"Young….mas…."
"Youn….mast…."
"Young master!"
Chayrith's eyes shuddered slightly before drawing open. His bright green eyes locked onto the worried face of Meilan, his nanny.
"Gabado!"
With a cheery cry, Chayrith lifted his chunky hands to touch Meilan's pale cheeks. Seeing him come out of his earlier trance, Meilan let out a sigh of relief. She gave his cheeks a reassuring nuzzle as she chuckled lightly.
"Young master, you really know how to make this poor maid worry. I wonder where you go when you space out like that."
Chayrith blinked his eyes innocently, putting on an expression that betrayed no sign of understanding. Meilan sighed at this, shaking her head as she feigned ignorance.
She had always known that her young master was a bit strange. While he may babble and act like a baby at times on the surface, from time to time his mask would slip.
Whether it be a hidden gleam of intelligence behind his eyes, or the subtle regal air that hangs around him when he is alone, Meilan could clearly see that he was not a simple baby as he often tries to portray.
She had mentioned it to Kaelira and Vairon, but only received faint smiles in return. While she found it worrying and odd, she trusted her employers — and the parents of said child — to have a firm grasp on the situation.
Thus, she had resolved herself to be the nanny and caretaker who would guard and care for the young master no matter what. She had been around Chayrith since the day he was born.
She, an orphan and widow with nothing but dust to her name, had become the nanny and head maid of the Skydorn City Lord's mansion — even swearing a sister pact with Kaelira under the acknowledgement of the heavens.
When Chayrith was born, she was instantly smitten with the boy, even making a blood oath that her son would become his sworn protector until the day he died.
As he grew, Meilan had been there every step of the way. Watching his first crawl, the first time he flipped over. She had been there through it all, even being more present in his life than his two parents.
Of course, as the obsessive and doting parents they were, Kaelira and Vairon were very active in his growth and life. But Meilan and Chayrith had a strange connection, one that seemed to rival the blood bonds he shared with his parents.
While Meilan would never dare to call herself his mother, she treated him as if he were her own flesh and blood. They were inseparable.
Thinking of this, a bright smile that seemed to eclipse the sun adorned her face. Even with all the tragedy and loss in her life, she was thankful every day for the heavens blessing her with her son and her young master.
Growlll
Hearing the sudden rumbling of a very hungry tummy, Meilan snapped out of her reverie and looked down at the baby in her arms. It was brief, but she could have sworn she caught the faint hint of red on his cheeks as if he were embarrassed.
She giggled softly before correcting his position in her arms.
"Alright, let's head to the kitchens, young master. I hear they have blood elk steak prepared — your favorite!"
With a celebratory 'Doba!' Meilan vanished from the hall, heading toward the feast that awaited them.
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Within the dining hall of the City Lord mansion, a baby and a fawning maid could be seen relishing a meal in pure delight.
"Mmmmm~! Simply divine~!"
"Divii~!!"
Meilan held Chayrith in her lap, both of their faces melting in pure bliss at the superb feast melting on their tongues. To those who didn't know her, many believed Meilan to be a cold-faced, expressionless maid who did not hold any feeling.
But those within the mansion walls knew her biggest weakness — she was a die-hard foodie. And it was also clear to all that she had successfully transferred that trait to the young master. Many nights, the two of them would sneak out to the dining hall to raid the food storage for late-night snacks.
It has even gotten to the point that the cooks within the mansion leave wrapped dishes on the countertop with heating formations inscribed on the plates to keep the food warm for them.
They both developed a deep bond over their shared love of food, and view those times as a sacred ritual between the two of them. No amount of scolding from Kaelira could ever come between them and their nightly food raids!
Mouthful after mouthful disappeared into their gluttonous maws as they practically inhaled the spread before them. The staff within the hall gawked in pure amazement seeing the ever-graceful and composed Meilan devour the feast of steak and meat like a starved ghost —
yet still maintain the air of grace and beauty expected of a noble.
Meanwhile Chayrith, cheeks puffed out due to the sheer volume of food he was stuffing in his mouth, was happily shoveling fistfuls of food into his face.
Within mere seconds, the entire table was wiped clean. A genocide so thorough not even a speck of food remained to tell the tale.
With satisfied sighs, they both leaned back, patting their bloated stomachs.
"Remember, young master, no matter what occurs in life, only one thing will never betray you: food! So always hold it with reverence in your heart — never slight its holy grace."
"Gaba!"
Chayrith nodded his head seriously at Meilan's solemn words, treating them like an imperial edict.
Suddenly, a hearty laugh echoed through the hall, interrupting their reverent prayers to the food deities.
"Hahaha, little Mei Mei, young master! As always, I am glad to see you enjoy my food so much!"
Meilan turned her gaze toward the portly man swaggering toward them. If anyone else had dared to address her as "little Mei Mei," she would have strung them up by their own entrails without hesitation.
But seeing the speaker, she just smiled wryly.
"Old Hei… can you please stop calling me that? Save me some face!"
"HAHAHA!"
Old Hei let out another thunderous roar of laughter.
"Little lass, you are too young to be worrying so much about face. Instead of worrying about useless things, how 'bout you visit this old man more? I get lonely when you aren't here making a mess out of my hall!"
Meilan rolled her eyes in exasperation at the shameless old man before suddenly remembering something and narrowing her eyes at him.
"Shouldn't you be focused on preparing the food for the young master's birthday feast? What are you doing here?"
Old Hei waved his hands dismissively.
"That is already taken care of! I am just waiting for the arrival of the main ingredients and everything will be ready. The quality will be peerless, I swear on my mother's very grave!"
Slapping his round, jolly belly, Old Hei's face lit up with pride and arrogance. Meilan's narrowed eyes didn't relax — in fact, they sharpened further. Her expression resembled that of a daughter scrutinizing her suspicious father.
"And I'm sure there will be no alcohol present in the kitchens while you work, correct?"
Old Hei's face sank slightly, his gaze turning shifty as he avoided her piercing gaze.
"W-What are you blabbering about!? O-Of course there is no alcohol! I haven't drunk a lick since a week ago!"
Seeing Meilan's distrustful gaze and sensing the rising intensity of her stare, cold sweat broke out across his back.
"O-Okay, maybe I had a s-small sip yesterday… and this morning. But I swear I won't touch a single bottle until the feast!"
Meilan was about to start her usual lecture before Chayrith's giggles interrupted her train of thought. Seeing his cute, bite-sized cheeks jiggle in merriment, Meilan's stern expression melted into an expression of pure adoration.
"Kyaaaa~! Young master is the qutestttt~!"
Seeing Meilan drop her scrutinizing gaze and proceed to rub her face against the young master, Old Hei let out a sigh of relief — mentally giving the young master a thumbs-up, vowing to repay him with his favorite dishes tonight.
Before he could celebrate fully, Meilan turned her sharp gaze back to him, causing his body to stand at attention, straight as a sword.
"...I'll be watching you, old drunk. Don't think you are off the hook."
With a snort, she lifted Chayrith onto her shoulder as she began walking out of the hall.
Old Hei sent Chayrith a wink and a hearty smile. Chayrith could only tilt his head in confusion, wondering what the old man was thinking about.
As they exited the hall and walked down the corridor, Meilan began to walk toward the courtyard, her mind filled with the joyful twinkling of Chayrith's earlier laughter.
Seeing the twisted smile and drool on his nanny's lips, Chayrith's face was expressionless — choosing to simply ignore it as he had seen such expressions from the other maids on many occasions.
'They simply can't withstand the majesty of my divine presence, umu!'