Elias bowed deeply and said, "I will leave you now."The maid bowed too and said, "Thank you, Butler Elias."
Now, the maid was alone in the room. She sighed and started to walk slowly while holding the paper with the rules. She went to the bathroom to freshen up. Then she looked at Axelius's dressing room, thinking about everything she needed to do before starting her new job.
After a few hours,
The maid stepped outside, clutching the crumpled paper of rules tightly in her hand. She had barely taken a few steps when she saw the other maids gathered by the corridor, their faces full of worry—and something more, like anger. Their eyes immediately fixed on her.
One of the maids, folding her arms tightly, spoke first with a sharp edge. "So, you're going to do everything by yourself now? Just one maid for him? That sounds impossible."
Another maid sneered, "I don't even know why he gets a special maid. Does he think he's better than all of us?" She glanced sideways, whispering loudly, "Why don't we just go tell the Duke? Maybe he'll see how unfair this is."
The first maid nodded, her lips curling into a smirk. "Exactly. The Duke should know what kind of demands this 'young master' makes. Acting like he's royalty or something."
A third maid joined in, shaking her head, "If it were me, I'd have refused that job. Why work for someone who treats his servants like pawns?"
The maids thwn stared at her new uniform with sharp eyes, whispering among themselves.
"That uniform… ," one scoffed. "He's dressing you like a wench."
Another nodded, voice low but cruel. "Like one of those tavern girls who sell their bodies for coin."
The maid sighed softly, forcing a smile. "You all should stop. It's not right to speak like that."
But the others only chuckled and lowered their voices. One leaned closer and whispered, "They say he talks to himself sometimes… Is it true? That he's… strange?"
The maid's eyes flicked to the paper of rules in her hand. She remembered the warning clearly: No talking about this. No complaints. Or else.
Quickly, she bowed her head and whispered, "I have to prepare Young Master Axelius's breakfast now. Please excuse me."
One maid frowned. "But isn't your job starting at noon? Why so early?"
The maid showed the paper. "He's exercising in the morning. I need to get breakfast ready. Sorry, girls, I have to go."
With that, she turned and hurried away, the other maids watching sadly after her.
Then, one of them spoke softly, "No offense, but with that maid uniform, she really does look dazzling…"
Another scolded gently, "Don't say that out loud. Poor girl's got it hard enough." They all shared looks full of pity, knowing the hard days she would face ahead.
Meanwhile, Axelius was running fast through the big mansion halls, his feet making soft sounds on the smooth floor. The maids and butlers stopped what they were doing and quickly bowed, greeting him quietly. Some of them whispered to each other, curious about why their young master was so full of energy this morning.
Owen bouncing to the floor, "Hey Axelius, you think you can beat me in a race? I'm fast, you know!"
Axelius laughed and replied, "We'll see about that, Owen! Let's race!" He felt excited, like he was a kid again, full of joy and energy.
Suddenly, as Axelius ran around a corner, a door quickly opened in front of him. It was Seraphine!
Axelius stopped just in time and moved to the side, avoiding bumping into her by only a little.
Seraphine looked surprised , Axelius smiled back and said, "Sorry, Seraphine. I didn't see you."
Owen said, "That was close! You have to watch where you're going if you want to win the race!"
Without slowing down, Axelius waved at Seraphine and continued running through the wide halls.
Axelius pushed his body to the limit, his breath coming in heavy gasps and sweat dripping down his forehead as his legs grew weak from the sudden burst of speed. Meanwhile, Owen, bouncing effortlessly on his shoulder, seemed endless in energy, his small form shaking with laughter. "In this life, I win!" Owen teased loudly, his voice full of mischief. "You're just too slow, Axelius! You can't keep up with me!"
Axelius chuckled, though his chest heaved with exhaustion. He leaned against the cool stone wall, trying to steady his breathing. "You're so unfair, man," he said, wiping sweat from his brow. "You don't get tired at all, and you're just making fun of me!"
Owen's laughter only grew louder as he bounced gleefully. Axelius smiled back, playfully scooped him up, and gently tossed him toward the opposite wall. Owen hit the surface with a soft thud, then slid down a little before stopping just in time—not falling, but landing perfectly balanced on the edge of a large, old portrait hanging there. The heavy frame shook slightly, and a faint creak echoed in the quiet room.
Suddenly, a strange grinding sound came from behind the wall where the portrait hung. The whole section began to rotate slowly like a hidden door swinging open. Axelius's eyes widened in surprise, and before he could react, the wall shifted, creating an opening just wide enough for him to step inside. Losing his footing, he stumbled forward and fell through the gap into the secret space beyond.
Axelius stand up and walked, but he did not see the stairs going down in front of him. Suddenly, he slipped and started to fall, and before he could stop himself, Owen bounced right beside him and began to fall too. Without thinking, Axelius stretched out his hand and quickly grabbed Owen with a strong grip in his palm so his little friend would not fall alone into the dark space below.
Axelius hit the floor hard, the cold stone biting into his skin and pain shooting through his body from the fall. He clenched his teeth but couldn't help a small laugh escape. In his palm, Owen—a small, bouncy slime—was squished slightly, wobbling angrily.
"Shit, That's hurt!" Axelius laughed,
"Hey! You're squeezing me too much! I almost melted because of you!" Owen's voice was sharp, his slime body wobbling in frustration.
Axelius, still hurting, smiled through the pain. "I couldn't let you fall alone. That wouldn't be fair."
Owen jiggled angrily but stayed stuck in Axelius's hand.
Suddenly, with a heavy thud, the door in the wall slammed shut behind them, plunging the space into total darkness. Axelius's smile faded as he looked at the closed door. They were trapped.