Was it four, or five hours? Jacob could not tell, but he knew he did not sleep for long. Usually, after waking up he would take a shower to start his day, but this was not his home. Although he wanted to shower and relax whenever he wanted to, he knew this was not his home so he had to abide by whatever rules were set.
The lord of this place was still a mystery to him, one that he wanted to figure out. However, Jacob was playing the long game. There was no need for him to do everything at once, slow and steady wins the race. This was a hard-learned lesson he was taught years ago.
After waking up he left his room and headed straight to the kitchen. While he was not usually the breakfast type, his body needed the nutrients food would provide. He feared his growth would be delayed if he did not give his body what it deserved.
He was young, and in a period of growth. As time progressed, he would grow, his voice would get deeper and so much more. But for now, his body seemed to be in the beginning stages of the wonder called puberty.
Inside the kitchen, the staff was all busily working, but, they seemed short-staffed compared to the amount he saw yesterday.
His arm reached over to grab a green apple that was in a basket seated upon the table. The first thought that popped into his mind was, 'did everyone eat already?'. The reason being was while all the maids were moving here and there doing chores, or gossiping with each other, Jacob saw not one plate in sight.
"Excuse me, but when is breakfast served?"
Politely he asked one of the maids who was on her own, wiping down the table with a cloth.
She was slightly stunned at first when she saw his appearance but quickly came to her senses. Jacob almost fooled her into thinking he was her lord with his appearance, but she had to remember Diana was bringing their lord his breakfast right now.
Still, the kid in front of her was plenty cute, too bad he was not the tall, rich and handsome she was hoping for.
"We've already had breakfast. We wake up before first light, wash and cook, then we go about our duties. If you've missed it, then you will have to wait until dinner. However, you can try your luck out back, pretty sure Rolf is cooking up something for the guards."
The maid paused in her cleaning as she answered Jacob's question.
Was she sorry for him? Not really, it was his own fault for not waking up early as they did. If he really wanted breakfast, he would have been here when they were eating.
But what she failed to realize was that no one told him anything. He came here, was told to laze around all day, he met a few people and later on, he was given a room to sleep in. That was all.
No one really reached out to show him the estate, and surely no one gave him a time of when he was supposed to wake up to get breakfast. None of the people here were going out of their way to make him their friend, or get to know him.
To most of them, they figured Jacob would be leaving today therefore, there was no need to pay him any mind.
"Thanks, that's good to know for next time."
Jacob could tell that she thought nothing of him. It was just a feeling he had in his gut, nothing more.
"If you don't mind me asking what caused you to work here? As a maid?"
Truthfully, the maid thought that Jacob would leave once she answered his question so she went right back to cleaning the table. It never crossed her mind he would ask her such a question.
How long has it been? Two years?
Wow, time surely does fly by. Two whole years went by before she even knew it. She came here in hopes that her looks would attract the lord's attention and maybe she could get into his graces. Slowly she would work her way into his heart, eventually becoming a noble.
Now that she thought back on it, it was a foolish idea. The lord was twelve years old at the time, clearing having no thoughts of having a female companion. Not to mention, his father and mother were just killed a few months before she came.
If anything, he was on guard against everyone inside the mansion.
As she gazed into Jacob's blue eyes, all she could see was the young lord.
He matured early on as he inherited everything his family had to offer with him being an only child.
Looking at Jacob, she felt the two had a resemblance. Not the resemblance in facial features, but instead with the way they made others feel.
"I can't recall, it has been so long that everything just blurs together. If you ask me do I regret coming here, I would tell you no in a heartbeat. Coming here was the best thing that happened to me. The lord is not like the other nobles I've heard stories about, he is more down to earth."
Her voice was soft, maybe due to her lingering attachment, she had to her dream. A walk down memory lane was always nostalgic.
With furrowed brows, Jacob could tell what she meant.
While the nobles here did not dabble in the slave business, they did have adulterous affairs with their house employees. It was a common sight to see a maid tossed out on the streets after the madam found her sleeping with her husband. Even worse for maids who wound up pregnant.
"I met with him briefly yesterday, he seems more mature for his age. To be honest, it is like I was talking to a twenty-something-year-old in a teenager's body."
Jacob commented after he took a bite into his apple.
The maid nodded in agreement with him but giggled as well.
"You are one to talk, you are the same as him. How old are you anyway, twelve, thirteen? But here you are, talking me up when you should be out and about playing around."
Jacob scratched the back of his head, what was he going to say?
Seeing how she got a reaction out of him, it brought her a little bit of joy. Yet, it hurt her at the same time.
She was already in her late twenties, almost thirty but did not have a partner yet. She should have found a husband by now and started her own family. If only she listened to her mother, she would have been married by now. Might even have a kid or two of her own.
Jacob talking to her made her realize how much she has missed. His cute appearance made her want to have a child of her own. Yet, she felt it was a bit late for that.
Her job was really lax most of the time, and the lord even gave her time to explore the city. One day a week, twenty-four hours was the exact amount of free time she had every week to spend. It was more than enough for her to spend out in the city and meet some man she could fall in love with. Yet, she stayed cooped up in the mansion gossiping with her friends.
"Don't worry about it, the lord has been through a lot that's why he is more mature than others his age. Especially with him being on his own at the young age of twelve."
"Twelve? What about his parents?"
Jacob's interest was grabbed as he asked the maid his question.
Any information about the lord was good information. Jacob had to find out about not only him but also his family as well. What sort of people were they, why were they not around anymore? He definitely wanted to find out if they had any grievances with anyone else in the city.
The maid opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out. Instead, she just looked down at the table for a moment.
"They died a little over two years ago. It… was a pretty gruesome murder, one that caused the whole city to go quiet for an entire night."
"What? Was the killer caught?"
"That, I do not know. Honestly, I don't feel like talking about this anymore…"
The maid told Jacob as she stopped paying him any attention.
The scene she witnessed, those dark nights. She vividly remembered it all, especially those blood-stained walls. She thought she forgot as time passed, but now that she talked to Jacob she realized it was all in her head. She was trying to force herself to forget something that would never be forgotten.
Jacob, seeing the maid's behavior knew he would get nothing else out of her. Push her too far, she would explode into rage. What he had to do was wait, let her emotions calm down while getting on her good side. Then he could try again in a few day's time when the chance presented itself.
While their conversation was going on, Diana just finished delivering the lord his breakfast. She made it back in time to see Jacob and the maid talking to each other. Their words were light as if they were trading secrets with each other.
'What exactly are you up to?'
That was the only question in Diana's mind.
At the time, she should have listened to her gut and told someone her suspicions early on. However, she did not know at the time that wherever Jacob went, trouble would soon follow.