In the evening, I took two books from the bookcase and walked back to the baron's room.
There is a warm fire in the room, and three white candles are inserted in the candlestick of the bed head cabinet, which is emitting a weak cold light. Baron Oscar leaned quietly on the soft dark blue pillow, squinting his eyes as if he was asleep.
I walked over gently, trying to cover him with a quilt. He suddenly opened his eyes, stared at my hand on his chest, and then gave me a profound look, and said unhappily: "What are you doing?"
"I thought you were asleep, you would catch a cold if you didn't cover it," I said.
The baron said, "No, I'm not going to sleep yet."
I put a few books on the bedside table: "Do you want me to read to you? These are new ones."
"I told my uncle that you will take care of me during my stay in Momon Manor." The baron said suddenly.
"Yes, Lord Viscount has already informed me of that."
The baron stared at my face for a while, frowned, and said, "And? are you upset? Don't wanna be my valet?"
"How come? I'm more than happy."
"But your expression tells me that you are not excited. I gave you the opportunity, but you are not grateful." The baron's tone gradually became colder: "If you have any dissatisfaction, you can say it."
I'm so embarrassed, does he want me to be excited? In my previous life, he forced me to be his valet. At that time, I put on a long face all day, and I never heard him complained once.
"It's my honor to serve you, my Lord, I just...I...I need to be careful at all times as a valet." I found an excuse.
The Lord Baron nodded in satisfaction: "I'm very bored, let's find something that can relieve the boredom."
"Then I will read to you."
"Reading at night will hurt your eyes. Your eyes are so beautiful. If..." The baron's tongue was tied up suddenly and seemed to realize that he had said something a gentleman shouldn't say, so he suddenly stopped, and then tightened his lips.
I lowered my head in a panic, and clap my eyes on the floor of the room. I wondered why he suddenly said, "Your eyes are so beautiful." Is he interested in me now? I remember in my last life, he obviously showed interest in me at a dinner party a long time later. He was drunk, pushed me in the dark corridor, and said he fancy me. I was shocked and thought he mistakenly thought I was a lady...
"Our human eyes are a treasure gifted by God. Regardless of poor or rich, anyone's eyes must be taken care of." The baron said awkwardly.
"Yes, my lord, you are right." I nodded graciously.
The room was quiet and scary for a while, only the sound of firewood burning in the fireplace could be heard.
I tried to break this ice and embarrassment and proposed: "Why don't I play chess with you."
"You can play chess?" He said arrogantly, "I didn't expect that you, a subordinate footman, not only literate but also can play chess, what else talents do you have?"
"I only learned to play chess."
"Well, there is nothing to do anyway," said the baron.
I took the chessboard, placed it on the baron's bed, and then sat on the chair by the bed to play chess with him. This way I was a little far away from the chessboard, and I had to bow my body every step I took, which seemed very strenuous.
"It's not convenient to play chess like this, you can sit on my bed." said the baron.
"It's not good, it's very rude to lose the rules." I vetoed it hastily.
"You really care about your behavior." The baron said sarcastically, "But who actually climbed to my bed when he took care of me on the first day."
My face flushed, and it was across the line for a gentleman to accuse me of climbing to his bed. This is generally used as a metaphor for an improper relationship. How could he impose it on me? He said he was cold that day, and I think he is pitiful...
"So don't be embarrassed, come and sit down." The baron said, pointing to the bed.
I had to sit opposite him, and we were playing chess and chatting. He seemed to be very interested in me and kept asking about me.
"So your father never came back after he left home?" he asked.
"Yes, we have asked someone to find it, but the man is so old, it is difficult to find someone. And he may have been...for so many years, we don't have any hope."
Without comment, the baron asked, "Have you ever gone to school? Where did you learn how to read?"
"I didn't go to school, I asked someone to buy a book for self-study."
"It seems you are very assertive, do you have any ideas for the future?"
"What kind of future can someone like me may have? My mother thinks that I can be a senior footman already very promising."
The competition on the chessboard has begun, and I gradually put my mind on the chessboard, and when I get back to my senses, I have already won the Baron.
He raised his eyebrows and squinted his eyes to look at me: "It's funny, you are a bold little guy, and you dare to win the game when you play chess with your master."
I was taken aback for a moment, and said awkwardly: "I'm sorry."
My chess skill is quite good. I always won when I played chess with the baron in my previous life. He never expressed any dissatisfaction. On the contrary, he likes to play chess with me. The more I win, the happier he looks, but this time...
The baron throw his pawn away and said, "That is it for today, I want to rest now."
I quickly put the chessboard away, then bowed respectfully and said, "Good night my lord, I will leave now."
"Who allowed you to leave?" The baron was upset again.
"Please excuse me." I hurriedly bent over and said.
The baron seemed a little annoyed, he looked at me silently.
I don't know what annoyed him. Is it just because I won him on chess?
"What a stupid guy." After a long time, the baron turned over and lay down, turned his back to me, and said, "Read to me, and you will leave when I fall asleep."
I was torn between annoyance and a desire to laugh. He just said to protect my eyes, and now I'm reading a book. Is this adult's temper so erratic?
I reluctantly sat down and started reading under the shadow of the lamp.
This time I chose two collections of poems, opened one at random, and then read them softly. At this time I was very tired, I felt very sleepy, especially in the dim candlelight, I didn't care what I had read in my mind.
"My soul and everything I have, I want you to take it, but I beg you to leave me a pair of eyes so that I can see you. In my body, there is nothing that has not been conquered by you... You take it away If I have lost its life, I will also take its death. If I have to lose anything, I hope you will take me away. I only ask you to leave me a pair of eyes so that I can see you." This is the first poem and it is a long poem, halfway through reading, I found out that it was a loving poem. I endured the embarrassment and read it through, and then found a homesick poem: "I love the wind more than everything in the world. The wind is loud. The call sign, the wind is groaning loudly, how deep the call sign and groan of the wind are, the wind does its best to protect itself..."
After the bell struck 12 times, I couldn't hold it anymore.
"My lord, are you asleep?" I whispered but didn't get any reply. The man on the bed was already asleep.
I yawned, quietly blew out the candlestick, covered the baron with a quilt, and walked out of the baron's room.
The moment the door was closed, the man on the bed turned over, and in the dark, Baron Oscar touched his hot, hot cheek.
...
"The work of a valet is completely different from your footman work." The butler, Aaron, turned his hands around and said, "Since you want to serve the baron, you must get rid of your bad habit of being a subordinate footman ."
He focused his attention on the old sheepskin shoes I wear, shook his head, and said, "Look at you, the beggar outside is more decent than you, you should have your shoes repaired today."
"Yes, sir." I said embarrassedly.
"The master wants me to train you, but you have already started serving the baron, saying that the training is too late, you just have to keep in mind a few of your responsibilities."
"First, you have to be responsible for the Baron's clothes. You will prepare everything on his body. It is your primary duty to help the Baron to go out to meet people. Second, the so-called valet is when the Baron goes out, you have to offer the service, respond to all the needs of the master, and carry his lordship's luggage. Third, you will take care of all the details of the baron's life, such as bathing and dressing, getting up from bed, reading the newspaper, drinking coffee and using snacks, etc., everything is I want you to handle it yourself."
The butler finally concluded: "These tasks are very important and should not be done by you, a novice, but this is also your opportunity. If it is done perfectly, I will remind his lordship to process the promotion for you."
Aaron patted me on the shoulder: "Serve the baron well, he will become the employer of Mormon Manor, if you really become his valet, then you will rise to the sky in one step."
I couldn't comment and nodded vaguely.
Continue to be the baron's valet? Of course not, I will always stay in Mormon Manor, I still have things I want to accomplish. Continue to stay with the Baron, I'm afraid it will bring misfortune to him like my previous life...
The baron's body has fully recovered. After he recovered, he did not leave the manor in a hurry as before. Instead, he settled down peacefully, often gathering with guests, and sometimes going out to visit the gentries here.
The happiest person about this is Viscount Bruce and his wife. The Viscountess was even talking to the Viscount in private: "We took care of him when he was sick, so he is grateful to us. Catherine visits him every day regardless of his infectious disease. He must have been moved by our little daughter, so he stayed."
Viscount Bruce was not as optimistic as his wife. He frowned and said, "I hope so, but Catherine said that he didn't show too much interest in her."
"Maybe it's because he is too uptight, your nephew is always so chill, maybe we should throw a dance party."