The day flew by; Lior's tasks continued until nightfall.
He worked a great deal, since that was his punishment.
After being in the kitchen, he was called to the main hall, where he once again worked on cleaning and spent several hours there.
In the afternoon he barely ate anything—only half a loaf of bread and what remained of a watery broth.
He was called to tidy his master's room, which was quite spacious and very befitting of him.
It consisted of a large main bed positioned in the center of the room, with several pieces of furniture and a small desk to one side. There was a large mirror near the wardrobe, which contained fine clothing of excellent quality.
His mission was to organize the garments that had been handed to him earlier.
Taking and setting aside some pieces on the bed, he hung them in the wardrobe with hangers. It could be seen that the outfits were organized by color, with darker garments on the left and more pastel ones on the right.
There was no main color in the way he dressed; what stood out most was that the pastel colors were fewer than the dark ones. The white outfit he had seen the first time was just one of his daily attires.
All of his clothing was elegant, and he always dressed the same—that is, in a formal suit.
Although some garments were different, and those were organized in a separate wardrobe.
His master seemed to be obsessed with order, since Lior had been warned to be careful with the arrangement.
He spent a long time organizing, as it was a mountain of clothes; his master constantly changed outfits. He didn't understand why, but he only knew that he was indecisive.
"…"
When Lior finished hanging the last outfit in the section for sets, he let out a soft sigh and headed back toward the exit of the room.
When he opened the door, he came face to face with a very imposing figure—his master, Akuma.
He looked at him with a gaze that Lior couldn't decipher. The catboy froze completely, staring with his eyes wide open.
He remained like that for a few seconds, until his master gave him a strange smile and placed his hand on his head.
Akuma petted Lior just like a cat, causing Lior to become flustered as he felt an unfamiliar pleasure. He had felt that sensation before, when in the dungeon Akuma had touched his ears and his head.
It was a feeling of relaxation and ecstasy that Lior hadn't experienced again until now.
He wasn't used to this; he purred like a cat and blushed slightly.
He felt that small sensation until Akuma's hand was withdrawn.
Lior came back to his senses and bowed to his master, then quickly walked out of the room.
Akuma watched him with a knowing smile and finally entered his room.
Lior was strangely tense; he didn't know why he had reacted that way.
The catboy simply went to where Chiyo was, ready for a new task and also to try to forget what had happened.
"…"
Work and more work. He was assigned the task of hanging clothes, feeding the slaves, watering the garden, and several others. That kept him busy until nightfall, when he received a kind of dinner, which consisted of another sad loaf of bread split in half.
His efforts were not very well rewarded, and the butler in charge of the maids spent his time watching over the slaves. Supposedly, he was the one meant to guide the maids, but it seemed he had another errand now.
Lior continued working until he could no longer go on. The catboy was overexploited on the second day, and he only had enough strength left to lie down.
Chiyo was aware of this, and since it was already late, she believed it was fair to send all the maids to sleep.
The blonde cat-girl kept her strange attitude, even though the day had been more of the same. It seemed she didn't want Lior to go to sleep, which was why she kept assigning him long and heavy tasks.
She constantly told him that he had to obey orders, not resist the requests of his superiors—especially those of his master—work in silence, give it his all, endure exhaustion, and so on.
The day had been far too productive, so much so that Lior only wanted to sleep and sleep.
That was when Chiyo looked at him seriously and told him to prepare for the night.
Lior didn't catch the hint of sorrow and anguish in Chiyo's voice, and he merely nodded his head.
Her gaze was tragic, as if she had seen something disturbing.
Lior simply looked around and began to walk toward his room.
"…"
Walking… Walking…
Moving forward… Moving forward…
Chasing… Chasing…
Touching… Touching…
[Chiyo: Lior… be careful, okay?]
[Lior: Nyah? Uh… ahem… y-yes, Miss Chiyo]
Chiyo touched Lior's shoulder, leaving him surprised. She gave him a strange look.
[Lior: Is something wrong, miss?]
[Chiyo: Ah? Eh… no, it's nothing]
[Lior: You seem uneasy. Are you really alright, nya? If you want, I can make you a little tea—]
[Chiyo: —It's nothing. Uhmm… tomorrow… you have to work again. I suppose you've already adapted?]
Chiyo's expression kept changing. Her eyes lingered on Lior's face, as if asking him for something. Quickly, her gaze returned—or tried to return—to its serious look. It was a very strange feeling.
[Lior: Ah… yes… I've tried to adapt as best as I could, nya. Tomorrow I'll try to do better]
[Chiyo: Ah… alright… perfect]
Lior looked at Chiyo with his tail and ears drooping, along with eyes darkened by exhaustion.
His mind was screaming for sleep, so he only wanted to go to his room.
[Lior: Ah… miss, I'll take my leave. Have a nice night]
[Chiyo: Ah…]
Chiyo's gaze wavered for a second.
[Chiyo: Ah… y-yes… g-good night]
Lior turned around and went to his room.
Chiyo remained standing, as if she had seen a ghost. Her mind screamed to help the boy, but she knew she couldn't do anything.
The catboy walked and walked, until he finally reached his room. Opening the door carefully, he tried to make as little noise as possible and went inside.
There…
At the back…
Chiyo watched him with sorrow, with anguish and fear in her eyes…
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
[Lior: Ahrmññ…]
"At last… my bed…"
The demi-human was lying face down on his bed. He had never felt as tired as he did now. Working for hours and hours was something new to him, since his old part-time job had never been this demanding.
Lior turned over and stood up to take off his uniform. Then he put on his pajamas and neatly folded the maid outfit. He placed his uniform on the nightstand, right where he had left it yesterday.
He looked at his bed with a tired smile, happy to finally rest.
"[Chiyo: Be careful…]"
Lior thought about what Chiyo had told him, but he simply didn't understand it. His mind was so exhausted that it just couldn't process new information.
He walked toward his bed and lay down on it. He glanced to the side and saw his nightstand with a lit candle.
[Lior: Ahh-fu]
Lior blew out the candle he himself had lit earlier.
[Lior: Ahrññmmm…]
He stretched out on his mattress like a snake and covered himself with his blanket. It was a cold night lurking outside. Luckily, the blanket and sheets were enough for him.
Quickly, his mind began to blank out after he closed his eyes. The exhaustion was so great that in just a few seconds, Lior fell into a deep sleep.
A sleep…
A deep sleep…
A sleep…
Sleep…
Sleep…
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
The night was heavy, and the cold didn't help. It felt eternal, with a peace that brought comfort.
Lior was dreaming…
Seeing his parents again. Seeing his friends again. Returning to his former life.
Within that dream, he was conscious. He would never return, and that filled him with sorrow. So much so that small sobs could be heard from the sleeping boy.
A longing that could never be fulfilled. A farce that, to him, was real.
Dream…
Dream…
Return…
Return…
If only it were that easy… If only it were easier…
Longing… longing…
Lior turned toward the wall to get more comfortable. His tail was hanging off the bed just like the night before, and a small fang peeked out from his mouth.
He slept like a baby; he was so exhausted that his sleep was heavy, making him shift unconsciously.
He slept…
And slept…
"…"
He slept…
And slept…
"…"
He slept…
And slept…
"…"
While the catboy slept peacefully, something could barely be heard. One after another.
Footsteps… almost inaudible.
They headed toward Lior's door, and when they stopped being heard, they were right in front of it.
The doorknob turned, and the door opened. The sound was dry, not spreading through the air.
A silhouette…
A silhouette could be seen in contrast with the moonlight.
That silhouette entered Lior's room and closed the door with extreme care.
Turning around after closing the door, the figure moved forward. It moved and moved ahead, more precisely toward the bed where Lior was.
Lior was submerged in a dream full of longing; he couldn't know what was happening outside himself.
"…"
The silhouette drew closer and closer until it reached Lior's bed.
The figure stood in front of the catboy, watching him sleep. Its gaze traced the outline of his body beneath the blanket.
It looked from head to toe, radiating a sinister aura. That figure was plotting something in its mind.
"…"
Lior kept sleeping, but strangely, he felt something. Despite his deep sleep, he sensed something odd outside himself—something strong enough to force him to open his eyes and come back to himself.
An aura… a feeling…
Something made Lior wake up.
The catboy slowly opened his eyes while hearing a strange breathing behind him.
It had been a short nap; he hadn't even had time to sink into the deepest part of his dreams, because if he had, he truly wouldn't have woken up.
"…"
It was there… someone…
Lior opened his eyes completely. He felt something behind him.
Little by little, the cat turned around to look at what intrigued him so much.
He turned around… and saw him.
That silhouette belonged to someone he barely knew, but who was important enough to leave him stunned.
Who was there… behind Lior…
Was no one other than…
Akuma Eidoriku.
"..."