Back in the castle, I'm I right?
"I'll never get over the fact that this place is so much larger than the entire camp plus the training grounds combined," I commented once I stepped through the gate.
Mrs Kelly joined me to the sidebefore saying, "Don't worry Max. No one ever gets used to it since it is forever changing it's foundations, just as it is also forever changing it's location,"
"Wait, what–"
"Mistress Kelly. Welcome back!" I was suddenly interrupted by a multitude of voices.
"As well as Master Randoff!"
OK, this was my fault. I didn't notice the two large lines filled with maids and butlers due to the sheer size of the castle. Now I could see them all, the maids dressed in a maids outfit, their race still that of an ogre, and the butlers in fitting suits same race as the maids.
"Master Randoff?" I raised my eyebrow in question to Mrs Kelly.
"Don't look at me like that. The Beast king knew you were coming too,"
Mrs Kelly turned to the head butler who, I seem to remember tried helping me a while back, and asked him a question. He nodded his head, then called to one of the maids on the line.
"No way! Cathy?!"
She smiled up at me when she approached the three of us.
"Max, this here maid will be attending to your needs for as long as you are here. Details will be shared along later on," Mrs Kelly explained to me.
I don't know why, but I have a feeling that this was also prepared beforehand. But what still came as a surprise to me is that I will get another chance to sleep in this castle, the one place that if you've ever visited once, you can never visit it again!
Seeing that I had little to no luggage, the principal lead me towards the castle dining, where we ate a fitting lunch before she released me with Cathy as he had to go and inform the King that we had arrived.
"Hey, Master Max," Cathy giggled as we walked down to my room.
"Really, Cathy. Even you?"
"What? It has a nice ring to it. But that's not what I wanted to ask you. I've just realized this, but you don't have a lot of clothes on you, do you?"
I stopped and looked at her in surprise, "Wait, how could you tell?"
"I mean, all I've seen you with is the school uniform, and you are wearing one right now, so it really wasn't that hard to come up with that," she answered with a smile.
Oh, gods. Of course she would notice cause I was literally wearing a uniform. Now I really regret not taking up the clothes Jay had offered me, which was a large hood. Definitely not my style though.
I faced forward embarrassed, wondering why today's walk to my room was taking a lot longer than I thought.
"Hey, how about we go buy you some new clothes? I mean, the castle today did stop on Mars. And I think you've only seen the training grounds and not the best parts of the planet,"
"What–really? Wait, before that, you could only know about the training grounds only if you watched my school fight. Was that the case? Did you watch my school?"
"It was the only stream that seemed interesting more that the others. And you were there so of course I watched you fight. Though I'm not so happy with you facing a Centurion beast carelessly like that. You were just lucky that it was so inexperienced,"
"You seem to know an awful lot about Beasts. I'm sure not even some people in the crowd could tell anything about that beast, only that it was big, and I defeated it,"
"My family used to drag me to some of their hunting expeditions. You learn a thing or to at some point. Now since we are already at your room, why don't I bring you some clothes to go out, and we'll be on our way. How does that sound?"
I opened my room door before I answered, "Sounds great. Question, do you always just conveniently have a set of an almost fifteen and a year old clothes lying around? Or is this something else?"
"I've got my secrets, you've got yours, Max. Now, if you will excuse me,"
She left to go fetch the clothes, leaving me to admire my room once again. I don't know why, but the large room seemed much different that last time.
It somehow looked more refined, and my gods is that a bathtub in my bathroom?! Even the balcony still has that minty fresh air coming from it. Yup, I think I'm going to fit right in, in the castle.
Last time, I was too tired and my mind too jumbled to even appreciate the entire room. Now though.... I'ma do what I failed to do last time.
***
"Max? Sorry I took so long, I was just giving them an iron–Oh my gods!" Cathy exclaimed in shock when she walked back into my room after some time.
"Max! What the hell happened here?!" she exclaimed in shock when she saw me in my towel, another wrapped around my hair implying I had just have a shower, flexing in the mirror on my empty wardrobe.
"Ah..."
She looked at the previous well made bed, now demolished beyond recognition, and traced the flowing water and foam on the floor up to the bathroom that was filled to the brim with the said foam. Then, after doing her assessment of the room, she turned back to me, her eyes furrowed in anger.
"I'm going to ask very slowly, Max," she said my name very threateningly, that I twitched in fear.
"Yes, ma'am?"
"Did you do all this to make my work harder, or were you just having, 'fun' as they say?"
"Um... fun?"
She looked me cross in my eye before signing in exasperation, " I can't believe this is my first day with you! You were so good last time–"
"–still am–"
"–Don't interrupt me when I'm talking!"
"Sorry,"
"Good. As I was saying, you weren't all this messy last time. What changed?" she asked me.
I turned away from her cause now I didn't feel like answering her question. Not like I have an appropriate answer or something. And frankly, she shushed me! I don't take well with being shushed.
"Oh? The famous silent treatment I've heard about? Well see how silent you can remain when I reap that towel off your waste, now won't we?"
I looked at her in shock, "You wouldn't!"
"Try me,"
***
She really did it, in case you are wondering, the heartless ogre! After a lot (and I mean a lot ) of nagging, we were finally on our way to the town. She had already asked for permission from the head butler, and he had allowed her to do as she pleases, as long as she attends to me, which in hindsight, she kind of was.
"I'm going to ask this just because, but while you were nagging me, could you have at least returned the towel?" I asked her embarrassed as we traveled on a hover craft.
"I don't care, Max. Are you the one who's going to clean up the mess?"
"I mean... no... but, the towel–"
"I've seen a lot more that you really think. Get over yourself. We've almost arrived,"
Surprisingly the town wasn't as close as I thought, hence the hovercraft. It was just us two, with the driver alone to take us there. The hovercraft itself looked like it was made for not more than five people.
But something I did appreciate about them is how fast they traveled, and the view from the windows was just perfect.
"Can I ask, is this also your first time on Mars?" I asked Cathy. She looked busy watching the scenery but turned her head at me to answer.
"You could say that. But that's because most of the time, I'm always at the castle. I think we've passed here a couple of times, just that I've never actually seen the planet quite well. Never had a reason to step out of the castle in the first place either,"
"So this is also your first time away from the castle?"
"Second. Remember when I was in your highschool? That was my first,"
Our small talk was cut shot when we finally arrived at the town. We were dropped down by the driver who said he'll be back in three hours time. Now I could finally take a good look of the town.
What looked really surprising was the fact that there were a lot more buildings than I expected. There was barely any grain of red sand visible with almost everywhere covered in concrete. Many stalls hanged around the streets, each with a vendor advertising his or her products.
I could smell the heavenly aromas that assaulted my nose, flying off from the stalls near and far. My stomach growled, showing that it was ready for another round of whatever those guys were selling, not at all satisfied with the castle's food. But we have to remember why we came here, and I'm not the one paying, seeing that I don't have the money.
"You can have them. Just so you know,"
"Have what?" I feigned ignorance.
"Your watering mouth and loud stomach already exposed you even before you spoke. Don't worry about the expense. I've accumulated a good amount of money over the years working in the castle, and I've never found a purpose for them. Until now,"
"I'll pay you–"
She raised her hand and stopped me, "I don't want you to pay me Max. Or, if you still feel guilty in some way, then you can pay me by having fun today,"
And fun indeed did I have.
Right after shopping for my clothes( Cathy really knows her way around some good clothes), we walked around the whole town, viewing new things, some shops here and there, and of course eating anything that seemed edible and good enough.
The consequences of my actions today would come to bite me later on tomorrow, but what's most important is that I do this while I still could. The town also had a carnival, and since I have never even seen one, we stayed in there for much longer, almost mostly the entire trip.
The driver of the hovercraft came an hour later that what he had said, not that I wanted him to come earlier than expected. When we boarded the hovercraft, finally the guilt started to creep in.
Cathy looked happy when she payed for all my expenses, but even if she said I pay her with having fun, I still felt like I was taking an advantage of her.
"Hey, Cathy. You know–"
"No, Max. You are not taking advantage over the fact that I lost my kid and you look a lot like him. I wanted to do this because you seemed like you've never experienced such things. So none of that guilt tripping thing, alright? And besides, I also had fun. I've never tried climbing the ferris wheel. A nice change of pace if you ask me,"
I smiled at her, then frowned when she said her next words, "I mean, dressing you up in girl clothes was also a bonus. You can surprisingly pull off a maid's outfit if you wanted, and no one could tell whether you are a boy or girl. Glad I took a picture,"
"Hey! I told you to delete them!"
"And you believed that I would do so? That's so adorable! Now smile, Max. Your other friends are coming to the castle around next week too,"
"DELETE THAT–wait, other friends? What other friends?"
"Oh, you know. The adamantium warriors,"
"Wait, what?!"