need more people to serve him. You will be personally attending to his needs, so make sure you do not commit any mistake."

"B-But if that person is important, shouldn't the more skilled servants be placed there—"

"Do not question the arrangements of nobles. As servants, we simply need to obey."

She lowered her head. "Apologies, Butler Smith."

"Come with me." The butler guided her way outside the first guest mansion and brought her to the one next to it. "Same house rules apply in both mansions, but there won't be any butler in the second guest mansion since the important guest brought his own people. Ask the head maid about where things are located. What you learned here, you have to follow the same there. I believe the guest ought to have brought his own people except for a personal valet, which he requested from the Head Butler."

"I understand, Butler Smith."

"You have to  personally attend to the needs of this guest. As I said earlier, to be a valet is to be like a shadow. You have to be around him twenty four hours of the day except for when he permits you to take a short break or orders you to leave him, but make sure you remain alert for when he calls for you. You have to wake up before he does and you cannot sleep until he falls asleep. You have to take care of the food he wants and relay it to the kitchen, prepare the clothes he wears for the day, bring away his dirty laundry, make sure his bath is ready whenever he needs it, and…"

The butler continued to enumerate the list of things Oriana needed to remember. 

"...do you understand, Orian?"

'In short, I have to play the mother of a spoiled baby.' Oriana already felt exhausted just thinking of what awaited her.  'No wonder the pay is so good.' 

Her face, however, remained bright, a contrast to her thoughts. "Yes, Butler Smith."

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