Autumn had almost passed and as it was now nearing winter, everyone in the manor was busy, be it with setting up with firewood, shopping for supplies, or just doing their usual tasks.
Autumn had almost passed and as it was now nearing winter, everyone in the manor was busy, be it with setting up with firewood, shopping for supplies, or just doing their usual tasks.
Every year around this time, we would receive a letter out of nowhere. No stamp, no fancy seal, just a wax sealed letter of invitation to a yearly ball, one that invited me and a servant of my choice only.
My father always threw it into the fireplace and burned it when he found it on his desk each year, offended it wasn't meant for him.
Thinking over all of the servants, I decided to go with Leon as he needed to start getting out more and was in need of some more time to spend off as he had been a hard worker since day one. So he deserved the break
Smiling as I walked down the halls, I searched for Leon.
Finally having searched everywhere else, I extended my arm and knocked on the door.
"Leon, are you in there?" I asked as I awaited a response.
"Oh, master! I'm sorry, I'll be right there!" He said as I heard a few strange noises coming from behind the door before it opened revealing a messy haired Leon.
"Is everything alright? You seem to be more stressed than usual." I said as I placed a hand on his shoulder.
"I'm fine, I just fell. But as for the stressed part, I've been thinking..."
"What about?" I asked as I moved out of the way so he could exit the doorway.
"Despite all of the work we do, it seems like very little has changed since we started this small rebellion."
I sighed, for I too had been feeling the same way. Something about our recent progress was disappointing me, not just because of the fact we needed to make a change soon, but because there were still so many beast-men still in the shackles of slavery.
"I agree Leon, progress is slow. But as long as we keep up with the pace and keep taking action, we will get to a milestone eventually." I said as I looked down at my hands.
"You know, It's admirable how you can look past the corruption of this world and see the good. I know that I could never do that, I hold grudges too easily." He said as he placed his hand on my head and looked me in the eyes.
"You're not like most humans, that's what I like about you." He said with a straight face.
My face reddened as my mind struggled to process what Leon had just said. Steam came from my ears as I covered my face with my hands.
Leon chuckled lightly at my shyness.
I then remembered why I sook him out in the first place.
"Say, Leon would you like to accompany me to the masquerade ball later tonight? The invite said that I could bring a servant with me as a guest." I asked as I turned my head to look away from him in order to hide my still tomato red face.
"S-sure, I'd like that." He said with a surprising lack of his smugness or teasing attitude.
"Alright, why don't you wear one of those suits I made for you?"
"Sure, I can do that."
We then both headed towards our respective rooms to change into our new outfits. I wore a navy blue dress with white lace trims and stars covering the sides as well as grwy stockings to cover my legs where the dress did not reach.
As for Leon, the suit he had picked was also navy blue, but had a reddish trim around the coat. It went well with his dark hair and icy blue eyes as a contrast to his usual dull colored suit which was a simple black and white.
"You look wonderful Leon! I knew those colors would look good on you!" I exclaimed as I ran over to him. He smiled lightly, and returned my compliment.
"You also look stunning my lady." He said with a bow.
I blushed and looked away. How could anyone be so damned handsome?
"A-anyways, let's grab our masks and be off!" I said with a nervous laugh having realized what I was thinking moments ago.