Seeing that Rainier has fallen silent, Neo observed his unmoving posture and revealed a self-deprecating smile.
What may have been decades to him was a few years for the servant.
Neo hardly remembers what he had been thinking when he gave the man the blindfold. Cruelty had been in the forefront of his mind.
And perhaps a bit of envy.
It was because of his eyes.
Rainier had a pair of cornflower eyes that could rival the sapphire blue of the Odum Family. Many have found them to be beautiful. They were a mix of soft violets and deep blues and shone brightly when the sun hit.
In the past, before he had forced the blindfold upon him, Nazareth overheard a conversation between some gossiping maidservants.
"Are you sure he's not related to the Duke? Maybe a distant cousin or something?"
"Of course not! The Duke took Rainier off the streets. It's a bit similar to Young Master Nazareth if you ask me."
"I sometimes question whether or not he's illegitimate."
"The Young Master?"
"Well, yes. Besides the hair, I don't really see many similarities between him and his Excellency. Maybe the nose..."
His own personal servant had a higher chance of being an Odum.
What a wretched bastard.
He despised the valet even more.
In the beginning, his annoyance was mild. Rainier was too dedicated to him, too loyal and capable.
Nazareth had grown up in the Red Light District. He knows there is no free meal in this world.
What Rainier provided him--the dedication, the loyalty--it made him feel obligated to pay back. It made him paranoid, believing that the servant required him to settle his dues when the time is right.
Therefore, the only way he wouldn't have to return the debt was to make sure he is rid of that sickening devotion.
It was only after overhearing that conversation regarding his illegitimacy that a malicious plot was made to sow discord between him and Rainier.
He had no need for a servant who dares think himself closer to the Odum Family.
Why was it Rainier Mosely who had blue eyes? His own personal servant. The gods were unfair.
A few nights later, he did what he did.
Acquiring some plants that burned the skin, he carved a talisman of his own making.
The Slave Emblem.
The paint was mixed with the burning plants and woven with his life energy. He paid an adequate price to perform the deadly incantation.
All to entrap his servant, who he despised more and more whenever he took even a single glimpse of those cornflower eyes.
He came to regret his actions in the Modern World. It wasn't just the Slave Emblem and the implementation of the blindfold.
It was what came after.
In the Modern World, he had a lot of time to think about what kind of person Nazareth had become. He had inflicted injuries on Rainier after giving him the blindfold, and this was what evidently caused him to lose the man's loyalty.
Rainier had sworn the oath of a servant and been his best supporter during his early years in the manor. He had defended him from the servants who questioned his illegitimacy. He served him and took care of him and saw him at his worse, yet continued staying by his side.
Of course, the servant betrayed him eventually, but the fault lied with Nazareth.
He had been blind to his own irrationalities and ignorance.
Neo could only blame himself.
To put it bluntly, he was a horrible person who did horrible things.
He sees his reflection in the mirror. A teenage boy is reflected back.
He is sixteen again, but blood still stains the tips of his fingers.
His track record had already drawn blood and violence. He can't take those actions back.
Now, the only way is to change and be better.
Be better and be happy, if life allows it.
---
Rainier stood still for the oldest Young Master as he felt a pair of hands undoing the tight knot of his blindfold.
The hands were nimble and quick. A bit callous in some areas and smooth and others.
The feeling of Young Master's hands is inconsistent, not unlike his mood swings.
His mind flashes back to when the Young Master did a similar gesture--right before branding his face.
He isn't given time to prepare when the blindfold slips loose from his face and reveals his eyes to the world.
He squints, immediately falling into the comforting darkness that the blindfold has given him when all he sees is light.
A Capable Servant must keep calm in all situations.
Regardless if you, who has worn blindfolds for the last few years is suddenly stripped of said cloth.
Instincts and training force him to adjust and integrate back into the seeing world.
He gives a few blinks, his eyes watering at the brightness of the room.
He looks around.
It's been a long time since he saw the oldest Young Master's bedroom.
His eyes catch the mirror and he sees the intricate black marks on the upper part of his face.
He glances at it for a long moment, unable to look away.
A cool hand touches the side of his face; the thumb, close to the corner of his left eye.
"Rainier?"
Neo saw what was hidden beneath the blindfold.
The Slave Emblem appears so boldly on Rainier's tan skin.
The lines connected and weaved, parting and meeting.
The design had been based on his wicked ideas of what a slave and his master are meant to be.
Prey and predator.
Parting and meeting.
The slave can never outrun his master.
He banished the thought.
"Sorry..."
Neo lightly furrowed his brows, his lips turning downward at the sight of the emblem.
Rainier met vermillion eyes and almost showed a look of shock.
Who in the world was this youth?!
The teenager before him was clean-looking and sported neat short hair. There were still a few strands that remained somewhat long. Long enough to pull into a small tail, but by no means was it necessary. He had a small smile on his face, but it soon turned into a distressing frown.
Unable to form a logical conclusion, Rainier remained frozen.
"Young Master...?"
"En?" The youth replies softly.
He felt the Young Master's hands tracing the lines of his brand and all traces of confusion left.
What was this scummy troublemaker doing?
His gaze sharpens somewhat but the smile of a Capable Servant remains.
Neo pursed his lips as he saw some scars that formed from the Slave Emblem.
He hadn't lived long enough to see if Rainier found someone to remove the markings.
It was possible that the servant spent the rest of his life with the Slave Brand on his skin.
Just as Nazareth intended, for he had been a wicked and cruel man.
Sorry, Rainier. I've hurt you.
"What are you doing?"
Rainier peers at him with a look of distrust.
It wasn't obvious, but Neo can tell when he's pushing boundaries.
Removing his hand, he merely shakes his head in answer.
"Just looking," He admitted with a tight smile on his face. It was meant for self-ridicule. He holds the blindfold to Rainier and watches as the other tenses subtly. "You don't have to wear it if you don't like it."
At those words, Rainier's bewilderment soured and turned into resentment.
Did the oldest Young Master want him to reveal the scars for everyone to see? What kind of humiliation was this?
Seeing the obvious distrust, Neo quickly retracts his statement.
"It's okay if you don't want to." He tells Rainier, giving him back the blindfold. "But, I would like it very much if you can keep it off when serving me."
Rainier snorted. Was this another form of bullying then? Did the Young Master want to look at his scars with a sense of accomplishment? And why in the world was he being so polite?
"As you wish, Young Master."
He complied with gritted teeth. He couldn't hide the building bitterness in his words.
Neo can only smile helplessly. "It's not an order. You can do what you want."
"As you say, Young Master." The servant snaps.
Neo doesn't flinch at the sharper-than-usual words.
Rainier doesn't owe him anything. He can't be frustrated with the man's paranoia when he's the one who induced it in the first place.
Nazareth had been awful to him, so Neo had no right to complain.
"We should go. I think we are late for breakfast."
"Yes, Young Master."
Rainier covered his eyes once more and finished making Neo look presentable.
The servant silently wondered what was wrong with his charge today. Did he accidentally poison himself?
Once everything was ready, they left for the dining room.
Walking through the winding corridors, Neo knew he had many things to think about.
He had come back to his second year of senior high at the Noble Academy. It is spring, so the school year has only recently started. That commoner boy enters the school next year, and within a year, he is going to die. The events that led up to his death were crimes and schemes he had committed against many people. Not only did he offend the wrong group of people, but he had ruin many lives along the way and caused misery everywhere.
In Neo's heart, it didn't matter if he dies again. What he wants is to make up for all he had done. He wants to repent. Repent for his sins. Grovel and kneel and pray. Wash himself clean of these evil deeds, or at least, make up for his crimes. God, please let him repent, please forgive him. Please, please, please...
"Young Master, we have arrived."
Rainier's voice broke Neo's musings.
Standing in front of the dining room entrance, Neo stared at the mahogany door for far too long, a blank stare on his face, almost as if he was seeing something else, before schooling his features into a passive expression.
"En."
The dining room was beyond this threshold.
Neo took a breath and slowly stepped inside.
All heads turned to him.
From the servants to the four figures seated at the table, they all stared at the youth with bafflement clear on their faces.
Neo smiled awkwardly. "Good morning."
No one says a word.
---
They looked exactly as he had remembered them.
Too attractive and cold as ice.
It is a blatant fact that the Odum Ducal is a very good-looking family.
Officially, the family was made up of four members before Nazareth came into the picture.
Neo stared at this table and committed each member of the family into his memories.
There was his father, Duke Gareth Altarius Odum, who still continues to look like he is at the prime of his life.
His features included the long, jet black hair he tried so hard to emulate in his past life and the famous sapphire eyes of an Odum.
His face and colorings were marginally inherited by his second son and heir, Aurelion Briseis Odum, whose cold temperament was similar to his own.
Neo briefly peered at this half-brother of his, and nostalgia overcame him in waves.
Aurelion was a year younger than him and the presumed favored son. Not only did he look the most similar to their father, but him being the heir was what drove Nazareth into committing his crimes in the first place.
Looking at the boy now, he realized that Aurelion didn't really resemble their father as much as he had initially assumed.
Unlike the Duke, who wore his hair long, Aurelion had no patience to maintain such lengths and sported short locks instead.
His face was also softer compared to their father, his eyes more narrowed. Of course, the Odum nose is strong with him, but he has his mother's sword-like brows, making him appear quite fierce and intimidating.
He was his own person and not an imitation.
Duchess Vespera Odum nee Arcadia is the next person he takes notice of, mostly because she made eye contact with him for exactly three seconds before returning to her meal.
She barely batted an eye at his new change in appearance.
His stepmother, Vespera, truly deserves the title of the Odum Duchess.
This ageless woman did not need a pair of sapphire blue eyes to be an Odum. Her tranquil demeanor and detached gaze were enough to pass for one.
Similar to his father, she still looks like she is in the prime of her life, beautiful in every way, although her face cannot be described as anything but that of an ax murderer. ..
Lastly, there is the little Young Miss of the Odum, who is like snow.
His little sister.
Guinivere Isolde Odum.
At this time, she should be fourteen.
Guinivere has the most noticeable colorings and seemed to differ in appearance from the rest of the family, which is the reason why he had been so fond of her.
Although he hated Aurelion, he adored this younger sister of his.
They were similar, in a way.
Guinivere was born with white hair and very pale skin. If not for the sapphire eyes inherited by all members of the Odum bloodline, she could have been another white sheep in the family.
Her disposition was similar to the rest of the family, cold and aloof. Although, at times, her innate childishness would reveal itself. It was very cute, but he never bothered to let her know.
She was innocent, and nearly became a casualty of Nazareth's schemes.
Taking in the sight of his family took him moments.
They are all still here, well and uninjured, with fewer signs of trauma.
He has never been more grateful for seeing the emotionally constipated faces on his family's faces.
It was better than the anguish they showed as all his evil deeds were brought to light.
"You are late."
Seated at the head of the table, his father stated the obvious.
"I apologize, Father. It won't happen again."
Neo apologized primly, almost quiet as he bowed his head slightly to mask the nervous look in his eyes.
"Come sit down."
His stepmother told him monotonously. She sounded just as bland as he remembered. He used to hate her a lot.
"Yes."
In the past, he had assumed she looked down on him for being a bastard.
She hardly spoke to him at all, merely giving him a glance from time to time.
He thought she was checking whether or not he actually existed, seeing as he is the literal stain in this family.
Neo pulled out a seat, three chairs down from Aurelion--who sat beside their father--and laid claims to the spot. The distance he put himself between him and his family was obvious to everyone.
This was his usual seat in the dining hall.
He finds it better to sit in a familiar area--a nostalgic area?
His current predicament is rather overwhelming.
The servants came from behind him and arranged his plate while the rest of the Odums pretended they didn't notice the unusual change in the oldest son.
A maid walked over and went to pour him a cup of tea.
Neo stopped her.
She paused, staring at him with wariness in her eyes.
Neo smiles apologetically. "Can I have some coffee, please?"
Clang!
Aurelion dropped his cutlery.
---
Something was wrong with Young Master Nazareth today.
This was the first thought that Lillian had when the Young Master requested coffee.
Holy shit.
Was the second thought that Lillian had when the Young Master said "please."
The rest of the Odum family looked baffled, although they are masking it quite well under the frosty appearance that they are known for, going back to their breakfast as if nothing was wrong.
Lillian did as the oldest Young Master requested, bringing over the coffee pot that the Duke often kept with him on busy days. It was hard to hide her bemusement at the strangeness of Young Master Nazareth's current mood.
She is very uncertain of why he is rejecting the blue earl grey he often likes for the Tea of the Commoners. It was far more bitter and energy inducing compared to the teas that the nobles drank for the sake of the luxury of loose tea leaves, but she chooses not to question anything. If the Young Master wants to drink coffee, then he will drink coffee.
Neo was silent as the maidservant poured him a cup of coffee. He looked at the neglected cup of tea and sighed quietly to himself. Tea just won't cut it when he is already so used to black coffee in his life. He had drunk so much of this stuff back in the modern world for the sake of staying awake that he got addicted.
"Thank you."
He told the maid--Lillian, he remembers. She wasn't a personal servant, but a Capable one. She is often served his meals.
His gratitude was met with awkward silence.
Neo looked over and saw that the maid was staring at him with an intense gaze. He tilted his head in question. She looks at the ground and acts as if nothing was wrong.
"It is no problem, Young Master." She responds belatedly. "Would you like some sugar and cream?"
"No, thank you."
He much preferred to drown in its bitterness for the moment.
At the very least, it brought him some comfort that he could have this one familiar routine.
---
Step 3. Meet the family who you've hated for some irrational reasons and tried to destroy.